Editor’s note: Since the COVID-19 crisis prevented the Polk County Chamber of Commerce from hosting a candidate forum in person ahead of the June 9 primary, the organization reached out to candidates with questions to answer in a written form. Below are answers from Polk County Probate Judge candidate Tony Brazier. 

Question 1: What is your educational background that qualifies you for the position?

I hold two Associates Degrees, two Bachelor’s Degrees and a Masters Degree in Administration. I’m finishing my Doctorate Degree in Criminal Justice with Certifications Organizational & Personnel Management. I hold professional Licenses in Public Safety, Death Care Management, which includes all matters which are addressed in Probate Court, is….Estate matters, Wills, Hearings and Courtroom policy and procedures, as well as Traffic Law, Power of Attorney issues & Court Orders concerning Bench Warrants, as well as Court Orders related to the Involuntary Psychiatric Committal of individual that require that assistance.

I’ve served in all three fields of Public Safety and have served in Supervisory and Managerial positions during that entire time. I have served on countless committees, sub-committees and public service Boards. I’ve proudly worked actively & effectively with the people of Polk County in public service for over 39 years and take great pride in that. No one, and I mean no one loves this county and its people more than I do and my whole drive and passion is to help our people, our county and the courts system to better serve the people.

Question 2: What are three goals you would like to achieve as Probate Courtt Judge to continue to make improvements with the office and staff at the courthouse?

My first goal is to go in and conduct a good comprehensive evaluation of the Probate Court so as to know what our strengths and weaknesses are. Once I’ve done that we’ll potentiate our strengths but more importantly, we’ll work hard to improve and correct the office’s weaknesses. This will streamline the functions of the office while at the same time improving interoffice effectiveness.

It is very important that we retain effective and seasoned employees, tapping into those employees’ inner strengths and help them to more effectively serve the public. I know for fact that there are some very talented and gifted people serving in that office and through my efforts I seek to make them even more talented & gifted. I want the people of Polk County to have the BEST Office of the Probate Court of any county around us – and I know we can accomplish that.

Secondly, placing the people’s needs first, I’d like to put into place a policy which will allow the Office of the Probate Court the ability to streamline and even add additional services without adding additional expense. As I’ve said to our great citizens during my campaign, this court is the “Court of the People” and we need to fulfill that and do more to help our people. We are in trying times right now but we will get through these times and will subsequently get back to some degree of normalcy.

That normalcy will include greater performance by me being elected to this Office in order to have faster turnaround times on generating necessary documents for the people, we will work to streamline traffic court & it’s associated services so as to provide assistance there and I plan to have a more effective and careful diligence on the issuances of firearms permits as well as other permits. My Office will be totally focused on nothing but serving the people of Polk County.

Thirdly, as population growth comes, so must come the extension of our Offices services to growing areas of Polk County. At this time the eastern parts of Polk County, ie, the Rockmart, Aragon & Taylorsville areas seem to be growing at a faster rate, population wise. For that reason I want to work directly with Rockmart City Government in what I see would be a joint effort to place a satellite office of the Probate Court over there. Serving the Rockmart area, It would make it so much easier and more convenient for someone who lives in that geographical area of the county to go to a Rockmart location to secure their documents, permits, etc…than having to drive an additional fifteen or twenty miles to get what they need form that office, there locally.

I believe that I could do that very effectively with the current staff that the Office has in place currently, thus making that Office even more of an asset, not only to the people but the entire county as a whole. Remember, I am the “Peoples Candidate” for this post and I will serve you with the greatest of dedication and professionalism.

Question 3: In what ways do you seek to improve relations with other departments within the courthouse in Polk County?

I want to pull all of the Offices within the Polk County Courthouses back together as a family. All of the Courts work for the common good of the citizens and we should all come together as one. I think that I’m the candidate that can make this happen and work very closely with all of the Offices in the Courthouses, Law Enforcement and the People to make my tenure in office of great benefit to this great community that we call home, Polk County, Georgia. May God bless you all.