Five seeking seats on City of Bradfordsville commission

Five people have registered to run for the four seats on the Bradfordsville City Commission. Four incumbents have filed to run again: George Edelen Jr., Sandy Gribbins, Jerry Lee Tungate and Kathleen Walls. One other candidate, Travis May, has also filed to run. Edelen is the brother of Bradfordsville Mayor David Edelen. The Enterprise sent questionnaires to each of the candidates, two of which were returned to the paper. No answers were received from Gribbins, Tungate or May. George Edelen’s and Kathleen Walls’ answers are summarized below. (To read their complete questionnaires, visit www.lebanonenterprise.com.)   George Edelen Jr. Edelen, 63, is a high school graduate and has worked as a stockman for a local grocery store and a church janitor. He is also a former city commissioner. Edelen was appointed to the commission after Monty Ray Mullins resigned. He is a member of Bradfordsville Baptist Church and the “Save the School” Committee. He is running for city commissioner because he loves his hometown and wants to see it continue the progress it has made in the last 20 years. Edelen said he wants the renovation of the Bradfordsville school to remain a priority, and he will work to obtain funds to continue this effort. He added he would like to attract a bank to the community. To improve the city, he has proposed the development of a housing project, recruitment of a factory to Bradfordsville and an effort to “establish some form of interest so everyone within the community will want to take part in to see growth develop for a better and respectful place to live!” While he supports E-911 as a service, he does not support raising taxes to pay for it. “I pledge to do for our community what I feel will benefit all citizens within it,” he said. “I don’t plan on being bias or partial toward any one person or group.”   Kathleen Walls Walls, 88, is a long-time member of the city commission. She is a member of Bradfordsville Baptist Church and the Old Mill Committee. She is running again because she would like to see her town grow and prosper. She noted that she has served for several years and tries to make the best decisions she can. She said that working on the old school building should be the city’s priority for the next two years. She added that she would like to see a bank or a doctor open an office in the city. She said the commission has written letters and visited with different individuals in an effort to attract someone to the area. She added that she tries to be honest and sincere with anyone she deals with. “I intend to keep doing that,” she said. “I speak what I feel about things. I do not try to hide things.”