Mayoral candidates weigh in on public safety, budgeting
On Tuesday, voters in the City of Georgetown will go to the polls to elect a new mayor and select three people for expiring city council seats.
The contenders were recently asked questions about their candidacy, the use of utility funds and the possibility of a police-fire merger.
Running for mayor are Republican Marty Tennant, Democrat Jack Scoville, Petition candidates Bob Sizemore and Kizzie Lawson and write-in candidate Ron Charlton.
Charlton has been a member of Georgetown County Council since 1996.
Lawson has been a resident of Georgetown for 15 years and is currently a member of the City Planning Commission. She is a program assistant for the Father to Father program and has three children: Sharelle, 16; Jamie, 8; and Jakeem 5.
Scoville, 58, is a lawyer, grandfather and furniture maker. He has served on city council since 2006. He and his wife, Lindsay, have three children, Miller, Sam and Makemie.
With more than 42 years of business experience, Sizemore, 65, is now in the telecommunications business. Formerly, he was in the computer software business.
He has served on the City Planning Commission. He is married to Jane Reid.
Tennant owns a computer repair business, The PC Doctor. He and his wife, Isabelle Boyd Tennant, have a daughter, Gloria Hope Tennant.
The following questions were asked of the candidates by the Georgetown Times:
Why are you the best person running for the office you are seeking?
Charlton: I love the City. I plan to make Georgetown a safe, happy, proud and prosperous city.
I have the experience and knowledge needed to confront and solve the problems facing the next Mayor of this great city. We need a new beginning in our City. I will make things happen. We need cooperation between the City, the County and the school district. Government is not the solution to our problems. Our job is to enable our citizens to drive the engine of prosperity.
We as politicians must restore the public's trust. I will guard the public trust with all of my heart and soul.
I have the vision, experience and knowledge to lead this great City to a new beginning.
Lawson: At this time the City of Georgetown faces several challenges that I believe require the leadership and abilities of someone such as myself to help us meet them.
For the city to successfully address, accomplish and meet these challenges, it is important that we have elected officials with a vision, divine wisdom, experience of success, passion and compassion and courage and boldness to meet the challenges and bring success to the City. We cannot approach politics the way we have in the past.
We must stay focused and get the job done if we are to reap the benefits thereof. We need Georgetown to move forward with new innovative ways and strategies in order to bring security and stability to the great city of Georgetown.
Scoville: I have the most experience, competency, and education of any candidate running for mayor. I know all the neighborhoods of Georgetown and their unique needs, not just one or two. I am the only candidate who has served on City Council.
I am the only candidate who has presented a specific plan for economic growth in the City that is realistic and practical. I am the only candidate with a proven track record of being able to work with others to reach consensus on controversial matters.
This is an absolutely necessary qualification for anyone to be a successful mayor.
Sizemore: I am the leader who has the business experience to serve the citizens of Georgetown as chief administrative officer. I will lead in a fiscally responsible and conservative way.
I care about people in all the different communities and businesses and will listen to them. I have the skills to research, find the best solution, then fix the problems we have today and will face tomorrow.
I will encourage growth through community involvement and a partnership with business owners. I understand that government works for the people and is accountable to the people.
Tennant: I have the best experience, vision and deep passion for the job of Mayor of Georgetown. This critical election will determine the fate of our city for many years to come. We need bold new leaders, new visions and new energy to take our city into a more prosperous and better future. For more reasons on why to vote for me, please visit my website at www.MartyTennant.com.
Should the city continue the practice of using profits from the sale of electricity to balance its ordinary operating budget? Why or why not?
Charlton: The City policy must be that profits from the sale of electricity should be transferred only to the general fund or operating budget after adequate reserves have been set aside for replacement of the components of the electrical plant as they reach the end of their useful lives, updating the system, and for disaster recovery and preparedness.
The City's bond rating to some degree is tied to the City's enterprise funds. Depleting these accounts may adversely affect the City's bond rating, and we must use caution in our use of these funds. A bond rating downgrade can trigger a dangerous slide in the City's financial health that results in a financial death spiral.
Lawson: The general fund is the general operating fund of the City. It is used to account for all financial resources except those required to be accounted for in another fund. I believe that the monies should be used for what it is allocated for.
Any transfers will have to be amended, and immediately dealt with to avoid the look of misuse of funds. That's what people think when we have to make transfers to meet regular operating costs.
