HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — There's another race to watch in Houston County-- that one is for the District 2 county commission seat.
Shane Gottwals and Tim Riley have similar ideas about the most pressing issues for the voter.
Gottwals says Houston County's economy has been doing well, and he has no plans to change routes.
"I think for the voter, the average Houston County voter, I can just say I'm a frugal person," Gottwals said. "I've operated business in wise ways, we've been able to grow in our personal business, and I plan on taking every bit of that insight that I've gleaned over the years and translate that into the commission and really not do anything differently, try to keep staying wise with the funding."
Riley says he'll tackle the cost of living.
"What I would do is I will become a very good steward with all the money that all these hard-working residents of Houston County are giving to the county coffers?" Riley said. "I'm going to make sure that it's spent appropriately, that it's spent wisely and not overspent, not spent on frivolous projects, it's going to be spent with you in mind so that I could keep more money in your pocket."
Houston County schools rank among Georgia's better districts.
We asked them about how they'd improve the school.
Gottwals said he prioritizes relationships.
"On the commission, we want to work hand in hand with the local school system and with Dr. Scott and all the rest trying to make sure we keep those open relationships and anything we can partner in with our schools, I'm going to be all over. Yeah, overall, I think we provide a lot," Gottwals said.
Riley wants to pay teachers and increase their safety.
"The one thing we could do immediately to address that is to make sure every school in Houston County has a school resource officer rather than having to share a school resource officer with several other schools," Riley said. "That will allow our parents and students to feel safer in their educational environment."
But What qualifies each for this seat over their opponent? This is what they say:
"Based on what I see them doing and based on the caliber of what I've seen on the commission, the people that have served on the commission," Gottwals said. "I feel like while I may not be on their level, I have the skills that I've honed over all these years to do what I think would be a very similar job,"
Riley touted his experience as well.
"I've been a public elected official before, so I will come in and hit the ground running without any of the necessity of the extra training that need to do the job effectively from the moment I take office," Riley said
Early voting begins in Houston County on Monday, October 17th.
ELECTION 2022: