COMMENTS - No Debate Tickets Left

Here's what folks are saying about the Wilson Times article " No debate tickets left."

COMMENTS 50

j. tull said... We have not heard from Calvin Woodard. Is he involved in the corruption being exposed at the SBI? If he is not involved then why doesn't he speak out? What does he know about the corruption at the SBI? The people have a right to know !! Where do you stand Calvin?? Friday, September 17, 2010 at 3:42 PM


Just my two cents worth said... It's a shame that it has come down to all of this. Mud slinging in all directions. I know all the people involved and let me tell you that they all deserve more respect than anyone here is giving them. Sheriff Gay is an honorable man that dedicated his life to Wilson County. His arms reach out across this nation to people that he knows and people that he has helped. Farmer has also dedicated his life to this county. He also knows alot of people and has also helped numerous people with their problems and their needs. Both of these men need to be addressed with respect and honor. With that being said, I still choose to vote for Woodard. Even though some of everyone's supporters has made all types of negative comments I have not heard Woodard say a single bad thing about either of these men. When he has made his speeches he has always told what his plans are for this county and what he plans on doing for this county. He did not stand up in front of everyone and call his opponents crooked, stupid, or incapable. He has only said that he believes things can be done better for this county and has questioned some of their actions, which is what alot of us do. He has based this on his religious beliefs, his morals, the input from the citizens, his experiences, and his education. I can only respect him for wanting the best for this county. I've paid attention to all of the newspaper articles, all the news shows, all the radio broadcast, and spoke with all of them. Woodard was the only one I spoke to that did not spend my time putting down his competition. I could care less about "skeletons in people's closets" as long as they are making sure there isn't a criminal in mine. I'm an old school kind of guy but I also know that this nation, this state, and this county are growing more and more everyday. With that we need the new ideas, the new technology, and the people with the education to run them. Friday, September 17, 2010 at 10:26 AM

To J.tull said... Who conducted the independent poll, Farmer and his campaign staff? Now that is scientific! Good try, but not buying it! Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 10:01 PM

j.tull said... Just in. Independent poll shows John Farmer in the lead for Sheriff of Wilson County by two points. Way to go John. Pass the biscuits.Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 7:47 PM

if said... If Calvins not going to support the democratic ticket the he should not ask for anything from them or even be one himslef. Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 3:35 PM

To "Not Going To Happen" said... What you have to remember is that not all Democrats are going to vote for Calvin. Not all voters choose candidates based on their political party. We do still have some independent thinkers in Wilson. When I pass houses that have 10 signs in their yard, all for candidates of the same party, I think that the persons who live in those houses need to stop following party affiliation like mindless sheep. Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 2:03 PM

Wayne Gay was said... Wayne gay was the most qualified. If people were voting for just that then he would have won. However, people were not voting for the same old thing. They believe and have hope that someone can change our county around for the better. Gay did this for numerous years but things began to stall at the end. He and his administration failed to come up with the new ideas that could work better for our county. Farmer was the biggest part of this administration. If people vote for him then they are voting for the same old thing with the same old ideas. We not only need, but also deserve a fresh breath of air. Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 1:55 PM

IF cALVI IS A MAN OF INTEGRITY AND HE IS said... HE WILL SUPPORT THE BEST , MOST HONEST AND ETHICAL PERSON FOR THE OFFICE REGARDLESS OF PARTY. I DO. Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 10:45 AM

Gotta say it again said... Voting should never be about political party, but about who is the most qualified candidate. I've been voting since I was 18, and I've never yet voted a straight ticket. As for Facebook "friends," some people aren't very picky about who they "friend" and are only looking to collect a high number of "friends." As to voter turnout, it will not be the same as it was in the Woodard/Gay primary...a lot of people were just voting against Gay, not necessarily for Woodard himself. Woodard was just a way to get rid of Gay. I only hope that people will look at which candidate is most qualified. Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 10:12 AM

He's not the chairman said... It's not Calvin's duty to support the democratic party, he's not the chairman. He's running for sheriff. Boykin's duty was to support the candidates of his party whether he pushed their button in that booth or not. If you want to throw names around like that then why not give Sid Boyette a call and see who he's supporting. He has signs all over the west side of the county, he's a democratic candidate, but he doesn't have a sign for Woodard in his yard. Swindell and Marshall don't either. Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 8:02 AM

to double standard said... calvin didnt run Boykin off, the democratic leadership did. Calvin supports honesty, integrity, moral character and the best person for the job regardless of party as do i. i wouldnt support A B Swindell for dog catcher, nothing personal Mickey. LOL Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 11:31 PM

