Ep. 95 : Host Dr. Ryan Sauers interviews guest: Gwinnett Commissioner Jasper Watkins III

Dr. Ryan Sauers hosts the Community Connections show. It brings you positive stories and encouraging news from top leaders and great human beings in various sectors of communities nationwide, along with super insights and timely discussions.

Listen to episode 95 of the Community Connections Podcast, featuring exceptional guest Gwinnett County Commissioner Jasper Watkins III. This episode is encouraging and insightful, sharing life and community lessons.. as well as wisdom from all sectors...from Jasper that we can all be inspired by and learn from.

He is also an outstanding businessperson, leader, husband, and father.

 *****Also, you can watch the TV/video show of this at-> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYXd9G2kMm4&feature=youtu.be

***For more info on Commissioner Jasper Watkins visit -> https://www.watkins3for3.com/

For more information about future show guests or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Ryan@ryansauers.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hello again, everyone. It is time for another episode of the Community Connection Show. The show that brings you positive stories and encouraging news as we interview top leaders in every sector of the community. And now, here is your host, national speaker and best selling author, Ryan Sowers.

SPEAKER_03 0:28

Hello again, everybody, and welcome to another community connection show with Ryan Sowers. I'm super excited to have my friend and colleague, Commissioner Jasper Watkins with us today. Commissioner Jasper, how are you doing, my friend?

SPEAKER_01 0:40

Uh all right, all right, Ryan, how are you doing today, my friend?

SPEAKER_03 0:42

I'm doing good. I'm doing good. And you and I have known each other long enough to know. I won't even mention technology because that's this is like foregone conclusion. But you know, in the state, you know, I was asking you a little bit before we went on air, and I kind of want to uh jump into voting in general and some things like that down the road. So don't let me forget that question. But for people who don't know you, and your background is an impressive one, you want to take a minute and remind people your background?

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Why, sure, and and I appreciate it. Thank you for having me on. Yeah, absolutely. Um, you know, I'm I'm when people say a simple guy, I can say primarily I am my parents um basically uh had you know and my sister were outside, raised outside the United States. My dad was in the military. So we were raised um five and a half years in Germany and five and a half years in Japan, and in between that back and forth um from overseas. So my first taste of basically the United States and our system came in 1975 when my father moved us back to the United States. And I think my first taste of civil obedience was my voting for the first time, um, turning 18 in 1976. Um, when I guess that was the the Carter election.

SPEAKER_02 2:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:09

And and being a part of that. Um, and then I went to by I had an opportunity to go to West Point. Um, and instead I picked pharmacy school at Florida AM University. Now that upset my father quite a bit. Um, but he eventually got over when I became a lieutenant colonel, and he was like, Okay, so you did the same thing. Yeah, he just did it a different way.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

And so I did 25 years in the military with my kids and my wife, and um, you know, got out, uh, worked um several years as the director of pharmacy in Florida, and then um got my pharmacy legs back here at the um VA pharmacy center doing hematology oncology, and decided it's time for me to have my own business. Um hey, I was lucky to retire at 47 military.

SPEAKER_02 3:03

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

So I had I had time and um started my own business and then you know went from there with consulting and this thing of helping other people. I think that's always been my calling, is helping other people and overlooking um those barriers that we think make us different, but we're actually more alike than we care to believe.

SPEAKER_03 3:27

You know, um, I'm just gonna throw something out there. I was telling some students I was teaching the other day, you know, this word unite and and untie are the same letters, but we we focus so much more on what unties us than what unites us. And I know from knowing you well, your focus series on the first one. You know, what what unites us?

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Oh, definitely, definitely. I every time I go out, I try to take a negative of what someone doesn't like, and I try to turn it into a helping positive saying, if you had an opportunity, how would you do it? And if you were telling me, how would you suggest that I do it? And you know, I it diffuses so many conversations that I have because now it's like, oh, you're really asking me? You're the elected official. I'm like, no, you elected me. Exactly. I'm I'm even if you didn't vote for me, you voted. So you elected someone for the position. And that means that I'm accountable to you and to every other constituent in district three. So yes, your voice does matter, and you asking me this question matters, but let me flip it back. If you had an opportunity to be king or queen for a day, what would you do differently? And I try not to debunk them by saying, Oh, you don't have the budget, oh, you don't have the people, or you're I said, you know what? Let me let me let me cook that a bit, let me let it simmer, and and I'll get back with you. They appreciate that.

