Candidate Q and A with Kennesaw City Council Post 2 Tracey Viars

The municipal elections for five of the seven cities in Cobb County are currently underway. This includes Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, Powder Springs, and Smyrna.

The Cobb County Democracy Center, in partnership with Spotlight, believes that voter engagement and informed decision-making are crucial in shaping the future of these cities. Candidates within competitive races have been asked to provide their positions on various issues to allow voters to gain insights into the candidates’ perspectives and priorities as voters make their choices in these local elections. 

COBB COUNTY DEMOCRACY CENTER: Tell voters about yourself.

TRACEY VIARS: I first moved to Kennesaw in 1996. I’ve been a parent, volunteer, committee member, 2-time City Council Member and business owner. I’m personally and professionally vested in this community and have been for many years giving of my time and effort and participating and engaging in the city for the betterment of citizens and businesses that reside here. I’m focused on being accessible and I pride myself on being a resource to our residents and business owners. I’m passionate about Kennesaw.

COBB COUNTY DEMOCRACY CENTER: Tell voters why you are the right choice for the Kennesaw City Council and why they should cast their ballots for you.

TRACEY VIARS: Experience. Dedication. Passion. Results

Our city is in the best financial position we’ve been in (possibly ever). No longer relying on TAN loans to meet our liabilities, we now have a 12-month reserve for emergencies. And that’s post-pandemic. I believe in financial responsibility and the city is on that track.

I’ve poured my heart and soul into this community for years. I’ve served on multiple committees, volunteered my time and my expertise, have worked as a liaison between citizens, businesses, the city staff and other organizations to accomplish many goals.

We’ve been successful in bringing quality of life projects like the new Rec Center, the Amphitheater (in construction now) and the Inclusive Playground during my time on the council. We’ve also paved miles of roads, added sidewalks and lighting to underserved areas, implemented pedestrian safety measures and more.

I’ve spent years building relationships and listening.

COBB COUNTY DEMOCRACY CENTER:   What experience will you bring to the role?

TRACEY VIARS: I have lots of experience with the city itself and with the citizens and businesses. I’ve been a business owner, a parent, a volunteer and have been heavily engaged. I have the relationships in place to get things done. I also have knowledge that’s needed due to my work as a commercial real estate agent, business owner, director of a local hospitality business, and previous work as a marketing consultant. I understand budgets, personnel issues, zoning, taxes, real estate, event management, Kennesaw’s ordinances, and so much more.

What’s more, I’ve served in these roles:

6-year member of the Kennesaw Downtown Development Authority (3 years as chair)

5k Director

Organized & ran the Kennesaw Farmer’s Market & Dinner at the Depot Event

Championed & Organized the First Kennesaw Beer & Wine Festival

Served as Liaison to the Smith-Gilbert Gardens

Stakeholder for the City’s Livable Center’s Initiative Update

Stakeholder for the Cherokee Street purpose-driven design standards

Served on the Amphitheater Planning Committee

Member Events Committee

Current & Active Member of the Kennesaw Downtown Merchants Association

4-year board member of the Kennesaw Business Association as Governmental Affairs Chair

COBB COUNTY DEMOCRACY CENTER: Give voters your thoughts on Ethical Leadership and why it should be a factor they consider as they elect the next Council person for this position.

TRACEY VIARS: Leaders should always model good ethics. Without that, the public loses trust in their government. Culturally as a society we have changed. People are less patient, give less grace to others and seem generally less courteous post pandemic. The spirit of ethical leadership is probably more important now than ever before as even our city races that are supposed to be non-partisan have become overcome with entities that seem to want to divide us. At the city level, we aren’t supposed to pick the red or blue team. We’re supposed to represent the Citizens of Kennesaw and not other agendas. Ethics start with having that focus at the center of what we do.

COBB COUNTY DEMOCRACY CENTER:  Other Cobb cities are actively looking at setting up ethics committees to review complaints and remedy conflicts of interest by city officials. Would you consider setting up an Ethics Committee to address unethical behavior in government?

TRACEY VIARS: We already have an Ethics Committee set up in Kennesaw. I would always be happy to err on the side of ethical considerations by having those reviews when they are deemed necessary.

