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ZEBULON - This is a four year seat that is currently held by Incumbent Briar Johnson. Incumbent Briar Johnson and Challenger Gary Hammock will face off in the May 24, 2016 election.
I am uploading 500 word or less candidate statements as I receive them at editor@pikecountytimes.com.
Briar Johnson, Incumbent
Four years ago, Briar Johnson had the honor and privilege of being elected by the citizens of Pike County to serve as their County Commissioner Chairman. Throughout his time as County Commissioner, Briar has successfully completed all courses through the Carl Vincent Institute at the University of Georgia to become a Certified County Commissioner. He continues to attend courses and was invited to become part of a design team on emergency preparedness through the Carl Vincent Institute and the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, where he worked with other county leaders to successfully design a new course.
Briar moved to Pike County with his family in 1971 at the age of ten. He graduated from Pike County High School with the class of 1979, and then attended Gordon College. After graduating from the Georgia Police Academy in 1982, he served in law enforcement in Pike County for 11 years.
After attending management training and working in various capacities at Kroger, Briar worked his way up to a management position with the company. In 1999, he began working for Howard Baer Trucking Company as a driver. In 2002, he became the assistant manager, and in 2004, he became Terminal Manager, serving in this capacity until 2015. Currently, he divides his work day between driving part-time for Howard Baer and serving as Pike County Commissioner Chairman, part of which involves serving on six Boards: Three Rivers Regional Commission; Work Force Development; Georgia Department of Public Health District Four; and Chief Elected Officers Organization (vice-Chairman); Pike County Industrial Development Authority; and Industrial Development and Transportation for the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (vice-Chairman).
Briar is 55 and is married to Kim Johnson, a teacher at Pike County High School. They have four grown children- Mallory, Marshall, Andrew, and Ansley, and two grandsons, Aidan and Sawyer. Briar is the son of Jack and Pat Johnson of Williamson. His sister and brother-in-law, Tonya and James Corbett, live in Williamson with their two sons, Daulton and Maison. His brother and sister-in law, Kyle and Bethany Johnson, also live in Williamson with their son, Jax.
When asked about his greatest satisfaction as a County Commissioner over the past four years, Briar responded that he is grateful to be working with a group of county leaders who work for the betterment of Pike County collaboratively. “The team of county leaders and commissioners has established a mutual respect for both our similarities and our differences of opinions, which leads us to more educated decisions that affect Pike County.”
Briar and Kim attend Concord Baptist Church, where Briar serves as a deacon and also as the sound technician and bus driver. In his “spare time,” Briar enjoys driving his race car, being outdoors, and reading with his grandson. Briar also loves getting to know people, and welcomes the opportunity to visit with Pike residents and groups at their request.
Please contact Briar at 770-884-5129 or 678-427-1296 if you have questions or would like to arrange a personal visit.
Gary Hammock, Challenger
The Good Citizens of Pike County,
I have become a candidate for Chairman of the Pike County Commission and I ask for your vote and support. As a lifelong resident, farmer and small businessman here, I have a vested interest in the governmental operations and policies of our county.
I was educated in the Pike County school system, served for 10 years in the US Army reserves and served on the Pike County Board of Tax Accessors for two terms. I am proud to say that I am a member of the NRA, the American Legion and the New Hope Baptist Church. My business, Hammock Farms, has been a successful enterprise for over 40 years and is involved in custom heavy equipment operation, planting, harvesting and involving the management of grain, cattle and forage operations.
My agenda in becoming Commission Chair is complete transparency and efficiency of the office. I will work to assure that our tax dollars are spent wisely and that all budget items are minimized to every extent possible. Also, I feel, as many of you do, that Pike County has become far too regulated. Through citizen involvement, I feel the amount of county regulations can be reduced and many eliminated entirely.
Again, I would appreciate your vote and support and when elected my promise is to be your taxpayer advocate in the Chairman seat of our Pike County Commission and it would be my honor to be accountable to you.