There weren”t many surprises at Thursday night”s Lowndes County candidate forum, though a couple of moments stood out from the rest.
In one of the most anticipated Lowndes County races, longtime supervisor Leroy Brooks used the event as an opportunity to take a couple of jabs at his opponents.
In an effort to “immediately” “distinguish” himself from the two other candidates for District 5 supervisor, Brooks opened with, “They ain”t from around here,” noting he is a lifelong resident of Lowndes County, while both his opponents hail from other states.
“No one … brings to the table the knowledge, experience and training that I have,” Brooks said.
Brooks, 57, is in his seventh term as a Lowndes County supervisor and said he is “about all people” and justice and equality.
“The Bible says where there is no vision, the people perish,” he said.
Meanwhile, Brooks” competition in the Democratic primary, Kenneth McFarland, and independent candidate Roger Larsen stuck to their own personal reasons for running for the office.
“I”ve been to almost every supervisor meeting for the last 20 years,” said Larsen, who founded The Columbus Packet newspaper.
Though originally from Kansas, Larsen, 62, has spent more than two decades in Columbus, covering local news and issues concerning the area. He said he has always practiced fair reporting and “spoken forthrightly” at his newspaper, which he sold last year, to the supervisors” boardroom.
McFarland, 51, has lived in Columbus for the past several years, working as director of the Columbus Boys and Girls Club and now the volunteer coordinator for the Columbus Municipal School District.
“We”re not just building buildings, we”re building people,” McFarland said, referencing incumbent supervisors” comments. Most of them cited new construction and renovations among the accomplishments of the sitting board.
Dee Cheatham left the audience with a catchy slogan, speaking on behalf of longtime District 2 Constable Joe Ables, who was out of town at the state constables conference.
“Remember, Ables is able,” Cheatham said, after singing Ables” praises as a “hard worker” and “honest man.”
John Brown, Ables” challenger, said, “I want to challenge you to make a change in District 2.”
The event was sponsored by the Columbus-Lowndes County League of Voters. The group plans to endorse candidates, leading up to the Aug. 2 primaries. They also will endorse candidates in the general election, Nov. 8.
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