Smith seeks District 7 county council seat

DONNIE SMITH Fellow voters,

My name is Donnie Smith, candidate for the district 7 County Council seat.

As you take time to read this article, you show that you have a vested interest in what each candidate has to say because you, just as I, am concerned about where our great country is headed on a local, state, and national level. So for this reason you want to know why each of us is running for the District 7 seat and what our goals might be if elected.

I was born and still live on the farm where I was raised, and you know, it means a great deal to see my grand kids play on the same ground that myself and my mother before me once played as kids.

My wife of 38 years, Pam and I have one son Brian, daughter-in-law Melody, grandson Tanner, who is 12 years old and granddaughter Tori who’s 10 going on 21.

Construction has been my life’s work and I owned and operated Cherokee Builders, a General Contracting Business for 25 years.

We attend Broad River Baptist Church where I’ve served as Deacon, Trustee and chairman of properties and mission committees.

It has also been my privilege to serve the people of Cherokee County on the Cherokee County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, and on the District One School Board, of which I am now in my third four year term.

First and foremost, I would like to say to say that I’m a fiscal conservative. I don’t like paying taxes any more than you do and I can pledge one thing to you today. The only way that a tax increase is ever justified is if all effort has been made to cut cost in all areas of the county government and it is an absolute last ditch necessity.

Having ran a business and served as the school board Chairman as well as on the budget, personnel and building committees of that board in these trying economic times, has given me a lot of first hand experience in trimming and managing the district’s 62.2 million dollar budget.

But just as we all must live within our means at home, we should expect no less from our county government.

And unless I miss my guess, with the potential tax increases coming out of Washington, we’ll need all the help we can get on the local level.

Second I would like to say that I’m also a social conservative meaning that the values that were taught to me as a child such as:

(1)Individual rights – I will try my best not to infringe on your space and your pocketbook. I believe the less government the better.

(2)Prayer will always be said before council meetings.

(3)As an example of my thought process as we debate issues such as the proposed airport, four questions must first be asked before any decisions can be made: what will be the initial cost, how many permanent jobs will be created, and can it be self sustaining or will county funds be needed to maintain it down the road.

And there’s always the possibility that a major new employer such as a Timken or a Bmw might make the airport a precondition to locating in the county. As much as we need jobs in the county, if the long term benefits to us all far out weighed the initial economic cost up front, this would have to be considered very seriously

And in closing it needs to be said that as we all know the most pressing need in Cherokee County today is just as we talked about previously. Maintaining the good paying jobs already in place, and I pledge this to you today, to work tirelessly if elected, with fellow council members, the County Development Board and our state representatives to seek out and entice as many new business and industries to Cherokee County as possible.

Thanks for the opportunity, God bless you all and don’t forget to vote!

Donnie Smith,

candidate for District 7 Council.