SPEAKER_03 5:02

I do. You know, when you throw it on its head, I caught like what if, as if thinking, blank sheet of paper, what would you do? And most people, they don't they don't have an answer. And I said, Well, I mean, what would you do? And so your pharmacy background, I've always been impressed with your military background, and I remember that was uh, you know, we don't want to spend because you know now we're four years, but that was a huge thing. Well, I remember you saying uh your pharmacy background as you for you guys were first elected, and uh right during COVID.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

Yes, and I tell you, being a part of this team that that I'm on today and having that experience that I had um in the military and also in Florida, you gotta remember I was during the H1N1.

SPEAKER_02 5:43

Oh, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 5:44

You know, I was part of that in Florida, making sure that the Floridians, you know, received their Tamil flu. I mean, we had a big we had a big epidemic on that. And, you know, I took everything I did from that and what I had learned from working with SARS in the military and brought that to Gwinnett County and made sure that our chairwoman and our other board of commissioners were aware of some of the things that are pertinent to what we're doing. And I think that like grew into the immunization center that we bought when we got the O'Sears building at Gwinnett Place Mall. And we set up the first ever immunization station. And believe it or not, Ryan, I was there the first two days.

SPEAKER_03 6:31

Is that right?

SPEAKER_01 6:31

And the first day out there, you knew I was gonna get it. That's just such a stupid idea. Who's involved in this? Who charges this? Who did this? And I walked around the corner. Um, I am. Oh, well, I want you to know that, yes, I think this was done well. Oh, okay. Well, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 6:51

Right. Changes your tune when you see the person, right?

SPEAKER_01 6:55

A six-foot coming to you. No, I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_03 6:58

No, no, no, but uh, you know when I for you know, when you said that, and I mean you and I have been around a while, uh, H1N1, you know, going back in my memory bank, yes, SARS, yes. So, you know, what you're saying is your hit your history and your your learning experiences all helped you in a time that you some of you guys came in and were, I guess was it 2020? Um everywhere in masks and trying to communicate, uh, figure out how to do business.

SPEAKER_01 7:23

It was it was crazy. I mean, you have to think about it, right? We we did something that no one has ever done before, and that is we ran a county with a budget over a billion dollars behind plexiglass and masks. And I'm telling you, the resilience, resiliency of our constituents, Wenetians were the best. I think we did, we were the we I uh we were paramount in what I feel and what the country needed to emulate and model because everything about what we did followed science but followed common sense as well. So we had a blend of both. We didn't discount anything, and you had so many different, you had so many different groups and organizations that were willing to assist. And we getting those that for those federal dollars made sure that we provided that to those to those individual um nonprofits and other organizational groups, and I think that's very important because Ryan, we didn't give no money back. We gave no money back to used every last bit of it, and and we did it all for the right reason.

SPEAKER_03 8:38

Yeah, you know, you you know, you and I've talked over the years about teamwork and you know, the um, you know, bringing people together, but it it it was tough. I mean, you know, we go back four years in time when you were wearing a mask and you can't even see somebody's face, much less leading a group of you know, a bunch of people that are trying to work together in an unprecedented situation. Because it's easy now, four years later, to say, well, you know, that was this or that. Well, that's great. Hindsight's 2020, but it was a bunch of unknowns, and you know, the leadership was was outstanding, which I would I would guess that that led your your your uh uh appears to even develop a stronger early relationship.

SPEAKER_01 9:14

Yes, it did, because it was one of those where you couldn't you could hear about it, but you couldn't actually physically see it. But you know what, though, right? I have to take our hats off to our Gwinnett County employees. They were, I mean, phenomenal. The the the over and beyond you you can't compare the over and beyond that our employees showed to our constituents was was far from just monumental. I mean, I I I couldn't even get get enough adjectives to to say those folks did more, Ryan, for Gwenitians than I've ever seen. I mean, it was almost like we were in battle mode. You know, they were there. Our let me tell you, Gwinnett County employees are battle tested. So bring on another COVID. We're ready. Yeah, we know how to do this.

SPEAKER_03 10:12

And you know, what's Jasper? What's the population now of overall Gwinnett?

SPEAKER_01 10:16

I mean, I know it's over what 1.1 mil now.

SPEAKER_03 10:19

I mean, that's is that the biggest, it's almost the biggest county in Georgia.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Well, it depends on who you talk to, Ryan. And what time of the day. Right, right, right. Okay, that's a lot of people. They'll say, you know what, they'll say Fulton, but you know, I I do believe it's Gwynette. But when you look at our districts, Ryan, district three, yeah, sizably, is if it was a city, it would be the second largest city behind Atlanta.

