The Eatonton Messenger caught up with mayoral candidates John Reid, Fredrick Lowe, Chip Walker and Richard Garrett to ask about issues and their stance on certain problems within the city.
John Reid
Mayor (incumbent)
Q: Why are you running for this position at this time?
A: As the incumbent in the mayor’s race, I am running to continue the work that I started of bringing the city back from a time when there were virtually no stores open in our downtown, no infrastructure repair in the neighborhoods, no water or sewer capacity to accommodate any business or housing growth and there were no remedies for dilapidated properties.\\ Today, as evidenced by the new Eatonton Hotel, the Sumter Street Station Apartment Complex, and new housing complexes whose applications are working their way through the permitting process and the new eateries that soon will be breaking ground, Eatonton is a place where companies now want to do business.
I also possess a wealth of institutional knowledge that helps the city’s employees conduct their daily functions most efficiently, preventing costly mistakes. In short, I am highly qualified and eager to continue my work in moving this city in an upward and progressive direction.
Q: What do you think are the biggest/ most important issues currently facing Eatonton?
A: In a survey conducted by the Georgia Municipal Association in the spring of this year in all 12 regions of our state, most of the participants stated that the number-one issue that they were facing was the lack of affordable housing, and that, too, was my number-one answer.
Add to the mix the desire for good-paying jobs, a trainable workforce, and social activities.
Q: How will you address/alter/fix these issues?
A: Under my leadership, Eatonton became a Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) community. This program helped us acquire the Sumter Street Station apartments so that we could start the process of moving people into better housing, giving us the tool to start addressing blighted properties that were still inhabited.
We are now collaborating with developers for apartment and townhouse complexes and a developer who is agreeing to make individual workforce housing a part of his development.
As for jobs, we proudly partner with the Putnam Development Authority, which has to compete with 158 other Georgia counties for jobs to make sure that we address and resolve every possible issue that a prospect may raise.
The city has a partnership with Putnam County High School to train our youth to help prepare them for their role in life after school through the Georgia Municipal Youth Leadership Academy and the University of Georgia’s Fannin Institute of Leadership.
We also do a lot of social events through our Mainstreet program such as the summer concert series, including the Peg Leg Howell BBQ and Blues Festival, which drew more than 1,500 people downtown as my signature event, the Magnolia and Municipal Markets and Movie Nights.
We will keep doing these types of functions under my administration and keep our town vibrant.
Q: What differentiates you from your opponent(s)?
A: I am a well-trained, experienced, and proven leader who has focused on all aspects of the community from downtown development, community development, youth development, and infrastructure improvement.
I am fair and evenhanded, and my only agenda is quality of life improvement for all our citizens.
I also serve as a trainer and mentor for other elected officials. I am trusted throughout the state of Georgia for my knowledge of municipal government, and I am often called on by GMA to serve on committees for issues that affect municipalities statewide.
I have experience working with several multi-million-dollar budgets and I am a property-tax-paying citizen in the city of Eatonton, Georgia.
Q: Why should citizens of Eatonton vote for you?
A: I have been serving this community long enough that everyone should know that I am a man of good character, honest, hard-working for the people, a servant leader who is tried and true and does not have to perform on a trial-and-error basis.
I also come out to see you personally when you have an issue.
I would be honored to continue to serve as your mayor and I would appreciate your vote and support.
Fredrick Lowe
Mayor (candidate)
Q: Why are you running for this position at this time?
A: I’m running for office at this time because a change is needed in our community. It’s time for us to grow beyond where we have been for many years. Our great city needs a leader who is actively engaged, accessible, transparent, and ready to work for all citizens within every community of our city.
Q: What do you think are the biggest/ most important issues currently facing Eatonton?
A: The biggest issues in our city at this moment are the lack of quality paying jobs, adequate housing for families, and the scarcity of programs and facilities dedicated to the safety, growth, and development of our youth.
Q: How will you address/alter/fix these issues?
A: I will work across the aisles with our county, state, and federal government, schools, communities, and businesses. We can’t move forward on any agenda without operating as a unified front regardless of race, gender, economic status, or political affiliation.
When in office, I will carefully examine where we are and proceed with the best course of action based on identified priorities to move us forward.
The task won’t be easy but my passion for our city and the people in it will light the way.
Q: What differentiates you from your opponent(s)?
A: I’m openly involved with our community and citizens. I choose to be present and accessible without it being mandated as part of my job duties.
I have the passion and willingness to be a lifelong learner so that I can provide information that will assist and help all citizens of Eatonton, regardless of what neighborhood or community they may live in.
