By Barbara Augsdorfer, Editor for the Effingham Herald

The five candidates for three at-large seats on the Rincon City Council debated Thursday, Oct. 18 at Maranatha Family Church in Rincon.

The event was sponsored by “Effingham GA: News and Views” and organized by Nikki Carangelo of Rincon.

WSAV reporter/anchor Kaley Fedko moderated and about 50 people attended in person. The event was also livestreamed on Facebook.

Topics ranged from TSPLOST, to the Picket Fences subdivision, public safety, regulating warehouses, preserving trees and wetlands, five-year plans, and managing smart growth.

The candidates shared the stage in a civil debate, with each candidate having two minutes to answer a specific question and 30 seconds to offer any rebuttals.

All five candidates highlighted many times that they all want what is best for Rincon and its future growth.

Incumbents Reese Browher, Patrick Kirkland, and Michelle Taylor are up for re-election. Brandy Riley and Mona Underwood are running as a block with Taylor, hoping to re-elect Taylor and unseat Kirkland and Browher.

Concerns were expressed regarding residents’ safety in the event of a train derailment – especially on the tracks near Picket Fences where only one way in or out is available.

The question was prefaced in reference to the February derailment of 50 Norfolk Southern train cars in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailment forced most of the residents in the area to evacuate their homes due to fire and hazardous chemicals spilled from the derailed train cars.

“I used to work at a chemical plant in Savannah. Those chemicals come right through our city,” Taylor began. “We have been talking with our fire chief and police chief to implement safety regulations of how we can accomplish that if we have a derailment.

“I pray to God we don’t, but we are getting that in place.” Taylor added.

Riley concurred with Taylor regarding residents’ safety around railroads.

“The only thing I would say to that is you know there are two points in the city that are of great concern as far as a derailment goes,” Riley said. “One is over by the (Rincon) YMCA where the gas lines are. And then the other one is Picket Fences.

“From what I can tell in the last city council meeting, we did kind of have a brief discussion about what would happen should we need to evacuate the residents of Picket Fences. As far as I can tell, the only plan in place is on foot. That's not good enough. We do need to make changes. And that's why we're here and that's why we're talking,” Riley added.

Picket Fences was also the hot topic when the candidates discussed the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) referendum.

There were several minutes of back and forth regarding TSPLOST, Picket Fences, and various TSPLOST projects.

Kirkland admitted that maybe the city has not communicated with the public enough so it is better informed of what roads TSPLOST (funds) are working on. He added that the city has received $2 million in TSPLOST funding this year and “all that has been spent,” he said.

Taylor added she believes the city should get through TSPLOST projects faster, adding that the city has completed more projects this year than in the past.

Riley rebutted the incumbents regarding the TSPLOST allocation in 2020 for Picket Fences that was $750,000 and in the 2023 TSPLOST proposal, the amount is now $2 million.

“Why?” Riley asked. “We have to actually do what we say we're going to do when we say we're going to do it.”

“The $750,000 is still there. It (Picket Fences second entrance/exit) has not been done because we didn't have the engineering work done,” Kirkland rebutted. “So we are allocating $2 million if this TSPLOST is passed, plus the $750,000 that is still there.” He added that it wasn’t done in 2020 due to COVID which shut everything down.

Underwood added, “It shouldn’t have (taken) three years, and that’s the problem. It’s not their intent. We’re just taking too long to get it done.”

Browher stated the city, “is sound financially with $5 million in reserves (but) there are many areas we can improve upon.” He added that the city is working on a Master Plan.

“The bottom line is we have to work together and pay attention to everyone’s needs. We need to put a master plan in place to continue our strong financial position,” Browher added.

Taylor offered an addendum to Browher’s answers.

“A five-year plan for me,” she began and numbered off: “municipal complex, sports, brand-new sports facilities, (a) new firehouse,” Taylor listed.

“If we have to borrow the money to do it, we need to do it. Because we can't keep piecing this and piecing that together. We just we have to bite the bullet and do it,” Taylor said.