SPEAKER_03 10:45

Yeah, let's talk about that. So how roughly big? You'll know that that's district three, because I don't even know that.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

Oh, yeah, we have almost about 280,000 or more um people. You know, we stretch from DeCula to Lawrenceville to Loganville, to Grayson, to Snellville, and then parts of um um Centerville. So we have and we cover that whole spot, that swatch of the of the of the east side, north and southeast side of Gwinnett. And we're that more rural side of Gwynette. So when you look at our statistics and everything, Ryan, we're more, you know, we're more that rural as more than suburban, you know. Sure.

SPEAKER_03 11:29

Yeah, yeah. I was just you know, stinking, that's just you know, uh something. And I and I I tell you what, I I kind of want to pivot to this. It's so important right now, uh Jasper. When and we you know I've touched about it before, but what what do you say right now to the person? You know, we're talking about early voting and you know, election day and local, and you know, it's so important in our backyard, but they get so caught up in talking about Donald Trump and Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. And I mean, I get it, but I mean, what are you saying to your local voters or the people say I'm just fed up with it all? I'm you know, I'm not going to the poll.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

What I do is I try to show them how their vote does matter. And I give them small vignettes. You know, I'll say, hey, okay, say for instance, we were gonna take four more dollars, no, excuse me, four more cents from your taxes because we wanted to make our stop signs now purple. Well, if you voted, you could actually tell me, no, I don't want my tax dollars used that way. What if you didn't vote? You don't have a voice, right? And I can find out if you voted or not. It's on the road. So your vote is your voice, your voice is your vote. They go hand in hand. And and you just can't expect someone to take you seriously if you didn't take your own piece of your what goes on in your life seriously. And and I I relay that to them.

SPEAKER_03 13:06

Yeah, you know, I mean, I I guess I'm trying to get my mind around. I keep hearing this too, Jasper. You're right. I'm gonna sit this one out. Well, what does that actually accomplish? Again, just have a negative minus for you doing nothing. I mean, I'm just I don't I don't know what that actually means because I don't know what that if everybody's that's their philosophy.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

You know, it's it's you know, I think it's you know you've heard that term uh tossed around now, Ryan, called low information voters. You know, they always put a label on on people that just don't want to pay attention. But, you know, I I I again I get into my vignettes whereby I said, I may not have liked some of the ideas that President Reagan had or President Bush had, but I was a I was a soldier in the in the United States Army, and they were commander-in-chief. And if they said you go and attack that hill, I had faith in my commanders that they would develop plans that would make it safe for me and my soldiers. Well, I pivot that to our our great county. We're given in budget, we take money from areas and from people, and now they're counting on us to be good stewards. And they hold us accountable. But Ryan, if you don't vote, how can you hold me accountable? You can't hold me accountable if you have not fulfilled your civic duty. And and I and I tell people like that. I said, if you want to keep me in check, vote. You know, if you want me to be a loose canon, then just sit back and complain because social media doesn't vote. The people vote, you know?

SPEAKER_03 14:53

No, and I and I love what you're saying because you've been you've you you've when you say uh just put your your guy puts politics aside. I mean, what I mean is you use Reagan or or W. Bush. I mean, you're putting your life on the line. I mean, it's not like you know, I you know, I I don't really degree with that policy. You know, or I'm sure when you were uh in Florida, you were working across with all parties and all people.

SPEAKER_01 15:18

Oh yes, oh yes. I I had I worked closely with um uh uh Governor Scott, um, very close with him as his chief pharmacist. So I mean, when you get into the boardroom, you go up to the C-suite, you just need to make sure that you have the people who put you there, keep them in mind because they have you there for a week. That's what Charlie Chris, Governor Chris, told me that. He said, you know, you may be from a different party than me, Mr. Watkins, but the people of Florida are counting on you to make sure that their drugs are being delivered safe.

SPEAKER_03 15:57

And you know, here whenever the ones with this show comes out, I hope every community, District 3, Gwennad, but every community watching remembers that. I mean, it it's we're so we get so caught up in DNR or independent or libertarian or blue, green, purple that we forget our flesh and blood and humanity.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

Oh, yes, and and it's it's so easy because we get caught up in what's happening in Washington. And let me tell you, I was in Washington when a lot of this stuff happened. And and I remind people, I remind people of the time when I was in Washington and they had the sniper. I remind people when I was in Washington and they had 9-11. I mean, I said the way we live life is situational, it's situation after situation after situation after situation, and you have to control how you act within those situations and and who follows you and how you want to be followed, and how you want to lead. Everybody's a leader, irregardless of what you think. Everybody is a leader, but it's just how you portray that. How forward do you go with that? And sometimes you just have to bring that out of people and get them to see it's not a red, it's not a blue thing, it's a purple thing. It's the everybody thing. Because as they say, when the aliens come down from the spaceships, you're earthling.

