Oconee County, GA Politics

James Holland for Governor 2010 Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:26:00 -0400 From: stewards@altamahariverkeeper.org To: stewards@altamahariverkeeper.org Subject: Oconee River Problems Get Attention ARK is very concerned about recent reports and observations from the Oconee River.  We have included links to the articles here from the Dublin Courier for your review as well as photographs taken by James Holland of fish he caught. Please help ARK support local citizens in their efforts to clean up the Oconee by getting involved and making donations to support ARK's work in the Oconee. We have also attached a recent article on the proposed Plant Washington coal plant near Sandersville.  With plans to withdraw and discharge Oconee River water, this plant can only increase the problems facing the river. ARK plans to hold its annual meeting on the Oconee on August 2, 2008 to help bring attention to the problems and support local effort...

Good job Tony and Tim Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. From: aglenn@uga.edu To: aglenn@uga.edu Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:47:34 -0400 Afternoon everyone,   Thanks again to all that came out to the forums on June 2 nd and 4 th .  If you were unable to attend, no worries since you can still view the video of the forums at www.vimeo.com/OconeeBOC .  The coroner forum is posted at the sister site www.vimeo.com/OconeeCounty .   As you may know, Tim Bryant of WGAU 1340 AM radio has interviewed the 10 candidates for the five seats on the Oconee County BOC (Chair and four Posts).  I've collected below the links to his Newsmakers podcasts so that you can listen to those interviews.  These are podcasts of each entire show, so if you don't want to listen to the whole program, use the scroll feature to search out the candidate interviews.   Note that he also interviewed the candidates for the BOE, but I don't have the ...

Found out about this last night, but needed to wait for independent confirmation before spilling the beans: due to possible violation of the Hatch Act (forbidding federal employees from running for office or getting too involved in political campaigns),GBI agent Carter Brank removed himself from the race for the Oconee County Board of Education Post 3 race, removing the chance for a run-off. I am sure he will have to sign some affidavits to get him off the ballot if they have not been printed or programmed. Probably some absentee ballots have gone out already. There will be no run-off between Ashley Hood and Kim Argo. Brank had ordered some signs but by most accounts he had established himself as the third of the three candidates for the position. I salute Agent Brank for following the letter and spirit of the law and for his service to his state and country as well as caring enough about Oconee County to run for office.

Sounds like an appropriate title to me ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: brookscharles < brookscharles@bellsouth.net > Date: Fri, Jun 13, 2008 at 7:36 AM Subject: "Carving up Oconee" To: lowellsdad@gmail.com That's the title of Celestea Sharp's movie about development in this county.  Much of the film is about the work and success of a group of citizens in south Oconee to stop a proposed truck stop. The upcoming election  is mentioned and its consequences for future development.  The film also documents construction of a development inside the town of Bishop.   Charley Brooks

A couple of well written articles in the Athens Banner-Herald today Thursday, June 12, 2008 by red headed correspondent Adam Thompson involving our beloved Oconee County and the economic ramifications of the recent gas price spike for our school system as well as the move to record and disseminate taped meetings of the various agencies of the Board of Commission . I still say Tony Glenn for chairman of the Board of Commissioners, or State Representative, or Congress, or State Senate in 2010.

I do not agree with every word or utterance out of the mouth of Watkinsville Mayor Jim Luken. However the two term Mayor of the County Seat is right on target with his continuing commentary concerning the upcoming Republican primary July 15. "It is terribly important we all pay attention to who gets elected," said Luken during his monthly address at the Watkinsville City Council meeting Wednesday in Watkinsville. He pointed out in attendance at the meeting were Board of Commissioners chair candidate Sarah Bell and current incumbent Chuck Horton were at the gathering. Luken accurately pointed out that the municipalities have been left out of the SPLOST monies puring into the county coffers. 15% of the population of the Oconee County live in inside the city limits of the four towns (Bogart, North High Shoals, Farmington and Watkinsville) yet these towns have been left out of the estimated $24-25 million dollar pie. A 10 day notice is needed to be given by the cities in order to...

