Commission candidates are Catoosa’s odd couple

RINGGOLD, Ga. — One candidate drives a pickup truck. The other drives a Volvo.

One enjoys “piddlin’” with tractors and the other likes scuba diving and hiking.

One is 65 years old and flirts with waitresses at the Courthouse Grille; the other is 40, constantly wears a Bluetooth earpiece and checks her Blackberry at Panera Bread.

The Catoosa County Commission runoff race between incumbent Bobby Winters and challenger Stephanie Dickert represents more than a clash of campaign issues and slogans.

A retired construction worker who runs a flea market, Winters said he represents the voice of longtime residents and campaigns on his experience. Dickert, 40, who works at a CPA office in Hixson, said she embodies the new generation of Catoosa County residents.

When asked about their goals if they win the runoff, Winters talks about preserving, while Dickert uses the word “enhance.”

“I’ve seen a lot of changes and hopefully I can be a part of keeping Catoosa County clean and something we can be proud of,” said Winters in an interview earlier this week.

“(The county) has its own history and its own charm and I don’t think that’s something that needs to change, but I think we need to enhance what we have,” Dickert said in a separate interview.

“I see myself being able to come in (to the commission) with a new set of eyes,” she said.

In the Republican primary, Winters did well in the Lakeview precincts, which are typically older neighborhoods, while Dickert took more votes in the Boynton area, which has more young families.

Dickert, who moved to Catoosa County for the first time in 1986 and moved back in 2002, has an accounting degree from Dalton State College and Chattanooga State Community College. At the CPA firm, she teaches small business owners how to use accounting software. She enjoys listening to audiobooks on her iPod, taking her Greater Swiss Mountain dogs to dog shows and has run much of her campaign through Facebook.

Born in Catoosa County, Winters left Ringgold High School in 1960 when he was 15 to go to work on a dairy and farming corn. He has campaigned heavily on his experience in the construction business.

“Everything we do (on the commission) is about construction,” he said.

If he’s not working on a tractor or hawking his wares at a flea market, he enjoys watching episodes of “NCIS” on television.

But campaigning has cut into free time for both candidates.

Dickert said she has spoken to many residents who moved to Catoosa County from metro areas — usually Atlanta — and want to be able to shop, work and play locally without going to Chattanooga.

She said she would love to move her own office from Hixson to Catoosa County once the right type of office buildings are built.

Winters said he’s heard more about jobs and tax burdens from his constituents.

“We need jobs right here. Local jobs. Good jobs,” he said.

Commissioner Jim Cutler, who moved to Catoosa County in 2001 and was elected in 2008, said he’s seen similar divergent demands from county residents.

New residents typically want growth and want the county to spend money on recreational opportunities and quality-of-life improvements, while many longtime residents usually want taxes kept low, rural life preserved and see recreation as an expense the county may not need.

The two will be on the ballot on Aug. 10.