SPEAKER_03 17:25

I I mean, and and that's that that's where I I just think you know, I've enjoyed our our friendship over the years. It's just if people would just take a step back, they always yeah, I've told you before, every time I write an article, whatever people I know why you said that. You know what reason I said that might have been because of somewhere I traveled uh recently or or something. It has nothing to do, but people want to put you in a box. And I I think, Jasper, I think it's important locally in particular. People are, I'm just gonna say it, people get real brave on their phone and keyboard warriors, you know, to write this stuff. But but you got to actually do something. Like you said, everybody I would say leaders got to lead.

SPEAKER_01 18:02

They do, they do, and Ryan, you can attest to this. Even when I lost in 16, I never said anything negative about my opponent. Yeah, when I ran in 2020, I didn't say anything negative about my opponents with an S. When I ran this primary, I didn't say anything about my opponent that was derogatory. Now, I can't say that that was what was back to me because they did, and that's okay. Because in this world, I found out something, Ryan. Two wrongs do not make a right at all. At some point, somebody has to say, whatever. That's just because if I if I acknowledge it, then I'm giving you power.

SPEAKER_03 18:51

You know, uh, I was I was listening to a previous show I did with a uh business owner, you know, been around the block, and he was just saying, you know, there's a that big thing in life called wisdom and experience. And if we haven't learned from it, to use it because you're right, Jasper. You know, it no matter when something I face this, people say something, the easy thing to do is just to fire back. Takes a lot more, takes a lot more restraint, you know, your your pharmacy and your military days and all your experience to say, I'm not going there. Here's what I'm focused on.

SPEAKER_01 19:20

Yeah, people are looking for you, they look at your character, you look, they look at your integrity, they look at your ethos. And and as a pharmacy, as a pharmacist, there's a lot on my shoulder with it because I see you at your worst. You know, I'm the last person you need to come to after everything has been, you've been poked, prodded, everything about you. And then you come to me, and the last thing you want to hear from me is, I don't have your drug.

SPEAKER_02 19:51

Right.

SPEAKER_01 19:52

That's true, that's true. I don't so I I look at it in the context of there's been a lot put on me by society in the field that I pick, and that is they're looking for me to be trustworthy. That's it. Am I trustworthy? Am I a man of my word? And I can say I would rather shake your hand and look in your eye than write something on a piece of paper.

SPEAKER_03 20:21

I love that. You know, you know what it's true. I want to echo 16. We knew each other. It was the same Jasper, 20, same Jasper, 2024. And you know what I'm thinking too? My youngest daughter, I was telling you about playing, she just had to have a uh uh a knee surgery. So so uh we had to get her the medicines. Well, you know what? You probably don't want when someone's in pain is you don't answer the phone, you get it wrong, you fill the wrong prescription. That's a I'm thinking as you're talking, you you screw that job up. Um, you got a real problem. You screw the military up believing people, you got a real problem.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

Yes, you do. And I treat every case, everything that I do in Gwinnett County, Ryan, I treat it like a prescription. I look for all the rights that are in what I'm doing. Because when I finally fill it and in this context make the decision, I can't take it back. It's out there, it's done. You know, it's done. So I have to make sure that whatever I have done to prepare myself for that piece, that I've done the research, I've asked the right people, I've brought in the right experts, so and I have the right name so that when I do fill this prescription and hand it to you, it is the right drug or the right choice based on the evidence that I had before me. Now, will I get it right all the time? You don't have a choice as a pharmacist, there's no getting it wrong. Just like as a pilot, you don't have a choice of well, I won't do this landing good this time. I'll I'll do it next time.

SPEAKER_03 21:58

Try to get it better next. No. No, but it's true. I mean, you know, as I sit there, and every time we get a chance to talk, I think of your unique background, experience, and wisdom. I mean, honestly, I mean, when you just take the stuff you've done over your career before, even now, there's not a lot of room for error. I mean, you know, and where you've spent your career, meaning you've got to, I'm thinking from your point of view, you've got to carefully, like you said, calculate on the best of your ability what's in front of you and make the best decision for all.

SPEAKER_01 22:26

Oh, yeah. I mean, when I would give doses of radioactive isotopes to the patients, I mean, I it wasn't no gray area. I mean, I had to understand their kilogram weight, their condition, um, how they how they process their food, how they process their their medication. And I had to make sure that all of that coincides with the radioactive drug that I'm injecting in them. So you don't get a second chance to do that. It's the last thing you want the joke on the radio pharmacist was the last thing you want to hear in a radio pharmacy is uh-oh.

