Warren Gooch, the Democratic candidate for Anderson County mayor, talks to Claxton residents Carol Brown, left, and Kathy Martin, center, after a Tuesday evening forum at Claxton Elementary School.
CLAXTON—Warren Gooch has a time-honored, easy-to-remember campaign promise. “I will not raise taxes,” he’s proclaimed on billboards alongside busy roads in Anderson County.
It’s a message that Gooch, the Democratic candidate for Anderson County mayor, continued to deliver this week, this time in person, during a Tuesday evening forum at Claxton Elementary School. It was the first of four forums Gooch has scheduled this month.
“Raising taxes is simply not an option,” said Gooch, a 60-year-old Oak Ridge attorney.
Gooch points out that there was already a significant property tax rate increase in Anderson County last year to help pay for projects that include a jail expansion, new alternative school, and the purchase of industrial land.
Also, the current economic recovery is very fragile, Gooch said.
