Rick Kelley is the new sheriff in town, Ferguson, Jackson headed for runoff

News

WHITE COUNTY, Ga. – After 28 years, White County is going to have a new sheriff and his name is Rick Kelley. He defeated four opponents to win the Republican Party nomination. Kelley captured 51.6 percent of the vote, eliminating the need for a runoff. He received 3,792 votes to Aaron Autry’s 2,170, who finished second.

There will be several other runoff elections on Aug. 11 where White County voters can cast a ballot. Deciding a Probate Judge to replace Garrison Baker will require a runoff between Don Ferguson who captured 3,242 votes (44.4 percent) and Carol Jackson who won 2,812 votes (38.51 percent).

State House District 10 candidates Robert Crumley and Jimmy Dean are also headed for a runoff. Crumley received 2,174 votes Tuesday (44.94 percent) to Dean’s 1,433 votes (29.62). The winner  will then face Democrat Nick Mitchell in the November General Election.

With about 97 percent of the votes counted in the U.S. House District 9 race, it appears Matt Gurtler of Tiger and Andrew Clyde survived the nine-candidate race that covers 20 counties. Gurtler won about 22.4 percent of votes cast while Clyde received 18.6 percent. The winner of that runoff will face the Democrat winner between Devin Pandy and Brooke Siskin.

In another contested race, Board of Commissioners District 1 Commissioner Terry Goodger won reelection, defeating Jerry Nicholson 1,276 to 383. Commission Chairman Travis Turner and District 4 Commissioner Craig Bryant ran unopposed.

 

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com

 

White County Sheriff candidates debate on FYNTV

News

WHITE COUNTY, Ga. – Five White County residents seeking the office of Sheriff brought their campaigns to a 90-minute candidate debate presented by Fetch Your News and the Republican Party of White County Monday.

Moderator Brian Pritchard of Fetch Your News questioned candidates on topics ranging from what they would do to improve the operation of the sheriff’s office to how they would manage the budget, especially in light of the governor’s demand that agencies reduce their budgets by 14 percent.

John Murphy said, “We are still behind in what we need to do in the computer age. We have to have more officer training, computer crimes training. Things like that will aid us to advance into the next century. We’ve got a long way to go.”

Will Garrett said, “We need AEDs (automated external debibrillators) in all patrol cars.” He also recommended deputies carry NARCAN. (NARCAN  is the common name for Naloxone, a medication used to counter the effects of opioid overdose. “That’s a great tool. It works on drug dogs. It works on kids that may happen to get into a medicine cabinet. It’s those kinds of things I want to implement within the Sheriff’s Office to bring us up to par.”

Rick Kelley, who has worked in the White County Sheriff’s Office for 17 years, received a major boost to his campaign last week when popular outgoing Sheriff Neal Walden endorsed his campaign. Kelley said he wanted to improve communications with the public by launching Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

There was some back and forth over the need for a chief deputy.

Jeff Ramey, the owner of a tow truck company who lacks law enforcement experience, said he would not have a chief deputy. “When people come to the Sheriff’s Office, they come to see the sheriff,” he said.

Aaron Autry, who ran for sheriff against Walden in 2016, said he had considered the pros and cons of the chief deputy’s position, but is undecided. “If you don’t have a chief deputy, you could allocate more funds to give a raise to your employees,” he said. “I’m not saying I wouldn’t have one and I’m not saying I would.”

The others all said the position is necessary.

Murphy, said, a chief deputy is essential. “I’ve worked in five sheriff’s offices and they all had a chief deputy. A sheriff has state meetings to attend. He has county commission meetings to attend. It takes a second hand. A sheriff is only as good as his command staff.”

Garrett said, if elected, he would have a chief deputy. “The chief deputy is a good liaison between the sheriff and the other employees. The sheriff is not able to be at every location and the chief deputy is the proper person to fill that void.”

When the question of a budget was raised, Kelley, Autry and Murphy all said they had managed the budgeting process in the past. Garrett said his experience with budgeting was very limited.

Autry then said he wanted to create a work release program to supplement the budget. “The inmates would pay for the program and the money would go back into the general fund,” he said.

But the other candidates doubted the program would work because White County doesn’t house enough inmates to support such a program.

