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Showing posts from May 11, 2008

Huckabee quip could result with blood on his hands

Former Arkansas Governor and possible Republican vice-president candidate Mike Huckabee made an off-handed comment at the NRA Convention after hearing a chair fall to the floor - "That's Barack Obama waiting to make a speech here - someone aimed a gun and him and he fell out of his chair diving to the floor." As innocent as this kind of comment might seem at first blush, this is exactly the kind of affirmation that right wing wackos with rifles need to pull the trigger in an assassination of Obama. Already today a Hispanic man who came out against a Marietta bar owner who put a picture of Curious Georgia with Obama in '08 on a shirt received a package with powder and a cross on it at his front door. The tone and rhetoric have already gone off the charts with revisionist Republican fearmongers suggesting that the presumptive Democratic nominee is an appeaser. We need to stick to the issues and figure out how to fix what is wrong with this country, not appeal to reactio

Courthouse move galvanizes Oconee opposition

There comes a time in some political campaigns where people of good conscious must take a stand. These watershed moments are seldom as well defined as the one emerging out of the wake of several Oconee County Board of Commission members wanting to move the Courthouse from its present location. Chairmain G. Melvin Davis, and BOC members Don "Isshures" Norris and Jim Luke are generally believed to be the Gang of Three wanting to move the Courthouse out of Watkinsville to some area currently outside the current city limits. This movement evidently arose out of the secret meeting in Madison in December. We shall see how this manifests itself it the campaign, but suffice to say that challengers Johnny Pritchett, John Daniell and Sarah Bell stand to profit the most from the latest secret shenanigans done behind the scenes and even out of the county. Watkinsville Mayor Jim Luken took a very courageous stand against this ill-advised maneuver at the end of the City Council meeting Wed

Saturday's market

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The Oconee County Farmers Market was fantastic last week. You should go this week as well or check it out at Eagle Tavern Saturday morning. Here is the latest from the organizer Debbie Beese. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Hi Everyone,   Hope you're having a good week and enjoying this cool weather while it lasts!  We love the rain, but the cool nights and not quite as warm days as you would expect this time of year are slowing down some of our produce from the northern part of the state (like MaryAnn Simmons) and also locally.  We can't complain at this point though since we need the rain so much!   This week however, we will feature cilantro, sugar snap peas, carrots, radishes, lemon balm, sorrel, sage, oregano, Cuban guava pastries, a variety of perennials, including ferns, heuchera and hellebores, (happy to deliver locally is the word from Mary King at Acme Plants), and chocolate, buttermilk, and rum cake.  Come early, produce went especially fast l

Bishop dinner provides political forum for candidates

Former (and future?) Mayor Nedra Johnson did not invite me this year, but the twice a year Bishop town supper is always an interesting gathering of political candidates and townspeople in the sleepy little municipality. It was kind of interesting how she decided not to invite Board of Education candidates except Ashely Hood (who is a Bishop resident) and have Congressional candidates. A few years back I tried to get a few U.S. Senate and Georgia Governor candidates there, and she was having none of that. Current Mayor and former Athens-Clarke County Fire Marshall Johnny Pritchett is running for the Board of Commissioners and based merely on the fact that he has put sidewalks in the city to honor one time council member and recovering Athens-Clarke County police officer Courtney Gale is reason enough to support Pritchett in the upcoming GOP primary. I almost always support firemen such as Mike Link or John Walsh, Jr. on the Watkinsville City Council. Athens Banner-Herald reporter Adam

Mayor Jim Luken comes out against move of Oconee Courthouse, changes mind on annexation if they do

Watkinsville is the county seat of Oconee County. That much being said, there is a movement afoot to move the Courthouse to outside of the current city limits of one round mile around the Courthouse. There are three properties for sale immediately adjacent to the Courthouse, stated Mayor Jim Luken. He is an ex-Marine and chooses his words carefully, not given to dramatic or grandiose statements. Luken did not come out and name names by saying that it was Don Norris who came out and stated what evidently Board of Commissioners chair G. Melvin Davis said in the infamous secret meeting in Madison in December of last year. Former chair Wendell Dawson was the first to write about the plans to move the courthouse out of its current location out of this notorious meeting which now threatens to end the political careers of at least three people. Given the economic state, and the recent upgrades and $84,000.00 window treatments going on even two weeks ago, the current courthouse is fine. An

Concerts on the lawn

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I saw the Todd Haynes movie last night called "I'm Not There" with eight different actors and actresses expertly weaving together and apart the many myths, legends, facts and fairy tales from the Bob Dylan era of the last 40 years. I will be there at Ashford Manor Bed and Breakfast for this show Monday evening, and while it might not be as packed or as popular as the recent Abbey Road Live! show featuring Beatles covers, this ought to be an equally entertaining for the more discerning music fans. Please come and watch your kids please.

