Oconee County, GA Politics

The next Board of Education will not be the same as this one. The following is pulled from the Banner-Herald today Oconee County Board of Education members said this week they will vote on a proposed public charter school - the Oconee School of Math and Science - at their June 9 meeting. The charter school's organizers, including a number of University of Georgia faculty, are expected to appear before the board to answer questions Monday, at the board's regular session, said schools Superintendent Thomas Dohrmann. If approved by the local school board and the state Department of Education, the Oconee School of Math Science would open for the 2010-11 school year, according to a petition submitted last month

As appropriated from NewsTalk 1340 WGAU: A consortium of Oconee County citizens groups sets the dates for Oconee County candidates forums: June 2 for Oconee County Commission candidates, June 4 for School Board hopefuls. Both forums will be held at the Oconee County Library. The candidates debates come in advance of Oconee County’s July 15 primaries.

No Estelle Porter, the Oconee County Board of Commissioners COULD NOT, by State Law, put beer and wine on a referendum, nor combine it with a referendum for hard liquor. And you chose to run against a woman because you are a woman? Sheesh. Playing politics is not a game for amateurs and you have proven your lack of basic understanding of how government works. I would strongly recommend NOT voting for Ms. Porter in Post 3 on the Oconee County Board of Commissioners based on her performance on Tim Bryant's Newsmaker Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Please, go back to selling aluminum siding. Good Lord. We do not need another builder/developer on the Board of Commissioners, especially replacing Margaret Hale for Post 3. I salute Porter for having the desire to serve her community, but my goodness, let's try to understand some issues of local importance a little better before we go on the local media, please.

Tire store marketing employee James P. Mason of Jefferson intends to enter his name on the ballot of the 10th district U.S. Congressional election here in Athens (and Augusta and north to the border), and I think his long shot independent candidacy will have equal effect on the Republican or Democratic candidates. I salute the former Marine who served his country in Afghanistan who has taken on the established parties. We shall see how effectively young Mr. Mason markets himself in the rather disjointed district stretching from the Central Savannah River Area to the Mountains of North Carolina with a dip in Watkinsville and Washington-Wilkes. Only one thing is for certain, Nicholson resident Bobby Saxon should have talked to his fellow Jackson County veteran in Mason and figured out why (or at least what is prompting him) he is going to run. Conventional political wisdom would prescribe that the Mason wild card will siphon off some votes from both sides of the aisle, but probably hur...

Philip Lee Williams is a fantastic local award-winning author and one with whom you should be well acquainted with if you are not. He will be at the next gathering of the Oconee County Democratic party book group at the new Five Points Deli location in the Epps Bridge Parkway area. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Hello! The book group sponsored by the Oconee County Democrats is especially excited about this month's book and meeting! The author, award-winning local writer Philip Lee Williams, will be joining us that evening! If you don't know Williams or his work yet . . . well, inspired by his writing, let me describe coming across his books as rather like finding a well-honed arrowhead or delicate lily while out in the woods -- OUR woods, right around here where we live! See the press release below. Come join us! Pat Priest The community-wide book group sponsored by the Oconee Democrats will discuss local ...

I have been griping about Tommy Malcom getting no love in a couple of articles in the Athens Banner-Herald newspaper, but here is one I missed

 Great Relay for Life turnout this previous weekend before last, and here is another step forward for cancer survivors PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Dempsey Public Relations Director Athens Area Habitat for Humanity (706) 208-1001 PR@athenshabitat.com   Athens Habitat Hosts A Survivors Build in Partnership with the Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support   Athens, GA — Athens Area Habitat for Humanity teams up with the Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support at Athens Regional Hospital to host a Survivors Build on May 22, 2008. Cancer survivors and cancer patients will work together with members of the community to inspire strength. For more information on how you can get involved and show your support, call 706-208-1001.   Athens Area Habitat for Humanity, an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is an ecumenical, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of substand...

Charles Baugh should have filed to run against Melvin. Not to late to mount a write-in campaign!!! This is the agenda for tomorrow night's Oconee County Board of Commissioners' meeting. No word whether Satan will make another appearance. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Citizens Following is the agenda for the 5/6/08 BOC meeting.  Notice the rezones and the variances being requested by Barber Creek Land Company.  If these are approved we may as well forget about the portions of our development code that requires high quality construction.   Once one developer gets a deal they all want the same deal. Charles Baugh BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF OCONEE COUNTY , GEORGIA May 6, 2008 Commission Meeting Chambers Oconee County Courthouse 7:00 p.m.     1.                   Approval of Minutes:   Mi...

The Central School house was moved a couple miles down the road to Heritage Park a few years back too Heritage Park and it created a positive buzz of national media notoriety for Oconee County. Now the lack of action by the Board of Commissioners in the planning and budgeting for this facility is appalling but just more evidence of the disdainful practice of supporting something on the surface but denying important funds and infrastructure behind the scenes. Can't really call this lip service per se, but more of a bait and switch approach to appearing supportive to some thing that would be almost impossible to oppose, then behind the scenes making sure nothing gets appropriated or done on the project. The proposed park around Elder Mill Covered Bridge is another example of saying one thing and doing another.

The Central School house when moved a couple miles down the road

Voter suppression is a very hot button topic around Georgia, what with the poll tax, the county system, and various other nefarious schemes cooked up over the years and here. So this study and article should be of some interest to those who wish to Get Out the Vote and register more people. I wish we had voter registration tables at Gainesville State College campus in Oconee, the Oconee County Courthouse and every soccer, baseball and softball game (not to mention auto shows). Good to see Tommy Malcom out campaigning this weekend. When will Blake Aued of the Athens Banner-Herald cut Malcom a little bit of slack and at least include him in the conversation about State Senate District 46 seat held by Athens attorney Bill Cowsert? There have been a couple of articles and a few blog posts that sometimes do not even mention Malcom as a candidate against Cowsert, suddenly the darling of the state GOP party. I saw a lot of Malcom signs out Good Hope way in Walton County. What is Mike Maxey ...

Please attend if you can as this is not restricted to residents of one county or another. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. IF you are planning on attending the Athens Area Democrats Breakfast this Saturday, May 10, please note that the ticket purchase deadline is today, Monday, May 5.  See email below for information about purchasing tickets.   Karen Solheim CCDC Corresponding Secretary BUFFET BREAKFAST ATHENS AREA DEMOCRATS 9:00AM – MAY 10, 2008   TRUMPS – WASHINGTON & JACKSON  ST. (FREE PARKING IN COUNTY  DECK ON HANCOCK ST)   SPEAKERS– KEITH HEARD                             DOUG McKILLIP STATE HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES PRICE: $12.00 per person Tickets may be purchased at Bobby Saxon's Campaign Hq. 1:00-5:00pm M-F  (Phone 706-549-2862) at 125 S. Milledge Ave, SE corner of Broad & ...