On May 22, Cobb County residents will have the opportunity to vote for a variety of political offices. The EAST COBBER presents the four candidates running in the primary election for the District 3 Commissioner of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners.
JOANN K. BIRRELL (R) incumbent
www.joanncan.com
AGE: 64
CITY, STATE BORN: Goldsboro, North Carolina
EDUCATION: BA Political Science UNC-G
OCCUPATION: District 3 Commissioner
FAMILY: Husband, Dave, 2 stepchildren and 3 grandchildren, mother and sister
ORGANIZATIONS YOU BELONG TO: Cobb GOP, Cobb County Republican Women’s Club, Skip Wells Foundation Board Member, NCBA, Marietta Business Association, Kennesaw Business Association, Cobb Chamber, Leadership Cobb Alumni
HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN EAST COBB/COBB COUNTY? 22+ years HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ELECTED TO A PUBLIC OFFICE? IF YES, PLEASE LIST OFFICE AND YEAR(S): Yes, District 3 Commissioner 2011-present
PLEASE DESCRIBE THIS OFFICE’S DUTIES & ITS IMPACT ON EAST COBB. Everything I do in this position impacts the County from adopting codes, public safety, millage, zoning cases, taxes and budgets.
PLEASE DESCRIBE THE TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE THAT QUALIFY YOU FOR THIS OFFICE. Serving as your District Commissioner in my 8th year has given me the experience and training, knowledge and understanding of this position I have also received certification from ACCG for Commissioner Training and also served on the Finance and Revenue Committee with ACCG as Vice Chair and Chair.
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE FACING YOUR POLITICAL OFFICE, AND, IF ELECTED, WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT? The budget for 2019 is the most important issue facing the BOC currently. Maintaining our quality of life with services we offer without tax increases and keeping public safety our number one priority is my goal to resolve this issue.
WHO DO YOU ADMIRE MOST, AND WHY? I most admire our military and public safety officers that put their lives on the line every day to ensure our safety and protect our freedoms. We are blessed in Cobb to have the best law enforcement and employees.
PLEASE LIST THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE YOU AS A PERSON: Honest, Hardworking, Compassionate
TOM CHEEK (R)
tom4cobb.com
AGE: 57
CITY, STATE BORN: Mableton, GA
EDUCATION: Graduate – Pebblebrook HS 1978. Attended Kennesaw State University
OCCUPATION: Software Sales
FAMILY: 4 children – Phil 32, Allison 30, Amanda 20, Anthony (1995-2012)
ORGANIZATIONS YOU BELONG TO: Cobb County GOP
HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN EAST COBB/COBB COUNTY? Born and raised in Cobb County
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ELECTED TO A PUBLIC OFFICE? IF YES, PLEASE LIST OFFICE AND YEAR(S): No
PLEASE DESCRIBE THIS OFFICE’S DUTIES & ITS IMPACT ON EAST COBB. WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE FACING YOUR POLITICAL OFFICE, AND, IF ELECTED, WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT? I believe the role of County Government is simple – to provide necessary and quality services at a reasonable cost to taxpayers. I believe the Board of Commissioners should provide services to taxpayers at a reasonable cost, not redistribute money to The Braves, Marta, or other special interest groups. I will work to stop the trend of over-development in District 3 and in Cobb County in general. I have fought for SPLOST reform and will continue to do this once elected. This reform, when combined with responsible spending will help alleviate the budget gap created by the current Board.
PLEASE DESCRIBE THE TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE THAT QUALIFY YOU FOR THIS OFFICE. After over 30 years spent in Restaurant Operations as a Manager, District Manager, Owner, and Consultant, I now enjoy working directly with restaurant owners providing software that help make their businesses more profitable. Like many who become involved in local government, I became involved after personal experience left me disappointed with the status quo. A family tragedy made me aware of the lack of oversight and mismanagement of the Cobb Medical Examiner’s Office. “Someone should do something” evolved into “I will be that someone”, and I have been busy ever since. After a successful campaign to restructure and reform the ME Office, I did my homework and took action by initiating SPLOST reform, improving access to Open Records, and promoting direct discussions about the spending problems that have led to the current County Budget Crisis.
WHO DO YOU ADMIRE MOST, AND WHY? This one is easy – My son and 2 daughters. They make me proud every day. Regardless of my skills as a candidate, I’ve been successful as a father, and am rewarded every day.
PLEASE LIST THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE YOU AS A PERSON: Honest, Passionate, Determined
CAROLINE L. HOLKO (D)
caroline4cobb.com
AGE: 44
CITY, STATE BORN: New Orleans, LA
EDUCATION: BA Political Science, History
OCCUPATION: Homeschooler, Housewife, Activist
FAMILY: Drew, my husband of nearly 12 years is an IT professional. We have 2 children together: Trey, 10 and Sarah Jane, 8. While they are both home schooled, Trey is planning to attend middle school next year.
