Kenneth Winters: Questions and answers

Web posted October 18, 1998

From Staff Reports

The Augusta Chronicle will ask each of the six mayoral candidates specific questions. Here are the questions and candidate Kenneth Winters' responses:

Q: It is four years from now, 2002. You've finished a four-year term as mayor. What's different as a result of your administration?

MAYORS RACE  THE MAYOR'S RACE Each week until the Nov. 4 election, The Augusta Chronicle will feature a candidate running for Augusta-Richmond County mayor. Check back each Sunday for a new profile. •Ed McIntyre •Larry Sconyers •Elmer Singley •Moses Todd •Kenneth Winters •Bob Young  Q&A The Chronicle asks each candidate specific questions about their abilities and goals. Here are their answers. •Ed McIntyre •Larry Sconyers •Elmer Singley •Moses Todd •Kenneth Winters •Bob Young  ASK THE CANDIDATES Do you have a question you'd like to ask the mayoral candidates? •Click here

A: I've got a dialogue going between the mayor and the commissioners and all the county officials. A good dialogue. That's one of the things. Of course, my project for (beautifying) the Garden City. I think I can complete that in a year or two if I'm voted in.

The bus situation is very dear to my heart -- the transit, or the lack of bus service. If I have not done anything but kept Augusta still for four years, then I shouldn't have been elected. I'm a visionary and a dreamer.

Q: What can you contribute to Augusta and its residents as mayor that the other candidates can't?

A: Honesty. My theme has always been accountability, honesty and sincerity. I believe the present commissioners and the present mayor has not been honest with Augusta people. I will not stand for secret meetings that was put out by (brought to public attention by) The Augusta Chronicle. I will not stand for them lacking in accountability. I will not sit back and say, `I am not accountable to you,' as Dr. (Charles) Larke did in one of the interviews about the school situation. I want the people of Augusta to come to me, and if I'm not accountable for it, I'll find out who was.

Q: What is the worst mistake you ever made outside of politics?

A: Not staying in the Army for 20-some years and retiring.

Q: What decision in your life had consequences you never would have expected?

A: Now that's a good question. I think I should have continued on pursuing an ordain-ship through a school and became a minister, but I want to be a street minister anyhow, so I don't know if that would have been right.

Q: What is the best book you ever read?

A: The philosophy of the Bible.

Q: What do you count as your greatest accomplishment in life, outside of your family?

A: Being a part of the Army and learning the different things in the military. And I guess the greatest thing in all my years in the military was working with the chaplains.

Q: Explain what actions you would take in these areas of concern:

Recycling:

A: I would encourage the voters to get more involved in that. Maybe the commissioners and I could put out dumpsters that would separate these recycling products like cans and paper and bottles and all. And that way companies would be able to go out there and pick these things up and put the dumpster back down.

Libraries:

A: I'm not unhappy with our libraries. I think we have the greatest libraries that I've ever been in. I've been in the one downtown quite frequently. I've been in the one on Lumpkin Road. There's nothing wrong with our present library system. We do have a candidate that claims there is something wrong with our library system. I would like to turn the one downtown into a bigger building. Remodel it different and all. I think that would be a great asset to all the people, the children and the parents. I would put in a larger portion of books.

Streets and Roads:

A: The way I feel about street and roads is like this. Every time we have an election, you see projects started up, and they don't really benefit Augusta. The 1 cent sales tax was supposed to be used for the roads. We have more detours and go-arounds. I want to put a stop to that. If we have 1-cent sales tax, I want to get the project done and not drag it out for two or three years like most of these companies are doing. And there is politicians involved with these things. And I don't like it.

Another thing I would do is make places like Wrightsboro Road, Gordon Highway, Peach Orchard Road -- I would beautify them. I'd put in trees down the center of them with shrubs and flowers, something that would hold up to weather. And when I had to change them, I would change them.

Water:

A: Well, I want to increase the plants. We are not having the service we need out toward Tobacco Road and others. We need more water system than we presently have because we have such a large area that we're covering.

Animal Control:

A: I would like to see us start an Adopt An Animal program in all of Augusta. I don't believe in killing animals or putting them to sleep. I don't believe that we should let dead animals lay on the side of the roads. We need to get animal control people to get out there as soon as possible because with them laying there we jeopardize people in Augusta with diseases and all.