But did you hear the one about the City Councils?

The contrasts in the council meetings between two towns in Oconee County were evident last night. No one but two reporters were at the largely uneventful Bishop council meeting which was over inside of 40 minutes last night. But it was so packed in North High Shoals with the topics of referendums, recalls and revolt over a variety of issues including having people live on your farms, playing loud music late at night, having a new elementary school next to the city park, bush hogging greenspace next to your neighbors, who will represent your community on stakeholders' zoning plans, how you will deal with discontent over suing the city unsuccessfully to stop a subdivision being built next door, and how will your city hall building be painted by whom and at what rate? There was not an empty seat in the historic community City Hall in need of a couple coats of paint and scraping - how very odd - lots of people made sure their government addressed their concerns last night. There was democracy in the air.

The most interesting complaint I heard last night was from a lady council member in the other town who feels that no one (elected officials on the state level) are fighting for DOT project$ for Oconee County anymore since the days of the late Paul Broun or former BOC chair Wendell Dawson. 441's expansion/bypass has been shoved back repeatedly with now plans for 2014 with no funding yet for the $13-20 million project.