A 12-year resident of Gilmer County, Retired Army Colonel Gary Engel looks to his experiences, expertise, and the community for the Board of Commissioners and his campaign towards that office. That concept of that campaign is planning.

A graduate of the University of South Alabama and the ROTC program there, he later got a Master’s Degree from the United States Naval War College with a focus in National Security and Strategic Studies. He served as a Chief Operating Officer for all logistical operations while in Iraq and also served three years on the Army Science Board. In total, Engel served for 28 years in the Army.

After the Army, Engel joined Anteon and became Vice President before it was bought out by General Dynamics. Continuing work under the new company. In 2007, he bought the land to start Engelheim Vineyards. In 2014, they opened their tasting room after spending the initial time growing the grapes and making the wine. Now, Engel says his vineyard has grown to the largest vineyard in the county and one of the larger vineyards in the state of Georgia. Winning numerous awards and recognitions for the wines made their, the vineyard won Winery of the Year in 2018.

Gary also has recently served on the Board of Directors for the Florida-Georgia District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Gilmer County Board of Tax Assessors, Gilmer Chamber Board of Directors, President of Georgia Wine Producers, and Chairman of the Georgia Wine and Grape Commodity Commission.

Stepping out from these other boards and looking ahead, Engel said it is through these experiences that he has garnered the qualifications to help guide the planning for Gilmer’s future. Getting ahead of the issues through proper planning and preparations will allow for a better path forward. Engel stated, “Most people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.”

Even with the strategies in place, Engel says that his plans have to incorporate contingencies and flexibility into them. Executing is far easier with the strategy set and room for response rather than going in blind. He speaks on defining success at the beginning of an issue or a project. What is the goal? What is the definition of that which the county wants to accomplish?

He spoke of housing and industry in the county. To achieve the goal of workforce housing, the county’s plan should include what that means because some people have a different definition of affordable in their budgets. With these defined goals and the support of the community for ideas and input, the county can achieve what the community needs.

Operating alongside the board, Engel says he hopes to protect the historic beauty of the county and respect those that have lived here all their lives while supporting all of the citizens’ needs.

Engel said that in office, he is there to serve and take care of the community. Just as his vineyard when he states, “It’s not my vineyard, it’s God’s vineyard. I get to take care of it for a while.”

He spoke about listening to God, the vines, and nature in caring for the vineyard. He made this comparison to be listening to the community in service to the board stating, “I don’t always have the greatest idea.” Engel explained that having many voices to listen to would be how he could gather the best ideas to plan for the county’s future, listening to the people and to God.

Engel stated, “Success has nothing to do with me. Success has to do with the people’s lives that I can touch.”

Supporting a community means improving the community. Engel specifically states “we” need to serve. He recalled a sort of mantra in his military service, “Always improve your position.” Bringing that forward, Engel asserted that we should always be improving the position of the county. Encouraging and incentivizing the youth to grow the community, building and attracting new businesses for jobs for the citizens, and providing a hand up to people will provide a cycle of improvement from the students to the workforce to industry to housing for students and workforce.

He acknowledged the major issue in Gilmer right now saying, “Some people say we need affordable housing. I say we need reasonable housing for our workforce.”

The county has improved greatly in recent years according to Engel. That success is being seen by those in other counties. As businesses grow, and major wear on the county’s infrastructure increases, one idea Engel said he wants to explore could be business impact fees with relation to the county’s resources, be they roads or other resources. Engaging with builders, businesses, owners, and people will allow for better planning and support from them. Working together is how we find new ways to address challenges.

Engel said that the county needs to look for these new ways to overcome challenges because, in the face of more financial needs, “we can’t tax the people in Gilmer County any more. They are taxed enough already.”

Growth can pose one of the greatest threats to the county without proper planning as Engel says developing the vision to guide the county into maintaining our quality of life. This could go so far as to include reserves for another potential market correction in real estate. When asked about the possibility, he said that the county could carefully maintain through that with new revenues supporting reserves and careful cognizance of spending.

However, these plans and strategies are one part of the whole as Engel said communication is key to a board like this. Not only internally but externally. Coming to a consensus and fully explaining and exploring situations on the BOC can also be supported through better communication with not only the other government entities but the businesses and community as well. Combining these ideas like new revenues, supporting reasonable housing, and better planning are further strengthened through the continued communication from all parts of the county, even on major issues like subdivisions and zoning. Some subdivisions, Engel stated, have been done well. Looking at the successes and communicating on how they were done can provide better plans to mitigate impact on the county’s resources and infrastructure.

Some long-term goals that Engel hopes to explore includes the idea of incorporating more community expertise through panels or meetings to better provide the information, details, and specifications on projects the county undertakes. Another concept would incorporate a county manager for Gilmer separate from the Board of Commissioners. Something he said he would look at later and possibly incorporating towards the end of term, he could see the board as a more policy and guidance entity with the County Manager reporting to them on day to day operations. The board could also have direct oversight over the position should a need arise for replacement instead of citizens waiting for elections to vote someone out.

While not a singular project or idea, Engel took a moment to stress the importance of Public Safety as well including first responders, law enforcement, and fire response. Maintaining these departments is important to the county as one of the largest in the state. Especially considering services needed for a growing population and for one of the best places in Georgia to retire.

Engel said, “I’d like everybody to understand that something that is important to me is honor.” Engel said it would not only be an honor to serve, but he hopes to bring honor and integrity to his service if elected to the Board of Commissioners.