By Shane Scoggins
Publisher
Editor’s note: The Franklin County Citizen Leader submitted questions to each candidate running for city offices in the Nov. 2 election.
The questions were: 1. Please provide information about your background, education, past service in government or with community organizations, church and family. 2. What qualities and/or qualifications do you feel will serve you best in the position you seek? 3. What are your plans if you are elected to the position? 4. As the lone natural gas provider in Franklin County, what should Royston’s policy be when deciding where and when to expand its gas system? 5. If you had a chance to speak one-on-one with each registered voter in Royston, what would you say to secure his or her vote?
Candidates were welcomed to respond to the questions any way they wished.
Their answers were then used to write the profile stories below.
Darryl Ayers
Darryl Ayers has already served on Royston’s Downtown Development Authority and Planning and Zoning Board.
Now, he wants to use that experience and willingness to serve on the Royston City Council, specifically in the Post 5 seat.
“I will bring a fresh voice, new perspective and accountability as your city council person,” Ayers said he would tell prospective voters. “I want to earn your support by listening to you, the citizens of Royston.”
Ayers is a lifelong resident of North Georgia.
“After graduating from the University of Georgia, my wife and I lived in several places in North Georgia,” he said. “We finally chose Royston to be our family’s home almost 15 years ago.”
Ayers and wife Lynn have three sons, “and we are so proud of the young men they have become,” he said.
Ayers said he will bring honesty and commitment to the council.
“I will address every decision with the desire to do the right thing for the citizens of Royston,” he said. “I will work for the citizens of Royston and listen to their ideas and concerns.”
The candidate said he has three plans when elected.
“I will work with the current city leadership to continue the Wellness Park improvements,” he said. “I will use my experience and leadership to continue to seek out new businesses and industries which would help create jobs for our city and community. I will work for the people and families of Royston, using a conservative and common sense approach to government to continuously improve our city.”
Royston should also use its gas system to benefit the city and Franklin County, Ayers said.
“The continued expansion of our gas system will benefit our economy through increased employment and greater tax revenues,” he said. “Gas pipelines are safe, efficient and the most environmentally friendly method of transporting domestic energy to the citizens of Royston and Franklin County.”
Ayers said that if elected, he will always work to help improve “this great city. I ask you to vote Darryl Ayers for Royston City Council.”
Wesley Fricks
A number of issues has motivated Wesley Fricks to seek the Post 5 seat on the Royston City Council this year.
“I am equipped, ready and anxious to help bring about change to this city that we all have longed to see,” he said. “The results of that change will be a better school, a magnificent downtown full of life, a stronger economy that equates to more and better jobs and a higher household medium income that will help provide a better future for our children and their families. It will mean a better, more charming community that we all can be proud to call home.”
Fricks’ family has been in Franklin County since 1815.
“I’ve always cherished my childhood in Royston and have always dreamed of coming home and putting my life experiences to work to make my hometown a great place to live, work and raise a family for all people,” he said.
Fricks graduated with honors from Florida Metropolitan University in Tampa with a degree in business management and marketing.
He, his wife Sharman Rogers Fricks and son Tyler, a 2021 honor graduate from Franklin County High School and business and pre-law student at Emmanuel College, are independent filmmakers and own Georgia Legends Concerts, which brings Nashville acts to Royston.
While Royston has been “a thriving and bustling little city” during its history, Fricks said, “in the last dozen years, Royston has been in a steady decline filled with broken promises and failed policies that have led us towards a dark, desolate place.”
He cited the city’s policy to force the removal of the former Cobb Memorial Hospital, “when it could have been repurposed” and “broken promises like a new amphitheater being completed and now they say there is a need for more funding.
“If I am elected to the Royston City Council, I will endeavor with all my energy to work towards getting Royston turned around and heading in a direction that all of us citizens want and expect,” he said.
Fricks said he will be open and use five key factors in performing his duties, accessibility, accountability, integrity, oversight and transparency.