SPEAKER_03 23:05

It's true, man. I mean, yeah, you know, and and you know, but the thing is, use that. You've you've had your own business, you've been in the uh military service, you know, you know, worked with different, you know, leaders and parties. You you've you've moved, you lived all over the world. Uh you've you've you you know you you lived in different states, you've had leadership positions, and then you've you you know you got elected into one of the craziest moments of elected officials we'll probably see in our lifetime, and then and you know, and then uh have fought forward, and it's just you know, this you know, well you don't have to do this. I mean, you don't have to do this, you know, you could say, I don't want to do it, but you tell us why you want to do this. I mean, you know, you you take a lot of shots, but you but you do it because of what?

SPEAKER_01 23:51

You know what? I do it for the people. I said to myself, if I can serve my country 25 years, if I can serve the state of Florida where my parents are from for five years, and I moved to Georgia to Gwynette County, then because of I'm a servant leader, then you know what? It's the only that's my evolution. I have to serve where I live. I I I'm compelled. You know, it it's something about servitude that pushes me forward. Because see, everybody can't be a leader. You gotta understand when that incident happened over in the county next to us, and that individual went on that rampage and did that horrible thing that he did. First thing I was thinking about was the safety of our schools, of our kids. And I was on the phone with our chief of police being reassured that that foolishness that was going around on TikTok about oh, Gwynette's gonna get shot up on Monday, that that would get squashed. They found those knuckleheads, it was okay. But the point was I was leaning forward in a foxhole because Ryan is my watch. I can't I can't point to anyone else if something were to happen to one of our children. It's on my watch, even though it was at their school, it's my watch. And I take that seriously.

SPEAKER_03 25:21

You know, I love to hear that because um I was traveling when that went down, and you know, that's that's you know, I'm gonna get into specifics because I don't want to give any more people ideas in today's world with with the social media, but you know, we know what we're talking about, and um, and that's what that's what people want to hear. I mean, you know, you know, it's 20 minutes from here. What are we doing about it? And I love what you're saying. You you were already looking at, you know, what's real, what's not, what do we got our hand on?

SPEAKER_01 25:47

Yeah, man, we let me tell you, we we're prepared. We have in all of our precincts, we have behavioral health units that have two professionals, one law enforcement and the other one is clinician, and they're out and about. And guess what, Ryan? They're connected to the school counselors. So we're connected. The county is connected. I mean, when we hear little Johnny saying he wants to do something crazy, and it's in precinct six, our folks are on it, they're talking to little Johnny. Our schools are ready, our principals are uh intact. I mean, we don't have a second chance to get it right, right? We have to do it right the first time. And and we take it very seriously, and some people, oh, you're going against my rights, you're going against my this. No, you know what? So what? You're still gonna do it because that's that's what brings me, right? That's what makes me want to do it is that we have good people in our service industry here in Gwinnett County. We have the best law enforcement, the best EMS, the best teachers. I mean, and when you're the best of the best, you fall hard. So you gotta make sure you keep them up with training, with salaries, with opportunities. Keep those things flowing into your service people, and what they do, it energizes them. It's like they're they're pie pie, they're they're spinach. You know, I I know I dated myself.

SPEAKER_03 27:18

No, I doubt you I fell. But those things are that means you that means you've been in the gym, folks. Wait, I got it. I was enjoying that. I got it.

SPEAKER_01 27:28

But it just it just says that you know Winnett County, we have a number of servant leaders. You're a servant leader. Look at what you do for this county. I mean, knowing you as long, I mean, we started first talking like in 2015. I know when I was reading your thing, and it's like, wow, you you impressed me with this is what you're doing for our county, and people actually pay attention.

SPEAKER_02 27:54

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 27:54

And I didn't think they would. And wow, it's like it it did something in me, it sparked something in me that says, I'm not gonna give up on my county, I'm not gonna just be a resident, you know, and just use the byways and the highways. I want to be a part of what makes this county great. And that's people like yourself and others who get out there every day, you put yourself on the line, you put your families on the line, and you do the right thing. You get it out to people, and that is nothing short of just being a hero for me.

SPEAKER_03 28:31

Well, thank you, Jasper. That means a lot. And you know, and and that's where I think I would say, first for me, you and I have this loyalty. And it doesn't mean if we go down a boat up, you and I go to the voting precinct, we're gonna agree on every who cares. I mean, don't we have a lot more in common than we and that's that's not a message just for uh Gwenette or uh District 3? That's a message for America. I mean, it's like, can't we agree to disagree? Was it disagree to disagree agreeably at times?