To gonna happen said... I suggest that you check out Woodard and Farmer's Facebook pages. You will see that Woodard has a MUCH more diverse following than Farmer. This is a good indication of where their support will come from. Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 11:00 PM

proof said... Ask Calvin who he is supporting and is he gonna support the democrats publicly. From what someone said on here he is a great man of integrity so surely he will tell you the truth. Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 9:10 PM

to: gonna happen said... Good luck with that. Is this the same percentage that you calculated/predicted for the Gay and Woodard race? We see how that turned out. There was 26-28% turn-out in some of the city precints in May. History shows there will be a higher turnout in the general election. Woodard won the majority of the city precints which he will do again in November. There were some precints where Gay only received 7 and 10 votes. There are many more voters in those districts that did not vote in the primary that will be voting this time. There will be close to a 40% turnout in some city precints. You will see an average of 20-30% in most precints. Sorry, not going to happen for Farmer. Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 9:08 PM

gonna happen said... Your close but Calvin will be lucky to get 60% of the dems,15% of the reps, and there will never be a 40% turnout.Farmer70% Calvin 30% Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 8:18 PM

To:double standard said... What proof do you have that CW is supporting a republican? Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 6:31 PM

Question said... No matter who wins November 2, when do they actually take over the sheriff deparment? I heard there will be a delay in the transition. Is that true? Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 5:32 PM

double standard said... So its ok for Calvin not to support the democratic party but expects them to support him after running Boykin off even though he publicly did nothing wrong.WOW. Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 4:36 PM

to democrat said... i dont know who calvin is supporting. but if he is like me he is supporting the most honest, ethical candidate for the job and not some polititical lackey who got where they are due to political patronage and cronyism like Swindell, marshall and cousin bobbie sid boyette who was a lifelong doT political patronage crony and flunky of jim hints who was well looked out for all of his carreer even though he isnt playing with a full deck. Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 4:10 PM

Not going to happen said... Ok, here's the deal. The numbers just are not there for Farmer to win this. And his camp knows it. Out of desperation, Farmer will do and say anything and everything under the sun if he thinks it will win him votes. He thinks that he is going to pull all of the republican vote. Not going to happen. Woodard will pull at least 25% of the repbulican vote and 75-80% of the democrats. Even if they split the unafiliated votes, there is no way for Farmer to win. The democrats outnumber republicans 2 to 1. We may see a 40% turnout in some disticts but even so, the numbers just are not there for Farmer. The upcoming debate will not be a game changer for either candidate. Both have solidified their base. 95% of Gays supporters will stay with Farmer and 95% of Woodards supporters will stay with him. What makes Woodard so attractive is that he is able to pull from all party affiliations. So... why don't BOTH sides just stop all of the negativity, keep campaigning and we'll see what happens November 2. My prediction- Woodard-58% Farmer-42% Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 4:00 PM

Yes he does said... Woodard does have experience. He has been in law enforcement over 17 years. That's just as long as Farmer had been in when he was given all his rank and a whole lot more than Gay had when he made Sheriff. This whole experience thing has started to make no sense at all. When we have the third top paid Sheriff in the state in charge of a department that is near the bottom of the state pay scale, then they have no room to talk about their experience as a budget manager. Anyone can take a $10 million budget and make their own pockets fat. They're real good at that. Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 3:04 PM

To democrat said... Probably because Calvin was not the DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN like Chris Boykin was! Big difference. Good try. Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 2:32 PM

Experience? said... Yes Farmer has experience, but not the kind that we need here in Wilson. His experience comes from the Wayne Gay regime. From failure to have public auctions, to deputies getting DWI's, to questionable business practices with a local attorney. This is what he learned from Gay. This is all that Farmer knows. He thinks that all of this is ok, or he would have stood up long before now. Farmer would not even be qualified to lead most other law enforcement agencies in this state because he has no college degree. Seems like if he really wanted to be sheriff 10 years ago, he would have taken the initiative and pursued some sort of college degree. Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 2:14 PM

said... The sheriff's office has no real leader right now and its running just fine. I'm sure it won't be that difficult for whoever comes in next. Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 1:39 PM

DEMOCRAT said... I thought Calvin was a democrat so will someone tell me why he is supporting Buck Newton and not Swindell or Marshall. Chris Boykin got the hammer for doing nothing so why isnt Calvin.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 1:03 PM

To "Farmer never talks..." said... Same old, same old...Calvin has certificates, Farmer has EXPERIENCE! Calvin lists every workshop and class he's ever taken as credentials. Sitting in a workshop is a far cry from actually working and gaining EXPERIENCE. Calvin may be great in his job with the SBI, but he doesn't have the personnel experience of managing a large group of workers or any experience in working with a substantial budget. If Calvin is elected, Wilson County will be in trouble, because he will be in over his head. I knew him in school, and he was nice guy and a hard worker, but motivation and perseverance only go so far when you lack the EXPERIENCE needed to do the job. Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 8:53 AM

