Oconee County, GA Politics

Oconee County Observations: New Small Shopping Center and Office Complex Propo... : Across from QuikTrip The busy Oconee Connector–Mars Hill Road–Daniells Bridge Road intersection will get even more traffic if the Oconee C...

Authorities Say Saturday Fire on Daniels Bridge Road is 'Suspicious in Origin'

With recent residential transplant and Safe as Houses blogger Johnathan McGinty jumping the shark to Tondee's Tavern today, I nominate Lee Becker as Oconee Blogger of the Year. Here is just a little more from UGA PR prof Becker who helped battle the Oconee County government on any number of fronts, including the Barber Creek and numerous development skirmishes. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lee Becker < lbbecker@mindspring.com > Date: Tue, Dec 30, 2008 at 10:37 AM Subject: Update on Two Roadways To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, I've just posted a story on my blog about the twists and turns the Board of Commissioners went through to justify rezoning on Dec. 2 the piece of property just east of the blind curve on Daniells Bridge Road for an office building. What isn't so clear is why the Board wanted to make these twists and turns, though the hope for more development in the area seems to be a part of it. For details, go to my blog at ht...

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Daniells Bridge Road Rezone Date: Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:35:22 -0500 From: Lee Becker <lbbecker@mindspring.com> Reply-To: lbbecker@mindspring.com To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, As promised, I've filed a more complete report on the Daniells Bridge Road rezone on my blog. The county is spending $400,000 of taxpayer money to support this office park development. The good news is that the money almost certainly will make the roadway more safe. Contrary to what you might have read elsewhere, however, the $400,000 will NOT eliminate the blind curve. And it is not consistent with the county's plans to eventually create a four-lane loop road around the Epps Bridge Parkway and SR Loop 10 interchange, meaning it is a short-term fix rather than the result of long-range planning. It is pretty ...

Lee Becker lets us know once again how ethically flawed the decision making process has become in the Oconee County government. Dear Friends, The Board of Commissioners tonight approved the rezone for an office park just east of the blind curve on Daniells Bridge Road. Margaret Hale cast the only dissenting vote. Chuck Horton made the motion to approve, which was seconded by Jim Luke. Don Norris, who in May of 2007 concluded he had a conflict of interest on the same rezone and recused himself, decided tonight he was not in conflict and voted with Horton and Hale to approve the project. In May of 2007, Hale, Horton and Luke all voted against the same rezone. The developer filed suit. In closed session, the Board decided to settle the suit. The vote tonight was simply a confirmation of that closed-meeting decision. Emil Beshara, director of Public Works for the county, told the BOC the blind curve was not "dangerous" but the development would make it better because it would inc...

You can attend this and maybe hear the local returns quicker than anybody (although they will be on the internet just as quickly), Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Thanks as always Lee for the excellent update on further possible shenanigans with the Oconee County Board of Commissioners.  Subject: Tomorrow's BOC Meeting    Dear Daniells Bridge Road Petition Signer,    The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to deal with three very  important issues at its regular meeting tomorrow night:    1. A decision to put a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax on the  ballot in March.    2. A decision on a rezone just east of the blind curve on Daniells  Bridge Road.    3. A decision on how to expand sewage treatment capacity in the county.    If the Board decides to ask voters to approve the continuation of the 1  cent on a dollar sales tax rather than let it expire at the end of 2009,  it also will decide how...

Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Sun, 9 Nov 2008 16:45:25 -0500 From: lbbecker@mindspring.com To: Subject: Update on Daniells Bridge Road ; Dear Signers of the Petition Regarding the Rezone on Daniells Bridge Road: Some of you know this. The Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night postponed the hearing on the rezone on Daniells Bridge Road just east of the blind curve. The Banner-Herald has not written about this. The Enterprise got most of the story wrong. For that reason, I'm writing to provide an update for those who need and want it. Although the Board of Commissioners had agreed to the public hearing on election night, several members decided at the last minute they would like to see details of what is planned for the upgrade of Daniells Bridge Road west of the site. They discovered they needed these plans only after citizens contacted them to complain about the rezone. The plans are unlikely to include an elimination of the blind curve. In ...

More shady dealings uncovered even in the BOC backing out of having a legally advertised hearing. Great reporting as usual by Lee Becker ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lee Becker < lbbecker@mindspring.com > Date: Tue, Nov 4, 2008 at 11:10 PM Subject: BOC postpones again a rezone request To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, The Board of Commissioners tonight voted to postpone until Dec. 2 the public hearing on the proposed rezone for nine acres just east of the blind curve on Daniells Bridge Road so the county's public works department can draw up plans showing the county's hoped for improvements of Daniells Bridge Road between the Oconee Connector and Lynn Drive, which is at the center of the curve itself. The Board took the action after the public hearing had been advertised and more than a dozen citizens showed up to speak against the rezone. The date for the public hearing also had been set in legal documents the county filed to settle a laws...

Just in case you wish to focus more locally Tuesday evening during our historic General Election, Lee Becker once again reports about the "roadway to not here" that should hang around this new Board of Commissioners' necks as an albatross unless some serious revision and planning repair and road reformatting is done in a big hurry to the horrible curve on Daniells Bridge Road in what will be our second huge traffic congestion point without any real consideration of the impact in the adjoining neighborhoods and subdivisions. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lee Becker < lbbecker@mindspring.com > Date: Sun, Nov 2, 2008 at 4:55 PM Subject: Tuesday Night BOC Meeting To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, The Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night will vote once again on a rezone request that is linked to a roadway that does not exist. The county's legal advisors have recommended approval of the rezone for property just east of a...

Subject: Daniells Bridge Rezone Again Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:17:59 -0400 From: Lee Becker <lbbecker@mindspring.com> Reply-To: lbbecker@mindspring.com To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, A rezone request is back before the Planning Commission (Oct. 20) and the Board of Commissioners (Nov. 4) because the county has decided not to fight a suit filed against it in Oconee Superior Court by owners of land on Daniells Bridge Road who want to build yet another office park. The BOC turned down the rezone request in May of 2007 after more than 400 homeowners in subdivisions on Daniells Bridge Road opposed it. As part of the agreement, the county agreed to bring the rezone request back before the Planning Commission and before the BOC. The rezone is predicated on yet another roadway that does not exist. For details, go to my blog at http://...