Dear Editor,
Are you paying attention, Putnam County voters?
I hope you’re as concerned as I am about why three candidates who won the Republican Primary in May are now having to run campaigns against two Independent candidates and one write-in candidate.
The two independent candidates – Mr. Pickens and Mr. Griffin – chose not to compete in the Republican Primary at all. Meanwhile, Mr. Gray ran for board chairman, lost to Dr. Hersey, and then decided to run a write-in campaign for District 3 commissioner as a consolation prize.
Here’s a fact worth noting: prior to this election year, Putnam County had never had an independent candidate on the ballot. Now we have two. And the only write-in candidate in county history was Charles Trumbo in 2022, who ran as a write-in for chairman because he missed the filing deadline – not because he lost a race for a different office.
I’ve heard discussion about a group of individuals who may have encouraged multiple candidates to run in order to keep things operating “business as usual.” And in Putnam County, “business as usual” has meant the PDA granting tax abatements without requiring guaranteed returns in jobs, infrastructure, affordable housing, or other community benefits.
Whether this unusual primary-plus-general election setup was orchestrated or simply a coincidence, voters should ask themselves a simple question: “Are you satisfied with ‘business as usual’?” Higher property taxes, poor road quality, inconsistent development standards – these are the results of the current system.
And if there is a “business as usual” group quietly supporting the Independent and Write-In candidates behind the scenes, voters should ask whether this is the level of transparency we deserve in our local government.
Pete Wardlaw Putnam County