Profile — Sandy Haskell
By BILL BENGTSON
He's seen Aiken County from a variety of viewpoints over the years, and Sandy Haskell is now seeking a role as one of its top leaders, as the Republican nominee to serve Aiken County Council District 5.
"I don't consider myself a politician," he said, when asked about his approach to his target. "I'm not a lawyer. I try to look at things analytically and judiciously, as far as spending other people's money, as I would look at it if I were spending my own money."
Haskell, husband of Joyce Haskell, grew up in Aiken County, getting acquainted with Haskell Dairy, the business that his family operated from 1912 to 1972.
"I went on the payroll at Haskell's Dairy when I was 10, making a dollar a day in 1960," he said, pointing out that he attended Belvedere Elementary School and what was then known as Paul Knox Junior High School along the way, en route to high school at Augusta Prep. The next step, at Presbyterian College, brought him a bachelor's degree in business management, followed by a commission as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves. He worked in the medical service, serving "a weekend a month and two lovely expense-paid weeks every summer," from 1972 until 1981, when he retired as a captain.
Mixed in among the years were roles that included driving a milk tanker for the dairy and a log truck for William Gregory Pulpwood. As a student at Presbyterian, he worked in the chemistry lab and later took a position at Bodie's Service Station, which was at Georgia and Knox avenues.
He spent the bulk of his career working for a corporation that eventually became known as Recycle America/Waste Management, and his first base of operations was in Augusta, 1973-75, as a plant manager, followed by a stint as general manager, 1975-76. The next step, 1976-77, was as general manager of a facility in Jacksonville, followed by a similar post in Birmingham, running until 2002.
His company, he said, handled "all types of paper, cardboard, newspaper, office paper, various grades of plastic, some metals, tin and aluminum cans."
Haskell's political goal is also akin to recycling, as he said he hopes to maintain the momentum that Eddie Butler has helped build during his years in office, dating back to January 1989.
"The reason I'm running is to continue the fiscally conservative management of Aiken County that it has been fortunate to have over the last decade or so," Haskell said, confirming that he has been acquainted with Butler for several years.
Haskell's current roles include being president of the North Augusta Lions Club, president of the Belvedere Ridge Area Neighborhood Watch and member (appointed by Butler) of the Aiken County Historical Commission, which operates the Aiken County Historical Museum, in the mansion known as Banksia.
Spare-time activities include working around the Edgefield Road property where he lives -- land that has been in his family since 1922, including a house that was built in 1830. Keeping the greenery under control, he confirmed, is a challenge.
He and his wife have three daughters (spread among Augusta, Aiken and Bend, Ore.), one grandson and one granddaughter. He also added a canine contingent: "Three dogs."
As for major issues on Aiken County Council's horizon, Haskell named the possible construction of a new county complex, as well as issues relating to emergency services.
"Development and environmental stewardship go hand-in-hand with zoning," he said, before swerving into a pet peeve. "One thing that just really makes my fur stand up is, people tell me that all these local elections don't matter."
Citing the examples of the Sept. 15 election and Sept. 29 runoff, he said, "Six of 100 people are actually coming out and voting, but the other 94 are the ones that gripe and complain. It's not only a right. I see it also as an obligation. Some people tell me they don't want to register to vote because they don't want to be in the pool for jury duty, which again shows their ignorance. The jury pool is no longer pulled from registered voters. A jury pool is people that have driver's licenses. If you don't want to drive, you may not have to serve in a jury," he said.
His door-knocking efforts have stirred up discussion of various topics, including some that the County Council could not address. Some potential voters, he said, raise concerns about such things are speeders on neighborhood streets, drug-dealers in a nearby house, and "people running stop signs down on the corner."
He added, "I've had some of the senior citizens -- retired people -- say, 'My income is not coming up,' or 'My taxes go up,' and I remind them that the county has not raised the millage rate in three years."
Offering another description of his prospective approach to government, Haskell said he hopes that District 5 will "have somebody with a conservative background and conservative beliefs managing the county, and with a business background." The election is set for Nov. 3.