“In White County 90 percent of our inmates are pre-sentence and we typically have only six to 12 that are sentenced and they work inside the facility,” Kelley said.

Murphy said work release worked in Hall County because there were as many as 600 inmates and 40-50 were available for work release. “There are other avenues we could look at as far as generating money, like road cleanup crews. But as far as work release, I don’t see how that would benefit White County with the inmate population we have.”

Advance voting begins May 18 for the General Primary and Presidential Preference Primary.

 

 

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

White County has a strong field of candidates competing for Sheriff

Business, News

WHITE COUNTY, Ga – Five candidates presented their best arguments as to why they should be elected White County Sheriff during a debate presented by the Young Republicans of Northeast Georgia and Fetch Your News Tuesday (Apr. 29).

Each candidate was given two minutes for an opening statement and one minute to answer questions from moderator Caleb Huiet.

AARON AUTRY

Autry has worked in public safety since 1994 in Hall, White, Habersham and Forsyth counties as well as the City of Cleveland. He is currently a Senior Motor Officer with the MARTA Police Department who ran against Sheriff Neal Walden in 2016. He was the first K-9 handler and first school resource officer in White County. Like all candidates, he is opposed to red flag laws or any form of gun control that violates a citizen’s Second Amendment rights. During closing remarks, he said his experience in enforcing the law in the metro Atlanta area below I-285 is unmatched by any opponent. “It’s unbelievable what I’ve seen out there. Sometimes it’s hard to forget.”

WILLIAM GARRETT

Garrett began working with White County Sheriff’s Office in 2005 in the detention center where he worked sRieveral years before being assigned to the civil division before going on patrol. Later, he went to the Towns County Sheriff and now works for Wilcorp, a trucking company Clarkesville. He said if elected, he will have an open-door policy, will be fair but firm and will show no favoritism.

RICK KELLEY

Kelley had 17 years of continuous service to the White County Sheriff’s Office before retiring in January to run for Sheriff. He graduated from then North Georgia College and State University with a degree in Criminal Justice. His platform includes opening up the lines of communication between the sheriff’s office and the public, creating a citizens’ police academy, implementation of a crime suppression unit, adding a K-9 Unit and school resource officers. He noted the county has only two SRO’s to cover four schools. “I’ve got a clear plan to bring the sheriff’s office and the community together, a clear plan to combat the crime problem and to work on school safety,” he said in closing. “What sets me apart is that I have 17 years’ of continuous service here in White County.”

JOHN MURPHY

Murphy has 36 years of law enforcement experience. He worked in Hall County 25 years before taking an early retirement then worked for Sheriff Neal Walden in the White County Sheriff’s Office for 11 years. He is experienced in every phase of law enforcement. Most of his career was spent in investigations. While in White County, he was promoted to captain and became division commander over court services. He is an expert in SWAT team operations and fingerprint analysis. After a lifetime in law enforcement, Murphy said, “I know what will work and what doesn’t work. I’m here to make a difference. I’m here to meet the challenge and to do what is best for White County.”

JEFFERY “JB” RAMEY

Ramey is the only candidate in the race with no law enforcement experience. He has run a towing business in Habersham County for 40 years and has been a volunteer fireman. “I’m not a career law enforcement officer but I’ve been around it all my life in the business we do. I’ve seen changes that should be made that’s not being made. I feel with these people who are running, I don’t know whether we will get those changes or not. That’s the reason I decided to step in and run for sheriff. It’s time for a change for the citizens of the county.”

 

 

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com

 

 

White Co. Candidate Forum Draws Packed House

News, Politics

CLEVELAND, Ga. — A standing-room-only crowd elbowed its way into the Roy Ash, Jr. Community Building last night for the candidate forum hosted by White County News and WRWH Radio on the final week before the May 24 General Primary election.

The three contested races in White County this year are the Board of Education chairman’s race between incumbent Kendyl Brock-Hunter and Missy Jarrard, Sheriff Neal Walden and challenger Aaron Autry and the Board of Commissioners race between District 4 Commissioner Craig Bryant and Shawn Henderson.

The biggest surprise of the evening was that neither school board candidate was asked about the federal guideline issued last week by the Obama Justice and Education departments. That guideline directed school systems to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and dressing rooms consistent with their gender identity. The guideline does not carry the force of law, but administration officials have hinted that school systems that fail to comply could lose millions of dollars in federal funding.

