Now that the smoke has cleared and the dust has settled in the Republican Primary I'm left with one lingering question. What do the presumptive and soon-to-be presumptive nominees stand for? Are they for alcohol? Are they against it? Are they for developing county wide water and sewer infrastructure? Are they against it? Are they for enforcing existing building and land development regulations? Are they for the good 'ol boy system? I would like to know the answers to each of these questions.

These are our future county leaders. But it’s where our county's future is led to that we worry about.

Georgia just needs to start abolishing some counties! 159 counties in this day and age is ridiculous... The state did that back in the early 1900s. All this redundant government everywhere is a waste of time, taxpayer money and is very inefficient. We don't need every courthouse to be within a days horse and buggy ride like in the 1800s - the reason Georgia has so many counties in the first place and second only to Texas.

Just roll Fannin into Gilmer and let's just use their "leaders"... and consolidate all the city governments while we're at it!

That sounds good to me. We really need to bring Blue Ridge into the 21 Century. Hopefully our new leaders will help instead of hinder that. Their not going to have much of a town when the new generation moves elsewhere for jobs and security. Blue Ridge could prosper if only the "born and raised here" would let it. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!

>>What do the presumptive and soon-to-be presumptive nominees stand for?

Great post A&A!
Unfortunately, it seems you must tap into the grapevine and still make an educated "guess", and admittedly, I've been out-of-touch with the feud since the last frustrating defeat. I still wonder how we, ahem, lost the absentee ballot?!

It would be nice if The Sentinel or similar would publish a cheat-sheet for the pro-business(beer/wine) / anti-business(teetotaler) candidates like the big city papers do for each respective side of the fence. Can anyone do something similar here?

I'd just like to see more industry in Fannin besides meth and cabin rentals...got to find a way. We've got the chance to be a bigger entertainment attraction for people from the south if its managed right, industry is not going to come to Fannin

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A bad day off road is better than a good day at work.

Exactly right!

The sad thing is that many of the so called "leaders" in power now, DON'T WANT anything good to happen around here - so sad, but true.

Many of them will take any opportunity to fight any good ideas that are out there, that would bring greater prosperity to the citizens of the area who so desperately need AND deserve it - but unfortunately, the old saying about "not knowing what you don't know" is true.

Seems to me the "leaders" should all band together after any given election and develop a common goal or two that they CAN MAKE HAPPEN. A little place like Fannin County needs to have a group of people all working for the betterment of the community by bringing in businesses and jobs (and promoting their county above all the other ones out there that ARE Getting a clue and beginning to realize success in their endeavors. We don't have to look far to see what could be. Look at what is going on in Dahlonega and Lumpkin County, Ellijay and Gilmer County and Jasper and Pickens County. Those counties are preparing themselves for the inevitable future, and setting up their towns and counties for success.)

The county should consider some sort of theme to rally around to bring people in, that our neighbors dont have, but yet that can compliment them too. The pie is big enough to go around if people would just work on enlarging it.

For example, Georgia 400 all the way from Buckhead in Atlanta to Dahlonega and Lumpkin has been desiginated Georgia's "Hospitality Highway" - each community the whole distance of the road is part of joint marketing campaigns and they all cross promote each others' attractions, etc. Why not have the Georgia 5 or 515 corridor called something else (Georgias railroad highway, Georgias lake highway, whatever..) the leaders just need to take some d*#n initative and get off their butts and do something! Nothing happens when people sit around and wait for something to happen. Go seek it out!

I hear Simonds is pro-alchohol, but I don't think he's made an official position on the matter.