Running for Snellville City Council: Dexter Harrison

For the upcoming Snellville City Council election in November, Patch is running questionnaires answered by the candidates. 

Three seats are open on the council: Post 3, 4 and 5. Candidate Dexter Harrison is running for Post 4 against incumbent Councilman Bobby Howard.

Name: Dexter Harrison
How long have you lived in Snellville? I was born in Snellville, but I moved away. In 2002 I returned to Snellville with my wife and my 4 daughters.
Educational background: I attended 1st-8th grade at Snellville Elementary School, 9th and 10th grade at South Gwinnett High School and a graduate of Southwest Dekalb High School. I completed courses at Dekalb Technical College for Electronics.
Family: I have been married for over 47 years to my wife, Mary. We have four daughters and six grandchildren.
Military background: I am a proud veteran of the United States Navy. I served my country from 1963-1969. I was stationed on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt CVA42 Aircraft Attack Carrier.  
Occupation: I am retired from Piedmont Hospital as a Biomedical Technician and AT&T as a facility Technician.

How many terms/years have you served on the council? This is the first time that I have run for the Snellville City Council. I currently serve on the Snellville Urban Redevelopment Board for the City of Snellville.

What inspired you to run for election? I have regularly attended the Snellville City Council meetings for the past two years. From, what I have personally observed at those Council meetings I do not believe that the voice and the concerns of the Citizens of Snellville are being represented by the current Council.  

What are some of the notable projects you've helped or spearheaded in the past? I have always been a community volunteer and am willing to help wherever I am needed. Over the years I have worked with the Masonic Children’s Home in Macon, Georgia. This is a home for foster children. We assure that these children graduate high school and attend a technical college if they choose. Locally, I served at the request of Mayor Kautz in the organization of the 2nd Annual MLK Day March and Rally at City Hall this year. As alumni of the Snellville Citizens’ Police Academy, I have worked on their golf tournaments and Policeman’s Night Out in the past. I have also organized and operated the Masonic Lodge food booth at the annual Snellville Days Festival.   

What are some of the immediate projects you want to work on if you win the council seat? How would you accomplish them? I believe the most pressing project facing the City Council is the need for an independent and neutral ethics board. Over the past two years, I have witnessed many formal and informal ethics complaints against members of the City Council raised at Council meetings. Many of these complaints have been politically motivated. As public servants it is important that elected officials be held accountable to the people they serve everyday not just ever four years. But, it is also important that politically motivated ethics complaints do not obstruct the progress of government. Until recently, the City of Snellville had no official procedure for a citizen to file an ethics complaint. Last month, four members of Council created a procedure where ethics complaints would be filed with the City Attorney and the City Manager. Through this procedure if the City Manager or the City Attorney does not believe that an ethics complaint is valid, it is dismissed. However, the City Manager and the City Attorney work for the City Council. This procedure requires an employee to stand in judgment of his/her boss. While I applaud, the Council for finally creating a procedure for filing an ethics complaint, I do not believe that this procedure can be fair and unbiased. If elected I would create a neutral and independent ethics board for the City of Snellville just as other cities and counties throughout the State have established.   

What are some of your long-term goals for the city? How would you accomplish them? In the long-term I believe that the City needs to focus on our transportation needs.  I support placing sidewalks along Highway 78 and in other key locations within the City, so that Snellville can be a walkable city. I believe that we must create a routine paving schedule for the City’s deteriorating streets. And I support giving the property owners located on Highway 78 the choice to expand the Evermore CID so that we have the potential to widen Highway 78 through the City. I believe that only by improving our transportation needs will the City of Snellville attract quality businesses and economic development to the City.

What do you think is the greatest challenge facing Snellville, and how would you approach it? I believe that the greatest challenge facing the City of Snellville is the bickering amongst the elected officials. If elected, I would work with the Mayor and Council to make Snellville the best community that it can be. When you have a group of diverse individuals you will never have 100% percent agreement on 100 percent of the issues. If you did there would be no reason for a government. However, when elected officials disagree they must be able to do it in a professional manner, and they must be able to listen to and consider the others’ opinions. It is only through open debate and the willingness to compromise that a government can arrive at the best solution for everyone. If elected, I would respect each individual member of the Mayor and Council as an elected official, I would respectfully listen to his/her opinion and make a decision that would be best for the community as a whole even if that meant compromise.