Former Hall County Commissioner and Board of Elections member Craig Lutz announced Thursday morning on WDUN’s The Martha Zoller Show his intention to run for the Hall County Board of Commissioners Chairman seat in 2024.
Lutz served one term on the Hall County Commission after he was elected in August 2010. He then ran unsuccessfully for District 4 of the Georgia Public Service Commission in 2014. He has also served as a Flowery Branch City Councilman. Lutz most recently served as a Republican member of the Hall County Board of Elections.
Speaking with guest host Dr. Tom Smiley, Lutz said he initially ran for his commission seat in 2010 amid the housing crisis when "things were tough."
"I see it happening again," Lutz said. "Interest rates are going up. The housing market is starting to soften. We're getting into a situation now where the budget is twice as big as it was when I left. I can tell you, the roads aren't twice as nice, the services aren't twice as nice."
Lutz is an Air Force Veteran and currently works with veterans through the American Legion.
"Serving others and acting as a public servant is very, very rewarding," Lutz said. "And the good thing is if you have that mindset, then I think you can go in and it's OK to say no to a lot of things. Because if you are representing the citizens, if you're representing the people of Hall County, you talk to the people of Hall County, you know what we need, what we don't need, what needs to be done."
Leadership within Hall County Government, the impacts of rising interest rates and land use were three key areas Lutz said he would like to focus on if he is elected as chairman.
"We've got, I think, some issues with leadership," Lutz said. "You read about what's going on in the fire department, you read about what's going on in some of the other departments, that is a situation where ... we just haven't had enough supervision from the citizen perspective. And so when those kinds of things blow up, it just makes our county look bad."
Additionally, Lutz said he was not afraid to have a differing opinion in the chairman's position.
"I don't have a problem speaking, and I don't have a problem speaking with passion," Lutz said. "Oftentimes it's the silence that gets us into a lot of trouble, when we're just quiet about it and we just kind of go along to get along ... it's important to have dialogue and discussion."
Lutz will face current Hall County Commission Chairman Richard Higgins in the May 2024 primary. Higgins announced in October his plan to run for reelection.
The Hall County Commission Chairman presides over the commissioners and is involved in various tasks including leading public commission meetings.
Lutz said he was continuing to work on his campaign website, but additional info can be found at that site here.
Lutz's full interview on WDUN's The Martha Zoller Show is available in the above Soundcloud player.