My Opinion said... All Farmer has mentioned is that he is the MOST QUALIFIED CANIDATE! All he has said is how much better he is than Woodard. Woodard speaks on behalf of all aspects of life which is GIVING THE COUNTY BACK TO THE PEOPLE. Woodard wants people to be involved with the Sheriff's Office. Farmer wants to put Woodard down by telling fibs. Woodard will not play dirty, we have tried to get him to throw mud, but he just wont. Farmer on the other hand, is using shady campaign moves to try to intimidate Woodard. This is simply already unprofessional. Farmer has to take his weekly stroll through the court house to keep his face known and Woodard isn't in Wilson during business hours because the SBI wont allow him to work any cases in the area. God will prevail in this election and all we can do is go voe for the canidate that we feel is best for Wilson County. Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 8:30 AM

Farmer never talks about his plans for the WCSO said... all he talks about is his qualifications (he is a legend like wayne gay in his own mind) and his perceived lack of by Calvin , who has vast law enforcement experience at all levels and is highly educated , where farmer is a high school gradute or ged equivalency and a continuing ed classes at wilson tech and fbi class. no college degree or certainely no masters degree that im aware of. he would not even qualify to be considered for hire as an upper level management position with most professional law enforcement agencies. Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 8:59 PM

Tickets said... If you have made your choice maybe you havn't learned enough about the characters of the two candidates yet. Monday, September 13, 2010 at 11:34 AM

Couldn't get tickets? said... So what?! Most of us don't get tickets to the presidential debates, but we either watch or read what was said and make our choice. I think both candidates' platforms and characters are basically known by now. I know I've made my choice. I made it when I voted Calvin Woodard in the primary! Monday, September 13, 2010 at 1:18 AM

Just Saying said... I believe that once Woodard agreed to the debates, he began to think. Woodard may have thought that it was safest not to debate with the tea party nor the radio station because it has turned obvious that his platform is no longer his. I view this race as fishing on a pier. If Woodard started catching fish, then Farmer moves down the pier near Woodard to start catching fish. The fish being the citizens. Call me wierd, but this analogy can be comprehended by many. This is an obvious move. Since Farmer filed, it would be almost impossible to sell new ideas on so many supporters won over on Woodards ideas. The idea behind any write in canidate is to split the vote(s) of the winner. Woodard is simply participating in the debate with the largest amount of viewers. The only question I have is, will the canidates know the questions before? I hope not because preparation and planned answers would be developed. I didn't get a ticket but I feel that WDT should be appreciated by all for hosting this event. Friday, September 10, 2010 at 9:07 PM

not shocked said... Why do you assume that I am a supporter of Farmer just because I have questioned Woodard? The fact is I have not decided yet. I have only met Farmer once. I have been to several of Woodard's meet and greets and will attend several of Farmer's as well, BEFORE I decide. My problem is that meet and greets and fundraisers don't answer the questions a lot of people have. That is why I can't figure out why Woodard wouldn't participate in debates so far. After his agreed to and then cancelled appearances at several functions, including the cancelled debate, I have serious doubts that he will appear at this one. I am more in line with "How about this at this" point. Friday, September 10, 2010 at 2:41 PM

said... I too have been wondering what is the big deal with this election. We have one every 4 years. Either way you choose in the end the winner can only enforce local, state and federal laws. Thats what the position is, Sheirff. I have lived in Wilson my whole life and never had any dealings with the Police or Sheriff. I hope that all the law enforcement supporters are still supporting our Sheriffs Office in the next few years and not just when theres an election and a time to put someone you know or think you know in an office. The Sheriffs Office has done very well so far at protecting the public and I would think that either way that will not change and in the end that is what is important to me. Friday, September 10, 2010 at 2:15 PM

How about this? said...I didn't get tickets, nor did I try to get them. I'd be almost afraid to be anywhere near Fike while it's going on. The atmosphere around Wilson where this sheriff's race is concerned is alarming to me. Why has this sheriff's race become such a big deal? I think the primary results weren't a statement that citizens were FOR Calvin Woodard as much as it was a statement that citizens were AGAINST Wayne Gay. Now it seems it's becoming another civil war. Newsflash...I don't think either Calvin or John would be my choice for sheriff of Wilson County. This election will be a choice between the lesser of two evils. Friday, September 10, 2010 at 10:04 AM