ORGANIZATIONS YOU BELONG TO: Cobb Democratic Party, Moms Demand Action, National Alliance of Secular Homeschoolers, Girl Scouts, Navigators
HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN EAST COBB/COBB COUNTY? 13 years.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ELECTED TO A PUBLIC OFFICE? IF YES, PLEASE LIST OFFICE AND YEAR(S): This is my first run for office.
PLEASE DESCRIBE THIS OFFICE’S DUTIES & ITS IMPACT ON EAST COBB. East Cobb is an entirely unincorporated area of Cobb County. As such, the Board of Commissioners touches nearly every aspect of our lives. Roads, Water, Zoning, Fire, Police, Waste Management, Transportation, Libraries, Senior Services, Taxes. The Board is responsible for collecting and spending the money in the General Fund – and ensuring that our citizens receive quality services in exchange for their hard earned money.
PLEASE DESCRIBE THE TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE THAT QUALIFY YOU FOR THIS OFFICE. My qualifications for County Commissioner (outside of those set forth by the Board of Elections) are rooted in activism. I hear the voices in the community asking for change – asking for support, asking for growth. My time as both a home school mom and a Girl Scout (first as a junior scout and now as a troop leader) have prepared me to be able to work with diverse groups with a spirit of cooperation towards a shared goal.
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE FACING YOUR POLITICAL OFFICE, AND, IF ELECTED, WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT? In my opinion the biggest issue facing our county right now is the 30 Million dollar budget shortfall. The stop gap measure of charging senior citizens for memberships to the senior centers, and private citizens to pay per use for library community rooms and park pavilion registration not only does not come close to meeting the shortfall – but is negatively impacting the community it’s meant to serve. I sincerely believe that a small increase in the general fund millage rate will enable us to maintain and perhaps even improve the level of services that make Cobb County one of the best places to live. For perspective – the average home in Cobb County would see a tax increase of $100 – $200 per year. Considering the level of services we’ve become accustomed to here, that’s quite a steal.
WHO DO YOU ADMIRE MOST, AND WHY? Franklin D. Roosevelt. His leadership is the foundation of many of the things we take for granted today – Social Security, the FDIC, the SEC, and the National Labor Relations Board He steered us out of the Great Depression with a visionary program of infrastructure improvements and a growth mindset.
PLEASE LIST THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE YOU AS A PERSON: Motivated, Compassionate, Progressive
JAMES (JIM) SMITH (D)
www.jimsmithforcobb.com
AGE: 68
CITY, STATE BORN: Clarkesburg, WVA
EDUCATION: BS in Business
OCCUPATION: Retired
FAMILY: Married, 2 sons, daughter, 2 granddaughters, 1 grandson
ORGANIZATIONS YOU BELONG TO: 44-year member of the American Legion
HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN EAST COBB/COBB COUNTY? 64 years
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ELECTED TO A PUBLIC OFFICE? IF YES, PLEASE LIST OFFICE AND YEAR(S): No
PLEASE DESCRIBE THIS OFFICE’S DUTIES & ITS IMPACT ON EAST COBB. The Board of Commissioner is responsible for the running of the County and the overall supervision of multiple departments and divisions of the local government including zoning/rezoning and variance approval or denial.
PLEASE DESCRIBE THE TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE THAT QUALIFY YOU FOR THIS OFFICE. Having worked for County Water System as a Project Manager, I know how the County is supposed to operate. I have worked budgets, schedules, audits, easement acquisition, contracts and contract mediation. I have worked with the Canton Road Neighbors Association for 7 years and understand the importance of making zoning decisions that are good for the community and the applicant; in other words a win-win.
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE FACING YOUR POLITICAL OFFICE, AND, IF ELECTED, WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT? The most important issue going into this campaign is the budget deficit, we have to have a property tax increase whether it is popular or not to cover the shortfall and all unnecessary spending has to cease until the budget is stable.
WHO DO YOU ADMIRE MOST, AND WHY? Harry S. Truman, the son of a mule trader, a WWI veteran. He was kept in the dark about the atomic bomb during his term as Vice-President but upon becoming President he had to make what I consider one of the largest and most important decisions in history. And that was to drop the atomic bombs which ultimately ended WWII.
PLEASE LIST THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE YOU AS A PERSON: Motivated, Experienced, Truthful
This voters guide originally appeared in the May issue of the EAST COBBER magazine, on page 40 & 41. Click here to view the digital edition.
