My response to Mr. McKinney's letter

Dear Mr. McKinney:

I wish to follow up on your suggestion in the newspaper this morning and register my disapproval of your attempts at redistricting Athens-Clarke County. Having worked on several political campaigns in at least three versions of State Senate District 46, can we just leave well enough alone? Why confuse voters and disenfranchise the student voting bloc? You waste taxpayers money, your own funds on the elegant appointments in yoiur new building, harmony and cooperation in the Athens area business community and your political capital with more than half of the local area voters.

You come off as somewhat disingenuous when you can get elected officials from outside Athens to propose legislation. I think you should have at least called the Mayor and Council members before you asked Ralph Hudgens to introduce Senate Bill 386.

I don't think your legislation will do a thing except dilute Democratic strength in Athens-Clarke. At least admit what you are really trying to do here. Maybe you should get a job working for the Madison County Chamber of Commerce instead.

I would also suggest you pay your bill at the Classic Center. Being in arrears $20,000 does not look very professional. I wish you luck this evening with the event at the country club. Your actions make Athens and Athena blush in embarassment.

Dan Matthews
Watkinsville, GA

This is McKinney's response today:
My response is in parentheses and italics

Dan, Please tell me what business you represent and what Chamber you belong to. I can't seem to find you in our records.

(I do not claim to represent any business nor do I belong to any Chamber - so I guess I am in a position not to be able to communicate with someone as high and mighty as yourself)

You are seriously uniformed.

(certainly informed of nothing from you, this letter included)

I don't buy that voters are confused.

(you should see some of the questions from people I consider well informed on the petition site)

What student voting bloc do you refer to?

(that would be the 30,000 students at UGA, plus the couple of thousand assorted extras at Gainesville State, Old Dominion, Piedmont College, Athens Tech and the number who live here locally and are not attending college currently)

The students, to my knowledge, have been unsuccesful in any elections here locally.
(so I guess that automatically disenfranchises them from being considered a potential voting bloc in any race from now until the end of time)

The Chamber supported one and knows first hand. We have a new student membership to encourage more student particpation, not discourage it.

We receive no taxpayers money and therefore do not waste any as you claim.
(duh! I was referring to the taxpayers money it will cost to implement the new districts, voting cards, et cetera, but it does not surprise me that you can not think past your own ivory tower, so elegantly appointed).

What elegant appointments do we have? (Look around your office building and you tell me, I guess you would consider them not to be elegant.)

The business community is leaving in droves, 4500 jobs since 2000. Taxes have risen dramatically on businesses. Fees are putting many out of business.

If harmony and cooperation is to come at the price of job loss and poverty, you can count us out. (dissonance is all the chamber has been squeaking out lately)

We did not solicit Ralph Hudgens to put forth this bill and we certainly did not ask for a split in the county. Do you really believe everything thats printed? (not from you or your website I do not)

You obviously believe that Clarke County commissioners weren't consulted (that's what they told me on the way to Atlanta Monday). That's foolish. (and you are full of manure) Politics make strange bedfellows.

The democrats did not vote for the current Senator in our county. (funny how you do not capitalize Democrats and do capitalize senator in a generic sense - that says more about your lack of understanding the local landscape than anything else. PS I do know some Clarke County Democrats who voted for Kemp. You honored one last night.)

He lost in Clarke County but was elected anyway. (and what is this? you want to return to the county election system that went out with the Talmadges?)

It's disengenious to believe you are giving up something you never had. I choose to believe the glass is half full, not half empty. (full of crap, perhaps) Two democrats would please us just as well as two republicans.

Last I checked, the Classic Center didn't have an outstanding receivable from us. If you have knowledge otherwise I would appreciate knowing. Thanks for also informing me that the Classic Center is releasing erroneous information. (they are not, by the way)

Thank you. The event was a sell out.