Published: May 03, 2008 09:44 pm            

Jimmy Espy: Answers, please

Rick Tanner.

That Rick Tanner?

Yup.

The former director of the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center, only weeks after being shown the door from his high-paying job on the hill, is running to be chairman of the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners.

Current chairman Brian Anderson is not seeking re-election, but former chairman Mike Babb has entered the race.

Tanner and Babb are Republicans.

The Whitfield County Democratic Party — still in winter hibernation — failed to field a candidate for the crucial high-profile job.

What gives?

Anderson waited until the end of qualifying to announce that he wasn’t running, citing job demands. Rumors that he would not be allowed to run by his new bosses at Dalton Beverage Co. have been circulating for weeks so it’s hard to believe Anderson didn’t know sooner than Friday that he wouldn’t be in the field. Is it possible he kept his possible candidacy alive to keep the competition thinner for Babb? Is it possible he held out hope to the very end that he would get the OK to jump back in and run?

Intriguing machinations.

Ander-son’s term on the commission has been uneven. He spent his first two years on the losing side of several 3-2 votes and seemed perplexed about how to advance his agenda.

Turnover on the commission after his second year put Anderson back in the majority and he was clearly more comfortable playing with a lead.

Helping get a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax passed last year was the highlight of Anderson’s four years, but even that is tainted by the fact that state funds the county told voters to expect have disappeared into budgetary morass in Atlanta.

As for his possible replacements, Babb brings a ton of baggage to the race. He’s smart, organized and articulate, but will forever be linked in the eyes of many to the substantial tax increase Whitfield County residents suffered during his previous term. Was it a coincidence that Babb declined to run, until now, after that hugely unpopular tax hike?

Which brings us to Tanner, another smart fellow with some hills to climb on the campaign trail.

First up, what did Tanner do to anger Dalton City Councilman Charlie Bethel so much that an angry Bethel demanded his ouster? The blowup at the trade center needs to be explained.

Second, what’s he doing for a living? Is Tanner committed to staying in Whitfield County and if not, why the heck is he wasting his and our time running for office?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Both Babb and Tanner are vulnerable and it would seem like a real chance for the local Democratic Party to get behind a quality candidate. The Dems expect to do well nationally in November, which could only help a local candidate, but they seem to have squandered the opportunity when it comes to the county commission.

Are Whitfield Democrats satisfied with the representation they are getting on the county commission from the GOP?

Whitfield County would be better served by a more competitive two-party system. Maybe in two years the Bull Mooses will stage a comeback.



Jimmy Espy is executive editor of The Daily Citizen

        

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