-
Advance voting continues through Oct. 29 on weekdays and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Growth in Hartwell is a hot topic among candidates running for positions in the city this November.
The Hartwell Sun interviewed the candidates on the ballot for mayor and Hartwell City Council to find out what issues are important to them and how they plan to tackle those issues.
Brandon Johnson
The current Hartwell Mayor Brandon Johnson is running for reelection because he feels like he has more to give to the city.
“I still feel like there’s a lot of things to be done, a lot of opportunity left and I still have the desire to see Hartwell try to reach it’s full potential for the next generation,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the biggest challenge facing Hartwell is managing the growth while keeping its “small-town charm.”
“Challenge and opportunity go hand-in-hand,” Johnson said.
Johnson said keeping Hartwell city workers by paying them competitive wages and benefits is also a priority to him.
“One thing that has been increasingly more difficult is being able to continue to retain and recruit a workforce for our city.
Johnson listed major projects such as a full rebuild of the sewer plant and a new fire station as tasks he would like to accomplish if reelected. He said he would also like to continue to see the housing be addressed by adding affordable housing to meet all the needs of the community.
Johnson hopes to then see Hartwell transition into “quality of life” projects such as good sidewalks and neighbor parks.
“Serving as mayor has been such a blessing for me and my family and I really have enjoyed serving and seeing Hartwell really come back strong after the recession,” Johnson said. “I still have a lot to give. I still have got a lot of effort and hard work to give to the community.”
Jadrickus Patterson
Jadrickus Patterson is challenging Johnson for his seat as mayor and would love to see more change come to the Hartwell community.
“To me Hartwell is behind on the times,” Patterson said. “Hartwell should be bigger than what it is and there should be more things for the kids to do.”
Patterson wants to see more restaurants and hotels in Hartwell and for the city to take better advantage of the lake. He would also like to have more affordable housing in Hartwell.
Patterson said if he was elected, he would clean up certain areas of the city.
“You ride through some of the communities and it just looks like a dead town,” Patterson said.
Patterson said transparency is important for the city council and would like to see more engagement from people in Hartwell to speak out about the changes they would like to see.
“If I’m elected I’m just going to be the voice for the people,” Patterson said. “I just want to let the people know I’m not just going to be a yes man. I’m not going to do something just because I have someone in my ear saying, ‘Hey, you should do this.’ I’m going to make decisions based off the best interests of the people in the city of Hartwell.”
Toy Cynthia Wilkins
Current city councilmember Arthur Craft is not seeking reelection and has four candidates vying for his position.
Toy Cynthia Wilkins is running for the spot after being encouraged to run by Craft.
Managing growth is also a priority for Wilkins who has lived here all her life and doesn’t want the legacy of how Hartwell started to die.
“We do need those businesses and it’s good, but we need to bring those right businesses here,” Wilkins said. “Making sure that growth goes into the right direction so we won’t just turn into a little Atlanta or a little Athens.”
Housing is also a concern for Wilkins who has seen the rising prices of homes make home ownership and renting in Hartwell more difficult for some people.
“We’ve got the jobs but now they are saying, ‘Where are we going to live at?’” Wilkins said.
Wilkins would like to see more for the youth in Hartwell.
“We don’t really have anything really here for our young people to do,” Wilkins said. “They are going to Anderson or going to Athens and that’s money that’s going to other locations that we can keep here.”
Annexation is another issue for Wilkins.
“Make sure they are done in the right location and not just in the populations where they can make a lot of money,” Wilkins said. “It’s not really about the money; it’s about the people.
Wilkins said she will focus on the people’s ideas and not just what she would want to happen if elected.
“Whatever I do, I do it 100 percent,” Wilkins said.
Bonnie Clark
Also running for Craft’s seat, Bonnie Clark wants to keep Hartwell the town it has always been and preserve the quaintness that brought her and her husband here four years ago.
“Hartwell has always had kind, respectful people that smile and say good morning or have a nice day,” Clark said. “We are not a college town like Athens or Clemson. We are the heart of the lake and a peaceful community that welcomes all.”
Clark cites traffic as a major issue and wants to develop a plan to deal with it if elected.