“The city government belongs to the people and I will work to give it back to them at every turn possible,” he said of his commitment to being accessible. “I will also work to make sure the city affairs are accessible, citizen friendly and responsive to the needs and demands of the public.”
On accountability, Fricks said he will make sure “the mayor and city council, and all employees, elected and appointed, are held accountable for all of their actions. No backdoor deals and all council business is discussed during open meetings. It’s just the way it is supposed to be.”
Fricks said that he will ensure the responsibilities of local government are done “with the highest level of integrity” an that after a decision is made, “we will commit to complete the task.”
Oversight will be accomplished through Fricks’ plan to establish a committee of citizens or an independent ethics officer to oversee the work of the city.
“This is where so many inequities are manifested and sometimes without the knowledge of those who have the power to change it,” he said. “It will make us all better than we are.”
Finally, Fricks said he will work to ensure that all city decisions are accessible to all citizens without having to go through red tape.
“One good example is having an open.gov website accessible to the public,” he said. “Additionally, in no way whatsoever will one person be granted preferential treatment over another.”
Fricks said there are three specific issues he wants to address.
First, he wants to work with the Franklin County Board of Education to find a way to keep Royston Elementary School in town.
“I know that if we use our time wisely and not wait until the deadline approaches, we can define our options and possibilities and present a proposal that is legal, successful and feasible that we can all agree on,” he said. “I personally want to see this new school become a reality.”
The historic downtown Royston area is probably the city’s greatest source of potential, he said.
“I look forward to exploring the endless possibilities with local merchants to find a better path to success downtown,” he said. “It must become a reflection of who we are as a community. Therefore, the reason we want it to thrive with success must become our motivation.”
Fricks said he also wants to find new and innovative ways to attract small businesses to Royston.
“It is important to focus on industrial size partners, but our key stratagem lies in the small business sector to help us get Royston turned around and moving in a positive direction,” he said. “Too many jobs, and commerce in general, have left our community and most have not been replaced. We are all too familiar with the story. However, I will be ready to lead efforts in 2022 to implement policies and decisions designed to bring back what we have lost in the most recent past.”
Fricks said if voters will give him their vote on Nov. 2, “I will honor my commitment to you through these things for the next four years and beyond.”
David Pressley
David Pressley has been in public service or elected office for decades, much of that time directly with the city of Royston.
Now, Pressley wants to continue that service by representing citizens in the Post 5 seat on the Royston City Council.
Pressley, a graduate of Hart County High School, retired after 22 years as superintendent of Royston’s Natural Gas Department.
Prior to that, in the 1980s and 90s, he served for 12 years on the Royston City Council.
He was also Franklin County’s elected coroner for 24 years and served in the coroner’s office for a total of 32 years.
Pressley has completed 248 hours of government training through the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government with a focus on municipal government, public works and utilities.
He is also retired from the Royston Fire Department with more than 23 years of service.
He has two sons, Michael and Matthew.
“I have knowledge and experience in governmental operations and utilities (natural gas) that I believe to be an asset to the city,” he said.
If elected, Pressley said he wants to continue the vision and initiatives already in place “and receive citizen input to make Royston the best that it can be. I am open to new ideas and suggestions on how to achieve those goals.”
Pressley said the city’s natural gas system must be run like a business because it is an enterprise fund.
When considering future expansion, he said the city should consider “Is the existing infrastructure adequate to handle the increase in load demand? Is there adequate volume and pressure to handle the increase in load demand? What is the cost of the proposed expansion? What is the calculated return on investment in years? What is an acceptable target? Will the expansion be performed by employees of the gas department or by contractors?”
Pressley encouraged all registered voters to cast a ballot in this year’s election.
He said he would tell voters that he would listen to any concerns they have.
“I would ask that they vote for experience and knowledge,” he said. “Lastly, I would ask that they vote for me, David Pressley, for Post 5.”