Local CEO of ACHS Insurance Co., Michael Carraway, has recently announced his intent to run for the District 3 seat on the Columbia County Board of Commissioners.
With his experience on the Columbia County Planning and Zoning Commission, Carraway said he became interested in the upcoming elections as a result of his interest in improving the community.
After being asked to join the Planning and Zoning Commission by the current District 3 commissioner, Gary Richardson, Carraway said his longtime experience in various fields has made him “uniquely qualified” to possibly take over representing his district.
“Somebody has to step up and do the work of the county, and you need to have people who are committed and disciplined to the county,” he said. “I’ve been here all my life, so it’s very important to me that the county continues in the direction it has grown … I’ve been here for 50 years – this is home.”
After thinking and praying about it for a long while, Carraway said he is determined to give everything he can to fulfill the duties of Richardson’s current role, if he is chosen by the residents of Columbia County.
With a background in business, insurance, building and construction, Carraway said he will be able to apply his diverse knowledge for the benefit of District 3, although he truly desires to improve the county as a whole.
“I’ve been an investor in lots of different projects in Columbia County,” he said. “I have business and construction experience that lends itself to being a county commissioner, and I deal directly every day with contractors, so I know the kinds of things they have to deal with.”
Building his own successful business from the ground up and maintaining it for over 30 years, Carraway is also confident in his ability to create prosperous plans and see them through to the end.
“You got to be forward thinking on the infrastructure here, and I intend to be that,” he said. “You can’t be reactive to it when you have growth and you see that the infrastructure is not ready to handle it.”
While Carraway admits that some traffic blockage and slow-going construction is unavoidable, he believes certain actions can be taken to ensure project progress.
“I believe that sometimes it can be helped. We can do things a little differently, such as making sure projects are getting done more on time and preplanning for some of this development,” he said. “Not everybody has experience putting in and contracting roads and things like that, and I have done that in my career.”
Although someone could learn such things while getting used to the job, Carraway said it would not be in the best interest of the county to select one who needs more education or training in essential expansive infrastructure.
“There are times when you can hire somebody without experience and it works out ok, but in this situation, where we are at with the kind of growth we’re seeing, I don’t think it’s wise to have somebody come in and take the first year or year and a half of their career to learn all that,” he said. “I won’t have that; there won’t be a learning curve. I’ll be well versed and be able to make a difference from day one.”
An avid believer in creating solutions ahead of time to prevent problems, Carraway said he is determined to analyze and seek out the possible innovative remedies to meet the needs of an expanding local population.
“You have to have the time to commit to doing things like that, and I am in a position where I can,” he said.
A father of two and grandfather of four, Carraway is also an active member of 23 years in his and Richardson’s church, West Acres Baptist Church, and a board member for the Shield Club of Greater Augusta – an organization dedicated to helping financially support police officers, firefighter and other first responders in times of need
Carraway said he loves how Columbia County features “excellent” and collaborative leadership that propels the community forward while still preserving a quaint small town feel.
“I’m interested in the county as a whole,” he said. “I’ve lived in every district in Columbia County, and I have friends and family all throughout, so everywhere is important.”
Richardson said he is giving Carraway an enthusiastic endorsement, because he wanted to support someone he believes will steer District 3 and the county as a whole in the right direction for the future.
“I have known [Carraway] for over 25 years,” he said. “I just know him as a stand up guy … and I just know that his heart is for Columbia County.”
Characterizing Carraway as knowledgeable, hardworking and an all-around “great leader,” Richardson said he supports him “110%” and hopes the residents of the county will show the same level of encouragement during elections.
“I am going to be interested in the county as a whole, and I’m going to take people’s input and be accessible,” said Carraway. “I will give it all I have while in that role.”