“The city and county councils along with the DOT need to work together and not stop or put this on the back burner any longer,” Clark said. “The growth of the city depends on the infrastructure being updated and prepared for more vehicles, visitors and residents.”
Clark is also against the annexation or properties into the city.
“I believe that the city is a sufficient size as is. We do not need to continue to annex properties into the city for the foreseeable future,” Clark said. “It is more important to take care of what we have properly. Pave roads that are in need throughout the city limits, help all our Mom and Pop shops that are invested in our city. They are the ones that support our town, our community and our schools.”
Clark would also like to see the locations of former plants be used.
“I would like to see that Tenneco be responsible for the clean up of the property they occupied as well as any environmental damage that may have been caused to the surrounding areas,” Clark said. “This location needs to be filled with another corporation to provide jobs for our citizens.”
Wentravious Hill
Wentravious Hill is also looking to succeed councilmember Craft because of his love for the community.
“I love our community. I love the community of Hartwell as a whole,” Hill said. “I definitely want to help out as much as I can.”
A life-long resident of the Rome community, Hill created a nonprofit called Creating A Positve Environment (C.A.P.E.) to help the low-income residents in Hartwell. The organization is working on creating a youth center in the Rome community.
Hill said the youth need a place to release energy in Hartwell such as a bowling alley or after-school programs.
“The youth don’t have anything to do here in Hartwell. I think that is one thing that we have been leaving on the back-burner even since I was a young man in the Hartwell community,” Hill said.
Hill also said he thinks the city workers don’t get paid enough and would like pay them more and give them better benefits.
“I think if we start with taking care of the city workers, then, in return, the city workers will then take care of Hartwell,” Hill said.
Hill would like to figure out a solution to the drainage problem the city has experienced recently.
“You couldn’t really drive anywhere in the city with it being flooded,” Hill said “With the funding we get for the city I think we should be able to accomplish something to tackle these issues that we have so the residents don;t feel like they’re not really taken care of.”
Spending is also a concern for Hill.
“I think that we could really use some new candidates in there to help detour that fund from where it’s not really needed and put it where we actually need the funding to tackle some of the real issues that we have,” Hill said.
Dan Leard
Dan Leard is the last candidate running to take over Craft’s seat and is running after returning to Hartwell from job opportunities in “variance locations.”
“Hartwell is my home,” Leard said. “I want to be part of Hartwell’s exciting effort as I ‘pay it forward.’ I am proud of this place and want to serve the people of Hartwell.”
Leard said he has seen Hartwell grow when visiting his family in town and wants to continue that growth if elected.
“Hartwell has always had the potential for growth and success. We are blessed to have forward thinking people with the vision to invest in our downtown and entrepreneurs that are making their dreams a reality,” Leard said. “I feel that our growth and progress has been in the making for a long time and I am happy to see what Hartwell has become. I feel that we should continue this growth, and in doing so, be sure to incorporate the community more so we do not lose sight of the purpose.”
Leard listed parking, accessibility and traffic flow as issues he would hope to tackle with the other council members.
“I would like to focus our effort on the communities and neighborhoods that have been in need of attention,” Leard said. “Utilize the City of Hartwell’s comprehensive growth plan, community members, and volunteers to recognize and fulfill the potential in these areas.
Patrick Guarnella
Councilmember Patrick Guarnella is rerunning after servicing for the past three years and is facing two challengers.
“In that time I have learned a lot and am starting to get my footing and feeling more comfortable voicing my opinions,” Guarnella said. “I feel like it’s an obligation of mine and continuation of duty to continue serving the public and continuing to grow in that position.”
Guarnella said Hartwell is at a “critical time” when it comes to growth and development.
“I feel like I have a healthy balance between wanting to see Hartwell thrive and grow, but also being weary of too much growth and growing in the wrong way,” Guarnella said.
Guarnella wants to work on Hartwell’s ability to handle the traffic and services and utilities needed for a growing population.
“From an infrastructure standpoint, we’re growing. Developments are being put up and developments are being proposed,” he said. “One of the main challenges is we are in a position to handle the type of growth being proposed.”
