Editor, I had the pleasure of attending the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce’s sanctioned political forum Oct. 11 at Brewton-Parker’s auditorium.
I attended hoping to hear the visions of the various candidates, not only for the mayoral race but for the council seats as well. Some candidates chose not to attend — shame on them! Others, it seems, had more on their agenda than their vision for Hinesville. I was handed a campaign contribution disclosure form on two (only two) of the candidates running for mayor. I would have been more impressed to have been handed CCR’s on all four mayoral candidates and the council candidates as well. Is there any reason why this did not happen?
I must admit to being quite impressed with some of the candidates, their visions, eloquence, and knowledge of current events. But I was equally dismayed by one candidate’s attack on personal matters (personal, not personnel) and another candidate’s lack of any “in-depth” explanation of his plans. Some answers given reflected poorly on the candidate’s ability to “answer the question” and not digress to attacking their opponent. Issues, such as the grandchildren of one candidate, as well as the “contributions” of another opponent, were brought up and questioned by this candidate. While these were interesting statements, they seemed to be out of context given the questions being asked.
I must challenge the candidates to bring their respective agendas to the table, to ensure the voters’ insight into their plans for the city.
These type of forums, intended to educate the voters of Hinesville as to the candidate’s views on various topics, are extremely useful and must be held. In this, I salute the chamber for hosting this forum and I urge those interested voters to start attending these events. Knowledge is power.
PS: I attended and I am not even a voter in the city proper. I attended because what happens in Hinesville affects all of us in Liberty County. Hinesville is the heart of Liberty County and, as such, we ALL need to be aware, concerned and involved in these events.

Roger A. Wells
Liberty County