The chair of the Hall County Board of Commissioners has just one vote, worth the same as other members, but the role does call for certain leadership qualities.

After all, the chair is elected in a countywide vote, not just by district like the other four seats on the commission.

And the chair presides over commission meetings and is often the default spokesperson for county officials.

Former District 3 Commissioner Steve Gailey and former Hall County Board of Education member Richard Higgins are vying for this seat in the Republican primary, with the winner likely running uncontested in the November general election.

Current Chairman Richard Mecum is not seeking re-election.

Gailey said his first priority, if elected, is to facilitate partnerships.

“I think we’ve got to try to come to a better working relationship with local municipalities,” he said.

Doing so can show prospective businesses that a unified front exists to support them across the county.

“All of us need to be on the same page as far as growth and economic development,” Gailey said.

Gailey is relying on his experience in county politics to serve him well.

“Being a county commissioner is a lot different than being on the school board,” he said.

Higgins said his reason for getting in the race is simple: He just wants to serve, whether in church, business or politics.

“I felt like I could make a difference,” he said. “You can’t go through life sitting on the sidelines.”

Higgins said he is familiar with handling meetings and large budgets as a school board member.

He did not shy away from the fact that there is a learning curve if he is elected. But Higgins is also not approaching elected office with an ideological agenda.

“It’s not like I’m going in there saying we need to fix this and fix that,” he said.

Higgins is betting that his inexperience in county commission circles will be appealing to some voters.

“I hope to bring a fresh approach,” he said.

When it comes to hot-button local political issues, differences of opinion among candidates are not always cut-and-dry and black-and-white.

For example, both Gailey and Higgins believe the proposed Glades Reservoir project has been something of a boondoggle for county taxpayers.

Hall has invested about $16 million thus far and began halting payments to consultants recently as it temporarily suspended its permitting application with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

State officials have said they no longer eye Glades for drinking water supply, but rather to augment flow on the Chattahoochee River downstream of Lake Lanier.

“Obviously, the state wants to negotiate on that,” Gailey said, adding that he is concerned about being low-balled on the price of the reservoir land.

Gailey said he “would like to see something work with the state” but concluded that recouping the county’s investment through mitigation rights on the property might be the best way to get out ahead.

Constructing the reservoir is estimated to cost $166 million.

Higgins called Glades a “black hole.”

“I think it’s too big a fish for Hall County to get in the boat,” he added.

Higgins said he is concerned that the state will only pay the appraised value on the land, which could be lower than the county’s investment.

Higgins said he hopes the state will ensure drinking water supply for Hall residents if it takes over the project.

The differences between the candidates are perhaps tied to their position on local taxes.

Gailey said his desire to protect county taxpayers is the driving force of his campaign.

“I’ve never supported a tax increase unless voters approved it,” he said, adding that the county school board frequently takes extra tax dollars from property value reassessments.

Higgins said making unequivocal promises not to ever raise taxes is a slippery slope.

“I think if you say you’re not going to raise taxes you’re not being truthful,” he said, adding that economic fortunes dictate the need. “There’s a lot of troubled waters ahead, and you want people to believe what you say.”