Guarnella wants to have conversations with the taxpayers and state-level organizations about the best way to address those problems.
Guarnella would also like to see property taxes lowered to attract more investment opportunities and families to come to Hartwell.
“If we can spread out that tax burden over a particular type of demographic, I think you are going to see property taxes being lowered, which is a good thing,” Guarnella said.
Richard Sheller
Richard Sheller is running against Guarnella and would like to see Hartwell continue to grow.
“I want to see the community grow even more,” Sheller said.
Sheller would like to bring in more businesses, in particular to fill currently vacant factories.
“We need to fill those two buildings: the Monroe building and the Newton plant,” Sheller said. “Find out what company would like to come to Hartwell and bring those business up or tear them down and put some new ones there. I’m all about growth.”
Sheller said he would also like to work with the DOT to come up with a solution to the traffic problems and work with the road department to fix flooding streets.
Sheller also sees spending as a problem and would like to see a focus on Hartwell’s priorities instead of just spending money.
“I’m about honesty. Taxpayers need to know what’s going on with the city at all times,” Sheller said. “As a city councilmen, I will let my constituents know what’s going on. I don’t play politics and games.”
Bobby Compton
Bobby Compton is also running for the seat, but said he is not “running against anyone.”
“I am running because I have a vision for the city of Hartwell so that Hartwell is a place people will feel safe raising their families,” Compton said.
Compton said he believes the current city government is supporting growth without a plan to manage the growth and that this will worsen traffic issues, overcrowd schools and raise taxes.
Instead he wants slow growth that doesn’t change the character of old neighborhoods.
He said he will bring fiscal responsibility and “ensure taxpayers are not burdened by wasteful spending.”
Compton also plans to “address the traffic problems that have been ignored by the city for several years and are only going to get worse with no control on growth. “
Compton is opposed to forced annexation and believes in some cases, a property owner should have the option of de-annexation.
“I will always remember that I work for the people of Hartwell,” Compton said.
Tray Hicks
Councilmember is running for reelection to continue the plan for pro-growth he has had since being elected 16 years ago.
“I want to continue to see us prosper and become as recession-proof as we possibly can,” Hicks said. “That’s our goal.”
Hicks said the way to do that is grow when its good so that when it goes bad, there are more businesses that were already growing.
“You’re not going to grow in bad economies. You are going to grow in good economies, Hicks said.
Hicks listed sidewalks, traffic flow and housing as three priorities.
“If I can get those done over the next four years, that would be pretty good,” Hicks said.
Hicks serves on several state committees and says he takes classes to educate himself on being a better councilmember. Hicks said he holds the highest certification a city council member can hold for education.
“I have taken more classes than dang near anybody in the state,” Hicks said. “I have become as educated as I could.”
R.C. Oglesby
Former county commissioner R.C. Oglesby is running against Hicks for the city council position.
“I’m running for office to give people a voice, for people to be able to have a voice in the city and in the community and give them the opportunity to speak and give their opinions on things we are taking action on,” Oglesby said.
Oglesby said he would like to place a moratorium on annexations and look at possible outcomes before taking properties into the city.
“If you are going to take people’s property into annexations and then if you don’t give them the things that go along with their taxes, then why are you going to do it?” Oglesby said.
Oglesby said as city councilmember, he would give back to the taxpayers and let them talk and speak their mind.
“Taxpayers are who put you in there and taxpayers are who can push you out,” Oglesby said.
Ogelsby said he wants to take a close look at the budget and operate from there, if elected.
“You don’t want to just go in there and make changes because you can go in there and make changes. You don’t do that,” Oglesby said. “You go in there and you look at everything and review everything before you make changes.”
Advance voting continues through Oct. 29 on weekdays and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Absentees ballots are available from the Board of Elections and Registration Office. The absentee ballot drop boxes are located at the advance voting locations during the advance voting hours.
In Hart County, the absentee ballots may be delivered in person with a valid ID during the regular business hours at the Board of Elections Office at 182 Cade St., Ste. B.
For any questions, contact the Board of Elections and Registration at 706-376-8911.