The November elections in Georgia have drawn plenty of attention with competitive races for governor and a crucial U.S. Senate seat. Also on the ballot will be a contested Board of Commissioners race in Walker County.
Incumbent Republican Robert Blakemore is defending his District 1 seat against Democratic challenger Bobby McDonald in a 2020 rematch.
“My goals are to keep doing what we’re doing,” Blakemore said in a phone interview. That includes keeping taxes on the citizens of the county as low as possible and providing the best services, he said.
District 1 covers a northeast portion of the county and includes Rossville and Fort Oglethorpe.
Early voting begins Oct. 17. Election Day is Nov. 8.
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Several attempts to contact McDonald were unsuccessful.
His wife, Connie McDonald, said in a phone interview that her husband was sick and couldn’t speak about his candidacy.
In a 2020 interview with the Chattanooga Times Free Press, McDonald said his 50 years of dealing with labor and management was why voters should choose him. The biggest challenge for the commissioner position, he said, was helping residents, “believe and work toward District 1 becoming a safe and thriving location to live, work and play.”
Doing his homework and speaking up at the right time, McDonald said, is how he’d accomplish that goal.
He said he’s “Bible-believing, gun-toting (I have a permit) and pro-life. I am a longtime Democrat that believes we should represent working people.”
In 2020, Blakemore received 4,150 votes while McDonald received 1,330 votes.
Walker County government expanded in 2020 from a sole commissioner system to a district-based Board of Commissioners system with four commissioners and an at-large chair. The District 1 and 2 commissioners have served two-year terms since the change, so this year’s election winners will be the first in those chairs to serve four-year terms.
The District 3 and 4 commissioners, and the chair, are in the midst of four-year terms, and those seats will be up for re-election in 2024.
The chairman is a full-time position, while the other commissioners work part time. District commissioners are paid $12,000 per year, while the chair’s salary is $100,000, or $500 more than the highest paid elected county officer, whichever is greater.
Blakemore said he ran for the first time in 2020 to oppose special tax districts and more government.
He said the majority of the Board of Commissioners, including himself, committed not to raise property taxes this year — and they were successful.
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District 2 Commissioner Mark Askew is running unopposed.
Catoosa County
In Catoosa County, there are two uncontested Board of Commissioners candidates on the ballot: Chuck Harris in District 2, and Charlie Stephens in District 4. District 2 covers a section of the west-central portion of the county, and District 4 covers a large portion of the county’s eastern and southern area.
Contact Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @tweetatwilkins.