Dawson voters to decide two key races in May 22 primary

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Dawson County voters have two important races to decide in the May 22 General Primary election.

The Dawson County Board of Commissioners is set. Incumbent Sharon Fausett did not draw a challenger nor did newcomer Tim Satterfield who will replace Jimmy Hamby.

In the race for State House District 9, three-term incumbent Kevin Tanner (R-Dawsonville) will face a challenge from Mark Hajduk of Cumming.

This will be Hajduk’s first run for political office, however, he is no newcomer to government. He served an internship on the U.S. House Banking Commitee and worked in the office of the late Senator Paul Coverdell. He was also an investigator in the U.S. Department of Justice.

He has called for a “rural reboot” for Georgia’s rural communities that includes improvements in high speed internet access and healthcare. He has said he would work to incentivize development of medical facilities and promote advancement in tele-medical facilities. He believes that physician visits in the future could take place via live stream internet.

Tanner is seeking his fourth term in the House. He is chairman of the House Transportation Committee and serves on other committees, including Appropriations, Education and Natural Resources.

He co-sponsored the transportation bill that passed the General Assembly recently. The bill proposes to create a 13-member committee, appointed by lawmakers in 13 counties to oversee transit decisions. To be enacted, however, voters in those 13 counties will be asked to pass a one-cent sales tax aimed at raising $100 million.

Incumbent District 3 Commissioner Karen Armstrong is running for reelection to the Board of Education. Her challenger is Joe Stapp, a political newcomer.

Armstrong has built her campaign on the school system’s lowering of the millage rate from 17.246 to 15.776 and improvement in the graduation rate from 85 percent to 96.7 percent during her first term in office. She also points to the construction of a state-of-the-art, 1,000-seat Performing Arts Center, JROTC facility and College Career Academy as first-term successes.

Stapp is a licensed psychotherapist and owner of Blue Ridge Counseling where he provides counseling for families and children. He believes students’ mental health is not being adequately addressed in the school system and that teachers should be allowed to be more innovative in their teaching methods.

At large Board of Education representative William S. “Will” Wade is unopposed for a second term.