Incumbent Councilman and former Mayor Jim Seals will face Bonnie Castle owner Dee Berry for the Grantville City Council Post 1 seat.
By Laura Camper / laura@newnan.com
Incumbent Councilman and former Mayor Jim Seals will face Bonnie Castle owner Dee Berry for the Grantville City Council Post 1 seat.
Sells, 72, has been involved in Grantville municipal politics for the past eight years, serving first as mayor and now as a city council member. Berry, 81, a member of the Grantville Historic Preservation Commission, is well-versed in municipal politics, having served as city clerk in Beach, Calif., while living there. The two disagree on philosophies of how a city should be run.
He felt that there should be a businessman on the city council, so he sold it to the seat he now holds.
“Grantville is a multi-million dollar business,” he said. “If you don’t act like a business, you’re wasting a lot of public dollars.”
That’s why it has a city manager who analyzes spending, sets priorities and keeps the city on budget, Sales said.
Sells is a businessman who has invested in several properties in the city he now manages.
“I built that business from scratch,” said Sells, who he believes is the largest employer in Grantville.
He takes that business acumen into the council chambers when he makes decisions, Seals said.
But Berry disagrees. The purpose of business is to make money, but the purpose of government is to provide services, she said.
“Utilities is the only part of Grantville that needs to be run as a business,” Berry said. “(Tax dollars) are supposed to go back to the people.”
Berry, who owns Bonnie Castle, has lived in Grantville since 2006. She hosts tea with Dee at her home on Sundays to get the feel for Grantville residents, Berry said.
“I relate to people and the problems they’ve faced and some of the things they feel could be better,” she said.
Taxes, consumer prices and child labor are high on her priority list, she said. He said council members should review the city’s facilities to see if there could be any relief for the residents it serves. The city also needs a youth center and recreation director, Berry said.
Sales said he believes the city needs a recreation director. The position was established when he was mayor, and he wants to fill it again, Sells.
Berry and Sellers both want to attract business to the city. Sales said high-speed Internet is key to bringing new business to Grantville, and the city has been working to secure it for years.
“We’re always working on high-speed Internet to attract business and serve residents,” Sales said. “Those are two very important things. Business pays the bills and residents get the service.
Berry said the city needs a new image.
“We want to be known for more than ‘The Walking Dead,'” she said.
She and her husband, James Berry, a decorated veteran, founded the now-defunct Grantville Chili and Blues Festival several years ago, and is currently a member of Kiwanis of Gwanville, working to bring positive events to the city.
Early voting for the November 8 election begins Monday, October 17.
Please enter the candidate’s mug in the box next to their information.
D. Berry
Age: 81
Address: 2 Post St
Job Title: Field Representative for the US Department of Commerce for the Census Bureau
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Christian Studies from Bratton Parker College, Associate’s degree in Business Administration from Monterey Peninsula College and Bachelor of Arts from Central State University
Political Experience: City Clerk in Seaside, California, former member of the Grantville Historic Preservation Commission
Spouse: James O. Berry
Jim sells (me)
Age: 72
Address: 5966 Highway 29
Occupation: Real estate investor with Hope Property Investments, former Delta Air Lines pilot
Education: Graduated from Kimball High School in Dallas, Texas
Political experience: Grantville mayor for four years, Grantville council member for four years
