Brannen is unopposed in the Republican primary but will face Incumbent Ray Mosley in the November General Election.
Follow Brannen’s campaign page on Facebook.
Name on Ballot: R Ryan Brannen
For which office are you seeking: Member of the Board of Commissioners
Employment/Profession: Farmer
Military Service: None
Can you allocate the time to attend and actively participate in all required meetings and additional functions? Yes
Political Experience: None
Civic Involvement: Former member of local school parent committee, Member of First Baptist, member or their safety team, member of Portal FFA Alumni, helped with Backpack Buddies in school. Avid supporter or local high school athletics.
If you have yet to gain prior political experience or involvement, give your reasons for seeking this position and your qualifications for office: I want to make a change for the people of Bulloch. I want to try to hopefully represent people and not special interests. We need transparency and representation for all. I decided to seek this position because i think its time for someone else to take the task of helping take our county into the future for generations to come. Growth is a main concern and we need to have someone willing to take it head on and not rubber stamp vote. I have been farming mostly my whole life. Ive had to fine sharpen a pencil with the best of them. I’ve had to make hard decisions on budget and employee issues and come to a solution which best fits at the time of the need. I am an all around person who tries to get along and be reasonable. But also want the people to be heard.
How would you best explain the duties of the office you seek? Our duties are to represent the people who elected us. They are the ones who sent us there to conduct the business to keep the county the way they intend it. Duties are to make sure the county is fiscally responsible with the money that the people entrust us with. They are the ones footing the bill. Our focus should be on our services to them. Fire, EMS, Sheriff, and county operations. Our duty is to the people of the county. To be accessible, frugal, transparent, and responsible.
How can you best contribute to our county and the citizens you serve? Common sense. I hope to bring new leadership. I’m not a politician. I’m in it for the people. My family. Your family. Families to come. The ones who can afford the tax increases and the ones who cant. I want to try and make it so all people are represented. I nor anyone else will make everyone happy.
Are you willing to speak and communicate with the citizens that you serve? Absolutely. Most that know me know i love to talk. I hope to be as transparent as the law allows and be a voice for the people of the county.
What are your biggest concerns for the County and the citizens you are running to represent? Well. There are just so many, Of course Taxes are at the forefront of everyone’s conversation. The situation with the water. Neither have really been addressed as far as what can we do to get a handle and what we can do to facilitate a solution. Our roads and infrastructure. Schools. The list goes on and on.
What changes or improvements would you like to see made in Bulloch County? I would like to see folks not having to get in an uproar to get answers. I know that its a thankless job. But people want to be heard. Sometimes the outcome cant be all good or like each individual wants it but we are human. Everyone is important when it comes to listening. I thing we need to start looking into our growth. Our farmland is disappearing at an alarming pace to development. We have to do an internal study on what our county ACTUALLY needs instead of an outside source that most likely is skewed and biased. We are not going to see taxes do down due to sheer valuations. They don’t necessarily have to raise the millage rate if the values keep getting reassessed and are higher each time. This growth is driving that. We have to at lease look into making the ones that are profiting off of it start carrying the load if they want to develop. We also have to do an audit and see what is making money and losing. This is a business. It has to adhere to that. Everyone has had to tighten their budget up. Folks have to buy groceries. Pay rent. The county should be no different. Id like to see someone offer more affordable housing in this development going on. Possibly a program to incentivize that. Lot of folks cant afford most of these houses. I want all of our essential services to operate and be maintained. Fire EMS Sheriff and Road Department. We have some of the most mileage of dirt roads in the state. We need to keep them maintained for all citizens and emergency operations. It will be an ongoing involvement for improving our county!
What would you like to see continue in Bulloch County? I love our county. I just think we have gotten so much uncontrolled growth so fast they don’t know what to do. We hope to change that or at least address it and come up with a amicable solution. The beauty our county has to offer is second to none and i hope to keep it that way. The people i would put up against anybody. We just have an all around wonderful place to live. I just want to see it preserved as best as we can.
How would you balance the interests of the taxpayers with the needs of the citizens? I would like to implement a sales tax. That way its not all on the backs of property owners. We could look at that and the whole county would contribute. But if its put to a vote and doesn’t pass then we have to start finding ways to trim the fat. That will be the only way to hold or bring taxes down until our inflation subsides. With the economy like it is there is only so much folks can give.
I would like to add… I would love to ask for your vote. You don’t have to vote party lines. Lets try something new. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Please think of that come November. I would appreciate it!!!