Dear CCDC members and friends,   Much is happening Democratically in Athens Clarke County during the rest of June. Please mark your calendars for and plan on attending the following:   1. Friday, June 13                  CCDC Headquarters Grand Opening        220 Prince Avenue (across from The Grit)     5-7 p.m.       DPG Chair Jane Kidd is the keynote speaker.   2.  Saturday, June 14       AAD (Athens Area Democrats) Breakfast Meeting         Trumps (Washington & Jackson St.)      7 p.m.       TOPIC:  DOES THE MEDIA DECIDE ELECTIONS?         PANEL INCLUDES Pete McCommons, Editor, The Flagpole ; Jason Winders, Editor      in Chief and Jim Thompson, Editorial Editor, The Athens Banner-Herald , Mary      Kay Mitchell, News Director of WUGA and Tim Bryant, News Director of WGAU.      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 & M...

Candidate Forum for Oconee County Coroner from Lee Becker on Vimeo .

Go see this movie about Oconee County development, okay? Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. To: gaonmnd@dishmail.net Subject: Celestea Sharp Film Showing Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:47:16 -0400 From: oconeesfuture@aol.com Citizens Local historian Celestea Sharp will have the first showing of her film on growth and development in Oconee County, Saturday, June 14th at 7:30 in the Oconee County Library Auditorium on Experiment Station Road.  Some may recall that Celestea is the author of the award winning history of Bishop, Georgia published in 1996 and currently in it's second printing.  While Celestea currently lives in New York and grew up in Atlanta, her roots are in Oconee County and she continues to have a keen interest in  the county.  I hope you will plan to be there for the showing.  It will be interesting to see  how someone with a keen personal interest in the County, looking at the growth and development issue from the perspective of a n...

Dear Friends,   The questions posed to and answer given by the Board of Commissioner candidates at the Candidate Forum on June 2 have not gotten much play. That's a pity, because the issues covered were important.   Of particular interest, I think, was an exchange over ethics.   It is perfectly ethical for members of the Board of Commissioners to do business with individuals and companies that come before them for such things as rezones, as long as no money has changed hands or contracts been written before the BOC has voted, at least three of the candidates for the Board said at the June 2 Candidate Forum.   For more detail, go to my blog, at   http://oconeecountyobservations.blogspot.com/2008/06/ethics-and-issue-at-oconee-candidate.html   The Oconee County Chamber of Commerce still isn't providing much detail on its web site (  http://www.occoc.org/  ) about its forums on June 16 and 17. What is known is that they will ...

Please consider attending the Oconee County Democratic party Caucus this Saturday Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Subject: [oconee] Oconee Co. Democratic Party Caucus June 14 Dear fellow Oconee Dems:   Don't forget about our Oconee County Democratic Party caucus this Saturday, June 14, at 11:00 am at the Oconee County Courthouse (Commissioners' Chambers on main floor).  The purpose is to elect all 18 members of our county committee, based on the new district/post alignment (see below) which we adopted to conform to the new voting precincts.   Participation in the caucus and candidacy for the posts is open to any resident/registered voter in Oconee County who believes in the principles of the Democratic Party, is not a member of any other political party, and who either voted in the most recent Democratic primary and/or is an active, dues-paying member of the Oconee County Democrats.   If you're int...

It seems the Oconee County Board of Education found something lacking in the application or need or presentation for a proposed charter school at their meeting Monday night, beginning in executive session at 5:00 pm and unanimously rejecting the nascent group's application for a Science and Technology institute soon thereafter. Without having been at the Monday meeting or quizzed the members of the Board of Education about what caused them to reject the application, I hope whatever is best for our children is implemented in what ever reformed method is best for all parties concerned. Innovation is often avoided in the public sector, but let us hope that the application can be improved upon and perhaps resubmitted and not be entirely squashed. Here is more about it thanks to Adam at the ABH. One thing is for certain: there will be more questions and answers by Board of Education current and prospective members in current candidates such Ashley Hood, Chuck Toney, Rich Clark and othe...

