Cochran city council candidates speak at forum ahead of election

The city of Cochran hosted a candidate forum for the upcoming city council election for districts 1 and 3 last week, allowing residents and community members to learn more about who is running for local office. 

The candidates, Trecia Gardner and Teresa Mack for district 1, and Dianne Lester and Tyler Sapp for district 3, spoke before about 40 attendees about why they are running for office and how they would solve the largest issues facing Cochran today. 

The last day of early voting will be Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Cochran City Hall. Election day is Tuesday, March 18 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Community House, located at 192 SE 3rd St.

Below are their answers to each question, edited for clarity. Due to audio technical problems at the venue, the candidates’ responses may not have been captured in their entirety.  

“What is the biggest problem facing Cochran in the next decade?”

Dianne Lester, district 3: Growth, from both industry and residential, is what I think is the biggest challenge facing Cochran in the next decade. You know, we want to get industry in here, but also we want to make sure that we have adequate housing for them, and then we have the new apartments. But you know, we may have some families that are looking for single family homes.

Tyler Sapp, district 3: The biggest thing that I see that I’ve after talking to all of our citizens and all our residents, is a lot of our residents are worried about stagnation for Cochran and what that looks like in the next decade. And so I’m looking for industries and more residents to come to Cochran, and so how do we do that? We look at how we can help our community, and I hope we get to discuss that further. 

Trecia Gardner, district 1: As well as Dianne discussed, I think jobs and affordable housing.

Teresa Mack, district 1: I think we’re all on the same line, because of jobs, and I think we’re facing a decrease in the population because the elders are dying out and the younger are leaving, so we need to generate some jobs to keep the children interested in staying in the Cochran area.

“How do you resolve the tension between not cutting government services without increasing tax liability assistance?”

Sapp: It’s to take a look at our budget. Our city manager and our people at our administrative offices do a great job, and I want to continue to look at our budget and see where things can be used differently and that sort of thing, and look at other grants and opportunities that our federal and state levels provide us and other private and public partnerships that we can use to incorporate into our budget. That way we can hopefully lower our taxes or provide an alternative method to getting some of our budget and costs covered.

Gardner: Bringing awareness to the community, letting people know what’s available. Getting a budget, setting goals, and new ideas.

Mack: The city does have a budget. We may need to revisit the budget. Instead of cutting out some things, cut back on some things. We need to keep the revenue in Cochran.

Lester: Review all possible options, for example, if you maintain the government service, and it might increase the tax liability, or if you eliminate the government service, it might increase the budget, but have a negative impact on the citizens, and then so maybe find a way to reduce the government service instead of eliminating it. So I think that reviewing how spending efficiency can be balanced to maintain the city budget and protect the citizens, and then being transparent to let the citizens know what’s going on with what they’re doing to make sure that we’re working on their behalf. And as a council member, I would do my part to help the city council make the best decision for the citizens.

“Why do you want to serve?”

Gardner: Because I am a servant, I am here to serve, and that’s what I do.

Mack: I’d like to serve because I love the city of Cochran. I’ve lived here all my life. I love helping people. I love serving people, and I want to be an advocate for the citizens, to keep them aware of what’s going on and share the information that the city has for them as well, and to make the proper decisions concerning the betterment of the community.

Lester: I consider myself to be an experienced, committed local leader who is fully engaged and focused on the future of Cochran and serving as a city councilman for district three would be an opportunity for me to serve the community on a larger scale.

Sapp: This community has given me everything. It’s poured in me, just as much as I’ve poured into it as an educator, a community member. I’m a graduate from Bleckley County High School. Went through K through 12, a graduate from Middle Georgia State University. I never left home. Now it’s time that I feel that I need to give to the community that gave to me. As a city councilman sitting in district three, I would like to be able to do that and give our residents the opportunity to have a voice and give them a seat at the table. And if elected, I can promise I will continue to do that as we go through the terms, to make sure that every voice in district three and the city of Cochran is heard.

“Name a leader you try to be like and explain what traits of theirs you admire.”

Mack: The leader that I admire the most is the late Clarence Max Sr. His traits is honesty, because if he said something, he’ll do it, and if I give you my word, I’m going to try my best to hold to that. And if I cannot, let you know why. He was honest, and he was resilient. I understand a lot of challenges are faced with me, and I’m prepared to go above and beyond to help the citizens, and I’m strong. My grandfather was a symbol of strength to me because he came from Alabama and built his home with his own hands. He did not read nor write, but he bought properties and used it to rent houses. So he left a legacy for his family. So that’s what I came to do and what I admire the most.

Lester: The first leader that came to mind was Jesus. And I say that because he was the only perfect leader, and the Bible gives you a blueprint you go by to live your life. But there’s one other leader that’s also near and dear to my heart, and that’s my brother, Ernest Lawson, Pastor Ernest Lawson Jr. from Kingdom Village Church. He’s a selfless person, determined, loving, compassionate, honest, patient, responsible, transparent and accountable to God, to name a few traits. So I’m thankful that he makes the effort to live a life he can
be proud of.

Sapp: I picked two leaders, and this was a hard question. It was a really hard question a little bit because of all the leaders that I see, not just in the school system, but at the state level and federal level. And the first one that came to mind was my grandfather. He was a leader in his church, a leader at his work, and he gave this community what it gave to him. He raised the family, he raised me, and so I look up to him. He did it with integrity. He did it with faith, and that’s what I want to bring to Cochran. And the second person is Rep. Danny Mathis. I’ve known Danny my entire life, and to see him at the state level lead with faith and integrity and ethical decision making and doing it for the right reasons, as for our state of Georgia and for the district that he serves under, is just a big passion of mine. I see that, and I want to continue that honor that both of those men have led me to do.

Gardner: I would say Christ, because you get to love like him, and I try to treat people the way I want to be treated, and that’s what he tells us in the Bible, and just be yourself and just try to put yourself under people’s shoes and just do what you do. I’m just Trisha. I can only do what I can do. If I do my little bit. You do your little bit. Hey, we have done so much. Just doing what the Bible tell us to do and just be who God has created us to be.

“How would you resolve conflicts over ideas and policies and build consensus?”

Lester:  I think we should review the end goal for whatever ideas and policies that’s being discussed, and then you know you gotta be willing to listen to each other’s ideas and opinions to see if you can find some common ground, that maybe you can start the conflict resolution process with. And finally, being willing to compromise and negotiate, because you have to understand it’s not for me. I understand that it’s not all about me. It’s about what’s best for the entire community.

Sapp: I’ve been taught all my life that I talk too much and don’t listen a lot, and over the years, as I’ve grown older and become wiser and listened to great leaders where I work and my community and my mother a lot more, I have realized that active listening and open dialog is one way to resolve a problem that is not an argument, but could be. Also finding that common ground that each idea will have, you just have to have that common ground through data. I’m a data guy, a math guy, and so I want to see the data and what it looks like, and do my research, stay true to my convictions and what our residents want. Any problem that comes about can always be solved. We just have to encourage collaboration with our city members and our community, and just to make sure that we’re listening rather than always talking.

Gardner: Same as Mr. Sapp here. Clear goal, understanding the goals and the needs of the people, and having an open line of communication, visit all angles. I mean, everybody’s got an opinion. You know, we need to listen more. 

Mack: Respect others’ opinions because everyone has one, and to listen attentively. And if we can’t come to a resolution at that time, maybe we can table things if possible, but if not, we should be able to agree to disagree. We should all have the same goal in mind, and that’s building a better community. And it shouldn’t be about one district. It should be about the city of Cochran as a whole, and not as individual
districts.