MAYSVILLE — Martha Ramsey retired nearly a decade ago, but her schedule has never been more crammed.
There are county commission, school board and planning committee meetings to monitor, prayer breakfasts to attend, funds to raise for local fire departments, schools initiatives and domestic violence victims.
Ramsey, a 73-year-old retired nurse, said she believes in staying involved because she wants what’s best for Banks County.
Two years ago, she started the Banks County Republican Women club because she said she also wants what’s best for the country.
Ramsey said she is supporting Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election because she prioritizes fair and trustworthy elections, protection of the Second Amendment and more restrictive policies at the southern border. She said Joe Biden is too liberal to gain her trust.
“There’s been so much uncertainty the past four years, I could not vote for Biden,” Ramsey said. “I think Trump can get it all straightened out and get us back on the right track. There’s nobody else.”
As an example of Biden’s failings, she points to the inflation that took hold after the COVID-19 pandemic began.
She constantly thinks about what kind of future lies ahead for her two sons, Ben and Will, and her grandkids, all who live in Banks County. She shows up at local meetings because it’s her way of trying to ensure elected officials follow through on campaign promises and are acting in the public’s best interest.
Credit: Ben Gray
Credit: Ben Gray
In the recent past, Ramsey has voiced concerns about content in public school system libraries and asked for paper trails on school spending of fundraised dollars.
“We’ve got to dig further. We’ve got to see what’s going on,” she said.
When she was a kid, she accompanied her grandmother going door to door in Banks County to check on neighbors who had health problems. That’s why Ramsey became a nurse.
But local politics also piqued her interest. She ran for a probate judge position in the 1980s. She lost that race, but later, she campaigned for one of her sons who successfully ran for the school board. Another son lost two close races for County Commission chairman.
“I think I’ve tried to call or meet everybody in the county at some point,” she said.
Before starting the Banks County Republican Women club, she attended the meetings of a similar group in Hall County, often recruiting a handful of friends to go with her. As the number of her interested friends grew, she found there were enough of them to start a Banks County chapter, which she chairs. It started with about 15 women in 2022 and has grown to more than 30 at the monthly meetings.
She acknowledges Trump’s missteps, saying he “has an ego.” And she thinks he “shouldn’t say everything that he does.” Her hope is that Trump will campaign on issues and his ideas “as a businessman” and not talk too much about Biden.
“Trump just needs to tell the people what he plans to do,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey said she was pleased with Trump’s debate performance in Atlanta against Biden, whose halting delivery and verbal blunders led some to question whether he should remain the Democratic nominee.
“The facial expressions on Trump while Biden spoke indicated all we needed to know,” she said. “Trump didn’t go off on Biden. We’d been praying Trump would represent well, and I feel like he did.”
Barring unforeseen events, Banks County will overwhelmingly go for Trump in November — that’s not in question. In 2020, 88.5% of residents voted for Trump, and all the county’s local elected positions are held by Republicans. But, while Banks County’s turnout was above the state average, it irks Ramsey that more didn’t vote. The May primary included an election for County Commission chairman that drew only 3,098 votes.
“People either don’t care, or they don’t believe anything will change and give up,” Ramsey said.
Her club creates pamphlets members say are aimed at educating voters on local and state candidates — and increasing turnout.
The goal is to “not let Fulton County rule the state,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey has been married to her husband, Randall, for more than 50 years. They both enjoyed long careers and have a second house in Rabun County near Lake Burton. Ramsey calls her life an “American dream.”
She was born in Commerce, raised in Banks County, educated in Athens and worked in northeast Georgia. Everything she ever wanted and needed, she says, was available in this region of the state. Her hope is her loved ones will be able to say the same.
“That’s the most important thing,” she said, “my grandbabies.”
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