DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — With the May 24 General Primary three weeks away, candidates for Dawson County Commission Chairman, Tax Commissioner and Commission Districts 2 and 4 presented their case for election Monday night in the Dawson County High School Auditorium.

County Commission Chairman
Commission Chairman candidate Billy Thurmond has served the citizens of Dawson County for 37 years. He started in the Parks and Recreation Department and for the last 14 years has served as the Director of Emergency Services.

Thurmond said a top priority will be improved communications between county government and the citizens as well as the staff and other elected officials. “Communications is the key to success in anything we try to do,” he said.

Thurmond added that the county needs an employment retention plan. ” We’ve seen over 300 employees leave in the last five years,” he said. “That comes at a huge cost to taxpayers of well over $1 million.”

Another proactive plan he wants the Board to implement within the current budget is a road restoration plan where roads can be fixed to provide 10 to 15 years of service.

Thurmond’s opponent Peter Hill is an architect in private practice for 18 years who says what is needed on the Board is business representation.

“I’m a business advocate and I want to see us become an even more pro-business community,” Hill said.

Hill is a member of the Chamber of Commerce who served as Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2013. He served three terms as Chairman of the Development Authority and was appointed by Georgia House Speaker David Ralston to the Georgia Mountains Regional Development Commission.

“I have a balanced vision of economic development,” he said. “I want to bring opportunity to our county so when kids graduate they have place to start their business and grow their family but I would also preserve our crown jewel which is our natural environment.”

District 2 County Commission
Chris Gaines and Tim Davis are the candidates in District 2.

Davis is a truck driver and native of Dawson County. He was elected supervisor of the soil and water conservation district for two terms in the late 1970’s. He says the county is moving in the right direction but needs to prepare for the growth that is coming.

He wants to see most of that growth remain in the Georgia 400 corridor. “I’d also like to ensure our roads and bridges are well maintained, that our children receive a good education and our elderly are well cared for,” he added.

Gaines has lived in Dawson County since 2001. He has a business management degree from the University of North Georgia.

He earned the biggest laugh of the evening when he mocked Donald Trump, saying “My plan is to build a wall around Dawson County and make Forsyth County pay for it.”

Gaines said the county commission has laid a good foundation for the community but now that Chairman Mike Berg and District 2 Commissioner James Swafford are leaving, the commission needs someone who has demonstrated leadership capabilities. The former Dawsonville City Councilman said he is the right choice.

He wants to recruit high tech companies and light industry to the 400 corridor. “Moving forward, we also need a revitalized downtown area with a down home atmosphere and we need to appreciate our rural areas and enjoy them and keep them the way they are.”

District 4 County Commission
Incumbent Commissioner Julie Hughes Nix has served four terms on the Board of Commissioners but said, “I consider myself a career public servant, not a career politician.”

She encouraged voters to look at a candidate’s accomplishments when making their decision.

“We have a new library, a new government center, a new jail, a new fire station and we are redoing the Senior Center,” “The good news is that all of that is already paid for.”

Her opponent Heather Hulsebus is a professional in the healthcare industry, President of the Republican Women of Dawson County and a member of the Dawson County Tea Party. She has also done a great deal of volunteer work in the county for non-profit organizations like Relay for Life.

Hulsebus said she is running because it is time for change, new perspectives and new leadership.

“It’s important that we continue to grow at a rate that all our citizens can handle,” she said. “I know we can find a balance of growth that will allow us to keep the gift that this county has to offer.”

Tax Commssioner
Andi Hinson Juliette has experience managing budgets far larger than that of Dawson County. A graduate of North Georgia College and State University, she is a former analyst for a Department of Defense contractor and the FBI. She has managed budgets in excess of $50 million.

“I’m the only candidate with the experience of managing a budget this size,” she said. “I’ve proven my trustworthiness by way of my top secret security clearance. I’ve proven my ability to deliver the highest level of customer service. If you only remember one thing from tonight, I hope you remember the tax commissioner has a tremendous responsibility and that errors, lack of experience or poor judgement can have an extremely detrimental effect on our quality of life.”

Karin McKee, a native of Dawson County, is making her second bid to become Tax Commissioner. She ran for the office in 2012 and lost by 150 votes. She has worked in the healthcare industry for most of here career. She worked as business office manager for Ashton Woods Convalescent Center in Atlanta where she managed accounts payable and receivable, Medicare billing and served as consultant for medical records. In 1990, she was named assistant administrator and bookkeeper of Knollwood Terrace (Nursing Center) where her responsibilities included hiring staff, setting up policies and procedures, managing budgets and Medicare and Medicaid billing.

“I’m very familiar with budgets between $10 and $18 million,” she said. A top priority for her is to do away with the cold government environment she sees in the Tax Commissioner’s office today.

Johnny Glass is an entrepreneur who built custom homes until the economy drove so many small businessmen out of business. Since then he has owned a towing and recovery service. If he’s elected he said his top priority will be to maintain the current high rate of tax collection. “In my business now, I collect about 99.4 percent,” he said.

Nicole Stewart is also a Dawson County native who has worked in many volunteer organizations, including Relay for Life and the Boy Scouts of America. She is a graduate of North Georgia College and State University and is working on her MBA at Brenau University. In 2015, she was named Dawson County’s Outstanding Citizen.

“I will bring my professionalism, my enthusiasm and my leadership skills to this office,” she said. “I’ve developed and polished my leadership and customer service skills and I know if I’m elected I can do a great job.”