June 14 caucus to elect new committee members

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  The Oconee County Democratic Committee will host their annual caucus to select new committee members 11:00 am Saturday, June 14, 2008 at the Oconee County Courthouse in Watkinsville on 23 N. Main Street in the Board of Commissioners' chambers on the second floor. All,   I have just reserved the Commissioners' Chambers in the courthouse for Saturday, June 14, beginning at 11:00 am , for our party caucus to elect new committee members.  I'll be responsible for picking up the key from the BOC office on Friday.   I've sent a notice to the Oconee Enterprise about the caucus, and Maridee said she would put it in the calendar section, but couldn't guarantee it would start this week.  I've also submitted the event to the calendar for the on-line Oconee Enterprise .  I'll also send a notice to the ABH for the Oconee Living section.   Please be sure this is on your calendar and you plan to attend, especiall

Saving through Secrecy?

The latest and greatest from Lee Becker about the secrecy of the Oconee County government supposedly saving us money while telling us NOTHING: Dear Friends,   Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chairman Melvin claims that the decision to conduct in secret the bidding for the upgrade of the Rocky Branch sewage plant saved the county $70,000. The claim is based on some questionable comparisons, and it is possible the secret bidding procedures cost the county money. For details, go to my blog at http://www.oconeecountyobservations.blogspot.com/ . Lee     Lee Becker lbbecker@mindspring.com    

Drive carefully on the freeways, By-Pass and roads

There was a horrific accident this Tuesday afternoon on the Athens 10 Loop, otherwise known as the By-Pass or Paul Broun, Sr. Memorial Highway. My son's mother witnessed a gold SUV veer in and out of traffic, over correct and then flip several times before coming to rest on its nose. Needless to say, she was momentarily traumatized by watching such destruction and was grateful our son was not in the car to watch the crash. She was even more astonished that she could call 9-1-1 and the call was not answered! The area of the wreck was in the part of the Loop between 316 and 441 that is part Clarke and part Oconee, but still, perhaps the Emergency Response people were flooded by calls. I hope whoever was in the accident survived, but it did not look promising from her almost tragically close viewpoint. The gold SUV was crumpled and mangled so badly that she could not even see if there was more than one person inside. So please drive carefully out there. We have volunteer firemen in Oc

BOC vote for Beer and Wine

Tony Glenn posted this to his site Oconee County (GA) BOC Meeting April 8, 2008 (full version) from Farmingtony on Vimeo .

Dohrmann's retirement reveals watershed moment for Oconee County Board of Education

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Dr. Thomas Dohrmann announced his retirement from the head of the Oconee County Board of Education last night. This former Hoosier was still talking to people outside of the meeting well after its conclusion Monday evening. He has done a lot to transition the School system into the latter half of the 20th century just in time for the 21st century. The Board of Education is one of our best assets in Oconee County, and I hope the next Superintendent does as good a job as Dr. Dohrmann has. The following is from the Oconee County Board of Education website: Dr. Tom Dohrmann, an Indiana native, has been involved in the field of education since 1968. He has served in all areas of a school system. He and his wife, Beth, have five children and three grandchildren. Tom has been the Superintendent of Oconee County Schools since May 2, 2005. Beth is a first grade teacher at Rocky Branch Elementary School. Dr. Dohrmann received his Bachelor of Science from Valparaiso University; his Master of Sci

Watkinsville City Council meeting agenda for Wednesday and a few suggestions

As Watkinsville City Council member Brian Brodrick is one to read this blog sometimes, I would like to suggest the following for our lovely little Rocket Field park. We should have some plastic bottles and aluminum can recycle bins for the concession stands at the Park. Little League folks have done well with refurbishing the field and surrounding area, but that actual field could use about a ton of new soil, especially in the batters' box. The City Council has done a great job of mandating the change to the fences around the field. This is our jewel, and we need to polish it up a bit. Here is the agenda for the 7 pm Wednesday meeting at the Watkinsville Community Center on VFW Drive near Harris Shoals Park. AGENDA CITY OF WATKINSVILLE May 14, 2008 CALL TO ORDER QUORUM CHECK WATKINSVILLE BEAUTIFUL YARD AWARD MINUTES APPEARANCES 1. Arlene Phillips – business license – Two Chix Lighting Studio – 1011 Industrial Dr., Suite B 2. Larry Hodge – business license – Hodge Design & Rem

More photos from Hood, Davis & Bell at the Eagle Tavern Farmers Market

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Photos of candidates at the Eagle Tavern Welcome Center and Museum's Farmers Market Saturday morning, May 10th, 2008. Photos of Ashley Hood, Melvin Davis and Sarah Bell campaigning in Watkinsville, Georgia for the Republican nomination and subsequent election to the chair of the Board of Commissioners in the case of Bell and Davis, and the Board of Education in the case of Hood. Hood and Davis also campaigned at the Fourth Annual Movie in the Park at the Oconee County Community Complex which threatened to become the Who concert in Cincinnati when they announced free hot dogs from the Big Easy. Board of Commissioners' candidate and current Bishop mayor Johnny Pritchett was also campaigning at the outside movie.

Ashley Hood for Planning Commission

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Oconee County Board of Education Post 3 candidate Ashely Hood (with two of her five children) talks with the North High Shoals representative to the Planning Commission Karl Berg Saturday at the Oconee County Farmers Market Saturday, May 10, 2008. (Photo by Daniel J. Matthews, Jr.)