Staff Writer
rseaborn@pickenssentinel.com
PICKENS COUNTY - When former Cincinnati Bengal's Coach Sam Wyche, the republican candidate for a Pickens County Council seat, described being prepared as looking across a football field and into the eyes of the Tampa Bay team, his Democratic opponent Wesley Burbage agreed on the feeling.
"I use to box," Burbage said. "And one time I got into the ring and I wasn't prepared.
"It was a real bad day," he said.
Both men appeared before about 50 people Tuesday evening in a League for Women Voters sponsored debate, at the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library, in Easley, to tell voters how they could best represent residents in Pickens County's District 3.
Wyche told the audience that he saw the declining economy as one of the biggest hurdles Pickens County is facing, and attracting new businesses into the area is an important factor for growth.
"We like to have people working," he said. "It's good for our quality of life."
And having quality schools in the county is a fundamental aspect in bringing in new jobs, he said.
"Council should support the school board," he said. "If we've got good schools, people will want to come here."
The Republican candidate said that superior schools would be a positive reflection on Pickens County, adding to both attracting new business as well as improving living conditions of residents.
"In improving quality of life, good schools are the root," Wyche said. "Being a good friend to the school board is one way" to accomplish this.
In supporting the schools, Wyche said that ensuring a safe passage to and from the facilities by studying and possibly revamping the traffic flows on roadways around schools is one way of improvement.
Parents and families becoming more involved in the educational process of students is another, he said.
"We need to encourage families to be a bigger part of the schools," he said.
Wyche said that his years coaching the Cincinnati Bengals, a member of the North Division of the American Football Conference of the NFL, has given him opportunities to meet the ranking officials of several large corporations, an advantage he could bring to the table of county council in enticing businesses to the area.
"I have been lucky," he said. "I have access to people who make decisions."
Corporation heads would answer his telephone calls once they became aware that a former coach of the Bengals was on the line, he said.
"They would pick up the phone just to hear what I had to say," he said.
Once people discovered the beauty of both Pickens County and its residents, they would want to locate their businesses here, he said.
Burbage, who calls himself a "conservative Democrat" and a Christian, said becoming a candidate for Seat 3 of Pickens County Council was the right thing to do.
"It was the right decision for me to make," he said. "I make my own decisions and I decided to do this to help the people of Pickens County."
The Democratic candidate said a poor economy, the loss of jobs and no new jobs coming into the county was definitely a major problem this county is encountering.
"We need jobs coming into Pickens," he said. "It is important for us to bring jobs in to secure the county financially."
Revamping the old railway system that runs through the county, allowing large businesses to readily tie into the mainline of Norfolk/Southern Railroad for transporting freight, could be a measure the county to take in bringing larger companies into the area, he said.
Federal funding may be available to help with the cost of upgrading the old rail system, Burbage said.
And while he agrees that good schools are a necessity in attracting growth, Burbage said that channeling more money into the school administration is not the answer for taxpayers.
"The school board has raised taxes recently," he said. "We do need a superior education system, but I don't agree with giving the school board more and more money.
"We need to put a limit on spending where they can't keep raising our taxes," he said. "I just don't believe in giving an open checkbook to the school board."
The school board should monitor spending and cut unnecessary items, he said.
"They should keep the money situation in check," he said. "They should do better financially, not keep spending more."
Burbage said he was running for the council seat because he wanted to help this county and, in turn, help Pickens County residents.
"This is a little piece of land we are all trying to help,: he said. "But this piece of land matters, and it's important."
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