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Bruce Palmer speaks at the Farm Bureau political forum.
Retired longtime fireman and EMT Bruce Palmer is looking to sit on the Board of Commissioners for a second term.
He stressed the importance of working to allow the people of Habersham County to live, work and raise their families here.
“Economic growth needs to happen in Habersham County, but we need to direct it to certain areas. The 365 corridor was identified as a commercial corridor years ago,” Palmer said. “The inland port going into Hall County will provide us with a chance for development for housing and possible distribution centers that will end up creating higher paying jobs for people in Habersham County. We need to identify parcels for those things and we can’t wait until the port is built.”
Palmer has hosted town hall meetings throughout his first term that have been sparsely attended. He hopes to see more people get involved down the road.
When it comes to agriculture, Palmer got feedback from constituents that he came off at Tuesday’s forum like he did not support farmers.
“I am a supporter of agriculture in our community and I understand the difficulties of running a farm. So I also support the rights of farmers to use their property as they see fit,” Palmer said. “Even though agriculture is vital to our community, it is becoming increasingly difficult for small farming operations to make a living doing what they love. Many work other jobs to help support their families. Many of what were local farms currently sit unused. Even though they may qualify for exemptions on taxes, they still may need some sort of income. This sometimes means they decide to sell some or all of their property to a developer.”
Palmer came under some fire for spending on classes and training around the state, but he said he believes the training is “necessary for the success and prosperity of our county.” He cited a reduction in the hotel tax abatement by five years, two free access points to Highway 365 constructed by the DOT at no cost to taxpayers and the Swim Safely Day as three initiatives he spearheaded based on contacts made through that training.