Ballew seeking District 4 county commission seat

Published 12:00 pm Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Carol Ballew is seeking the District 4 seat on the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners in the May 21 primary election.

Ballew, who along with her husband, David, a retired contractor, has made Baldwin County their home for the last nine years, is a first-time political candidate.

She is one of three candidates hoping to win election to the seat that Baldwin County Commissioner Henry R. Craig has held for 12 years. Craig decided not to seek re-election earlier this year. The other two candidates vying for the seat against Ballew include Jay Wright and Andrew Strickland.

Ballew, whose grandfather served as a county commissioner in Starkville, Mississippi many years ago, said she is seeking the District 4 commission seat because she believes Baldwin County is a great county and she believes it can become even greater.

Ballew and her husband moved to Baldwin County from Cobb County.

A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, she grew up in Greensboro, N. Carolina. And graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.S. degree in dental hygiene. During that time, she also opened a CPR-first aid business. 

She later branched off into what she called a third career.

“I tell you, I’m a workaholic,” Ballew said.

The new job was as a flight attendant with Eastern Airlines, she said. “It was something I did for 10 years.”

After her flight attendant career, she purchased a horse farm in Cobb County.

 “I bought and sold horses and trained them,” Ballew said.

When it comes to running for elected office in Baldwin County, Ballew said there are some concerns in county government.

“We have some issues that need to be addressed, but I think with research and thorough discussion, we can make Baldwin even better than it already is,” Ballew said.

Ballew was recently asked what her biggest concerns are for Baldwin County.

“I think we need to work on transparency because not everybody is internet-savvy enough to know what is going on even when they have things going on in their front yards or backyards and they can’t get answers,” Ballew said. I think we need to work on transparency.”

Ballew said accountability is another concern when it comes to county government.

“I think the county needs to be more accountable about where our tax dollars are going,” Ballew said. “[Voters] really want to know where their tax dollars are going. They are saying they see a lot of change. They say so much tax money is going here and all of a sudden it changes and then goes somewhere else.”

Ballew said she believes she has a good rapport with all five county commissioners. 

In the past several months, Ballew voiced opposition to a couple of county projects. One of them involved a proposed expansion of the east apron at the airport, which would have allowed more hangars to be built. The other proposed project around the homes living close to the airport was a new walking trail.

“I’m not against the airport,” Ballew said. “Someone has accused me of being anti-growth at the airport, and I am absolutely not.”

Both of those projects were later rejected by commissioners after they faced opposition from some residents.

She said she grew up in an airline family. Her father served in the Air Force and also owned his own aircraft. Her brother was a captain for British Aerospace.

“And by the time I graduated from college, I had made about a dozen solo flights and I had jumped out of a plane 100 or more times. Aviation has always been part of my life.”

As a candidate for public office, she also is concerned

water and road improvements, she said.

Another area of concern is emergency service for residents in the East Lake area of the county where lots of new homes are being built.

“Right now, they don’t have good emergency coverage,” she said. “That’s a real concern.” 

Ballew said she had talked with a resident in that area who had to wait an hour and a half for an ambulance.

“Thankfully, they survived but that’s too long to wait when there’s a medical emergency,” she said.

Ballew pointed out that she is not gullible.

“I want to know what is going on so I keep my constituents informed at all times,” Ballew said. 

She enjoys researching and getting the facts to become knowledgeable about different things, especially those concerning her future constituents.

She said she is making plans to volunteer at the Baldwin County Animal Control Shelter soon to get a sense of what goes on in day-to-day operations.

When it comes to economic development, Ballew said she wants to ensure that as the county goes forward that infrastructure is in place before development.

She said she believes county officials are headed in the right direction.

Ballew said The Development Authority of Milledgeville and Baldwin County just received an earmark from U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff for water and sewer and an entranceway into the Sibley-Smith Industrial Park.

“And when it comes to that, I think the county is doing a good job,” Ballew said.

She said county officials she has spoken to about it are confident that they will receive federal funding for that infrastructure.

Ballew and her husband have three sons and a grandson.

The couple are members of Milledgeville Methodist Church on Log Cabin Road.