SPEAKER_01 29:01

I I don't know. It's you know, having been to several disasters, and the latest one I went to is I went to Lahuna Fires in Maui and saw the devastation that was there. And I said to myself, how could I prevent this from happening in Gwinnett County if a tornado came or if a fire occurred? How could I help prevent this in Gwinnett County? Well, we have the MRC, we have organizations within Gwinnett County that are leaning forward in the foxhole to assist our emergency preparedness folks to basically evacuate and aid Gwenitians. Most Gwenitians don't even know that. But it's there and they train and they love it. We have more volunteerism in Gwinnett County than anywhere else in the Southeast. Let me tell you, the supplement that we have with our great volunteers that helps our budget, you just would not believe it. It it is just phenomenal. It's just, it makes you, Ryan, it makes you want to lead here.

SPEAKER_03 30:06

Well, you know, uh Jasper, honestly, I have over whatever, 18, 20 years, just seen so many amazing things, stories, ideas, organizations, whatever, that are doing all these things. And I guess, you know, sometimes you get a front row to it, but honestly, it's just not that's been my it's not covered a whole lot because it's a lot easier to talk about what's not right.

SPEAKER_01 30:31

It is, it is. I mean, and sometimes what I do when I find that person that wants to talk about that's not right, you know what I suggested to them? I said, you know what? You know what you should read? You should read the Federalist Papers. They're like, I'm like, you don't, you don't know, you're you're a patriot, right? Yeah, and you need to read the Federalist papers. What was that? Well, I said, well, let me give you in a nutshell. It was it was put out basically by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay. And it was to preserve our democracy. I said it was to preserve the union, it was to reconcile our differences, and it was to promote common welfare. I said, isn't that what the United States is about? Isn't that what Gwinnett County is about? Preserving our county, reconciling our differences, and then promoting the common welfare of everyone in Gwinnett County. That's the federalist, that is what we were founded. You know, 1778, that was what it was. Oh, you're you're kind of too smart for that. I'm right. No, I'm just telling you, there are documents out there that show you the fundamentals of who we are, why we are, and why we should go forward.

SPEAKER_03 31:58

You know, and I think so many people, I guess, you know, it's my my thought, so many people get caught up on one issue of one party, of one thing, and and they don't look at everything. So you're trained as a pharmacist. I mean, every ingredient, everything in a military thing has to work seamlessly. Yes. And and and you know, if you just get caught up and go, well, here's the one thing I'm passionate about, and I don't like all the other stuff. That that nothing in life is I mean, nothing in life's a hundred zero. I mean, no relationship, no, and and that's I know I'm getting a little passionate, but I'm tired of hearing about people just saying, I didn't know where I mean, well, then you know, there's a thing called the internet.

SPEAKER_01 32:38

Right. Really, and and and it's it's it's it's an excuse I think that people use a lot. And and I think more and more we, you know, people like yourself who who have what you do, um myself out there talking to constituents and others that are there, you need to start reminding people of their civic duty. 100%. We just we just have to.

SPEAKER_03 33:08

So tell people going into I guess I guess I'm getting lost on dates, but we'll get it. We got November 5th, is that's right, isn't it? Yeah, about seven and a half weeks. I get early voting starting to begin. But you know, if you're giving kind of people as a walk away, they don't really know what the heck's going on, they don't know about district three. You got a lot of people moved here. Uh preface this by saying just by teaching some classes, I'm teaching 20% of our population, Gen Z, who are the ones that wouldn't understand our Popeye joke. Um they didn't vote that they didn't vote last time, they did not vote this time. And so look, you know, let's kind of capture the essence of I've tried to do a little bit of Jasper and you know, why we want people to come out and and and what you want them to hear so they're not just lumping everybody together, right? And and thinking through what they're trying to do.

