What is next?

So the Commisioner raised the property taxes. This was going to happen no matter the outcry of the community. I attended the meeting on Thursday, September 11 at 10:00 am. There was about 50 people in the room and if I remember correctly, five people presented the Commissinner with questions. Overall, the questions asked referred primarily to the fact the Commisioner can't manage money.  I'm curious, if the Commissioner had managed the money well over the last 5-10 years, would the citizens have such a distaste for the increase?  If we could see our money at work, would we have a different outlook on the tax increase?  So what is next?

If you attended the meetings on the tax increase you witnessed the Commissioner does not handle pressure well. When confronted with the questions that point out her financial irresponsibility, she gazed at her electorates in a way that appeared pompous. In her mind, as expressed in her own words, the Mountain Cove Farms has already been purchased. What can she do?  I say the question be turned on her!  It's what can we do?  What can the citizens of Walker County do?

The Commissioner needs to feel the pressure. Our society today has turned towards social media as an outlet to express our frustrations. I believe this has taken away from putting actual pressure in the people that can change the situations. BeBe wants to be the sole commissioner; the one person that makes decisions for this county. The pressure needs to be turned to her office. Actual phone calls to her office need to be made. Visits from the people she represents needs to happen. She should be so bombarded with our concerns she can't do anything else but listen.

What do you want as a citizen of this county?  Do you want the Mountain Cove Farm sold?  Do you want your road fixed?  Do you want better county services?  Do you want a board of commisioners?  That is the one question she should be asking; what do the people of Walker County want!  Since the purchase of the farm, apparently based on what the citizens of the cove wanted, every resource of the county has been directed to it's improvement. The road deptartment, maintenance, finances, and even the fire department. If the finances have been tight, enough to force the raising of taxes, why has so much been dumped into the farm and the remainder of the county neglected?  Is this what you as a citizen want?

What happens next?  As a county we have just a little under 2 years to decide what happens next. Our current Commissioner should understand we have no desire for her to run again.   The stage should be set for the next Commissioner to focus on working with the state to form a board of commissioners, establishing a balanced budget and working withing the country's means, and transparency of government. The people of walker should know what is happening and have the opportunity to see. What happens next?  It's up to you!

Responsibility...

Is it too much to ask for an individual to be responsible?  I think responsibility, or lack thereof, is a huge problem across our country, but I will keep it local.  Who is responsible for Walker County?  I believe this responsibility lies with the citizens.  In this country, the United States of America, we the people are the decision makers.  We may be the decision makers, but each one of us can't make the decisions of tax hikes, which roads are paved, who gets a raise, or any particular direction the county goes.  Therefore, we as the people come together and vote.  We place the responsibility in the hands of an elected official that ran for the position and wanted to assume our responsibility.  In the case of Walker County, it is BeBe Heiskell.

Where is the responsibility?  Well, it depends on what is happening in the county.  If it is a good thing and the people are happy, she is responsible.  Look at the landing eagle!  When Audia International Inc. made the decision to settle in Walker County, BeBe was there, happy to face the cameras and accept responsibility for the new business.  When the Imperial Cup building was purchased, BeBe was there.  When CNN Money did an article praising the low unemployment rate in Walker County, BeBe was also there.  But where is BeBe when it is time to raise taxes?  Where is she when you the citizens of Walker want to know why we have no money?  She casts the blame off on something other than her decisions.

If you have read the newspapers, Facebook, or watched her videos, BeBe does nothing to accept the responsibilities of her decisions.  Some of her reasons for running out of money range from the cost of asphalt rising (not sure where she paves), the poor retail business (because we shop out of town), to the increasing cost of public safety (Sheriff, Fire and EMS).  At this point she still defends the purchase of the Mountain Cove Farm and states the purchase was made from the sell of waterlines. Point taken!  So where does the money for the operation of the farm come from?  Does the farm have costs for management, supplies, maintenance, and up keep?

Commissioner, please don't underestimate the people that elected you to office.  We are not happy with the decisions you have made.  Furthermore, we are not happy with the lack of responsibility you show in your management of the county.  Please do not try and threaten us with the idea of less security if we fail to agree with your tax hike.  Please don't be angry that we hold you responsible!  We elected you to the position you wanted!

Introduction and Feelers

These introductory remarks must be made before I post any blogs here...

1.  I am new to the blogging world.  Facebook is pretty easy for me and I tweet like a beginner.  I ask for your patience and will take suggestions.

2.  I do not claim to be a journalist!  I simply want to spark some conversations within the social media world of Walker County, and would like to raise awareness about some concerns I have/see in our county.

3.  I am not always politically correct.  I want to be polite and open to all views, but I don't believe in 'not expressing' my opinion in order to avoid hurting someone's feelings.  

4.  I am not opposed to government; I think it should be a limited and transparent government.  Understand, I am not here because I have a personal grudge against the county's leadership.

5.  I have never been in politics.  Therefore, there may be some rules or laws of which I am ignorant, but I am willing to learn.  

With that being said, I can start this first blog.

What happened to being the elected official of the people?  The people of Walker County elected BeBe as commissioner, though it was a very narrow win, in order to manage the affairs of the county. She is our elected official; one that should make decisions based on the citizens of Walker County.  Does she know what we as citizens of Walker want in our county?  I don't think she does!

You might ask, "How does she not know of our frustration?"  I'm sure she knows, but she is not held accountable!  We can get on Facebook, twitter, and any other blog or social media outlet and vent all day long, but I think it should be bigger than that.  It should be people meeting at her office with their frustrations and demanding her to listen to what we want. It should be people meeting at her office making her understand that she wastes the money she already collects in taxes. It should be personally calling her office and expressing our concerns.  If she wants to be the sole commissioner, then she should have to face these issues herself.  

I live in Walker County, and hear the frustrations of Walker County!  I want to see a different leadership.  So, I want to know if you want a change in Walker County?  According to the State of Georgia’s Secretary of States website[1], in the 2012 primary election, Paul Shaw lost by 214 votes. What is alarming is the amount of people that voted.  In July of 2012, there were 32,121 registered voters in the county, but only 11,808 votes were cast.  Where are the concerned citizens?  Where are the people that want a change in leadership? 

It is time for a better Walker County!  It is time for a better commissioner.  We need a commissioner that listens to the voice of the citizens and has a desire to see Walker thrive; one that is responsible and chooses to be accountable to the people of Walker County.  In order for this to happen, the citizens must voice their concerns to the commissioner.  They must be active in the election process and at the end of the day…..VOTE!

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[1] State of Georgia Secretary of State, 2012, Statement of Votes Cast, viewed 21 Aug 2014,http://www2.sos.state.ga.us/elections/election_results/SOVCReports/2012_0731/walker.pdf>