COBB COUNTY DEMOCRACY CENTER: Tell voters your thoughts on Transparency in Government.

TRACEY VIARS: Like ethical leadership, I think transparency in government actions is paramount to the public’s trust in the government. Our citizen taxpayers can find our city checkbook ledger online as well as our budgets and we also publish a very comprehensive financial report. Our agendas are published online, and our software allows subscribers to be made aware when an agenda is published. We have a newsletter, publish information on water bills, have marque signs and offer 2 opportunities at every Council meeting for the public to speak. If you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear. I think as a city we are pretty transparent but I’m sure there’s always room for improvement.

COBB COUNTY DEMOCRACY CENTER:  What are your thoughts on Kennesaw’s economy?

TRACEY VIARS: Like every city, labor costs are up, cost of goods sold are up and I think it’s impacting everyone at some level. You feel it at the gas pump and the grocery store as well as everywhere else. That said, it’s not unique to Kennesaw. We were able to roll back the Mil rate by a quarter point with the 2024 budget. Hopefully, that helped folks some, but I know it’s never enough. We are unique in that senior citizens within our city limits don’t pay property taxes on their primary residence in Kennesaw so that’s a saving for some of our citizens that live on a fixed income. Our city government is in good shape and ready for emergencies as they may occur. I think our business community is healthy for the most part. We have new people looking to bring/open business here all the time and have welcomed a steady stream of new businesses over the last few years. 

COBB COUNTY DEMOCRACY CENTER: Share with voters your views on Kennesaw’s infrastructure. 

TRACEY VIARS: Kennesaw is unique in that we have been a cut-thru town since we were first formed. Starting as a cut-thru and fuel stop for the railroad, we continue to experience a great amount of cut-thru traffic due to our location between Cobb Parkway/Hwy 41 and 75. It’s a blessing and a curse. Most of our traffic takes place in the morning commute (mostly headed south) and in the afternoon commute (mostly headed north). Unfortunately, most of those travelers don’t stop here but cut-thru to get from home to work and back. We don’t have the miles of Main Street parallel to the tracks like many other communities near us have and so that puts us at a disadvantage. Kennesaw was a shanty town. Our roots are in working class people. We don’t have the late 1800s retail structures or grid system that some cities have in place that make transportation easier to manage. That said, outside of the rush hour, our infrastructure is pretty adequate most of the time. We have people living downtown now so that they can enjoy getting out by walking without moving their cars. We have road improvements planned via Cherokee Street and the bypass that is a SPLOST project coming in the future that will allow commuter traffic to bypass downtown. It’s never soon enough but we do have future plans.

COBB COUNTY DEMOCRACY CENTER: Share your thoughts on Diversity and Inclusion and why it is important in Kennesaw. 

TRACEY VIARS: Diversity and Inclusion is important everywhere. Again, not unique to Kennesaw. I can tell you through my work at a local hospitality business that people from all walks of life come from all over Kennesaw, Cobb County, Acworth, Woodstock, Powder Springs, Marietta and from around the state to enjoy what we have in Kennesaw. I get an up close and personal glimpse of this, and I’ve never had anybody tell me they didn’t feel welcome in Kennesaw. Through our business offerings and events in the city, I like to think we offer something for everyone here and I’m bullish on providing more offerings because we don’t have the existing retail structure that other cities have had for decades. That’s why I’ve worked hard with Park and Rec, the Kennesaw Downtown Merchants Association and other outside organizations to make the most of our little city with a BIG life!

COBB COUNTY DEMOCRACY CENTER: What are your thoughts on Kennesaw’s Public Safety? 

TRACEY VIARS: Being a Council Member since 2018, I’ve gotten to know many of our officers. They have their hearts in our community, and they care for and about our citizens and our business owners. I feel safe in Kennesaw, and I hope everybody does. Statistically, we are a very safe city. I am working on pedestrian safety as I feel that’s an area we could improve.

COBB COUNTY DEMOCRACY CENTER: Please provide a closing statement. 

TRACEY VIARS: I have the experience, the passion, the knowledge and can show the results from my 6 years on council to prove that I am the right person for the job, right now. I hope to continue to do the work I’ve been doing for years to keep Kennesaw on the right track!