SPEAKER_01 33:59

You know, I I'm having I had two town halls, one was on fentanyl. That was excellent. And then my second one was on suffering and silence, it's mental health, another excellent and thing. And I'm gonna have a third one coming up where I'm gonna invite our youth to come in and we're gonna talk about the the barriers and the parallels that they face with mental health and drugs. I want to bring them all together because my last one I wanted to be recovered. We have a problem in Gornette County. It is a drug call sentence, it is overdose. We do have a mental health crisis. This is something with a million people, you're gonna have. So I I invite people to need to start coming to our our town halls and stuff and listening to what their elected officials are saying. Um, I have two town halls coming up, one on the 23rd of um September in Dekula, and the other one's on the 30th in Snellville. And they will go over everything about district three. But I also will put it on social media. I would put it out on my newsletter and I put it out through other mediums because I want people to know if you don't know about what's going on in your district, if you don't know about what's going on in your county, then then what what what are you doing? And with the young people, I want them to know there's money available, there's entrepreneurship opportunities out there, there are residencies, they're apprenticeships, there are things out there that if you show interest in, business will show interest, and then we can collaborate at that level. But we need to stop this sitting on the sidelines Monday morning quarterbacking. And you know, I've I've already got enough of that with my cowboys losing. That's all I'm gonna say.

SPEAKER_03 36:00

Yeah, I saw that. Oh, come on, come on, we'll stop with that.

SPEAKER_02 36:04

We need the other one.

SPEAKER_03 36:05

That surprised me. I was we won't say the date we're recording, but we got a big game tonight for my team. We'll see who shows up, okay? But yeah, no, it it's uh and I think uh Jasper, because we kind of come to an end, you know, you're you're you're a uh strong leader family man. Uh I remember the last time we got together. What was the thing? You know, you gotta like more things on Facebook. You know, there's a lot of I'm kidding. Yeah, remember what you were, you know what? At the end of the day, I want to give the the endorsement of it. It's it's you know, anything in life, if you're not authentic, if you're not a servant leader, people can see through that. And I want to say what I've seen to you is consistency. You know, in 16, like we talked about, well, the chips didn't fall your way. 20, they did 20, but but you've led consistently, authentically, and uh ethically. And I've never seen you in a minute in any place, in person, online, and interviews where you've not been consistent in yourself. And that is what I love. Because you know what? I could see what you did in the military or pharmacy. I'll I'll I'll follow a guy like that because I need my I need my leader not to be perfect, I need my leader to stand for something.

SPEAKER_01 37:13

Oh, yeah. Well, you know, the the talk now is I don't show up. I'm like, okay. I mean, if you gotta pick something, I don't show up. But yet, if you go on Facebook posts and everything, I'm at church every Sunday, two or three churches every Sunday. I'm at everybody's event, I'm out there where the people are. Um, I may not be where most people want me to be, but I'm places where I need to be. Yep. And that's what matters to me, is where I need to be.

SPEAKER_03 37:43

Well, and I'll just say, you know, you know, like you were saying, I get invited to a lot of things. It it's impossible to be everywhere at every time and whatever. And it doesn't mean you don't appreciate it. It's just right, you you know, you you still, unless you got a way to get around it, I haven't figured it out. 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That's all we got.

SPEAKER_01 38:01

That's it. And and you get a call, you get a call and a text all 24 hours. You should do always, you know, and and but you know what, though, that's that Ryan, that's my high man. I love it. You know, give me more, you know. I love it.

SPEAKER_03 38:15

No, I I I can see it. And and I think as we kind of come to a close, I think it's important for me to just because this is what's going through my mind. Yes, we we've got the federal and you've got state and you've got local, whatever. We all live in the local, wherever we live. And now, you know, we're talking about district three and gwynette. But if all we're gonna do is just take up the the main headlines and just look at that as everything from Washington down is that's what it is. That that am I independent thinking, and I'm a pretty educated guy myself, that that's not you're not you're not thinking independently.

SPEAKER_01 38:48

No, no, what you're doing is you're you're following the suggestion of someone else. Yes, you know, and I tell people all the time that um voting is not a right, it's actually a responsibility. You have to stay engaged after election day, not just electing someone, but you have to stay involved after election day, and you have to follow the actions of us elected officials, and then you have to hold us accountable. But when I ask you, did you vote? and you say no, then I say next. Yeah, that's right. I I just can't, I'm sorry. You didn't take the time. So you want me to do what now? Well, I have a right. Well, you did, but now you gave that up when you felt that you needed to sit it out.

SPEAKER_03 39:45

Well, you know, you use the Dallas Cowboys, you know, it'd be like the Dallas Cowboys saying, you know, uh, no, I'm serious, I'm trying to give you a good example, it's not polit politics. I'll use the Falcons. I'll use the Falcons. You know, if if the guy wants to complain, our fan noise isn't loud enough. And they're watching on TV. Fan noise, why it's terrible. Pittsburgh's loud, but you don't ever go to a game and you don't ever make a deal. So I mean, you're mad because you're not there and it's yeah, I mean, that's that's an analogy. I mean, you know, you're complaining about it, you don't like it, but you don't go. You don't go, no, you don't go. And so if someone doesn't like the whole world of politics, I'm giving you sports. Sports is something most people can agree on. Like, well, you if all you say I'm never going there, well, then what do you have to complain about that is too loud with the the opposing team? Because you're not there to help the noise.

