Five candidates are running for two seats on the Covington County Commission.

The election will be held Tues., March 1.

Running for district 3 are Tony Holmes and Glen Powell.

Three – Kyle Adams, Kylan Lewis and Allen Lucas – are vying for the District 4 seat.

Current election laws require commissioners to reside in the district they represent, but they are elected county-wide. In other words, all registered voters in Covington County, regardless of where they live, can vote in these two races.

The Star-News asked the candidates a series of nine questions on issues of importance to the county.

 

District 3

TONY HOLMES and GLEN POWELL

 

• For many years, county commissioners had direct responsibility for the county-maintained roads in their districts. Now that the system has charged, describe your view of the role of the county commission.

HOLMES: “One of the things I’ve said all along is you are going to have to bring the control of the district back under the commissioner,” he said. “Doing away with that – the access to a couple of men and a piece of equipment, I think has hurt the roads for the general public.”

POWELL: “The commission controls the county budget,” Powell said. “That’s the main job for the commission. The commission handles all the county money. Administering the budget is the biggest thing, as well as seeing economic development and appointment to county boards.”

 

• What experience do you have with developing and executing budgets and reading financial statements?

HOLMES: “I’ve owned businesses of my own since the mid ‘80s,” he said. “I’ve been involved in a family business that was established in 1944. I’ve run it since 1992. It’s a multi-million dollar business. We also have a cattle farm, where I do the same thing.”

POWELL: “I was county commission for eight years,” Powell said. “I did my own budget for District 3. I’ve been farming for 36 years and I own Alabama Land and Home Real Estate, where I do the budget for it.”

 

• What are your views on the county’s current level of public debt?

HOLMES: “I think things happened that caused us to get into debt,” Holmes said. “I think it’s much too high. The arena was a wonderful venue, but bad planning. It could have been a great asset, but it’s a great debt.”

POWELL: “We are an industrial county,” he said. “You have to be in debt if you are going to continue to grow. Covington County is growing. I think we might be a little over on debt, but it’s pretty close. Our intention is to bring me industry to Covington County.”

 

• Are county taxes too high, about right or pleasantly low?

HOLMES: “I think anybody feels that the are too high. If it were for the betterment, it would not be a problem.”

POWELL: “I think they are about right,” he said.

 

• What do you see as the most pressing needs for infrastructure or capital projects in the county?

HOLMES: “I think they can go hand-in-hand (infrastructure and capital projects.),” he said. “If we had more projects and new jobs, I think the tax base from the jobs could help with the infrastructure. Our infrastructure is crumbling. I can take you on roads that are unbelievable — roads and bridges. There are county buildings that are horrible. I don’t know which is worse. I think we could use some better things on both sides.”

POWELL: “If we can get a four-lane all the way through the county, either Hwy. 55 or Hwy. 331 to connect with I-10,” he said. “I think it will put us on the map.”

 

• If new resources were available, what one area of county services would you feel most needs additional resources?

HOLMES: “I’m not sure on that. I’d like to see county water go some places that it’s not,” Holmes said. “County services could be very deep. That’s something I’d have to have time one.”

POWELL: “We all need resources, but I think that Florala, Opp and Red Level need the resources the worst,” he said.

 

•  What are the factors on which you will base your decision as a county commissioner?

HOLMES: “I’ve always believed that we need to talk to our constituents,” Holmes said. “If you put two, three, four heads together, it’s better than one. It’s always better to have the input.”

POWELL: “I will listen to my constituents,” he said. “And where my heart is.”

 

• What are your views on open data and transparency of information? What kinds of information should be made public?

HOLMES: “I think that we need transparency,” he said. “I think we need to give the people the information dealing with county money.”

POWELL: “I think it’s everybody’s business and it needs to be open,” Powell said. “The meetings are always open to the public. All of our county business should be available to any one at any time.”

 

• What’s the biggest issue facing the county in the next four years?

HOLMES: “I think jobs are our biggest thing in Covington County,” he said. “ We have some of the greatest schools in the county. One of the lowest crime rates in the state and good recreation, but for some reason we can’t attract businesses that hire a large number of people.”

POWELL: “Just jobs,” he said. “We have started some theories on getting there.”

 

District 4

KYLE ADAMS, KYLAN LEWIS AND ALLEN LUCAS

• For many years, county commissioners had direct responsibility for the county-maintained roads in their districts. Now that the system has charged, describe your view of the role of the county commission.

ADAMS: “ The job of the commission is to implement a budget and make sure that the county’s money is spent wisely as it should be,” Adams said.

