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September 2, 2010
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Hinkle faces first challenge in 10 years
Published October 9, 2009
For the first time in almost a decade there will be a mayoral election in Grayson this year.
Mayor James “Jim” Hinkle, 76, is seeking a fifth consecutive term after being elected unopposed in 2001 and re-elected unopposed every two years since. Hinkle also served as mayor from 1981-1991 and as city attorney from 1979 to 1980, giving him 31 years of service to the city of Grayson.
Taking on Hinkle this year is Grayson businessman Damon Ladd Thomas, 39, who said although it is his first run at public office, he is no novice when it comes to civic matters. He is a supporter of such organizations as Kiwanis, The Georgia Commerce Club and The Foster Children’s Foundation and recently resigned his post as community relation’s director at the Greater Grayson Chamber of Commerce to take on the mayoral race.
Hinkle said there are a couple of important projects currently under way in Grayson he would like to see fully implemented while still in office.
“The first one is the Transportation Enhancement grant the city received from the (Georgia Department of Transportation),” Hinkle said. “This prestigious grant is for the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in our city by providing a pocket park at the intersection of Highway 20 and Rosebud Road. We plan to make this a passive park with sidewalks, benches and lush plantings to provide a gateway to Grayson. A period clock tower is also planned for this area to provide a focal point. The project will include pedestrian lighting around the central area of Grayson to provide a period look to the downtown area.”
Hinkle said the second project implement another GDOT grant to beautify the medians of the recently rebuilt Highway 20 through Grayson. Both projects are still in the design phase pending approval by GDOT.
Ladd-Thomas said his decision to run against Hinkle was prompted by his local community involvement and a commitment to serving all the residents equally.
“Residents and local business owners that we support have been voicing their concerns for new leadership that would be more inclusive and democratic for quite some time. It has just taken almost 30 years to find a candidate that is ready to oppose the current city leadership to make the government more inclusive,” Ladd-Thomas said, adding he believes he is that candidate. “I am not afraid of a little hard work and the crosswinds of hard-line networks. I am more connected and representative of, not only the citizens that have lived here for a while, but also those that are the newest families that represent most of the recent growth of this city in the past eight years.
“I am most guided, like most of the residents, by the perspective of a parent of three school-aged children and how a community should protect and enhance family life in a charming city like Grayson.”
Hinkle said his experience gives him the edge to being an effective mayor as evidenced by his record over the past eight years as well as his support from the city council.
Both candidates say they want to preserve the small town, family friendly community of Grayson and place a strong emphasis on controlled growth.
Hinkle, a former Marine and longtime Grayson resident, has been married to his wife, Barbara, for 31 years and is the father of five children and 10 grandchildren. He also has a degree in engineering as well as a law degree and currently serves as a magistrate judge in Gwinnett County.
Thomas, a financial advisor, is the father of three young children and is engaged to Tatyana Kravchuk. He moved to Georgia from Massachusetts in 1993 and holds a degree in economics from the George Washington University.
The mayor of Grayson is an unpaid position and it is what is known as “a weak mayor” form of city government with both the legislative and executive power held by the council.
The mayor only votes in the case of a tie, something Hinkle said he hasn’t been called on to do since his election in 2001.
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