The council is faced with three capable candidates for city manager. All three have extensive experience in local government. All three come highly recommended. All three could bring good things to the table for the city, at a time when the city needs a lot of good things at the table.

But there is only one possibility that could bring two things to the table that the other two cannot. Local knowledge and connections with the state.

It is no secret that I ran against Jason Winters once, and thought it would be twice, for county commissioner. I disagreed with Jason on several important decisions that he made. I sincerely believed that while Jason did some good things for Chattooga County, it was time for a change.

With that said, I think Jason Winters should be the next City Manager in Summerville.

In times of crisis and emergency, Jason Winters was on top of the situation. I was there when the fire happened in Berryton and Jason coordinated with others to mitigate the damage. I was there when the Easter tornado hit downtown Summerville and Jason worked to make sure the resources were there, regardless of if it was a “city problem” or a “county problem”. I was there – literally with chainsaw in hand – alongside the commissioner and Joe Reed when a tornado touched down on Lookout Mountain and we cleared Gilreath Mill Road at 2 AM.

That kind of response has been severely lacking since Jason left office. We have had floods and natural disasters and the county government has been all but silent in their communication and response to the public. That never happened when Jason was commissioner. Jason or Joe would call the radio station at any hour of the night and work to make sure the public knew what was happening. Even when I was his political opponent, Jason communicated with the radio station, and we worked to get information out in times of crisis.

The response to a crisis alone makes Jason stand out as the right choice for City Manager. Lord knows, the City of Summerville has had their share of crisis recently. From PFAS to floods, they have been dealt a bad hand.

Also, Jason has the connections that no other candidate for city manager can bring to the table. Governor Kemp knows who Jason Winters is. You can just about bet; he has no idea who the other two are. Jason knows the right people in the right places from the Georgia DOT to the Secretary of State to make things happen for Summerville.

Summerville needs a local city manager. A city manager that understands not only the issues, but the people involved. They have tried city managers that don’t know the “back story” and history and personalities – and let’s face it, in Chattooga County there’s always a back story to every situation and we have some colorful personalities to say the least.

Take it for what it’s worth from a former political foe – who is also a friend: Jason Winters is the right man for the job.

I hope Summerville makes the right decision.

Jimmy Holbrook

General Manager WZQZ