Commissioner Steve Taylor states it isn’t the answer to problems
Many in the public talk about wanting a multi-member county commission. Sole Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor said having a sole commissioner has advantages.
“I’ve got an open-door policy,” Taylor said, saying anyone can come talk to him about concerns. “You can call and talk to me on the phone or walk in my office.”
He also said many areas with commission boards see developers and real estate professionals backing commission candidates in their campaigns. That pushes for too much growth and too little citizen input post-election, he said.
Nearby counties with commissions, such as Paulding, Cobb, and Cherokee Counties, that have doubled in populations and growth, sometimes outpacing infrastructure. Taylor said the pace is steadier in Bartow.
“I think our county’s on a good path. We aren’t exploding like others are,” Taylor said.
For Taylor’s complete interview on a variety of subjects, click here.
Only seven of Georgia’s 159 counties continue to operate under a sole commissioner. Besides Bartow, other counties are Bleckley, Chattooga, Murray, Pulaski, Towns, and Union. Georgia remains the only U.S. state that permits a sole commissioner to run local government. The sole commissioner form of government was established in Bartow County in 1924.
The last major move toward a commission board was in the 2005-2006 congressional session when three of Georgia’s state representatives including Reps. Barry Loudermilk and Reps. Jeff Lewis and Tom Graves submitted HB 1481. The measure passed the House and Senate.
According to the bill, Bartow County would have a five-member commission divided into districts with the chairman at-large. District commissioners would be elected by those in their boundaries, and everyone would vote on the at-large chairman. District commissioners receive $1,000 monthly for the part-time job. The chair would receive $1,500. Elections were to be held in November 2008 with the sole commissioner’s office expiring Dec. 31, 2008.
The change was to coincide with the retirement of former Bartow County Commissioner Clarence Brown. Instead, Taylor took office and has been the commissioner for 13 years.
Research doesn’t show exactly what happened after the bill was passed but the legislation had a preclearance requirement that mandated that Bartow County government’s legal counsel submit the act for preclearance under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1964. A online review shows the question of a multi-member board wasn’t on the November 2006 or 2008 ballot.
The question was put on the ballot at least twice in the past with one in the early 1990s and the other in the early 2000s, according to a local resident.
Melody Dareing is a freelance writer for publications in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Germany. She is a former news director of Adelphia Channel 4 and WBHF Radio.