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NEWSLETTER SIGN UPlpanter@barrowcountynews.com
It’s almost here — election time.
Come Tuesday, voters will get to make their choices on who will lead their cities into the new decade.
So far, however, there haven’t been a lot of people taking advantage of in-person absentee voting.
Barrow County Board of Elections Director Kristi Royston said that so far, 111 Winder voters have taken advantage of the walk-in voting, with 10 people coming in on Tuesday. An additional 10 voters have mailed in their absentee ballots.
Statham City Clerk Susan Gabriel hasn’t seen a lot of people come to city hall for in-person absentee voting — only 13 have voted — but when voters take to the polls on Tuesday, they will certain see a list of names.
Statham has three council seats up for grabs, and eight residents are vying for them.
Incumbent Betty Lyle has served on the city council for 27 years, and is seeking re-election.
Lyle said she initially ran for the council because she was interested in what was happening in Statham, and that in her time working for the city, she has seen improvements in water, the sewer system and the library. She also said that the Statham City Council has improved its public safety, as well.
Serving on the council "has allowed me to meet and know more of the citizens and know what they want," Lyle said.
She said she would like to focus on bringing business into town but maintaining Statham’s small-town feel.
Lyle also said she does not want to see a raise in taxes for the city’s citizens.
Lyle moved to Statham in 1958. She and her husband have two children and five grandchildren, including a grandson who will be leaving for Iraq soon.
Lyle’s not the only incumbent seeking to hold her chair — Gayle Steed also is running for re-election.
Steed has held her seat on the council for 22 years, and said she decided to run because she felt it was something she might like doing, and had been approached by others about the council.Steed said that in her time on the council, she has been pleased to see some revitalization of the downtown area, and wants to continue attracting more business to the city.
She also is a fan of the bike lanes and hiking trails that can be found in the city.
Steed is hoping to help push the city through the recession, and said that Statham had felt it hard, especially when building slowed down.
Steed and her husband have two daughters and three granddaughters, and Steed enjoys reading and horseback riding.
The other six candidates are newcomers to the council.
Jeremiah Bennett is one of those candidates. Bennett moved to Statham a year ago. He and his wife have a 4-month-old daughter.
Bennett said he is running because of his daughter, and because it is important for young people to be proactive and take initiative.
Bennett said he would like to preserve historic areas in the city, as well as bring in some businesses, and would like to see the city a place where its residents can work and play by improving its infrastructure, like sidewalks and street lights.
He said he is opposed to raising taxes.
Johnnie Ellington also is running for a council seat. Ellington is a Statham native who returned to the city after retirement, although she said she always kept her permanent address in the city.
"Statham has always been my heart," she said.
Ellington said she would like to initiate a mentor program in the city, as well as bring in activities for the younger residents.
She said she would visit with companies in hopes of bringing some new business to the city.
David Huth is seeking a seat on the city council because he said he decided to get more involved in the community.
Huth said he wants to keep Statham’s small-town feel, and that he would like to see it stay a "quiet, little calm town."
Huth also said he would like to see improvements in the parks, as well as in library funding.
Huth and his wife have one son and he owns H&H Towing.
Betty Kinney also is running for a seat in the council.
Kinney said that if elected to the city council, she would try to "be eyes and ears, lend a helping hand" to Mayor Robert Bridges.
She said she would be interested in starting a recycling program in the city, and that there are needs in the city’s infrastructure — like potholes — that need attention.
"I feel like I could be an asset to [the council]," she said.
Kinney and her husband have five children and eight grandchildren, and she works for the Environmental Protection Agency.
Susan Martin also is running. Martin, who said she was at a point in her life where she has time to devote to the city council, said Stathan is "such a great little town."
If elected, Martin said she would like to organize career and job fairs to address unemployment.
She also would like to have a master plan created for the city’s development.
"I want to do things that help the community out," she said.
Martin moved to Statham in 2001. She and her husband have one daughter, who attends Winder-Barrow High School. She is known around town as the "Halloween Lady," she said.
Terry Tripp, the wife of City Police Chief Roger Tripp, said she decided to run because she has a strong urge to help new businesses and preserve the city’s heritage.
"I’d like to see Statham grow," she said.
As a former business owner, she said she would like to help bring economic development into the city while supporting any sort of beautification program that would help the city — like finishing the golf cart track around town.
Several of the candidates will be participating in a Thursday forum sponsored by the Statham Business Association.
Kinney does not think she will be able to attend as she will be in Washington, D.C. for an awards ceremony.
The event will take place at the Statham City Hall at 7 p.m.
