-
Gisela McGugan speaks at the Farm Bureau political forum.
Gisela McGugan has been a teacher for 21 years, and she believes her insights as an educator and a mom can be invaluable to the county commission if she is elected in District 5.
“I like being involved in our community,” McGugan said. “I like improving libraries for my children, I like going to the park with my children. Anything that is for families, I want for Habersham.”
McGugan is a teacher of all three grades at Wilbanks Middle School and the vice-chair of the Habersham County Library Board.
“I want to run because I can, because we have that right to contribute to our county with a heart of service,” she said. “The people who run our county did not go to school to be our commissioners. They are regular citizens who are not more or less qualified than anyone else in Habersham County. Also, I am a woman and I think it is important to get that voice out there, as many of these boards right now are man-driven.”
She is aware of the biggest issues facing the county, but does not want to forget about the smaller ones as well. “The voices of many I have talked to are concerned about the jail, the landfill and our infrastructure,” McGugan said. “I would like to see a nice county park, one that does not overflow all the time. I would like to see a water park like they have in Hall County. The aquatic center just doesn’t have that vibe. It is not that welcoming.”
McGugan said the county is facing many financial challenges in the future, such as the hospital debt after 2026 when it can no longer be paid by SPLOST.
“Prioritizing our spending is very important,” McGugan said. “Where the money is going and managing what we can best accomplish with the money we have will be crucial.”
McGugan said she is hesitant to raise taxes heavily to pay for a new jail.
“Can we renovate the jail we have? We don’t need to build a Four Seasons jail either, because it is a jail,” McGugan said. “We need to see if there are opportunities to flip the jail, if you will. We need to find ways to go about it without it hurting our residents with taxes going up.”
Managing housing growth is another major issue on McGugan’s mind for the future. “We can enact ordinances for an impact fee for the new housing developments and apartments that are being built,” McGugan said. “This will offset some of the strain on resources like water and sewer with the increasing population.”
McGugan stressed the importance of communication between government bodies and with their constituents. “It is important to have collaboration,” she said. “You have to be involved and see what is happening in what these boards are approving and what they are not.”