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About seven years
ago, Empower Cherokee was founded. Its purpose was to inform citizens
of the workings of their local government. The goal was also to encourage
the citizens to "plug-in" and make a difference.
Many of you reading this may not have even
lived in Cherokee County in the mid '90s. We had just completed the first
four years of our current multi-member commission form of county government.
Little did we know how lucky we had been with the election of our first
panel. Issues were debated. Most members were strong personalities. No
one commissioner dominated the debate. Cherokee County was rapidly growing
then, as we are now, but there seemed to be a sincere effort by all to
try to represent the people and do the right thing for the future of the
county.
In 1989, I had been a member of the team
that worked to develop and sell the new multi-member commission to the
Cherokee County citizens and state delegation. Last year, I served on
a task force that reaffirmed our commission structure. Though perhaps
not perfect, it is a system that a majority still seems to believe is
a fair way to represent all of the citizens of the county. But as is the
case with any system, the devil is in the details.
The first challenge to make the system work
is getting people involved. Again, that's why Empower Cherokee was formed.
In the mid '90s, there was the Chamber of Commerce, the Homebuilders Association,
and various other entities in place that ensured business' interests were
addressed by local government, but there wasn't any formal organization
to help make sure that the average citizen was getting fair consideration.
By 1995, as some of us had predicted, the
County Commission adopted what was essentially an "anything goes" policy
on planning and zoning. Small lot subdivisions and spot zoning began springing
up in the middle of agricultural areas. Neighbors began seeing high-density
development, with five units or more to the acre. There was little that
people could do to stop the actions being taken by their County Commission.
The "old guard" dominated by the Canton power-base was in charge, and
as it was said on more than one occasion, it was time to cash in on the
land that had been in the family for generations. Empower Cherokee educated
citizens in the basics of zoning, how to protect their legal rights during
a zoning hearing. But again because of the nature of zoning laws, there
was little that the citizens could do until the next election.
Due to the rampant, unchecked growth policies
of the late '90s, thousands of people received real wake up calls. Those
that found large, dense subdivisions next door didn't need much help in
understanding what was going on. But for those on the fringes, Empower
Cherokee began publishing a Zoning Scorecard, so that citizens could recognize
which members of the County Commission were ignoring the wishes of the
citizens. By 1998, the voters had their chance, and with a ground-swell
of activism, threw the "old guard" out.
Many of you in southwestern Cherokee probably
did not directly experience the zoning problems occurring in the northern
half and southeastern portion of the county. Living in the planned communities
of Towne Lake and BridgeMill tends to give a false sense of security,
but trust me, uncontrolled growth impacts those communities too —
your schools, your roads, your taxes.
Each month we will try to focus on what is
going on with your local government, to help you assess whether our local
officials are doing a good job for us. As I said earlier, the devil is
in the details. We are going to be sure that you know enough of the details
so that you can give your officials your point of view if they don't do
a good job for you!
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This month, I would
like to introduce you to the three new board members. Mike Chapman is
the newest representative from Post 2. He was appointed by the board when
Becky Babcock resigned, and he was recently elected in a special qualifying
period. Stephen Bentley was elected to fill Post 1, currently held by
Dr. Mike Christopher, who chose not to run for re-election. And, after
a tough three-way primary race with a run-off, Patty Baker, the HOA president
for Deer Run and a preschool teacher at Hillside United Methodist Church
Preschool, will fill Bob Roger's Post 6 seat.
Mike Chapman is married with two children.
His wife, Mary is a teacher at Teasley Middle School. His two sons attend
school in Cherokee County. Matthew is a sophomore at Cherokee High School
and Mark is an eighth grader at Teasley Middle School.
Mike was born and raised in a suburb of Cleveland,
Ohio. In 1983, he graduated from Cleveland State University with a BBA
degree in Production/Operations Management. In 1991, he completed his
first Masters degree at GMI Engineering and Management Institute in Manufacturing
Management and earned his second Masters degree in Operations Management
from Kettering University in 2001.
Mike is now the Plant Manager for a local
manufacturing company, Morrison Products, Inc. Before coming to Morrison
he held various management positions with General Motors, Warner and Swasey,
United Parcel Service and Yellow Freight Systems.
When I asked Mike why he ran for school board,
he responded, "Basically I have three areas I am most concerned with regarding
the schools. The first is the fact that my two sons attend Cherokee County
Schools, and I feel it is important that they get a good public education.
Secondly, I am committed to reducing the drop out rate. The key to this
issue in my mind is two fold —
more parental involvement and understanding of the importance of education
and exposing kids early on to potential career opportunities. Thirdly,
I am a believer in the importance of continuing education. Not just college
or university, but technical, vocational or specialized education. Career
exploration at the middle school level is vitally important."
Stephen Bentley (Post 1), was born
in Inglewood, California. Stephen and his wife Shannon, have two daughters
who attend public schools in Cherokee County. The Bentley family served
as missionaries for three years, providing support to Bible translation
personnel. Their assignment with Wycliffe Bible Translators included 14
months in Kenya, East Africa and 14 months in Calgary, Canada. Upon returning
to the United States in 1998, they chose Cherokee County as the place
they wanted to put down roots and raise their children.
Stephen graduated from DeVry Institute of
Technology in Irving, Texas in 1986. He earned his Bachelor of Science
degree in Computer Information Systems while working full-time. He has
spent 13 years working in the Information Technology field with primary
focus on systems analysis and design and computer software development.
Stephen is currently the Director of Software
Development for Applied Global Technologies (AGT), a company specializing
in telecommunications, video conferencing and software engineering. The
Bentleys are active members of Wildwood Baptist Church in Acworth, where
Stephen helps teach an adult Bible study class.
Following the call of President Bush to volunteer
in one's community, Bentley chose the Board of Education as his way of
getting involved. "Our President has asked each one of us to do our part.
For me personally, I can think of no better way than by helping to ensure
that our children have the education they need to be successful in life,"
Bentley said. "As a parent with two children in Cherokee County public
schools (one in high school, one in elementary school), I have the same
concerns as other parents. We all face the problems of overcrowding, school
safety and academic achievement. I will work hard to make sound decisions
for the students, parents, and teachers."
Patty Baker (Post 6), is married to
Nick and has two children, ages 4 and 7. She lives in the Deer Run subdivision
in Towne Lake where she serves as the Home Owner Association president.
She has served as a substitute teacher in Cherokee County and is a Pre-School
teacher at Hillside United Methodist Church.
She serves as the chairperson of the Woodstock
Environmental committee, and is a member of the Towne Lake Optimist Club
and the Woodstock Women's Society. Patty's goal as a board member is to
assist the present board in making Cherokee the number one county for
education in the state of Georgia. She believes the best investment a
community can make is in their schools. Patty says, "The future of Cherokee
County will rest upon the education of its youth. Whether one has children
in the system or not, a top notch system will make our community more
attractive and desirable to live and work in."
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