SPEAKER_01 40:31

You know, now I I don't don't don't get me wrong. I am 100% for the welfare of every Gwenitian. Sure. I may be a little facetious when I say you didn't vote, okay. I'm not gonna listen to you. No, I'm gonna listen to you, but I'm gonna remind you of the civic duty that you had so that when you come out and telling me what I need to do, I'm gonna push back a bit and say no, what you should have done. Okay, now we can talk. And from this point on, from this point forward, ma'am or sir, here's what I need you to do for Gwinnett County.

SPEAKER_03 41:10

No, and and and 100%, you know, it's showing up and uh what's it called, showing up and showing out. And um, but you're you know, you're commissioner uh district three for for all for all of that, you know, for all pieces. And um, like I said, you know, to me, and that's what uh my doctorate leadership was in. I've so that's you like your pharmacy days. I've studied more on leadership any human should have to, but I look for that consistency, the integrity, um uh make the best overall decision. And and uh uh, you know, like I said, you you when you show that over what we're now talking about nine years of what I've seen, you know, I'm impressed, you know, and and yeah, I just want to say that and uh want to have a chance to talk to you, you know, going into uh these elections. But yeah, you know, people need to get out, uh, need to think independently, um, do their homework. And and you know, I'm just saying it's not just look at what somebody posted on Facebook. Correct. Because, you know, you know this in pharmacy, but you gotta go to the primary deep. Where's the data? Not just, yeah, oh, my buddy posted. Well, I mean, okay, I could say the sky just turned red, but that doesn't mean it's right.

SPEAKER_01 42:17

No, no. I had a gentleman the other day said, you know, he called me up, you know what? Your signs are not nowhere. I don't see your signs nowhere. I don't see your signs. I said, Sir, signs don't win elections. Come to my town hall, talk to me. Let's have a discussion, not talk about the signs you've not seen. No, I mean, let's have a discussion, really.

SPEAKER_03 42:38

Yeah, I I I you know, I I won't even get up 100%. It's the real deep stuff that matters. It's the real steep deep deep stuff that matters. But anything, uh, Jasper, I didn't really talk about here that you want to say as we kind of come to a close.

SPEAKER_01 42:51

You know, I I just want to say, first of all, thank you for what you do for our community. I I I really can't thank you enough. You know, more people than you imagine read your your your your your periodicals. I I do.

unknown 43:08

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 43:09

I for one I do, and I know that I take that around with me when I go places and I use it as a guide of finding out new things about the community that I may not have known. And I think that's that is so it's it's what a society like ours needs. And I just want people to know that you know, if you don't do anything, anything, please research your topics, get out and vote. A person asked me, Oh, I'm afraid that our integrity and everything is gonna be and all us. Let me tell you something, that foolishness is not happening in that county. That's not happening, and we're not letting it come into Winnett County. No, we're not, we're not, we're not going there, just not doing that.

SPEAKER_03 43:57

No one has time for that stuff.

SPEAKER_01 43:58

No, we don't. We're a vibrant community and and and we're gonna stay that way.

SPEAKER_03 44:05

100%. Well, um, as always, my friend, we could do this for hours. We gotta we're gonna we gotta do it and um keep keep the dialogue going. But yes, we'll be getting we'll be getting this show out, and folks, um, I'm gonna kind of close this out here, uh Jasper. Okay, got Commissioner Jasper Watkins with us of Gwinnett County, one one of the biggest counties. Wow, I mean, 1.1, 1.2, who knows? First, second biggest Georgia, but then Keith Commissioner District 3, probably 270, 280,000 people. Uh, this is a good man, he's a leader. He's he listen to the show if you missed it from the beginning. Listen to his background, listen to his consistency, judge holistically. Uh the whole body of work. So, Jasper, I appreciate you coming on, man.

SPEAKER_01 44:49

Thank you. Thank you, Ryan. I appreciate you, too, man.

SPEAKER_03 44:52

All right, I'll close this up. This is another Community Connections Special Gas Commissioner Jasper Watkins. We will see you again next time.

SPEAKER_00 45:05

This has been the Community Connection Show with Ryan Stowers. Stay on the lookout for new or past shows with community leaders wherever you listen to your podcasts. And if you want to see the video interview of any show, visit Community Connections TV.com. Thanks for tuning in, everyone, and we will see you next time.