Bill Chappell (R)

Age: 60

Residence: Lowell, since 1989.

Family: Daughter, Dr. Laura (Dr. Jeffrey Cazier) Chappell Cazier, of Huntsville, Ala.; son, Alex (Flynn Hyatt) Chappell; four grandchildren, Wade Hampton Chappell, 3, Alexandra Cazier, 3, Patsy Charlotte “Lottie” Chappell, 2, Will Cazier, 1.5, and another on the way.

Occupation: Publisher, The Carroll Star News.

Affiliations (limit five): Georgia Tech, alumni (Industrial Engineering); Georgia State, alumni (Masters in Business Administration); Methodist; Carroll County Cattlemen’s Association; West Georgia Timber Growers.

Political Experience: Attended meetings of county commission, school boards, city council, health board, water authority, airport authority for 12 years.

Personal Statement (limit 500 words): My family has been in the Lowell area for well over one hundred years. I’ve lived here full time since 1989 on the family homeplace. I’ve spent much of my life since an infant in beautiful Lowell, and I want it stay as beautiful as it is and has been since my great-grandfather’s time. My father, grandfather, and great-grandfather (a Civil War veteran) are buried in the cemetery behind Lowell Methodist Church.

As publisher of The Carroll Star News, I have attended the meetings of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners for the past twelve years. In addition, I’ve attended county school boards meetings, city council meetings, health board meetings, water authority meetings, airport authority meetings, and every other kind of meeting involved with Carroll County government. I have the second-best knowledge base of any man or woman in Carroll County because I have attended all those thousands of meetings and listened in all of those meetings. Dillard Buchanan is the only person who has a better picture and understanding of Carroll County governments, as Dillard has been attending longer and has attended more meetings that I have. That exposure to problems has given both of us the knowledge to understand what needs have to be met and what wastes need to be eliminated.

I have the knowledge, the strength, and the political will to start fixing the problems that confront Carroll County and its citizens. I am not afraid of making hard decisions and promise the voters of Carroll County that I will make those hard decisions based on what is best for the citizens of Carroll County. The decisions WILL NOT be made on cronyism, under-the-table deals, or shifty dealing.

I will open up Carroll County government so that citizens and media personnel can have access to any information that they want. A honest government is an open government. I will accomplish that.

I also offer Carroll County voters a five point contract that has no fine print. That contract is simply this:

1. Place an immediate freeze on all new spending and hiring.

2. Engage an independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit for fraud, abuse, and waste.

3. Require bidding on all county contracts and services.

4. Guarantee an honest accounting of our tax dollars by implementing zero-based budgeting. (Not the Jimmy Carter variety, but I mean to examine every line item in the county’s budget from the ground up, justifying or not justifying the need and reason for an expenditure.)

5. Print the entire budget of the county on the county Web site. I will print a lot more than just the budget and do my best to open up Carroll County government to all citizens.

I signed that contract, and there is no fine print. I ask for your vote on September 18, 2007. That is this Tuesday!

John Denney (R)

Age: 60

Residence: Unincorporated Carroll County, all of life.

Family: Wife, Tammy (22 years); two adult children, Seth and Leah; and two children at home, Sachal and Sinclaire; large extended family.

Occupation: Retired businessman (construction, farm supply and tractor dealership, motel and convention center); part time farmer.

Affiliations: Tabernacle Baptist Church; Carroll County Chamber of Commerce; National Rifle Association; Georgia Land Trust; Atlanta Track Club.

Political Experience: U. S. Army, platoon leader; Carroll County Water Authority, board member, chairman.

Personal Statement: John Denney was born in Carroll County and except for attending Berry College and serving in the United States Army, has lived here his entire life. His early years on the family dairy and chicken farm, where he began each morning feeding the chickens and calves before school, formed his strong work ethic.

After college, John taught at Central High School while attending graduate school at the University of West Georgia. After a tour of duty in the U. S. Army, he taught at Carrollton High School. Later, John became interested in business and has owned several successful ventures, including a farm supply and tractor dealership and working in construction. John has become recognized as a leader in our business community.

As a businessman, John Denney knows what it takes to make a payroll every week while providing the best possible service. That is one of many experiences which makes him the most qualified candidate to lead Carroll County through our current challenges and as we plan our future.

John and Tammy Denney are active members of Tabernacle Baptist Church. John donated his time and effort to help build Rocky Mount Baptist Church on Buffalo Creek Road and donated land for athletic fields to Oak Grove Baptist Church.

John’s oldest son, Seth, is a Carroll County sheriff’s deputy and his daughter Leah lives in Atlanta. John and Tammy, his wife of 22 years, have twins, Sachal and Sinclaire, at home.

John’s hobbies include hiking, jogging, horticulture and hunting and fishing. John and Tammy have completed the Peachtree Road Race six times.

Protecting Our Water Supply: When John joined the water authority board, the first thing he worked on was bringing the members together to formulate a mission statement to ensure that the board focused not just on daily operations, but on long-term planning as well.

After being elected chairman of the water authority board by his fellow board members, John worked with the other members to stabilize and improve the board’s finances and lay the financial and planning foundation to ensure that Carroll County will have a long-term supply of clean water with a wider array of sources.

Working with the other members of the board and the staff, as well as neighboring governments and agencies, John has worked to protect our water from the effects of Atlanta’s growth.

As a father of four, John’s personal commitment to Carroll County’s water supply and quality of life derives from his desire to leave a better Carroll County for our children and grandchildren.

Preserving our Community Character: To help ensure that Carroll County retains its agricultural character, Tammy and John voluntarily contributed all development rights on 50 of the 55 acres where they live to the Georgia Land Trust.

