Three work to win over District 5

The city commission race in District 5 pits a one-term incumbent against two challengers who are making their first bids for public office.

The candidates are: David Cornelius, 38, owner of his own insurance agency; Paul Ferrell, 51, a retired air traffic controller employed as a youth pastor; and incumbent Taylor Barbaree, 38, who is employed in sales and marketing with a local radio station.

Barbaree, a 20-year Alabama Army National Guard member, has taken a hands-on approach to governing from day one. He regularly holds meetings in his district and sends out e-mail updates and information pertinent to constituents.

But some see Barbaree as vulnerable in the election. His candidacy has been on-again, off-again, with the official saying a year ago that he would not seek a second term. He soon changed his mind and his job, which has allowed him greater flexibility.

But Barbaree has taken his knocks. He has also been criticized for pushing for a half-million dollar press box at Rip Hewes Stadium, where he announces football games, and then there was the one-cent sales tax the politician voted for three years ago.

Today, Barbaree says he’s committed to the job.

“I did work hard to help Dothan get a new press box, but in a little different manner than most people may know. What the critics fail to realize is I did not vote for the press box. However, when the expenditure was approved by a 4-2-1 vote by the commission, I went to work and secured Knology as a sponsor for the project, which cut the city’s total expenditure in half.

“The old press box was unsafe and had been condemned by the Dothan Fire Department. It was an embarrassment to the city. Oftentimes our own Dothan and Northview coaches, and visiting coaches and media, would remark about the condition and lack of space. Rip Hewes belongs to the citizens of Dothan. The facility has had very little upkeep. Since Knology stepped in with a $244,000 contribution, another local company, Waste Management, has agreed to purchase a new scoreboard. This will not cost the city a dime from the leisure services maintenance budget.”

While much attention has centered around removing the grocery sales tax, to Barbaree it is a non-issue. “If the commission had the authority to remove the grocery tax, it would have already happened. However, Alabama law states a municipality does not have the authority to remove taxes from groceries. The issue has come up many times in the Alabama Legislature, only to be defeated. Until the Alabama Legislature passes a bill into law that grants the authority to municipalities to remove the taxes from groceries, it is going to continue to be a non-issue.”

Barbaree said he has tried to be a problem solver. “I don’t believe there is an issue mentioned by my opponents that the commission has not addressed through the city’s planning process. Short-term/long-range water solutions, as well as wastewater treatment, economic development, public education, infrastructure, capital improvements, cultural arts and public safety, are very important. To be a good commissioner, you have to be balanced and realize the diversity and different interests of your district.

“I was 35 years old when I was elected and I feel like I have matured as a person and grown into this job. The learning curve for a commissioner is tremendous. There is still much to do.”

David Cornelius is a successful businessman who decided to run for office because he’s always wanted to be involved in public service. The city’s challenges and the way they are being addressed pushed him to put his name on the District 5 ballot.

Unequivocally, he believes: “Government should manage its responsibilities well first.” This, he said, means sewer projects and police training come before new parks and an aquatic center.

Cornelius said he is running for commissioner because he believes it takes courage to actually put needs in front of wants.

“Sanitation is certainly not a ‘vote getter,’ and public safety is a card often played by politicians. If elected I will do my part to ensure that our police and fire departments are sufficiently funded, and that our infrastructure is conducive for long-term growth. I will support public safety long before I would support spending $8 million on an aquatic center for downtown Dothan or an expensive press box as the incumbent did. Simply stated, government should manage its responsibilities well first.”

He said he does not have a problem with the city borrowing money for critical needs only.

Cornelius said he can’t support efforts to remove the sales tax on groceries because the city cannot afford it at this time. “I am in favor of lower taxes and smaller government. However, being fiscally responsible does not just mean controlling government. Being fiscally responsible does not just mean controlling expenses. It also means managing income. Right now with sales tax revenues down, I could not support removing the grocery tax.”

In essence, he does not favor cutting income sources “unless I saw evidence that it would be revenue neutral. In theory, I love lower taxes. In practice, we can’t afford it.”

He said he does not favor allowing citizens to vote on every issue. “We elect people to make decisions on our behalf. You can’t let people vote on every issue.”

However, he said the city moved too quickly in its passage of a one-cent sales tax, being voted on, he said, 34 days after it was brought up publicly. “The city should have taken three to four months for community involvement.”

Cornelius is also one of those candidates whose name has been linked with other candidates. Cornelius said he is not aligned with any other or any group of candidates.

“While speaking with the residents of District 5, I have determined what I believe is best for my district and the City of Dothan. I am willing to work with Mike Schmitz or Keith Seagle, Kenneth Everett or Paul Lee and whoever else is on the commission. There are some issues that I agree with Mayor Thomas on, but he missed it (when he wrote on a blog that I am an ‘Everett and Seagle man’). I will be District 5’s man.”

Paul Ferrell is a longtime resident of District 5, having resided in Chapelwood the last 17 years. He was born in Ohio, into a military family, and he and his wife have raised three children, all of whom graduated from Northview High School. He has a foster child in middle school.

Ferrell is the only candidate in the upcoming city elections who has reported he is not taking any campaign contributions. Some call it noble, but impractical if he wants to be known in District 5. Ferrell said it was an important stance to take.

“I believe that when you accept contributions from construction companies, real estate corporations and developers, it opens a door of pay back that I will not open,” Ferrell said. “I want what is best for the city of Dothan, not what is best for the corporations that contributed to my campaign.”

During a political forum more than two weeks ago, Ferrell spent much of his time talking about education issues, leading one city politician to go so far as to call Ferrell “ill-informed” about the issues. Ferrell insists he has spent time educating himself on the issues.

“Every quote of facts and figures that I have mentioned have come from the City of Dothan’s Analysis of Operation report prepared by the city’s internal analyst Valerie Harris, and submitted to the commission on June 2.”

Taxes always become an issue in an election year, and this year one mayoral candidate has built his campaign around his promise to removed the tax on groceries. Ferrell said he wants to see the city have “the lowest taxes and fees that will keep out city running efficiently,” but he does not believe removing the tax is within the city’s jurisdiction.

“I would like the elimination of sales tax on food, but this can not be a factor for our local city government. It has been tried and proved constitutionally illegal. Several years ago the City Council in Decatur voted to raise the sales tax by one cent, but to exempt groceries. The city attorney eventually discovered that the city could not exempt groceries; this must be addressed at the state level. I would very much support us prompting the state Legislature to remove this tax.”

Water supply is a big issue for the city, with reports that the city is facing the most critical potential shortage of any other place in the state. Ferrell said because of the water wars with Georgia over the Chattahoochee River, he doubts the city will be able to get permitted to draw water from the river.

“The short-term water problem has been solved by the two deep water wells that have been constructed. We have water for today, tomorrow and the next few years. But we must look further than that,” Ferrell said. “We need to start now on a permanent solution by joining with the surrounding communities and develop a water reservoir. Or we can keep putting $60 million temporary bandages to fix the problem.”