Oconee County, GA Politics

Watkinsville City Council will remain the same with the resounding re-elections of City Council members Chuck Garrett and Connie Massey Tuesday evening at the new Oconee County Administration Building result room, appropriately named "The Watkinsville Room." Incumbent Massey was re-elected with 309 votes to three-time challenger Carolyn A. Maultsby's 121 votes, or more than a two-to-one margin. Incumbent Garrett was also re-elected by a slightly lower margin, garnered 298 votes or two-time challeger Rebecca Billings' 142 votes. Billings ran against Mayor Brian Brodrick two years ago in 2021, and this time she ran for the city council instead. Brodrick was unopposed, and apparently Watkinsville 16 voters attempted to write-in an unqualified candidate. He earned 351 votes.

  August 14, 2020 Watkinsville Residents, Property Owners and Business Owners: We are writing to you today as fellow citizens. For the past 20 years, city councils and mayors have listened to what Watkinsville residents want and delivered it with minimal drama and maximum efficiency: a safe community with a top notch police force; a healthy downtown with unique shopping and a variety of restaurants; a thriving arts community; pedestrian connectivity and improvements; new and improved greenspaces and parks; a welcoming small town feel; preservation of city funded garbage and leaf and limb pick up; improvements to traffic and more.  We are proud that Watkinsville is welcoming to all and has something for everyone. Last month many of you received a letter from Mayor Bob Smith that accuses the council of being uncooperative, of taking illegal actions, and of wastefully taking money from the taxpayers.  This letter contained significant inaccuracies about your community and we...

Saturday morning I walked my dog in the far too hot son, and took a somewhat circuitous route back from the downtown Farmers Market in Watkinsville. We decided to check out some shade across the street from the Sanctuary, where there is a large old home ready to be rolled to the corner of a lot.  http://m.wap.onlineathens.com/content/photos-watkinsville-historical-home#slide-1 Thank goodness for a packed cooler with water at the end of the neighboring new lot with a note advising you to hydrate your aqua tauntaun in an obscure Star Wars reference. My dog Katrina welcomed the ice cold bottled water in our six block trek back to our abode.  I welcome development in Watkinsville like the new small house being built on  the edge of Watkinsville Woods and the new larger J.W. York houses being built adjacent to the backside of Morgan Manor Estates on Wilson. Sometimes with growth comes unintended consequences, and this is neither an indictment or a harbinger of negative e...

Watkinsville restaurants such as Chops & Hops will now have the opportunity to compete with other area restaurants such as Cheddar's, where liquor by the drink has been successfully implemented for more than a few months now in greater Oconee County outside of the Watkinsville city limits. So far the only complaints I have heard are for the length of time it takes to get a seat at Cheddar's, and perhaps some whining from restaurant owners that have yet to pay the thousand dollar fee to pour liquor by the drink. The City of Watkinsville is expected to replicate that fee structure for a pouring license. The immediate reason that the March 2015 referendum passed at a ratio twice that of the County results from November 2014 (that included the municipality voters as well) is simply organization.  Postcards were sent, yard signs were made and planted in the yards of restaurants and homeowners, interviews were made, news stories filed, blogs were posted, newspapers were read,...

It's no small coincidence that Watkinsville voters will be green with envy on St. Patrick's Day March 17, 2015 of those who do not have to vote AGAIN for a distilled spirits referendum despite having passed it on the last General Election.  For that be the day laddie that the voters will flock down to City Hall or the Board of Elections or possibly also the Government Annex to vote again on something that passed by a 2-to-1 margin in these very parts once again.  The city attorney attempted to alleviate my concerns unsuccessfully, and the city council voted 5-0 to approve the special election March 17 with advance voting as well at the Board of Elections office. Far be it from me to suggest someone on the city council make a motion to adopt that which already passed in the same contiguous county, and abide by the voters previous sentiments, and having to burden them to rubber stamp that which has already been decided, and please take concrete steps to make sure...

Longtime Oconee County resident and political observer Dan Matthews qualified today to take on incumbent Mike Link for the Post 5 seat of the Watkinsville City Council nonpartisan municipal election Tuesday, November 4, 2014. Matthews ran three elections in 2011, emerging from a field of four to make a run-off against Chuck Williams for the State Representative District 113 race in special election to fill the seat vacated by Hank Huckaby becoming Chancellor of the Board of Regents, and then ran against Charles Ivie to become Mayor of the City of Watkinsville a few months later. "I running for the residents and businesses of the city of Watkinsville, not against Mr. Link," said Matthews. "I think my opponent has done some great volunteer work with the Fire Department and the City Council, but I intend to come to this job with an open mind and a steady hand." Link has summarily dismissed every vote for beer and wine permits in the city permitting process, never...

Nothing very exciting occurred at the May 2014 meeting of the Watkinsville city council Wednesday evening at the Community Center. Christine and Russ Mills answer the Council. About the most shocking news was that Mayor Charles Ivie cannot locate the original plans for the flat roofed building that is the Community Center in possibly replacing the leaky roof (which got a stern test with the rains Wednesday evening). He apparently looked at every set of blueprints in the storage of the very 1970s looking community center. Christine Mills answers questions about her proposed building permit. A new house was approved for the loveliest street in Watkinsville at 35 Harden Hill Road with the building permit for the Russ and Christine Mills family. The approval was unanimous after a few cursory queries from Council members Mike Huff and Marci Campbell. Mayor Ivie received approval of the monthly reconciliation report and gave a SPLOST breakdown and preview of the 2015 fi...

How do I love Watkinsville? Let me count the ways. 1. I love Ashford Manor  Bed and Breakfast. 2. I love the small town attitude. 3. Love the police here. 4. Adore the churches. 5. Amazed at the restaurants we have. 6. Constantly blown away by the friendliness to strangers. 7. Happy to welcome people to move here. 8. Glad that people can ride their bikes without too much danger. 9. Astonished that so much great music has been recorded at Full Moon Studios under several different owners.  10. The beauty of the landscape never ceases to impress me. 11. The tolerance and acceptance is welcoming and surprising. 12. We were once Big Springs. 13. We have two competing weekly newspapers. 14. People are generally tolerant of eccentricities. 15. Basketball is played by people young and old, black and white, straight and gay, male and female, and the only thing that matters is whether you got game. 16. The Code Enforcement Officer does not freak out ...