Regarding the city’s efforts toward preservation, Riley urged the city to consider a tree ordinance. “That seems to be the first step if Rincon would put an ordinance in place to do that,” Riley said.

The candidates also talked about preserving Dasher Creek and creating a walking trail and a downtown Rincon.

Warehouses were another hot topic that each candidate weighed in on.

Taylor said that because Rincon is a port city, it’s required to have a certain number. And she’s concerned about the number of warehouses that are empty.

“They shouldn't be able to build more until those are full. I am not for more warehouses, and I will put a moratorium -- I don't have a problem with that,” Taylor said. “But we do get some things most people don't realize that they do give (taxes) to the city, and it does help the city in some cases. I don't want as many as the county has. But we do have to have some.”

Underwood added that even though she voted for Gov. Brian Kemp, and his legacy “is going to be that Georgia is the best place to do business, his legacy is destroying our communities,” Underwood said.

“In September of 2022 I asked this council to push the pause button on these warehouses because I feel like we’re being (run) over,” Underwood added.

Kirkland added that the city has established Community Improvement Districts (CID), which have standards any new development must adhere to.

“And if they do not, we can easily deny their application,” Kirkland said.

“In those districts, they build those warehouses and pay for road improvements, drainage, wastewater, recreation, and these funds will be coming in next year. So that's what the CID has been -- ”  Browher added.

“Sidewalks,” Kirkland interrupted.

Candidates’ reasons for running

 “I’ve been privileged to serve this city for 20 years,” Browher said. “I was 19 the first time I ran and lost, so I know the sting of defeat.”

“We are at a crucial juncture for our city and a lot of tough decisions are going to be made here in the coming months and years,” Kirkland said. “And those decisions are going to have a profound impact on our future generations.

“All of the candidates up here are here for the betterment of the city of Rincon. We may have different ideas, but those ideas are all for a common goal. And that common goal is the city of Rincon,” Kirkland continued. “Some of the visions are not always going to be looked at by the same people the exact same way. But I do want to say again that we are all here for the common good of the city of Rincon.”
Taylor introduced herself saying she’s a “get’er done girl; a doer, not a talker. My whole thing was to beautify the city and run it like a business,” Taylor said.

Taylor is running for her first full term, having won her current seat two years ago in a special election.

“No one ran against me, so that’s how I ended up here,” Taylor said. “Rincon really isn’t a pretty city. It’s kind of ugly. I really want to pretty it up. That’s my main passion. Each one of us has a passion. Patrick (Kirkland) wants sidewalks, which I thank God. That’s where I am.”

Brandy Riley, owner of Riley’s Restaurant in Rincon, introduced herself saying, “I opened a business in the community about three and a half years ago. That's the first point at which I started to take a little bit of the interest in politics and what was going on inside the city of Rincon because I had some trouble,” Riley said. “I saw some holes that I really think we could work better together and fix. I think that this council has to be a community that does work together and I see some need for change.”

Underwood said she’s lived in Rincon for 46 years and she and her husband raised their children here.

She added that when she met Michelle (Taylor) and found out she was on council, she invited Taylor to go for a ride. “I showed her some things (around the city), and she called me later and said, ‘Come on beautification (committee); so I went on beautification,” Underwood said.

Underwood added that she met with City Manager Jonathan Lynn and told him, “Rincon is a city of happenstance,” Underwood recalled her conversation with Lynn. She said, “There’s no plan, no vision.”

“‘We need you on planning and zoning,’” Underwood recalled Lynn told her. So then I went on planning and zoning.

“I’ve sat in on a lot of council meetings,” Underwood continued. “There are no bad men or women on our council. We all just have different ideas. I’ve been a strong proponent of vision casting and building a master plan that involves all our citizens.”

Underwood added that she finally answered the call to run, and that she knows and has respect for the people on the stage.

“I know all these people. I love the Kirkland family,” Underwood said. “He’s got the best kids on the planet, and we’re a good community. We need some vision casting and a master plan.”

Early voting is already underway through Nov. 3. Election Day is Nov. 7.