Worden
John Worden said he moved to Cherokee County because of the way it is and because he wants to keep it how it is. In order to make sure that happens, Worden would like to introduce private property protection as a commissioner of Cherokee County.
“We’re getting to a point where we have to put something into effect to protect it,” Worden said. “There are (other) people moving here going, ‘I moved from where I came from because it sucks, let’s make this just like the place I came from.’ ”
Worden is seeking the District 3 seat being vacated by Gary “Hippie” Westmoreland. The Republican candidate is married with two children and teaches at The Oaks Academy alternative school in Marble.
“I’ve always been a registered Republican because there isn’t a constitutional conservative ticket,” Worden said. “(I’m a) leave-me-alone-ist.
“If I’m not bothering you and you’re not bothering me, we’re all going to get along. That goes for our private property, and as long as you’re not spilling over into someone else’s property and affecting them negatively, then there isn’t a reason for the government to come in and tell you what you can and can’t do.”
Worden said it’s often difficult to address issues like zoning in public forums where candidates have limited time to speak and often come off as being anti-zoning or pro-zoning. His views are more nuanced.
“I understand why people are afraid of the Z-word,” Worden said. “That’s why I think personal property protection has to be set up first. I know (commissioner) Jan Griggs just proposed putting together a planning board. A planning board has no teeth until there’s zoning, so she’s kind of putting the cart before the horse, but she’s already putting the handwriting on the wall.”
Griggs recently pushed to establish a planning committee in response to local residents’ complaints about noise from the Ankr/Exponential Digital crypto mine on Harshaw Road. Worden said crypto mining noise is a bad neighbor issue, not a type-of-business issue. He fears a planning board could create too much overreach in an attempt to address a limited problem.
“I worry about a planning board getting out of control and trying to turn this into a Helen, Ga., or something,” Worden said. “I ran a neon sign shop, and I know how sign ordinances come in and can neuter the look of an area because of the control.
“I feel bad for the people over (near the mine). I can’t imagine having to deal with that 24/7; it would drive you crazy.”
Worden said he believes the issue has become so heated that nothing short of Ankr /Exponential Digital’s exit from Cherokee County would be enough to satisfy some people on the issue.
“You have a group of people now that are so (angry), no matter what they do it’s not going to be enough,” Worden said. “They’re starting to shift from noise to the way it looks.
“Even if they put it in a nice building, they’ll complain that the building is the wrong color. I think the only way that it could possibly solve that is if they sell out to a different company and they come in and fix it.”
Worden would like to lure the right kinds of companies to Cherokee County, especially in the manufacturing realm.
“If we can get manufacturing jobs back, that will help populate our schools,” he said. “If we could get a Moss plant here or something, that would be great. We don’t need to change the county, we just need more opportunities to come here.”
Worden also is concerned about developing a new generation of students ready to populate future roles in that type of industry. Although he said he would prefer to see a two-high school system in Cherokee County, that plan is difficult due to affordability and the splitting of resources.
“I do think consolidating the high school first is the way to go,” Worden said. “By giving the kids a really good high school to learn at, whether it’s one or two, that’s going to attract families back here. That, in turn, will help build back up the populations of our smaller K-8 schools and keep those doors open.”