Local & State Headlines

Senate hopeful passes on Lee Commission pay

• A Senate candidate says he has refused to accept a salary for serving as a Lee County commissioner.

Susan McCord

LEESBURG — Wally Roberts says he never took a penny of salary to serve on the Lee County Commission, saving the county more than $21,000 during his four years as commissioner.

“I figure I owed Lee County something,” Roberts said. “I had two sons to graduate from Lee County High School. I figure I owed it to Lee County not to take a salary.”

But the retired state trooper, who‚s one of five men vying for the state Senate post representing District 13, said he isn't sure he'll make a similar donation to Georgia taxpayers if elected elected to the Legislature.

Roberts faces fellow Lee Countian Bob Usry, Horace Hudgins of Ocilla and Rusty Simpson and John Dickey Crosby, both of Tifton, in a special called primary Tuesday.

Advance voting in the special Republican primary, called after incumbent Joseph Carter last month withdrew from the race, began Monday.

Since he was elected to the Lee County Commission in 2004, Roberts said he did accept county health insurance, but only once submitted a report for mileage reimbursement — recently, after gas prices exceeded $4 a gallon, he said.

He may cruise the roads of Lee County as a commissioner on his own dime, but as a senator he’ll have to live in Atlanta 40 days a year and might not be able to foot the bill with his personal funds, Roberts said.

Roberts declined to run for a second term as commissioner, saying Monday he'd rather approach government at the next political level.

“It’s a tough job. People don’t realize how tough it is,” he said. “Atlanta and Washington have us locked down. Maybe if I can go to the next level, I can help local government. That’s the reason I’m running.”

When he retired from the Georgia State Patrol in 1995, Roberts was serving as troop commander over 23 counties, with a staff of 100 and a budget of $6 million.

“A big percentage of our budget is mandated by the state and local government,” he said. “I believe in local control. I don’t think Atlanta or Washington should be telling us how to run our government. I’m for what you call home rule.”

Advance voting in the special primary, which is open to registered voters who cast Republican ballots and those who did not vote in the July 15 primary, lasts through Friday in the district’s counties of Lee, Crisp, Worth, Turner, Irwin, Tift, Ben Hill and Wilcox. The special election day is Aug. 5.

In Lee County, the election is coupled with a Republican runoff for tax commissioner between Tricia Holmes Quinn and Susan Smith.

Roberts said he’d accepted some donations from individuals but had contributed his own funds to the campaign and expects to spend about $15,000.

More Headlines>>