H. WADE JOHNSON H. Wade Johnson has announced his candidacy for chairman of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners.

Reared in Richmond County, the candidate holds an Associate of Arts in business management from Brewton Parker College and a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from Brenau University.

After spending most of his adult life in Columbia County, he moved to Lincoln County in 2002, when he retired from the State Fire Marshal's Office with 34 years of service.

While working for the State Fire Marshal's Office, Johnson supervised from 20 to 25 employees in 88 counties as they conducted building and fire code inspections and arson investigations.

In this position, the candidate gained valuable experience in the dayto day operation of county government.

In addition to his job as an area supervisor, Johnson also served as an adjunct instructor for both the State Fire Academy and the State Police Academy. He is credited with 38 years of service as a police officer.

The candidate currently raises cattle in the Chennault area of Lincoln County.

He is a deacon and Sunday School teacher at Beulah Baptist Church, a Gideon, and a firefighter with the Beulah VFD.

"I believe Lincoln County is a wonderful place to live and should not be made into a Columbia or Fulton County for revenue purposes," said Johnson. "The people who have retired here or lived here all of their lives should not be taxed out of this county for any reason.

"I also believe that senior citizens should be granted partial exemption from school taxes, which is allowed under Georgia Law."

He went on to add that taxes should not go up because of inflated property values. "If I am elected, property assessments will not increase until the properties are sold."

Other components of the candidate's platform include:

.. Landowners have the constitutional right to build wherever and however they want, with respect to boundaries.

.. The government has a responsibility to provide activities and jobs for its youth.

.. The county commissioners should answer to the people, not the chairman.

.. The interest on monies collected for garbage pickup (paid a year in advance) should be given to the consumers.

.. The eternal flame should be located at the courthouse where it can be seen by everyone.

Johnson and his wife, the former Beverly Norman of Lincolnton, have three children and three grandchildren.