After the forum ended, Fetch Your News caught up with the two candidates to ask where they stand on that important issue. Both were adamant that the federal government should butt out and that this is a local issue.

Hunter said, “Bottom line this is a local issue, not a federal issue. This is not something that needs to be mandated by the federal government. Let the local people decide. As a board member, I am part of a whole. So it would be something collectively we would discuss and decide on.”

Jarrard said, “This decision coming down from the federal government is just another example of how the federal government needs to stay out of local school systems. To me this is an issue that needs to be argued with the state. Let the voters go to the polls and vote on it. I don’t believe at the federal level they should be making any directives to a local school system. I personally would oppose it.”

Henderson said he would like to improve county government’s communications with its citizens. “I want to find new ways to put what we’re doing out there,” he said. “I want you to know what’s going on ahead of time.” He also said he would consider hiring a public information officer.
“I personally believe in term limits,” he added. “I believe after you have served a certain amount of time, you should stop and give somebody else a chance to serve.”

Bryant, who has served on the board for 14 years, said his greatest qualification for the office is his ability to deal with the public, “I’m a people person. I have the ability to talk to the people I’m sitting in front of. I’ll tell you the truth. I’ll tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear. Right now the county is running as smooth as it has in a long time. We’ve got money in the bank and we’re still offering services.”

Sheriff Walden, who has served White County for 37 years, including 25 as sheriff, said his staff is highly experienced and has brought White County law enforcement into the 21st century.

“My command staff collectively has about 200 years of experience,” he said. “They have the pulse of the county. We’ve taken more than $6 million worth of drugs off the street in the last four years and made over 360 arrests. That’s stomping on the drug dealers’ toes.”

Autry, who has 22 years of law enforcement experience, said the county needs a work release program. “If you sentence someone on a child support charge, how in the world is he going to do that? If we had a work release program, which will pay for itself, it will help the person being sentenced but it will also help the family. That’s an issue we need to address.”

School Board Race Could Draw Most Interest in Cleveland Candidate Forum Monday

News, Politics

CLEVELAND, Ga. — The candidate forum scheduled for 6 pm in Cleveland Monday could be one of the most interesting and entertaining of this political season in light of last week’s joint guideline issued by the U.S. Education and Justice departments.

There are only three contested races on the ballot in White County’s May 24 General Primary election. School board races are generally considered a “down ballot” race but not this year.

When the Obama Administration issued guidelines last week that dictated local school districts to allow transgender students to use the restroom and dressing room that matches their gender identity, school board races took on a greater importance. The guidelines do not carry the force of law but it is accompanied by a stern, if unspoken, threat that a school district’s failure to comply could lead the federal government to withhold its federal funding.

Tonight’s attendees will be permitted to ask questions of the candidates and they are certain to want to know where incumbent Kendyl Brock Hunter and challenger Missy Jarrard stand on this important issue.

Proponents of the guideline say there is no room in schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students.

But opponents counter that it is up to Congress to write laws not the Obama Administration and that this is the kind of issue that should be decided by local school boards, communities, students and teachers.
Hunter is in her third term as chairman. An occupational therapist by profession and owner of Benchmark Physical Therapy, she is also a member of the Georgia School Board Association’s (GSBA) Board Chair Advisory Council.

Jarrard is a former educator with 23 years of experience, including nine years as a teacher at the elementary and middle school level and 14 years as a School Counselor. She holds a Master’s Degree in School Counseling from the University of Georgia

In the race for White County Sheriff, incumbent Neal Walden is being challenged by Aaron Autry.

Walden is a veteran lawman with 37 years of service to White County. He has been the county’s sheriff since 1991 and is past president of the Georgia Sheriff’s Association and Chairman of the Appalachian Drug Task Force.

Autry has 22 years’ experience, including stints with the City of Cleveland, Hall County White County and the City of Atlanta. He has worked with the North Georgia K-9 Task Force and is SWAT certified.

In the county commission race, Shawn Henderson is taking on Incumbent District 4 County Commissioner Craig Bryant.

The 40-year-old Henderson is owner of Henderson Family Insurance, an Independent insurance agency and an officer in the Georgia Army National Guard. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of North Georgia and will earn a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership this month.

