Editor:



Tuesday night, I attended the Mayor’s Forum at City Hall and witnessed a good discussion and saw the diversity of the candidates that are seeking to run our city. I applaud WNNG and the Warner Robins Patriot for conducting meetings as this to give the citizens a chance to know and become involved in their city and to extend a hand in helping those that put their lives into the political realm. I was only sorry that those of us as citizens in attendance were not allowed to ask questions, but I thought the questions asked by moderators were excellent and the ones that are on the minds of the citizens here in Warner Robins.

First, those seeking council seats were questioned. It was hard to understand the questions asked, one of the first things anyone should do is overhaul the sound system in the chamber so it doesn’t reverberate around and out. The candidates spoke of their faith and love for the city. I do not know any of them personally, but a couple stood out by their answers about one question, alcohol sales on Sunday. One man spoke of his conviction, but said it would be up to the people to decide by a vote; however, one candidate that I believe attended a church I use to go to said” that it wasn’t his business if anyone wanted to drink on Sunday, it was between them and their God.”(paraphrase if not accurate). I thought that was a poor answer if he is a Christian, yes the people need to vote, but as Christians we should take a firm stance on our beliefs and not waffle, which many politicians do. You can’t please all the people, but you can have integrity and stand on what you believe. People will respect that.

Then the mayor and those seeking office took the center stage.

I stand behind Mayor Walker because I believe the city has benefitted greatly during his tenure as Mayor and many, many citizens have gotten issues resolved as the Mayor not only takes on the challenges of the city and the Air Force Base, but he has time to help citizens one-on-one with problems that he will listen to and give assistance if possible. During the nine years I have lived in Warner Robins and the almost 25 years of working here doing charity events for everything from Heart Association to BRAC, Mayor Walker has never not gotten involved and offered his complete backing and support knowing that it was going to help the citizens of Warner Robins and this area by taking the time to help manage or open doors with events. The Mayor has character and integrity and thousands of dollars raised for the base needs, citizen needs, and charity needs have come as a result of Mayor Walker’s generosity without fanfare from the events. He has never asked me for anything in return, which is why I know he is a man of his word.

In saying that, I was very impressed by Chuck Chalk. He spoke with clarity, knew the issues, and gave insight on his views and thoughts. He was never off-point and did not disrespect the office for which he is running for. I think he will be an asset to the city in the future for his courage and systematic planning.

Chuck Shaheen gave some good answers to the questions and his family is well-known in Warner Robins. Chuck (Shaheen) spoke of committees during some questions and I don’t think we should go larger with government. I believe the mayor and council should be able to work together to solve the cities needs.

Clifford Holmes answered questions with questions and I didn’t get a feel for his position. When he spoke of wanting a “transparent government” it sounded too much like what I heard during the Presidential election and we all know now how that has turned out with empty promises of transparency and people instead of being in office should be in jails. I don’t think Warner Robins needs a government system like what we have in Washington at all.

Lastly, most of the people at the forum last night were family and friends of the candidates. Not too many citizens from a town of over 60,000 on-hand for what is very important to our city. I would like to see more citizens getting involved in the process and that means getting involved. On Saturday at Perkins Park where a lot of the discussion was about last night, we are having an event to raise money for a boy dying with Muscular Dystrophy. I would like to see the candidates coming out and talking to the people, bringing their friends to support the city as they promised to last night, and answering the questions of the people, by the people, and for the people. Then the people that are not family or friends, but registered voters will have an opportunity to make a decision on whom should be at the helm for the next four years and continue to lead our city to greatness.

I will give everyone an equal invitation and this will show who is making political promises and who really wants to get involved with the citizens and the things important to this city. An invitation to everyone to come and help this community outreach project and meet and chat to those you will be voting on in a few months is a great way to spend a Saturday while helping one of our own local boys with a terrible disease get a wish answered. Hopefully, we will see you there.

Steve Rodgers

Chairman, Jacob’s Cause