To not shocked said... If you've gone to so many meet and greets and you haven't been impressed then why keep going back? Vote for Farmer because you are obviously already supporting him. If you think Farmer can change things for the better now, when he has failed to do so over the past 12 years, then vote for him. I think he's blowing smoke up our butts and refuse to believe that he couldn't have done anything before now. He is part of the administration that has been looking after the few people that are at the top and have failed to take care of the ones from there down. Friday, September 10, 2010 at 10:03 AM

Little Feat said... I can't wait to see how Calvin Suppoters act at the debate,if it's anything like they write in this comment area it will be a chart topping comedy.Waiting with my camera in hand. Friday, September 10, 2010 at 4:36 AM

Clayton Biggsbee said... To "Just Sayin" So! Friday, September 10, 2010 at 4:32 AM

not shocked said... well, I guess I should have put getting tickets to this debate in front of my responsiblity to my family. I should be so ashamed. Apparently I am not the only one trying to get tickets but was unable. As for watching this on the City's Greenlight and TWC channel, well, I am out there as well. I have satellite. Like I said, if Calvin Woodard would have agreed to and participated in more than one debate, talk shows, etc, then I would not have lost out now would I? As for listening to him and reading the paper to hear what he says, well that hasn't impressed me none. Going to meet and greets haven't impressed me either. It's good to have a plan, but how are you going to back it up? Thursday, September 09, 2010 at 10:30 PM

Just Sayin.. said... I went to Dicks and saw a guy give a lady more than 2 tickets... Thursday, September 09, 2010 at 10:12 PM

Why so negative? said... Why are we all making constant negative comments? Why are you voting the way that you are? We should all ask ourselves this question. I personally know both individuals and see alot of good in both. I am making my decision off of this and I like alot of others, want a change for our county and voting John Farmer as Sheriff will not bring change. Do not vote on race, do not vote on unknown speculations, vote on the best candidate regardless. I vote Calvin Woodard because I know what his plans are and all of us should if you have been reading the paper or went to a meet and greet. Knowing that it will take a minute to makes these changes, I put my trust in him to stand by what he has said. John Farmer, a good guy, but not the right man for the job. This is coming from the inside/out. Read what you want, believe what you will, but know that no one know always speaks the truth. Vote Calvin Woodard, he has already won this election. If not there will be no changes! Thursday, September 09, 2010 at 9:16 PM

where is the rest said... Out of the Nine places that had tickets and the amount of tickets they got there is still 100 to 150 ticket uncounted for. Just thought I would put that out there. Wilson Times need to answer that. Thursday, September 09, 2010 at 9:13 PM

jethro tull said... It looks like October 12 will be show time. The heat will be on. Let's see what these guys look like under the lights. I think we already know. But November 2 will tell the tale. The primary is now history and this is the real thing. Rock and roll. Thursday, September 09, 2010 at 8:58 PM

kinda tough to get a ticket... said... when some of the places giving out the tickets did not follow the guidelines of waiting until 9am and only 2 per person. How sad that our area businesses (WDT included) did not have the best interest of 'all the voters' in mind and began handing out tickets early. Thursday, September 09, 2010 at 8:39 PM

daryl barber said... Jon, make sure Brian Bowman gets a video copy of the debate. he has assured me if he is provided one he will see that it is broadcast repeatedly on time warner and greenlight channel 22 the public access channel for both providers so as many county citizens as possible have access to the debate content.
Thursday, September 09, 2010 at 8:21 PM

i have two for sale said... for twenty bucks each . or maybe i will auction them off on ebay to some affluent farmer supporter. LOL i already know what Calvin stands for and i already know what wayne gays flunky stands for and dont care to hear it. Thursday, September 09, 2010 at 8:17 PM

Fantastic! said... I was up very early waiting...I wish I had been able to get tickets but not so lucky! As a family member of the WCSO I know who I am voting for and I guess I didn't need a ticket anyway...Vote for a Positive change, Vote Calvin Woodard! Thursday, September 09, 2010 at 7:51 PM

To not shocked... said... Well, you should have gotten up early like the rest of them and gotten your tickets. What are you complaining about? Nobody owes you any favors. Thursday, September 09, 2010 at 6:10 PM

question said... Will the debate tape also be made available to Brian Bowman so it can be shown on Channel 8? It would be greatly appreciated. Thursday, September 09, 2010 at 3:10 PM

Not Shocked said... Well, the only debate that Calvin has agreed to attend, so far, and I didn't get tickets. Why am I shocked. So only 900 people out of 50k+, about 30k of which can vote, get to see this. So how much is the video going to cost? Thursday, September 09, 2010 at 2:47 PM

Hmmm, I wonder said... How many Wayne got. Thursday, September 09, 2010 at 2:34 PM