Thomaston's Colonel Brue Announces Campaign for Chairman, Board of Commissioners

Retired Colonel and Thomaston resident, Dan Brue, has announced that he will be on the Republican Primary Ballot as a candidate to be the next Chairman of the Upson County Board of Commissioners.

Brue retired from the Army in 2021 after 34+ years of service. He holds two Masters degrees. One is in Educational Leadership, and the other is in Information Technology Management. He also graduated from the US Army War College while completing an International Relations fellowship at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Brue was inducted in to the US Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame in 2019. He is currently the Assistant General Manager at The Home Depot Direct Fulfillment Center in Locust Grove.

His statement follows:

“I am asking for your support to become the next Chairman of the Upson County Board of Commissioners. I feel honored by the citizens of Upson County who have reached out and encouraged me to run. I do not think of this election as running against others; rather, I am running for the citizens of Upson County.

As Chairman, I promise to be a public servant and a transformational leader. People who know me know I have no desire to be known as a politician. Politicians are generally not leaders. I have spent my adult life leading diverse organizations both in the military and corporate America. I build teams; I solve problems, and I find efficiencies to save resources (people, time, and money---our tax dollars). People who have worked for me before generally want to work for me again. Those are qualities we should expect from leaders. My goal is to provide the right organizational leadership to establish a shared vision, set policies, manage priorities and resources, and enable our community to thrive.

I mentioned our tax dollars earlier. I want to be clear that those are our (the taxpayers’) dollars. I always want the best deal possible no matter what I am purchasing; I have worked too hard to provide for my family to be frivolous. The government should want the same whether it is purchasing goods, services, or real property. We probably all know someone who overextended themselves on a financed purchase who then was ill prepared to deal with an unexpected or emergency expense. Maybe you helped them out and hoped they learned a life lesson. Unfortunately, it seems governments never learn life lessons because they have the power to tax. As your Chairman, I will never forget whose tax dollars are being spent, and I will keep that foremost in my mind when making decisions about budgets, projects, and making Upson County a place where people want to live, work, and enjoy. And then, if something does happen to break and need repairs or replacement, we’ll be in a better position to provide options for our citizens.

Twelve years ago, while serving in Italy, I found a house in Upson County on the Internet. My wife, Dana, said, "That's our house." We researched Thomaston and found that it was once named one of the best small towns in America. We purchased our forever home just a few

months later. I truly want Thomaston and Upson County to be a thriving, welcoming community with that small-town USA feel---that is why we made it our home.

After moving to Thomaston in 2012, Dana and I opened Southern Stitches Quilt Shop. I also renovated four store fronts downtown, providing Dana a new quilt shop location and other small businesses quality retail locations at affordable prices. To me, it was about improving our community, revitalizing the downtown and providing opportunities. I am also a farmer; we raise American Dairy Goat Association registered Nigerian Dwarfs. Being a husband, a father, a grandfather (Papa), a veteran, a small business owner, a developer, and a farmer and oh, by the way, I have a full-time job----that is who I am. What I am not----is a politician. And that fact alone probably makes me more qualified to represent the people of Upson County than anything else.

Many in our community know that I am a retired Army Colonel. Some will certainly ask, “How does being a Colonel make you the perfect candidate to be our Chairman.” The short answer is being a Colonel in and of itself---doesn’t. No military rank does. However, my life experiences which allowed me to rise to the rank of Colonel---leading and caring for Soldiers and Civilians and their families at home and abroad, leading complex organizations, managing budgets exponentially larger than that of our county, planning and executing large scale operations, solving problems, and building and inspiring teams to believe and do things they thought were not possible---those things do.

I promise the citizens of Upson County that I will be available. I will be transparent. I will be who I have always been. You can learn more about me at www.brueforga.com. I humbly ask for your support, your prayers, and your vote during the upcoming Republican Primary.”