Meet the Candidates: Charles “Corkey’’ Welch

Smyrna’s general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011 and a record 19 candidates are on the ballot. In their words, candidates will be introducing themselves here at Patch. Today, we have Ward 4 city council candidate Charles “Corkey” Welch, who is running against Judith Causey Jones, Alex Bretch and incumbent Mike McNabb.

By Charles “Corkey” Welch

While I have lived in the Smyrna area for over 30 years, I am a native of El Dorado, Ark. I graduated from El Dorado High School in 1977 and went on to attend the University of Arkansas until moving to Smyrna in 1981 to be closer to my future wife, Catherine Stevenson Welch. Catherine and I were married in 1982, and except for a brief time in the fall/winter of 1982 and 1983, have lived in the Smyrna area.

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering from Southern Polytechnic State University (Southern Tech in those days). I am currently the Senior Vice President of Stevenson and Palmer Engineering, Inc., a civil consulting engineering firm located in Cobb County near the Galleria/Cumberland area. I have been employed with the company for 30 years where I provide project management, marketing and a wide array of consulting services for cities and counties throughout north Georgia. 

Catherine is a pre-school teacher at Smyrna First United Methodist Kindergarten where she has taught for 17 years. Catherine attended Kennesaw State University and Jacksonville State University before returning to Smyrna. After working for First National Bank of Atlanta and later Dr. Joseph Manno, Catherine became a full-time wife and mom until both children were in school and she returned to work at SFUMK.

We have two children, Charles and Nikki. Both attended King Springs Elementary, Griffin Middle and graduated from Campbell High School. Charles graduated from Georgia Tech in 2009 with a degree in Industrial Engineering and recently married Katie Bolling Welch. They live near downtown Smyrna. Our daughter Nikki is a senior at the University of Georgia majoring in Journalism.

I am running for the position of Ward 4 City Councilman because I feel that my experience gives me an insight that can benefit the City of Smyrna. It’s as simple as that.

Smyrna, like most communities across Georgia, is feeling the pinch of the current financial downturn. Even so, my experience has shown me that things can be done to ease the burden of the problem. As shown by the current construction of the new Kroger and the adjacent shopping area, building continues despite the economy. The key to moving forward with such projects is to help the potential developers to see that the City is going to respond to their needs and help throughout the process. 

Both Jonquil Plaza and Belmont Hills appear to be stalled. While the City cannot financially take over the projects and complete the construction of either, I believe that steps can be taken to encourage their completion. We do need to remember however, that the results of these decisions will be seen and remembered for generations to come.  

In my day-to-day business I work with mayors, city managers, and city councils constantly. I am always leery of campaign promises from first time candidates so I’m only going to be careful about what I promise. I will only make two. I will be proactive in communicating with you as citizens and taxpayers of the City of Smyrna. And finally, I will always vote based on my understanding of the issue as presented and upon its merit to the betterment to the City of Smyrna. Please Vote Charles “Corkey” Welch ward 4 city Councilman on November 8, 2011. Thank You