Longest-serving Jones County commissioner faces two challengers

A longtime Jones County commissioner is facing opposition from two challengers in the May 24 Republican primary election.

Political newcomers Cliff Greene and Sam Kitchens are running against District 1 Commissioner Larry Childs.

Childs, who runs a home renovation business, has served on the board for 19 years and is its longest-serving member.

No Democrats qualified for the seat, so the primary will decide who wins the seat.

Greene runs a construction grading business, with most of his work contracted to a large dairy farm in Macon County. Kitchens is assistant director of the Macon-Bibb County Parks & Beautification Department.

Childs said if he is re-elected, he would like to continue expansion of the water system. That includes about 3,000 feet along Gray Highway to reach the Bibb County line.

"It will help bring retail and commercial growth out there," he said. "It will help relieve property taxes for homeowners."

He also wants to extend county water in the areas of Graham Road and Sand Creek Trail. He also would like to move forward with a plan to connect sewer service to the county's industrial park by tying into the Macon Water Authority system.

"The problem we have had with the industrial park is that when you try to market it and it doesn't have sewer, that doesn't make it very attractive," he said. "We've had some really big corporations look at it, but once they find out it don't have sewer, that ends it."

He said special purpose local option sales tax dollars, user fees and grants will pay much of the cost of the sewer project and water extensions.

Greene said that a little over a year ago he started attending commission meetings, and he took an interest in running for office.

"The more and more I saw, I started getting more interested in keeping up with when (the meeting date) gets here," he said.

Greene said that if he's elected, he wants to lower taxes and stop wasteful spending. When asked for an example of wasteful spending, he mentioned the board approved $19,000 "to help keep Warner Robins open."

Childs said that was for the 21st Century Partnership, which advocates for Robins Air Force Base. Childs defended the expense, because he said the base is important to the Jones County economy.

"It's probably a good thing," Greene said, "but you spend $19,000 on that, then in the same meeting the water comes up, and they need a roof on a building and they won't spend any money on it. They wouldn't even give the firemen a raise in that same meeting."

Greene said he also would like to get more roads paved, which he vowed to accomplish by reducing wasteful spending.

Kitchens said he has long been interested in county government, and now that his children are getting older he can devote the time to serving on the commission.

"I think things need to change," he said. "I think we need to look at how we are running our government and run it more efficiently."

He said his job with Macon-Bibb County government has given him experience with facilities management and energy management that he can bring to the commission. He also said the city-county consolidation gave him experience in cutting costs.

"I think going through consolidation with Macon-Bibb where we were mandated to cut 20 percent, it gives a ground-level look at how you cut costs," he said.

Kitchens said his first priority would be evaluating the budget and looking at how processes could be streamlined to save money. He also said he wants to make sure the recreation park is completed.

"We've got a recreation park that's been in the works for some time, and I think we need to focus on finishing that and getting the people what they were promised," he said.

To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.

Jones County Commission, District 1

Larry Childs

Age: 62

Occupation: Self-employed home renovator

Political experience: 19 years as commissioner

Cliff Greene

Age: 51

Occupation: Operates a grading business

Political experience: None

Sam Kitchens

Age: 48

Occupation: Macon-Bibb assistant director of parks and beautification

Political experience: None

This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 6:22 PM with the headline "Longest-serving Jones County commissioner faces two challengers ."