Bryant is an insurance agent He said he’s proud to have served on a Board of Commissioners that has built a new firehouse, soccer complex, road department and jail and has enlarged the senior center, added three new firetrucks and four full time firefighters.

Each candidate will be allowed a two-minute opening statement and brief closing and they have agreed to answer questions from the audience.

Advanced Voting Slow in White Co. Where Turnout is Less Than 5 Percent

News, Politics

CLEVELAND, Ga. — Advanced voter turnout is slow in White County but Chief Voter Registrar Lisa Manning says it is way ahead of where it was in 2012. But that’s only because there were no contested races in the 2012 General Primary. This year, there are three local races, including sheriff, county commission and school board.

As of 10 a.m. Friday, Chief Voter Registrar Lisa Manning said only 540 ballots had been cast or less than 5 percent of White County’s 13,415 active registered voters.

“The Sheriff’s race is the most heated race,” Manning said. “It’s the one that seems to be drawing the most interest.” Veteran Sheriff Neal Walden is being challenged by Aaron Autry

In the District 4 County Commission race, incumbent Craig Bryant will face Shawn Henderson. In the Board of Education race, incumbent Kendyl Brock Hunter is being challenged by Missy Jarrard.

There is also an election for Ninth District Congress where incumbent Doug Collins of Gainesville has angered many conservatives when he voted for President Barack Obama’s Omnibus bill and supported John Boehner for Speaker of the House. As a result, he has drawn four challengers in former 10th District Congressman Paul Broun, Lanier Tea Part Patriots founder Mike Scupin, White County educator Roger Fitzpatrick and retired Army and National Guard Brigadier General Bernie Fontaine.

The lone state race on the ballot is for State Senate where incumbent Steve Gooch,who many consider an “establishment Republican,” is being challenged for re-election in the 51st District by John Williamson, co-founder of the Gilmer County Tea Party.

Advanced voting takes place at the Mauney Building, 1241 Helen Highway between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday voting will take place tomorrow.

Tuesday is Deadline to Register for May Primary

News, Politics

WHITE COUNTY, Ga. — Much is at stake in state and local elections May 24 but you can’t vote if you’re not registered and the last day to register is Tuesday, April 26.

One of the most important races is in the 9th District where incumbent U.S. Congressman Doug Collins of Gainesville has come under fire from conservatives for his support of President Obama’s Omnibus bill. His challengers include former 10th District Congressman Paul Broun, Lanier Tea Part Patriots founder Mike Scupin, White County educator Roger Fitzpatrick and retired Army and National Guard Brigadier Genreal Bernie Fontaine.

State Senator Steve Gooch of Dahlonega is running for reelection in the 51st District and has drawn a challenger in John Williamson, co-founder of the Gilmer County Tea Party.

Locally, there are key races for Board of Commissioners in District 1 and District 4, Board of Education Chairman and Sheriff.

Terry Goodger will challenge incumbent Ron Hood in the District 1 race and Craig Bryant and Shawn Henderson will vie for the District 4 seat.

Aaron Autry is challenging long-time Sheriff Neal Walden and Kendyl Brock-Hunter will face incumbent Missy Jarrard in the race for Board of Education Chairman.

Two New Candidates Meet Qualifying Deadline

News, Politics

CLEVELAND, Ga. — Two new candidates were added to the list of qualifiers for the May 24, 2016 primary election Friday in White County. Shawn Henderson will run for County Commission in Dist. 4 and Ronald Hood will run for County Commission in Dist. 1.

Coroner Candidate
Ricky Barrett

Sheriff Candidate
Neal Walden

Aaron Autry

Tax Commissioner Candidate
Cindy Cannon

County Commissioner Dist. 1 Candidate
Terry Goodger

Ronald Hood

County Commission Dist. 4 Candidate

Shawn Henderson

Commission Chairman Candidate

Joe R. Campbell
Travis Turner

Superior Court Clerk Candidate
Dena Adams

School Board Dist. 1

Jon Estes

School Board District 3 Candidate
Charlie Thomas

Probate Judge Candidate
Garrison Baker

School Board Chairman Candidate
Kendyl Brock

Chief Magistrate Candidate
Joy Parks

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