Carter County voters in the First District will be selecting a new County Commissioner this election year to finish out an unexpired term of office created by the resignation of former Commissioner Jerry Proffitt.
Three candidates are vying for the seat, including Michael Warren, a Carter County native who returned here from Shreveport, La., after retiring about two years ago. Warren said his family was originally from Hampton but they moved around a lot, even throughout different states, during his childhood. After serving in the military, Warren said he mainly lived in Louisiana and Texas.
Despite living far away, Warren said he has been coming back to Carter County throughout the years to see family and he has seen how the county itself has not changed much.
Warren said he was motivated to seek a seat on the Carter County Commission after listening to his friends and neighbors in Stoney Creek talk about what has been going on in local government and how they are unhappy with the way business is being done.
“I think there’s things that are heard up and down the creek, all the way from Buladeen down to Hunter, that the people in the area are just tired of the status quo,” Warren said. “I’ve seen and heard things that I’m just not tickled to death with either.”
While a desire for change was his inspiration, Warren said he understands that nothing can change overnight.
“I’d like to make a difference,” he said. “Not that I’m going to change a whole lot, but hopefully I’d at least make a difference for the better.”
One of the changes Warren said he would like to see would be the opening of new and better hotels in the community.
With many local officials talking about putting more of a focus on tourism, Warren said the community must first have hotels where those desired visitors can spend the night.
“There is nowhere nice for visitors to stay when they come to town,” he said.
Another change Warren would like to is an increased cooperation between elected officials and community leaders.
“The biggest thing I’ve seen is the unwillingness for the powers that be to do what needs to be done and work together,” Warren said. “They say ‘We need to work together,’ but as soon as they leave it’s back to the way it was — ‘It’s my way or the highway.’”
“They’re not willing to change, but they’ll put on a good speech while people are listening,” he added.
If elected, Warren said he wanted to work create better teamwork in local government.
“My biggest goal would be to do what I’ve been hearing the people all the way from Buladeen down to Hunter saying —to quit the squabbling and carrying on and be able to leave my attitude at the door and sit down and actually work together,” he said.