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Three council seats, question put to voters
Published October 16, 2009
Loganville residents have more than just a choice of three city council seats on next month’s ballot.
They also get to choose whether or not to allow future council terms to go to four years instead of two, as is the case at the moment.
Mayor Ray Nunley said he believes extending terms to four years will cut down on the cost of holding an election in the city each year for three of the alternating posts and would also generate more interest among possible candidates.
However, not everyone shares that opinion, as stated in a published letter to the editor in The Tribune recently by American Legion Post 233 Commander and lifelong Loganville resident Bobby Boss, who believes the terms are just fine as they are. Boss said as a poll worker, he knows the costs involved in an election are not that high and are worth the cost rather than having to wait an additional two years to vote somebody out who isn’t effectively serving the people.
If approved, the four-year terms would be phased in with people elected Nov. 3 serving the traditional two years, those elected in 2010 serving three years and those elected in 2011 getting to serve four years before coming up for re-election.
The three incumbents — Wendell Geiger, Jerry Price and Pedro Vega — are campaigning to hold onto their seats and are joined by one challenger, newcomer Dan Curry. All four candidates will be at a meet-and-greet from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday in the community center at Meridian Park in Loganville.
Geiger, 66, is the longest serving member of the council, having served for 15 years, six of them as vice mayor. He is a lifelong Loganville resident and was married to the former Peggy Allgood, now deceased. He is a father and grandfather, an active member in the community and recently retired as general manager of the Walton County Water and Sewage Authority. Prior to that he retired from AT&T and 32 years service with the Air Force Reserves. Geiger said he wants the opportunity to continue serving residents in the city of Loganville in what he calls, “an exciting time for the city.”
“The city has embarked on a new direction and I would like the opportunity to continue work on the projects that are currently in the works such as the Business Advisory Council, Livable Centers Initiative study, improvements to the city’s infrastructure system including the construction of the new water tank and plans to upgrade the wastewater treatment facility,” Geiger said, citing his knowledge of the city’s water system and adding now he has retired he is able to devote his full attention to the needs of the citizens.
Price, 62, was first elected to the council in 2003 and has served ever since. Price spent most of his life in public service, including 34 years in the Atlanta Police Department. After retiring from the APD in 2001, Price worked as the Parks and Recreation Director for Loganville and helped out at the Loganville Police Department. He is currently serving as vice mayor for the city. Price was raised in College Park and now lives in Loganville with his wife, Teresa. They have three adult children and several grandchildren.
Vega, 47, is the newest member of the council, having been elected unopposed earlier this year after former Councilman Austin Jones resigned from the council when he moved out of the city limits. Vega is also in law enforcement, currently serving as a school resource officer with Gwinnett County in the South Gwinnett High School cluster. Vega said he has enjoyed his time so far serving the people of Loganville and would like the opportunity to continue to do so.
“I feel I have done a good job so far and feel with my 26 years as a public servant in public safety I bring that background to the city as the area continues to grow,” Vega said. “I would also like to continue to help oversee the infrastructure, such as the roads, through that growth.”
Curry, 60, is challenging to unseat one of those three at-large positions on the council. He currently serves as a member of the city’s planning and zoning commission and has founded and served on several homeowners associations, including as a former president of The Villa’s of Loganville Homeowners Association. He has also served on several civic and mission charities. Curry said he cares about the city and its people and promises to make himself available to handle the needs of a growing and changing city.
“As the recession ends, Loganville is destined to grow. We will become Walton’s largest city by 2020 with over 15,000 people and we must begin preparing now for all that lies ahead — short and long term,” Curry said, citing public safety as the top concern, followed by a need for long-term quality growth and efforts to lessen the current millage rate.
Curry also said he would work to keep “water in the taps at a reasonable rate.”
Curry and his wife, Nancy, have been married for 34 years and have two married daughters and one granddaughter.
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