Though Election Day hasn't come yet, Hall County Board of Commissioners hopefuls already are preparing for business come January.

South Hall Republican Craig Lutz, who challenges Democrat Paul Wayne Godfrey for the District 1 seat, has formed a bond with Commissioner Ashley Bell and presumptive Commissioner-elect Scott Gibbs over changes they would like to see in county government.

Bell said Gibbs and Lutz have been attending county meetings regularly and he talked with them about concerns before they even announced they were running.

"They have sat in front of me (at commission meetings) and heard the same information I've heard, so it's natural for me to work with both of them," Bell said.

Bell said the three share many of the same ideas and concerns about the county.

"There's definitely an urgent sense to change the tone of government in Hall County," Bell said. "We need to work better with the cities that are inside of our county, and we need do a better job of being transparent about the decisions we make. Those are things we can change day one in setting the tone of going forward with a more open and more cooperative government."

Lutz said his bond with Bell started as a city councilman in Flowery Branch.

"He was a commissioner and I was a city councilman and he put together some meetings between me and the city of Gainesville to talk about water rates," Lutz said.

After defeating incumbent Bobby Banks to win the Republican nomination, he went to dinner with Gibbs and Bell to celebrate.

"I'd never really met Commissioner Gibbs before and it was a good opportunity to meet him," Lutz said.

"I think we all have a lot of similarities. We're in the same age bracket and have kids that are all about the same age. We have a lot in common."

One thing the three share is a desire to patch up relations between the county and its cities.

"We come from perspectives of having constituencies that felt the county has not been as neighborly as it should have been in the last year," Bell said. "I think that was signified by the cities kicking us out of the Joint Local Government Association."

The majority of Bell's district is the city of Gainesville. Lutz represented Flowery Branch on its city council and Gibbs was involved in Clermont's quest to keep the North Hall library in its city limits.

Gainesville City Councilman Danny Dunagan said he appreciates the trio's emphasis on more cooperation.

"We're hoping it will change the dynamics between the two governments for the better," Dunagan said. "From what I can understand ... they all feel the same way I do."

Gibbs, who runs unopposed for the District 3 seat to represent Northeast Hall, said he has also met with officials from other cities, including the mayors of Lula and Clermont.

"What I'm trying to do is just hit the ground running," Gibbs said. "I try to stay on top of meetings and find out what the problems and concerns are in my district."

Godfrey said he has taken a different approach. He has talked with county staff, including people in fire services and the planning department, to get up to speed on the issues that affect them.

"I'm familiar with some of the sitting commissioners and I have an amiable relationship with them," Godfrey said. "I don't think it would be comely to hobnob around with them if you're not an elected, sitting commissioner. ... I've not seen anything negative in Craig (Lutz) working with Mr. Gibbs and Mr. Bell. That's perfectly fine."

Godfrey said though there are challenges of running as a Democrat in a heavily Republican area, he has enjoyed the experience of talking with the people in his district.

"I expected really to have a very negative feeling as I went around talking to people, but I experienced the opposite," Godfrey said.
"I visited neighborhoods in all 11 precincts and knocked on between 1,000 and 2,000 doors. ... The reception has been positive, and I really want to take care of them."

Godfrey said if elected, he would like to address utility rates, public safety and sales tax revenue.
"The big thing I'm after is to make sure the people in my district get a fair shake," Godfrey said.

Lutz is hoping to address utility rates, ethics and infrastructure.

"We've grown so much in the last four years, I think by 25 percent, that we really need focus on our roads down there to make sure that they're sized properly going forward," Lutz said.