White County Probate Court candidates debate on FYNTV
News May 12, 2020
WHITE COUNTY, Ga. – Four strong candidates for White County Probate Judge 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 how they would deal with the 14 percent budget cut demanded by the governor to how they would deal with the backlog of court cases created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Two candidates – Don Ferguson, an attorney, and Carol Jackson, an Associate Vice President of North Georgia Technical College, – said being elected probate judge would require a significant pay cut, something both said they would willingly accept to serve the citizens of White County.
Ferguson said he would close his private law practice if he is elected. “It would be a conflict of interest. I also think probate court is a full time office that requires everyone’s complete and sole attention.”
None of the candidates saw the need for a tax increase to meet their departmental budgets. Randall Townley noted that since the responsibility of holding elections has shifted from the office of probate judge to the elections superintendent, the operational cost of running the office has already been reduced significantly.
Ferguson gave several specific examples of places he could cut the budget.
“There are some areas where we can trim,” he said. “There are some subscription items we can save on. There are some high-priced technology items we can save on, I think there are some insurance items we have an opportunity to save on. I’m not going to raise anyone’s taxes. I’ll do whatever it takes to meet the county’s budget goals.”
Each candidate was asked how long they would like to serve in office if elected. Cam Greene, the youngest of the candidates, said, “As long as I get in there young, hopefully I can use this as a long-term career and do exactly as Judge (Garrison) Baker has done and serve for over 30 years. Judge Baker has done a great job and I want to follow in his footsteps.”
Ferguson said two to three terms would be enough. Jackson said she would commit to serving no more than two terms. The rest said they would like to serve no more than three terms.
Jackson faced the stark reality that changes in personnel may have to take place but she said she wanted to see the approved 2021 budget before making any decisions. “If we have to cut a position, I can take up the slack and I will do that.”
Due to COVID-19, probate court has been shut down. Pritchard asked the candidates how aggressive they would be in clearing up the backlog of cases.
Ferguson said, “Court hasn’t been held in a couple of months and it may not be held for a couple more. So there is going to be a lot of tickets to resolve. We’ve just got to start court early in the morning and go through all day for as many days as it takes for those tickets to be resolved. I think the total backlog of cases can be resolved in five to 10 working days in court.”
“Jackson said, “I will be as aggressive as I need to be to move this cases through in a way that is satisfactory to the judicial system as well as the people being served.”
Advance voting begins next week in the General Primary Election 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
Four candidates vie for Probate Judge
News March 11, 2020
WHITE COUNTY, Ga. – Four candidates qualified last week to replace White County Probate Judge Garrison Baker who will retire at the end of the year.
Garrison is highly respected among his peers. He was presented with a special award by the Georgia Council of Probate Judges. Judge Baker was presented with the special Recognition Award, for his 35 years of service not only to White County but to his fellow judges. The award state, the Council of Probate Judges of Georgia honor his dedication and distinguished service over and above the call of duty.
The candidates who qualified are Don Ferguson, Cam Greene, Carroll Jackson and Randall Townley.
Don Ferguson is an attorney who has practiced law in White County for 27 years. A graduate of Truett McConnell University and Piedmont College, he earned his master’s degree at Brenau and his law degree at North Carolina Central University. He said his desire to help people is what led him to run for the office.
Cam Greene is an employee of Barrett Funeral Home. He graduated from Truett McConnell University with a degree in History. He said the value of public service was instilled in by his father and grandfather. Greene’s father Bradley Green has served on the Cleveland City Council for many years and his grandfather is a former state senator and state representative.
Carroll Jackson is the associate vice president of North Georgia Tech College. She served as White County Clerk of Court for 14 years. She also served in the Georgia State Senate six years and was White County manager for three years. Jackson said if she is elected her first priority will be ensure a smooth transition.
Randall Townley also has a long record of public service to several counties. He has served as a school superintendent in Dawson and Towns counties, a fire chief and EMS director in Dawson County. He also worked in the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office. He and his wife are members of White Creek Baptist Church.
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