Dickson says Varnell has bright future

Published 11:00 am Saturday, October 30, 2021

With perhaps the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 recession over, Varnell Mayor Tom Dickson said things are looking up for the city.

“I think there are good things ahead over the next four years, and I’d like to do my part to help Varnell be successful,” he said.

Dickson is seeking his second term as mayor. He faces former mayor Anthony Hulsey in Tuesday’s election. The race is nonpartisan, meaning no political party is listed. The term is for four years.

Dickson said there are several projects he has been working on that he’d like to see through.

“Recreation is one of them,” he said. “We have some opportunities because Whitfield County has Edwards Park here, and we have some spaces where we can work with the county and make some things available to the community that we haven’t had before.

“We’ve had some talks about adding a soccer field, a multipurpose field. We’ve got some space for it. Our baseball fields aren’t as important now because there are so many baseball fields at Edwards Park, so we can use that space for something that will be more useful to the community.”

Dickson said that space might also be used for “places for people to walk, for families to get together and eat outside, maybe expanding our playground for children.”

Dickson represented District 6 in the state House of Representatives for 12 years. District 6 includes parts of Whitfield and Murray counties. He was Whitfield County Schools superintendent from 1998 until his retirement in June 2003. Before being named superintendent, Dickson was a teacher, coach, bus driver, summer maintenance worker, middle school assistant principal, elementary school principal and director of technology, transportation and finance, and then was appointed assistant superintendent.

Dickson was born in Pennsylvania and has lived in Whitfield County since 1967. He has a bachelor’s degree from Maryville College, a master’s in education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and an educational specialist degree from the State University of West Georgia. He spent 34 years in education, mostly with Whitfield County Schools.

Dickson said one of the major tasks for the City Council during the next four years will be working with the owners of Patterson Farms, a planned mixed commercial and residential development on 74 acres annexed into the city earlier this year.

“The Patterson project opens up a lot of possibilities for both housing and for new retail and restaurants in Varnell,” he said.

Dickson said housing will be a big focus for the City Council.

“I’m not talking just about Patterson Farms,” he said. “If we can expand our recreation and add new retail, the city becomes an even more attractive place to live. We want to encourage more development, both residential and commercial.”

Dickson said he and the other five members of the council work well together.

“That’s another reason I want to run,” he said. “There’s a sense of unity there, and I’m looking forward to working with these gentlemen for four more years.”