As mayor I would immediately hold a special budget workshop requesting that the finance department compare other electric rates with other local municipalities to make sure we are not overcharging our customers and that we have a fair market value for utilities.
Scoville: No. Any funds raised from the sale of electricity over the costs of providing it should first be used to establish sufficient fund reserves to protect the City in case of an emergency such as a major hurricane.
In such an event, we can anticipate no revenue coming into the City for many months, while the expenses of recovery will be very high. Secondly, the excess funds should be used for capital projects.
Otherwise the City has to borrow money and pay interest, which is not good business. City Council has worked hard over the past four years to wean the City's general fund off the utility funds.
As a result, in this most recent budget, utility fund transfers to the general fund have been reduced by 1.5 million dollars. This process must continue.
Sizemore: No. I don't believe profits should be used for the ordinary operating budget (general fund). Instead, I believe rates should be lowered to benefit the customers (citizens). A bigger question this raises for me is why we're even in the utility business. It could be that at one time it was beneficial to the citizens, but in my opinion that question needs to be asked again.
Tennant: Our utility funds are essentially hidden taxation mechanisms. The city uses them to accumulates large sums of "mad money" that burns a hole in its pocket, waiting to be spent on the "next big thing".
The extra millions collected allows the city council to avoid accountability on how to pay for large purchases like the controversial Eagle Electric property. Until shown otherwise in writing, it still appears to me that the city has accumulated $21 million in excess, unrestricted funds, mainly from our high priced utility operations.
Utility fees are not deductible on your income taxes, but property taxes are. I understand our electric rates are about 16% higher than if Santee Cooper sold directly to citizens. The city should investigate the possible sale of our electric utility to Santee Cooper so we can benefit from these lower costs.
Should the city think about combining the police and fire departments into one "public safety" department as some other municipalities have done?
Charlton: If I was elected Mayor, I would review all City departments and not just the police and fire departments.
My goal would be to retain those departments which are effective and efficient and to reorganize, eliminate and combine those departments which are ineffective or inefficient. If that includes combining the police and fire departments, then we would have to seriously consider that possibility.
I want the City's good and hardworking employees to feel safe and secure in their jobs. I will not single out one or two departments for study; it will be for all.
I believe we must do more with less government.
Lawson: It is a option that I think we should look into it could save the city a great deal of money by combining services, however I would like to meet with department heads and city officials on current budgets to see if combining theses service will benefit the city of Georgetown.
Scoville: I do not agree that these departments should be combined. The training of the personnel in each department is diverse and intensive. I don't think a properly trained policeman can also be a properly trained fireman.
Sizemore: In my research, I don't see many municipalities organizing this way. However, one that is set up this way pointed out it was for cross training between the departments, and in so doing, overall costs were lowered. I would recommend we look into this structure to see if the same could be true for Georgetown.
Tennant: Some cities have successfully combined police and fire personnel into a unified public safety department. However, some later discovered that it wasn't suitable or beneficial for their community. These cities then converted back to specialized departments and tasks. It appears that this question can only be answered after a good bit of research specific to the needs of our community. We should investigate this locally and report our findings to the public.
: 10/30/2009
I would love to hear from Sizemore and Lawson on this Eagle thing. As part of the planning commission were they part of the implementation of this nightmare we are facing?
Scoville & Tennant : 10/30/2009
There are only two legitimate candidates- Scoville and Tennant. Fringe candidates like Lawson, Charlton, Sizemore cannot be taken seriously, and only serve to obfuscate the two clear choices we have.
: 10/29/2009
Lawson is a joke and if the people of Georgetown want to see improvement, write in RON CHARLTON. Please don't talk about wanting to see change if you do not vote for change
: 10/28/2009
We are so screwed! Please vote for Sizemore so we can finally have someone with brains as our mayor.
Police and fire : 10/28/2009
Any mayoral candidate who thinks combining the police and fire departments is a good idea or worth even discussing is revealing themselves as a fool and should not get any votes. This does not work. It will cost the city more money in turnover than it can borrow let alone afford. If this stupid idea was such a success, more than about 9 entities statewide would be doing this.
: 10/28/2009
I would love to see a shopping center in replace of the steel mill
: 10/28/2009
I feel a little dumber after reading Lawson's responses. She really doesn't have a clue, does she?
: 10/27/2009
I would have loved to read how the candidates would encourage commercial vitality? And what would each Candidate do to bring new business to Georgetown? What is the plan for the horrible empty Steel Mill site?