Pleases be sure to be registered to vote. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr.   Is your voter registration up to date? Register and Vote! The voter registration deadline for the July 15 election is June 16. Click here to register. Txt Msg Alerts Sign up to receive reminders about upcoming elections via text message on your mobile phone. The registration deadline for the upcoming election in Georgia is fast approaching—is your registration up to date? To cast your vote on July 15, you must register to vote by June 16.* CREDO Mobile makes it easy to complete your voter registration application online . We'll also remind you about upcoming elections: sign up to receive text message alerts to your mobile phone. (También puedes inscribirte en español.) Are you sure you are on Georgia's voter registration rolls? If you have questions about your registration, call your Secretary of State and make sure you are abl...

Dear Friends:   The Oconee County Chamber of Commerce web site ( http://www.occoc.org/ ) contains the following rather peculiar note about its candidate forums:   Oconee Chamber Political Forums When: 6/16/2008 7:00 PM Location: NOHS Fine Arts Auditorium Contact: Charles Grimes Phone: (706) 769-7947 Details: The Oconee County Chamber of Commerce will sponsor two political forums in advance of the July 15 primary. The forums will be moderated by WGAU/WNGC News Director Tim Bryant and held on successive nights in June at the North Oconee High School Fine Arts Auditorium. Since most races will be decided with the GOP primary, these forums are designed to give the local public a chance to hear from the candidates for state Senate prior to the July 15 primary.   From what I've been able to learn from conversations with the candidates, the first forum on Monday, June 16, actually will be for the School Board and the state senate race. The second f...

Call about our VIP tables before they sell out….. Thank you, Laurie Castro Ashford Manor B&B (706)-769-2633 ph (706)-769-5427 fax www.ambedandbreakfast.com

Below is information the CCDC has been asked to disseminate -- The Clarke County Democratic Committee is happy to help share information about events of interest to Democrats; however, our Committee does not endorse candidates. ************************************************************************ ****SAVE THE DATE**** The Honorable Heidi Davidson, Former Mayor Gwen O'Looney, Paul & Carol Kurtz, Denny & Peggy Galis, Louise McBee, Ken Dious, David Jarrett, and others… Ask for your support in electing Jim Martin Democratic Candidate for the United States Senate Thursday, June 19th 5:00 to 6:30 P.M. at the Athens Welcome Center (Also known as the Church-Waddell-Brumby House) 280 E. Dougherty St. Athens, GA 30601 Host Committee: $250 Suggested Contribution: $100 RSVP walton@martinforsenate.com ************************************************************************** Jenny Penney Oliver Chair Elect Clarke County Democratic Co...

Pasted below are the minutes from the June 5 meeting.   Herb   Minutes Oconee County Democratic Committee meeting June 5, 2008 Oconee County Courthouse, Watkinsville , Georgia   Committee members present :  Becky Vaughn (7-2), Chair ; Jonathan Veit (6-3), Vice-Chair ; Bill Yarbrough (3-1), Vice-Chair ; Herb West (4-2), Secretary ; Violet Dawe (1-1), Treasurer ; Pat Adams (2-2); Sarajane Love (2-3); Myrna Adams West (4-3); Linda Elkins (6-1); Rita Bennett (6-2); Pat Priest (7-3)   Committee members absent (excused) :  Diana Jeffreys (5-1).   Committee members absent (unexcused) :  Fred Johnson (1-2); Steve Holzman (1-3); Dan Matthews (2-1); David Payne (3-2); Vicky Moody (3-3); Rich Rusk (4-1); Fred Sloan (5-2); Ken Miller (5-3).   Chair Becky Vaughn called the meeting to order at 7:25 pm .   A quorum was declared present.   Minutes :  The minutes from the April 3, 2008 meeting were...

Please come if you want to be a supporter or new committee member of the Oconee County Georgia Democratic party Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Reminder from:   oconee Yahoo! Group   Title:   Oconee Co. Democratic Party Caucus to Elect New Committee Members   Date:   Saturday June 14, 2008 Time:   11:00 am - 12:00 pm Next reminder:   The next reminder for this event will be sent in 4 days, 3 minutes. Location:   Oconee County Courthouse - Commissioners' Chambers ...