My character precedes me and has proven that I truly care about the place we all call home. When elected, people will see a mayor who is involved throughout the city and working for the citizens of the city at all times, not just during election year.
Q: Why should citizens of Eatonton vote for you?
A: Citizens should vote for me because I am “The Choice for Change,” and change is needed in our city. The concerns of citizens have gone unnoticed, and the carelessness is seen in many communities throughout Eatonton.
The lack of great-paying jobs in our community is a task that I’m willing to take on. Creating a streamlined and efficient system for businesses to open and thrive is at the forefront.
We must attract and keep revenue-generating businesses to sustain and grow. I’m passionate about being a part of that forward movement.
We must get a handle on our property taxes and I’m confident that I’m the leader for that task.
Investing in our youth is non-negotiable. The lack of usable facilities and safe sidewalks for our youth is a problem that I vow to address and correct.
Vote for Fredrick Lowe because I am “The Choice for Change.”
Chip Walker
Councilperson at Large (incumbent)
Q: Why are you running for this position at this time?
A: I have a long history of service here in Eatonton.
My family, the Walkers, Griffiths, and Gregorys have served this community for generations. My wish is to continue that service.
I’ve proven myself during my years on council in such venues as local option sales tax, special purpose local option sales tax, service delivery strategy and negotiations, regular review of expenditures, and trying to ensure that taxpayers are getting their money’s worth is another part of the job, just to name a few.
Our city has made great strides recently and I genuinely wish to continue that progress. I feel as though my experience is an asset to Eatonton.
Q: What do you think are the biggest, most important issues currently facing Eatonton?
A: Smart growth. With the new Rivian truck plant, for example, I feel as though Eatonton will grow. We need to be assured our city and county work together, and that the infrastructure will be ahead of the game.
Our law enforcement is important and with new computer programs as well as the Flock cameras coming, we will ensure that our police force stays on the forefront of technology.
Same for fire protection.
In cooperation with SWA, our fire department has been able to lower the ISSO rating for the city.
In layman’s terms, this means fire insurance rates have been lowered. This is a great benefit for our citizens.
We also, in cooperation with the county and development authority, are welcoming a new 50-room hotel with a state-of-the-art restaurant. Continued road paving, sidewalks in town, and other infrastructure items are coming, too.
Cybersecurity is an issue that is being addressed nationwide as well as by our city. There are many more new and innovative things coming to Eatonton. Stay tuned.
Q: How will you address, alter, or fix these issues?
A: Well, quite frankly, see the above important issues. I plan on continuing to support infrastructure improvements. More grants are being applied for right now. As one example. Look at the CBDG community block development grant projects that have taken place in Eatonton. These include upgraded roads, curving and guttering, and more is on the horizon.
The city in cooperation with some dairy farmers has begun a new venture in capturing and using methane gas from dairy waste to add to our gas supply. This is just another example of providing innovative solutions that benefit our city. The increased size of our stage downtown will ensure that Eatonton can continue to host events that showcase our city as well.
Q: What differentiates you from your opponent?
A: Well, to begin with, I know what office I am running for. It is councilman at large. For the record, there is no such position in Eatonton as Deputy Mayor. There is a mayor, a council person for each ward, a council person for combined Wards 1 and 4, as well as combined Wards 2 and 3. And finally, there is a council person at large. This is my seat. At present, we do have a mayor pro tem position, and this is assigned by the council. It is not an elected position.
Perhaps my opponent should research the actual position he is running for before putting an office on his website as well as his yard signs that do not exist. Likewise, I like to solve problems by cooperation, not confrontation.
I have experience in this office and a track record that I’m proud of.
Q: Why should the citizens of Eatonton vote for you?
A: Well, I have been in this role through several very tough times where problem-solving skills were needed. The closing of the Georgia Power plant was one; the closing of Horton Homes, the town’s largest employer by far, was another situation where dealing with change and adversity had to be handled by the city council. We have overcome.
I have also over the years, served several terms on the Georgia Manufactured Housing Association board of directors, and the board of directors for The Peoples Bank, here in Eatonton, and I likewise coached baseball and football for our recreation department. I was one of the early graduates of Leadership Putnam. All of these activities have contributed to my understanding of the community.
My opponent loves the buzzword “change.” I’ve seen lots of change, tons of change, in my years on council. My experience will allow me to continue serving the citizens of our city. Lastly, I feel as though being outgoing and friendly are good attributes.
