David Pressley, candidate for Dawson County Board of Commissioners

DAWSON COUNTY, Ga.–  David Pressley and Emory Dooley are candidates for Dawson County Board of Commissioners in District 4. Fetch Your News interviewed both candidates to give readers a better perspective on their campaigns. FYN will publish both interviews today. This is how David Pressley responded to our questions.

What is your age and occupation?

37. I’m a commercial Audio, Video, and Controls Technician.

How long have you lived in Dawson County?

Four years

Education?

A.S. in Computer and Electronics Engineering and B.S. in Electrical and Electronics Communications Engineering

Government experience/Public service?

I spent 9 years in the Army, and about 1 year in the FBI.

Why are you running for this position?

3 main reasons: I want to reduce residential property taxes, manage spending to enable a reduction in residential property taxes, and work with the Board of Commissioners to manage growth appropriately.

What qualifies you to serve on the county’s governing body?

I’ve saved the Army over $5 million by reducing fraud, waste, and abuse. I’ve designed policies and streamlined procedures that saved tens of thousands of man-hours of unnecessary labor. I can bring that same mindset of being a good steward of taxpayer dollars to Dawson County. I take the position that taxes are not charity or donations. The people that pay them are not given the option to not pay or to negotiate the terms. While I can’t really see a way forward to eliminating all taxes completely, I believe it is very important to keep in mind where this money comes from when looking at every dollar being spent.

What are the 2 greatest challenges Dawson County faces in the next 4 years?

Managing growth and not placing the tax burden of that growth onto the families of Dawson county.

How will you meet those challenges?

I will work with the Board of Commissioners to stick to the growth plan and do our due diligence if we need to change the growth plan. With regards to taxes, the priority is to reduce unnecessary spending to the greatest extent possible. That doesn’t mean we always go with the cheapest option. It means taking a critical look at exactly what we’re getting for the money we’re spending and making intelligent decisions to get a good deal for the county.

Name one area where you feel the Board of Commissioners has done a great job of serving the citizens of Dawson County.

Honestly, I think relative to some of our neighboring counties, the BoC has done a good job with budgeting, but I do think there’s room for improvement.

Name one area where they have failed to do a good job of serving the citizens.

Maintaining roads and bridges. We’re moving in the right direction now, but I think we can do better than we have in the past.