HARRIS COUNTY: District 5 Commissioners Race, meet Brice Patterson
HARRIS COUNTY, Ga. (WRBL)— Harris County voters are preparing to head to the polls for local races. Two candidates are vying for the District 5 seat on the Board of Commissioners.
Brice Patterson has called Harris County home for 25 years, now he is entering his hat in the ring for his first political venture.
“I had several folks approach me about doing it. And I’m looking to end my work career here in the next couple of years,” Patterson said. “I felt like I needed an opportunity to do something in the community because this is my home in Harris County.”
Patterson owns Columbus Tape & Video that has been in operation since 1998. He has successfully navigated the video production company through nearly three decades of technological advancement and the COVID-pandemic.
Patterson is also a Battalion Chief with Columbus Fire & EMS. In 1992 he became a medic and now boasts 31 years of experience in public safety. Both lending skills he feels are important as county commissioner.
“I’ve seen some of the worst situations that people have ever been in. And so, I think with that compassion and that understanding, I think it’ll be a good asset to be able to provide for the citizens of Harris County when those situations hit Harris County,” Patterson said. “So, mitigate those crises and be able to handle them on a calm and cool manner and be able to provide that service as a commissioner.”
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Patterson is also a large advocate for the Miracle Riders, he has been riding since 2010. The group rides cross-country donating 100% of their funds to Columbus State University’s School of Nursing. Patterson is now looking to continue his passion for civic engagement and public safety as county commissioner.
“I think as the county continues to grow, it’s going to have to provide some type of permanency in that, because volunteers in the fire departments at some point have a lot of volunteers, at some point they don’t. And the one thing you don’t want to have is not enough people to respond to that house fire, or that ambulance not be able to respond because it doesn’t have personnel,” Patterson informed. “In order to guarantee those services, then we’ll have to start some type of program of consolidating our fire departments within the community and then creating a paid system at some point.”
As the county grows, Patterson says another focus of hiss will be to broaden the county’s tax base to support the management of infrastructure without, ‘upsetting the quality of life’ constituents have been experiencing.
Patterson is running against longtime commissioner Susan Andrews. Early voting for this election begins April 29, election day is May 21.
Additional Reports
March 11, 2024: Most incumbents safe in Harris County, only two contested commission seats | WRBL
April 9, 2024: HARRIS COUNTY: District 5 Commissioners Race, meet Susan Andrews | WRBL
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