Local business owners Jared Rutberg and Travis Moore have announced that they will run for the District 5 seat on the Newton County Board of Commissioners in November 2016.

Rutberg, a Republican, made the announcement, saying, “Our family is ready for this challenge and all three boys are ready to go door-to-door with me.”

Rutberg, who unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2012, said, “This is our district and our county; we deserve transparency and decisions made that benefit the entire district — not just a select few.

“We need to be proactive instead of continuously being reactive on issues such as budget, vendors and contracts, public safety, transportation and roads, landfill and recycling centers, parks and recreation, jobs and business recruitment, and much more.”

Levie Maddox, who won in a runoff in the primary and the general election in 2012, is the Commissioner for District 5.

Though the primary isn’t until early May next year, and the election Nov. 8, 2016, Rutberg said he wanted to have time to reach all 20,000 residents of District 5, “including visiting every neighborhood before early voting, so they hear the message.”

Owner of JRJ Construction, Kwik Change Lube & Service, Covington Pro Lube, R5 Holdings, LLC, and Game Time, Rutberg served in the Army for nine years, with tours in Korea, Afghanistan and Fort Bragg. He has lived in Covington since 2004. He is active in the community, and has served on numerous committees, including the Covington Municipal Airport Authority, Career Technical Agricultural Education Advisory Board, Relay for Life, Rivers Alive, Keep Covington/Newton Beautiful, Ficqueet and Theme School Parent Teacher Organization, Newton Reads and the Chamber of Commerce.

Republican Moore, a 37-year-old EMT and real estate agent, said he was running for District 5 Commissioner because of he disapproves of the direction the county is headed.

“We are lacking true leadership and have been for years. Last election, we had a change in seat, but nothing changed.”

He said he believes the county needs to get its budget under control, and that it has ignored the continued problems with the landfill and proposed Bear Creek Supply Reservoir.

“Both of these seem to be plagued with regulatory issues and, in one instance, at the landfill, we’re knocking on the door of being noncompliant with unlined cells,” he said. “It seems these issues have been tossed aside and the commissioners are hoping they will resolve themselves.

“They won’t,” he said. “They will become more and more complex to fix and we need to implement solutions now.”

Moore is co-owner of Jazzercise Fitness Studio in Covington and helps with his family’s business, Moore’s Auto Parts, in Covington. A long-time resident and active member of the , Moore has been an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with Newton-Pietmont since 2012 and with Newton County Fire from 2006 to 2012. Currently, he is a full-time real estate agent with Hometown Realty.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety and Health from Columbia Southern University in Orange Beach, Alabama, an associate’s degree in Fire Science from Georgia Piedmont Technical College. He also earned certification as an EMT from Georgia Piedmont Technical College, and is certified in the Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt business methodology.

For more information, email NewtonDeservesMoore@gmail.com.