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The Georgia primary is June 9.
Two candidates qualified for the District 5 Habersham County Commission Republican primary election on June 9 – incumbent Tim Stamey and challenger Locke Arnold.
Arnold, 63, has been in the welding business for 37 years. Stamey, 56, served in the U.S. Army Special Forces and he is the director for business development, targeting systems and sensors for a defense contractor.
The winner will face Democratic candidate Mike Adams in the November general election.
The candidates’ answers are listed by alphabetical order.
1. How will the COVID-19 crisis affect the county’s business going forward and what steps will need to be taken to ensure financial stability?
2. What in your view is the most financially responsible method for providing Habersham County the new jail facility it so desperately needs?
3. What do you see as the county commission’s role in supporting Habersham Medical Center financially through this time of difficulty?
4. What is, in your view, the best allocation method for SPLOST funds to the municipalities and why?
5. Habersham County’s tax base is upside down with property owners paying more of the tax base than business and industry. How will you work with existing business/industry and economic development leaders to reduce the heavy burden of taxes for property owners?
LOCKE ARNOLD
1. The COVID-19 crisis will show having a backup plan is a good idea. We will learn a a lot about who is in or out. Many people have been affected, many jobs have been lost.
2. Build a minimum 500-bed jail and farm out space to outside counties, state and federal source. An 800-bed jail would pay for itself and pay the hospital debt in 15 years with time to spare. The going rate is $60 per person per day.
3. HMC will need help. The commission has been kicking the can down the road long enough.
4. SPLOST funds are a fair tax, we all pay a penny on every dollar we spend. This system is working but it will need adjustment as we go forward.
5. People move to Northeast Georgia to get away from the cities. This is the price for fresh air. I have been in the welding business for 38 years and nobody helped me. It was hard but I made it. The county has too many (coaches) and not enough (players). Everybody wants to be the boss.
TIM STAMEY
1. I’m afraid the results of this crisis will be a recession felt across the nation. As in other areas, some Habersham businesses could permanently close and people could lose their jobs. Even though the Governor is opening things up in Georgia and businesses are trying to open back up with restrictions, the national economy will not recover for some time. Until people feel it’s safe for air travel and return to business as normal the economy will not fully rebound. State grants will lag due to lower state income tax collected. Sales tax collections will be lower due to less sales. Property sales will probably languish and property values also. People will have to reprioritize their spending to only “must have” essential items and the county must do the same until together we have recovered.
2. The most financially responsible is canvas tents and concertina wire. Seriously though, I would like to see the viability and cost of building expandable steel jail cell pods as outlined last year, connected to the current jail. Once completed, move the inmates into them and then renovate the current jail to provide needed support portions and offices. I would like to see the cost of that come out of SPLOST.
3. This is an extremely complex problem. Due to the expensive renovation in 2007 we are 36 million in debt and once the “sale” to NGHS is completed, in 4½ years, we cannot legally use SPLOST funds against the debt. We need to provide limited funds to insure the hospital is open to handle the virus and expedite the reclassification if possible to a Critical Access Facility (CAF). If the hospital were classified as a CAF, it would provide a higher Medicaid/Medicare rate that would go a long way to making it financially viable. If we cannot get CAF classified and it continues to lose money, we have three choices. Continue to subsidize the hospital, let it fail, or let NGHS take it over ASAP with the understanding that they must sign an agreement to keep the hospital open until we can at least pay off the bonds.
4. Every single person in this county who buys something contributes to sales tax. Families in rural areas pay as much sales tax in this county as a family in one of the larger municipalities. The county has more roads to keep up by capita and provides a jail, recreational facilities and courts for everyone in the county. We are all in this together, everyone contributes and regardless of how it has been split in the past the fairest allocation is by population.
5. I have been attending economic development meetings in order to learn more about bringing those revenue sources into the county. We need to provide more quality jobs here in the county while managing commercial growth to keep Habersham the attractive area it is. People live here and move here because they like it. I would also like to see more emphasis on developing tourism, which will bring increased revenue, jobs and provide locals more things to do and more places to eat.
Coming Friday: Candidates for Habersham County Sheriff.