As a part of his commitment to the heritage of his family and our county, they have worked to keep alive the tradition of sacred harp music. The Sacred Harp Museum is located on property donated by John’s father.

Tom Flippo (D)

Age: 62

Residence: Unincorporated Carroll County, two years; formerly Carrollton, 14 years.

Family: Children

Occupation: Retired businessman (computers), 28 years; retired teacher, 14 years; former consultant, three years.

Affiliations: Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International; AMVETS; FLW.

Political Experience: Political organizations, former officer, county chairman, vice chairman; campaigns, former manager, worker.

Personal statement: Having never had any ambitions to hold public office, three personal phone calls urging me to consider running eventually changed my mind.

They all essentially said: “Give us a choice.” After some soul-searching, I decided that if no one qualified as a Democrat, I would throw my hat into the ring at the last minute. The citizens of our county lack confidence and trust in our government.

The questions I get are: Who represents me? My commissioner? The Commission Chairman? They feel they’ve not been represented. They feel we’ve been mismanaged; officials have followed their own agendas.

The commission’s job is to administer the county for the benefit of the resident, the voter, and the taxpayer of Carroll County. Who should run Carroll County? Industry and developers, or the taxpayers who pay the bill?

As commission chairman, I plan to run a fair, open, responsible and accountable administration for ALL the citizens. I plan to concentrate on essential services, and to curb the skyrocketing costs. I plan to concentrate on helping small businesses. They are the lifeblood of this county. We have weighted them down with fees, restrictions, codes, and taxes that are pushing them out of the county or out of business.

We need quality jobs! In 2006 our average household income was approximately $40,000. This may be true, but if one person makes $90,000 and three people make $10,000, we have three families below the poverty level. This is unacceptable! I hope to encourage the Chamber of Commerce to take its former place of prominence in our county. We need Carroll Today, not Carroll Tomorrow. The Chamber traditionally has been the catalyst for growth, beautification, community pride and financially sound development. The only special interests that we need to address are the people of this county and their essential needs. Contracts for providing these needs should be procured through a process of open bidding (as the law currently dictates) with some advantage given to local business. Those essential needs are jobs, public healthcare, police and fire protection, and public works, which include safe and well-maintained roads.

We have a good land use and development plan which we paid dearly for. It calls for major population growth and concentration of development along the corridors of 61, 113, 27, and 166. This allows the most economical and feasible provision of county services. This also leaves our agribusiness and rural areas of the county intact and unspoiled with minimal encroachment.

I would like to have hotlines to every department where you speak to a real, live person for concerns and complaints to be addressed with real and concrete answers. Town hall meetings will be held in every district on a regular basis in order to communicate face to face with the citizens whom we are to serve. Everyone’s issues are important to them, and they should be just as important to their elected officials. Public servants mean just that, servants to the public.

Age: 50

Residence: Clem, 22 years

Family: Wife, Tessie (29 years); mother, Beatrice Godbee, son, Jamie (Lindsay) Godbee; daughter, Amanda (Jon) McCorsley; grandchildren, Will and Kiley.

Occupation: President, JKG & Associates Inc. (property management)

Affiliations: Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, board member, co-chair of membership drive; Carrollton CrimeStoppers, board member; Pathways, former board member; Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, member, past treasurer.



Political Experience: District 4 Carroll County commissioner, 2004-07; certified Carroll County commissioner, 2006; Georgia Council for Rural Housing, member, past president; Chattahoochee-Flint RDC, former board member; Carrollton Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, member.

Personal Statement: Three years ago, I began serving the citizens of Carroll County as commissioner of District 4. It has been a very enjoyable and rewarding experience as a public servant.

Both of my great-grandfathers came to Carroll County in the 1800s. I live on the farmland that my grandfather Robert Godbee purchased in 1908. I have been a business owner in Carrollton since 1986. My wife is the site manager of English Village Apartments. My son is a Carroll County deputy; his wife is a Carroll County teacher. My son-in-law and daughter own two Subway stores in Carroll County.

While campaigning, I listen to the concerns of the citizens. The urgent issues are current and future water supply, water quality and watershed protection, bringing water to current citizens, farmland preservation, the Corridor Development Plan, improved financial management, rapid growth and the preservation of our rural heritage, and growth in business and industry to provide more jobs and prevent a tax overburden on our citizens.

As a commissioner, I led the effort to stop a computer services contract that would have cost taxpayers $12,000 per month and would have been operated by a company in another county. I did not support the deadly weapons ordinance, the Roopville convenience center, or the major amendment to the comprehensive plan. I have tried to help all citizens that have called me and have fought for fiscal responsibility.

The duties of the chairman are defined in the county charter. The chairman represents the county, is responsible for the daily operations, manages the finances, and is charged with bringing a balanced budget to the Board of Commissioners. I urge the citizens to become familiar with the county charter.

I earned an accounting degree from Emory University in 1978 and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance from Mercer University in 1984. I worked as an accountant and auditor for General Motors from 1978 to 1985. In 1986, I became a small business owner in Carrollton. I have three years of government experience as a district commissioner.

I believe that I am the most qualified candidate with the necessary experience, skills and training to meet the challenges facing Carroll County. As an elected official, I asked the hard questions about our water supply and future development. I supported needed improvements to enhance the quality of life for our citizens, and I always supported citizen involvement. I will address the urgent issues facing our great county.

I would appreciate your vote on September 18th.

Thank you, Jimmy Kyle Godbee.

See candidate finance reports at http://www.times-georgian.com/sp_sections_index/