Voters in Tuesday’s runoff election for the open Cobb County Commission District 1 seat will decide if chairman Tim Lee, who has backed the relocation of the Atlanta Braves and other big public spending projects, will get another ally on the board.
The race features two candidates with backgrounds in local government, but with radically different views on the Cobb’s issues and how to address them.
Bill Byrne, chairman of the Cobb commission for 10 years, and says the Cobb Chamber of Commerce has exerted too much influence over policy decisions since Tim Lee took over as commission chairman four years ago.
Bob Weatherford, a 12-year veteran of the Acworth city council, has a prominent member of the chamber managing his campaign and has relied heavily on chamber contributions to fund it. He celebrates that.
“The chamber is one of the foremost economic drives in the county, and I’m proud they are sponsoring me,” Weatherford said. “Someone said to me that 70 percent of contributions come from chamber members, and I told them I’m disappointed in that. I was hoping it would be 100 percent.”
Byrne said the differences between the two are stark: “Bob Weatherford is a guy I’ve known for 15 years, is a friend, and he and I agree on absolutely nothing.”
The two are vying for the seat being vacated by Helen Goreham, who typically has sided with Commission Chairman Tim Lee and commissioner JoAnn Birrell on controversial votes.
Commissioners Bob Ott and Lisa Cupid often have cast votes against that grain on issues ranging from the preliminary agreement with the Braves to placing Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax renewals on the ballot.
Weatherford would be likely to side with Lee and Birrell on most issues, while Byrne is more likely to be a thorn in Lee’s side, said George “Buddy” Darden, a District 1 resident and longtime politico in Cobb County.
“The next commissioner will have a big influence on the direction of the county for the next four years and will be of critical importance,” said Darden, a Democrat who was Cobb’s district attorney and represented the county in the state house and Congress in the 1980s and 1990s. “Cobb is transforming into an urban county … (and) is in for a lot of change.”
The race is happening at a critical time in the county’s history. The commission will watchdog construction of the Atlanta Braves’ new $622 million stadium over the next three years and must find a way to increase funding for public safety at a time when the county is still struggling with tight budgets after the recession.
Chuck Clay, a former Republican state senator from Marietta, said the race could be a “game changer” in terms of the power structure at the county.
“The whole dynamics of the board could change based on this election,” Clay said. “You get on a group of five and if one or two are fundamentally pulling in a different direction, it makes for a … very difficult political dynamic. It’s a big race, no question.”
The candidates differences were on display during a recent candidate forum, during which they were asked if the Braves stadium financing should be secured by county taxpayers.
“The Braves stadium has already been voted on and secured by the financial plan in place,” Weatherford responded. “I fully support the Braves coming and believe it will be an economic boon. Our job as next commissioner … is to make sure the taxes and responsibility from a financial standpoint already committed are all that we do.”
Byrne said voters should have had a say.
“What we should have done, at that time, is allow the taxpayers to decide whether the Braves should come to Cobb County with a public funding,” Byrne said. “The Cobb County taxpayer is the biggest investor in the Atlanta Braves stadium … more so than the Atlanta Braves are. There’s something wrong with that picture.”
Differences also were apparent when they were asked about the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and what the commission’s relationship with the chamber should be. The Cobb Chamber played a crucial role in putting together the financing plan for the Braves stadium and also raised money to campaign in favor of the unsuccessful Transportation sales tax in 2012.
“They are Cobb County,” Weatherford said, referring to the chamber. “They provide an important economic and professional development resource for all citizens. They should augment what we do at the county, and (in) the cities and in the legislature. We should work together as one, and that makes us all a better place to live work and play.”
Byrne agreed that the chamber plays an important role in attracting businesses and jobs to the area, but said their role should end there.
“Where I have a problem with the chamber … the leadership is very much focused on ensuring that those they support at the local level support the implementation of the programs and projects” that the chamber favors. “They’ve crossed the line. They should focus on what they do best, and let elected officials focus on” policy.
The winner of Tuesday’s runoff will face Democrat Derrick Crump in November.
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