LEWIS: “I personally think that some of the county commissioners have advocated their responsibilities,” he said. “The county engineer works for the county commission. For those commissioners that might tell the county patrons that they can’t do anything, they are wrong.”

LUCAS: “I still think that the roads are a big role,” Lucas said. “The budget is almost 50 percent roads. Economic development and jobs are also a big part, and keeping our sheriff’s department up. We need to keep them in the best equipment.”

 

• What experience do you have with developing and executing budgets and reading financial statements?

ADAMS: “Over the past eight years or so, I’ve had experience working with a set budget of running a organization and making sure that we maximize the money we had,” he said.

LEWIS: “I’m a retired engineer and businessman,” he said. “I’ve managed as many as 1,000 people in scheduling, budgeting, cost control.”

LUCAS: “When Johnny Castleberry was commissioner, I was over all the purchasing for road equipment,” he said. “He would bring me the budget and we had X amount of money to put on X amount of things. I took care of that.”

 

• What are your views on the county’s current level of public debt?

ADAMS: “I do not agree with debt for superfluous projects that only benefit a small percent,” he said. “Projects may require debt but you have analyze the costs and the benefits should exceed the costs. That has not been the case with our current debt. Debt should only be acceptable in the instance of, it benefits the entire county and its citizens.”

LEWIS: “I think it’s probably higher than it should be,” he said. “Part has to do with commitments made in the past that have tied the hands of the current administration such as the arena.”

LUCAS: “I do think there is too much debt,” Lucas said. “If you think back and look back in the 90s, we were basically out of debt. When they set up the water department, they went in debt, but that was all the debt they had.”

 

• Are county taxes too high, about right or pleasantly low?

ADAMS: “I think they are about right,” Adams said. “We just need to learn how to manage what taxes we have. I am completely against any new tax that hits our citizens directly.”

LEWIS: “Nobody like to pay taxes, but you have to have taxes to have the services you want and deserve,” he said. “With that, instead of raising taxes, I’d like to get more industry.”

LUCAS: “Taxes are always too high, but what are you going to do?” he said. “You need it for what you need to do, but I’m not for raising them.”

 

• What do you see as the most pressing needs for infrastructure or capital projects in the county?

ADAMS: “To improve quality of life, I believe we have to have areas that our citizens can go to during their off time and for our children to go to such as a recreational area,” he said.

LEWIS: “Road improvements. We have road system that is somewhat antiquated,” he said. “They are in need of repair. The dirt roads are being graded by those who have not been adequately trained. We can save money by training those.”

LUCAS: “Roads,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest improvements needed.”

 

• If new resources were available, what one area of county services would you feel most needs additional resources?

ADAMS: “I believe we should focus on improving roads first,” he said. “To make sure that they are safe and passable for our residents. That could also tie back into the capital improvements.”

LEWIS: “Without having been involved over the last few years, I don’t know that I’m qualified to answer that until I’m able to look at all the needs and prioritize them.”

LUCAS: “The sheriff’s department is important,” Lucas said. “In this day and time, when people are shooting at them and there are so many dangers, I think we need to do all we can to keep them safe. Having the right equipment is important, whether it’s body armor or cameras.”

 

•  What are the factors on which you will base your decision as a county commissioner?

ADAMS: “I’ll speak to all the citizens in my district and those around the county,” he said. “I will vote for what I feel is best for the county based on those discussions.”

LEWIS: “Honesty and candidness,” he said. “I try to answer questions in an honest fashion. If more than one person asks me a question, they will get the same answer.”

LUCAS: “I would like to get the opinions of my representatives and the department heads about issues,” he said.

 

• What are your views on open data and transparency of information? What kinds of information should be made public?

ADAMS: “I believe that everything should be posted on social media and through the newspaper,” he said. “It shouldn’t’ be secret. Everything should be made when you are dealing with the public’s money. There should be no secrets involved with dealing with the taxpayers’ money.”

LEWIS: “I think we should be open as we can possibly be,” Lewis said. “I think everything should be open except personnel issues where someone’s reputation is at stake or their livelihood is. There should be no meetings that aren’t open to the public.”

LUCAS: “People need to know where there money is going,” he said. “That’s their tax money, and I think all the information should be out there for them to look at whenever they want. That’s supposed to be public knowledge.”

 

• What’s the biggest issue facing the county in the next four years?

ADAMS: “Competing with other areas to bring quality jobs in for the average person,” he said.

LEWIS: “One word – money,” he said. “Because money is what it takes to do all the things that need to be done – maintenance of the roads, raises for the employees, purchasing the proper equipment and proper training.”

LUCAS: “I believe jobs are important, but we have to work together,” he said.