James F. Fuller:

“If I’m elected, my No. 1 priority will be to make sure we have qualified people working for the city. This January, I will require that every current employee resubmit an application and resume, and then we will hire the most qualified persons for these jobs.

“For the future, I also will have the goal to first hire qualified people from Long County before I hire people from other areas.

“One specific area that I want to address is the police department. In the past, there has been some questionable people hired, and from now on, before we hire any police officer, we will make sure we do an extensive background check on them.

“I also want to work to get our water and sewage system back in compliance with the state. As long as it is noncompliant, it is costing the citizens of Ludowici tax dollars.”


Janis M. Goode:

“If elected, I will make sure that the city is financially responsible. Currently there is no responsibility, and there are questionable financial actions conducted all of the time. Many times, there are abuses in spending the public’s money — this will stop.

“I also will make sure that we adopt the Municipal Code of Guidelines that is required by law, and then make sure that it is enforced on city employees, members of the community and elected officials — enforced on everyone, not just on some people.

“And regarding nepotism, it will have to stop in the city. Those people who are currently employed will not necessarily lose their jobs, but as for the future, there will be no more hiring of family members in the city. I will make sure that the city of Ludowici is doing what we ought to be doing.”

Tara R. Manning:

“I want people to know that if they elect me as their mayor, I will be working for them on a full-time basis. They can call on me 24-7.

“Also, I want everyone to know that I am not doing this for the money. If elected, I will be taking a $32,000 pay cut. It’s not about the money — it’s about getting this city to start doing the right thing.

“The city has got to start being financially responsible and accountable. One of the first things that I will make sure that takes place is getting a budget completed and available so that everyone in Ludowici can see where their money is spent.

“And as for nepotism, it has to stop. In the future, there will be no more relatives of city employees or elected officials hired. Having relatives as employees creates difficulties that can be avoided by simply stopping this practice.”

The Rev. William Miller:

“If I am elected, I will be a mayor for all of the people of Ludowici.

“Some of my primary goals will be to attract more businesses, creating more jobs, but also to make sure we can maintain the jobs that we have now. By doing these three things, we also will increase our city’s revenue without having to raise taxes.

“I also will constantly be seeking other ways to bring more money into our community by seeking grants and other funding programs so that we can continue to improve our city with more building projects.

“For all I want to do, I have the experience, having served on the Coastal Resource Commission, the Coastal Workforce Investment Board of Directors and as a graduate of the Georgia Academy For Economic Development Regional Economic Leadership Development Program.”