I want to thank everyone who supported my campaign with your time, hard work, donations, and (most importantly) your votes.
I am looking forward to serving you!
We are in the final weeks of my race for Canton City Council, Ward 3. I need your help to ensure our residents and businesses have the experienced, fiscally responsible, dedicated leadership needed to help lead our city.
As a former city council member and long-time community volunteer, I have the sense of history, respect for those who built this city, the drive to put in the hard work, and the vision to plan not just for next year but for decades to come. I want to preserve what is great about Canton for future generations while managing the inevitable growth.
I have lived in Canton for 45 years, and my wife is a third-generation native. Our families own and operate businesses in this community, so our roots run deep. I have worked for the last 18 years in some form to serve this community and help it grow and thrive, with the Arts Council, Downtown Merchants Association, Main Street Program (which I helped form), Cherokee Chamber of Commerce, 2040 Vision Committee (among others), and ultimately Canton City Council.
The greatest challenge facing Canton today is growth. We need to make our inevitable growth more sustainable. My goal is to raise the bar on new proposed projects to ensure we plan for the next few decades, not just the next few years. We need to balance the needs of all our citizens without causing undue burden on any one group.
We also need to be fiscally responsible with our taxpayer dollars. I want to look hard at our budget to see where we can reduce the burden on our city taxpayers while continuing to have strong public safety and other necessary services.
I will work to find ways to improve the efficiency and traffic flow of our streets and intersections with minor tweaks while we work with the county and state to speed up major improvements.
I am eager to face Canton’s challenges with dedicated, determined, and experienced leadership.
My campaign depends on grassroots support from residents like you. In order for us to run an aggressive campaign in these final days, I ask for your campaign contribution in whatever amount you can give.
Please support my campaign financially to the extent that you can. I’m dependent on contributions from “regular folks” like you.
Above all, I ask you to vote for me and to ask your friends and neighbors to do the same.
Thanks again for your support. Let’s keep working together to protect Canton’s Quality of Life.
While serving as President of the Historic Downtown Canton Association, I was surprised to receive a letter from the City of Canton. It was from Mayor Gene Hobgood inviting me to a meeting of a committee he was forming to help with his goal of revitalizing Downtown.
He invited representatives from every group with a stake in Downtown, such as the Cherokee County Arts Council, the Cherokee County Historical Society, Canton Tourism, the Downtown Development Authority, and the Historic Downtown Canton Association (I’m sure I’m forgetting someone).
The Canton Consolidating Committee met to share ideas and strategies to help Downtown return to its former glory. We soon concluded that the best way to move forward was to join the Main Street Program. Per Georgiamainstreet.org, “The Georgia Main Street Program began in 1980 as one of the original pilot state coordinating programs of the National Main Street Initiative launched by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.”
Main Street provides a proven method of helping communities revitalize their Downtowns, as well as training and support for the volunteers and staff.
The members of the Consolidating Committee formed the first Main Street Board. I was honored to serve as treasurer of that board until I had to resign after my election to Canton City Council. I also drafted the bylaws and secured the board’s 501(c)6 status.
During my time with the board we created the Canton Farmer’s Market, First Friday, Valentine Chocolate Walk, Art Walks, and many other events. We provided support and assistance to the effort to create Fincher-Adkins Park, among other projects.
I am very proud of our efforts’ lasting impact, and I look forward to seeing Canton continue the great work I helped start.
Next up: City Council
Here are my responses to the questions from the Cherokee Tribune Voters Guide:
Name: Farris Yawn
Occupation: Publisher/Accountant
Age:59
Residence: River Green
Hometown: I was born in Eastman, Georgia, but I have lived in Canton since 1978
Family: My wife is Stacy Westbrook Yawn and we have two Pugs (Pugslee & Wednesday).
Education: BA in accounting from Kennesaw College.
Have you served in elected office before?
Yes, I was a Councilmember for Ward Three for just over five years, from 2013-2019.
Why are you the most qualified candidate for the position?