Of course, it takes more than that to be a council person, but those who’ve known me for years will tell you I am genuinely concerned about our citizens. One thing that my mom, Carolyn Lundy, who taught many people in this city over the years, always insisted on was good manners and respect for others. I plan on maintaining this mantra, and I humbly ask for your vote.
Richard Garrett
Councilperson at Large (candidate)
Q: Why are you running for this position at this time?
A: I am running because Eatonton City Council is stuck in a rut. Most current elected officials have been in their posts for 20-plus years (my opponent for some 30 years), and it is unconscionable that we have three members of one family on the city council.
Experience is important, but we need new voices and ideas. Eatonton will not move forward if we are saddled with yesterday’s thinking, clannish insularity, and conflicts of interest.
I have attended many city council meetings, and the complacency is obvious. Agenda items are poorly explained, council members raise few questions, and citizens are conspicuous by their absence. The City council talks to itself, not to citizens. There are some good people on the city council – and our city administrator and many city staff members are first-rate – but the institution lacks drive and purpose. That needs to change.
When we moved to Eatonton to open our business (Dot2Dot Inn), we saw so much potential. But I know how difficult it can be to make a business work in this town. I have first-hand experience battling City Hall. Getting our business the right to serve food to non-lodging guests took months of navigating bureaucracy and inertia, not to mention blatant power plays by certain elected officials. We got the rules changed (Thank you, Councilwoman Doster!), but the experience convinced me that this is no way to run a city.
Q: What do you think are the biggest/ most important issues currently facing Eatonton?
A: Eatonton’s greatest strength is its history. We are blessed with wonderful small museums but lack the major historical attractions (e.g., historic homes open to the public, a flagship museum) to stand out from the crowd. We need something that will absorb visitors for more than an hour or two.
We need to pay more attention to the integrity of our historic district. We must rebalance business flexibility with care for the look and feel of our downtown. Long-term value should be our guiding star, not short-term gain.
Other pressing challenges include Eatonton’s big contradictions. Our city has a housing shortage but is full of blighted homes; local businesses struggle to hire and retain good workers, but too many of our fellow residents lack skills and are under-employed.
Q: How will you address/alter/fix these issues?
A: The Chamber and Main Street do great work, but Eatonton won’t be all it can be until we do more to take the initiative. The Plaza is an inspiration: taking a dilapidated building and transforming it through vision and hard work, and a collaboration between residents and the city into a cultural institution other cities can only dream of having.
We can do it again. Our history is all around us, in our homes, churches, voluntary institutions, and the memories of our seniors. If elected, I will work with the city council to lead and coordinate a major oral history project, involving residents citywide, with a long-term goal of establishing a major Eatonton Museum.
Such an anchor institution is key to raising our profile, attracting grants, and bringing greater prosperity to Eatonton. More foot traffic means more scope for restaurants, stores, and services, boosting our tax base and creating jobs. Our property taxes are among the highest in the state for a city our size. We can’t keep squeezing residents; we must seed more opportunities.
This is not business casual for the city council. Eatonton needs leadership who do more than just “pay the bills.”
We need to move faster on blight remediation and think outside the box on new uses for abandoned property. Community vegetable gardens are one idea, providing fresh food for our neighbors, and helping people live healthier lives. Breaking cycles of poverty is key to combating the perennial budget deficit at Putnam General Hospital.
I want to revitalize and expand the intersections between our high school, technical college branch, community groups, and local businesses to find win-win solutions that offer new horizons for residents lacking skills and new talent for businesses lacking workers.
The de-annexation mess (of the city’s own making) demands a new services agreement: same taxes, same services.
Q: What differentiates you from your opponent(s)?
A: I love Eatonton but I’m not “from Eatonton.” To thrive, our city needs the insights of people born and bred here AND the perspectives of newcomers. That’s been Eatonton’s story since 1808, but our current city council does not reflect this. Our city is full of talent – homegrown and transplanted – let’s use it!
Term limits for elected officials would make us do more to mentor the next generation of leaders.
Q: Why should citizens of Eatonton vote for you?
A: I am a bridge builder, a quick learner, and I’m not afraid of hard work.
I will collaborate with anyone who puts Eatonton first. I am an experienced manager, and a good listener and problem-solver.
I will ask tough questions and not be content with simplistic answers. I will work to improve how the city council communicates and engages with citizens.
The incumbents say, “It can’t be done,” or “That’s not how the city works.” I say, let’s do things differently.
Editor’s note: Check back next week for Q&A from the candidates for Wards 2 and 3