Canton needs someone with the sense of history, respect for those who built this city, the drive to put in the hard work, and the vision to plan not just for next year but for the decades to come. I want to preserve what is great about Canton for future generations while managing the inevitable growth.
I have lived in Canton for 45 years, and my wife is a third-generation native. Our families own and operate businesses in this community, so our roots run deep. In addition, I have worked for the last 18 years in some form to serve this community and to help it grow and thrive, be it with the Arts Council, Downtown Merchants Association, Main Street Program (which I helped form), Chamber of Commerce, 2040 Vision Committee (among others), and ultimately City Council.
I became involved because I was dismayed by the stark contrast between the vibrant community center that I remembered and the shadow of its former glory Downtown was when I moved my business there. It took determination and hard work on the part of many people, but I am very proud of my part in the progress made thus far.
What is the greatest challenge facing Canton?
The greatest challenge facing Canton today is growth.
While it is wonderful that people are discovering what we have known all along, namely that Canton is an incredible place to live, they are coming faster than we can absorb them.
A big part of this challenge is that there are still areas of the city with existing master plans on the books from 20-plus years ago that are still not built out. The City Council has little control over what is built in those communities unless the developers want to change something.
Add to this the increased traffic overloading our roads and increasing demands for water and sewer, and Canton has a lot of work to do in the next few years to catch up and hopefully get ahead.
What is your solution to that challenge?
I am pleased to see that the sewer plant we worked so hard on while I was in office is progressing, and the water treatment plant we discussed is beginning the planning stage.
Another area we need to work on is traffic. I want to find ways to improve the efficiency and traffic flow of our streets and intersections with minor tweaks while we work with the county and state to speed up major improvements.
We need to make our inevitable growth more sustainable. By that, I mean we need to raise the bar on any new proposed projects to ensure we plan for the next few decades, not just the next few years. We need to put a reasonable expiration date on new or modified master plans. We need to balance the needs of all our citizens without causing undue burden on any one group.
I want to look hard at our budget to see where we can reduce the burden on our city taxpayers.
Finally, if the last few years have taught us anything, the biggest challenge is often the thing no one saw coming. I am eager to face Canton’s challenges with dedicated, determined, and experienced leadership.
After I moved my bookstore to Downtown Canton, I wanted to see the area return to the vital center it once was. So, I started looking for ways to increase customer traffic.
I thought one good way to help all of us business owners Downtown was a merchant’s association. I spoke with several of my fellow merchants and learned that there had been a now inactive association several years earlier. A local attorney had even incorporated the association and secured 501(c)3 status. I contacted him (coincidentally, that attorney, Bobby Dyer, is now the Canton City Attorney), and he agreed to let me take over that entity.
The Historic Downtown Canton Association was reborn!
Our members included retail businesses, restaurants, attorneys, doctors, and non-profits. We met regularly to share information, events, and specials. We even published a newsletter!
I feel that we planted the seeds that led to much of the growth Downtown has experienced since then. Since several of the members of the Association also served on the new Main Street Program board, and we shared the same mission, we decided to close down the association in favor of the Main Street Program.
Next time: The City comes calling!
If you want to vote Absentee in this election, here is the information from cherokeegavotes.com;
Requesting an Absentee Ballot
When an election is held, any eligible registered voter may apply for an Absentee Ballot via our online application. Applications can only be accepted between 78 and 11 days before an election.
If you are unable to print an application, please feel free to contact our office at 770-479-0407 and we will mail one out to you.
Submitting an Absentee Ballot
After the Elections Office has received, reviewed, and verified your Absentee Ballot Application, an Absentee Ballot will be mailed to your address between 22-29 days prior to the primary or election, or as soon as ballots are available prior to a runoff.
Once you have received the ballot and voted your ballot, submit the ballot via:
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Military and Overseas Citizen Voters
Use this site Georgia(fvap.gov) to vote absentee if you are:
The absentee voting process applies to you if you are:
Additional information and voting assistance for Service Members, their families, and overseas citizens can be found on the Georgia (fvap.gov) website.
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