Oconee County, GA Politics

The City of Watkinsville council members, including outgoing member Samantha Purcell in her next to last meeting, passed the business licenses for Joshua Johnson for Harjo Woodworking and for Tire Depot Services of Reynaldo Juarez, opening his second location outside of Milledgeville down by the Shell Station on Highway 15. Everything passed unanimously as usual with a new face on council, but one familiar to those in the audience. of longtime attendee Connie Massey making the transition to the tilt back chairs of the council members up there on the other side of the lectern. The City Council also graciously allowed Mr. Johnson to get added on the agenda at the last moment, and accepted the reconciliation report. City Council member Mike Link showed up late to the meeting at this point. City resident Antonio Rooks asked about how his considerable number of dogs and their tethering could result in his fines. He quoted the costs that Code Enforcement Officer Robert Hegge read to him ...

The Watkinsville City Council had a full slate of members to go with a distracted Mayor Wednesday evening at the Community Center in the county seat of Oconee County. Business was slight as 2/3rds the appearances failed to show up on time, but the remaining appearance was approved as Corey Davis received approval for his Core Blend Training and Wellness at 1410 Greensboro Highway with a testimonial on his application from recent Olympic Bronze Medal shot putter Reece Hoffa, who came back to Northeast Georgia from London with the hardware. Davis intends to train "regular people" in addition to elite athletes in the business he purchased recently. He will have early morning boot camps at 5:30 and 7:30 am as well as 9:30 am as well as zumba and yogi classes later in the day. Those not arriving in time included Kevin Pike of Pike Gas Services at 75 Barnett Shoals Road and Bindhumol John for J&B Food Mart for a beer and win retail license at 1461 Greensboro Highway. Counci...

Brian Brodrick and Henry Norman The future of domesticated fowl inside the city limits was briefly considered near the end of the new business section of the Watkinsville City Council meeting Wednesday evening at Community Center, but the biggest news might be what the executive session yielded in terms of possible future litigation against the city. Council members Toby Smith and Samantha Purcell listen to a business license request Speculation abounds as to whether the much ballyhooed problems in a section of downtown businesses could be the source of concern, or could it be something much more nefarious and or insidious? We will find out and report shortly. Watkinsville will apparently allowed chicken and roosters in the yard if they are contained, and a sinkhole remains in the back of yard on Katie Lane. A boilerplate tattoo ordinance was inked from Oconee code with no tattoo and body piercing places on the horizon out here after a second public hearing. Victoria Al...

The economic rebound continues to percolate in lovely downtown Watkinsville, with Delores Schofill of CIRCA returning to the Main Street strip at 13 1/2 Main Stgreet, and Mae Rivera returning to cut hair basically across the street from her original location where pine straw has been sold with Watkinsville Clipper Cuts at 52 N. Main Street, Suite B, in the same development as Sunshine Cycles. Delores Schofill of CIRCA comes back to Watkinsville Kristina Butler received the OK for Fresh Baked Home Just down the street from the return of CIRCA and their authentic antiques from the 1700s and 1800s is Fresh Baked Home run by Kristina Baker at 17 North Main Street. All these businesses received unanimous approval by the City Council in an otherwise brief meeting. Mayoral candidate Dan Matthews was in the audience, and his opponent Charles Ivie continued his absence from the regular meetings. The Sons of Confederate Veterans received non-unanimous approval for a solar powered lig...

Jimmy Marbut, owner of Sunshine Cycles in Watkinsville and Athens, received approval to finish his garage and build some backyard recreation area for his kids from the Watkinsville City Council after some questions by the Mayor Joe Walter and Brian Brodrick and clarification of city attorney Joe Reitman. Council members Toby Smith and Samantha Purcell are shown above voting in favor of the building permit for the Jeremy Drive home in Morgan Manor Estates subdivision in Watkinsville.

The Watkinsville City Council meeting Wednesday evening was brief but to the point: Paige Hudspeth received approval for her business license for her three-hour group painting class called Paint with Class, and it will possibly be located at 8 School Street if real estate negotiations are completed as expected. Hudspeth explained that she can teach a group to complete paintings within three hours to take home paintings after an outing. She plans to primarily market to women, but will of course accept men. She says she has a knack for teaching people how to finish their works to take home with them. Paige Hudspeth shows one of her paintings to the Council Another amended business license will aim to accept consignment of hunting gear from primarily men, but will accept deer stands from women such as City Council member Samantha Purcell. The people who have been giving loans at Oconee Lending Group have decided to also have ATVs and golf carts in the parking lot shared with Sunshine...

Watkinsville welcomed new Mayor Joe Walter at the start of their city council meeting with little fanfare Wedensday evening with five approved business licenses a signal that the economy continues to improve in Oconee County. I am a big time supporter of Joe and was proud to have voted for him last time around he was contested. He ran unopposed for Mayor and was up to all the tasks in this first meeting, with a few pointers from Council member Brian Brodrick on various protocols. Pete Chamberlain commenced the cavalcade of new money makers describing his wife Genie's innovative Wed Ed, Inc. which is basically going to teach brides how to get married. This business should thrive in Watkinsville with Ashford Manor Bed and Breakfast wedding factory essentially across Main Street in the Dan Elder building at 10 N. Main Street. Robert Davis was approved for Davis Landscape & Design's home office at 58 Harden Hill Road with the codicil of no construction equipment being...

The last quarter of Mayor Jim Luken's third and final term in office as Mayor of Watkinsville was run like a Marine inspection by the former Marine and son of former Cincinnati mayor of the same name. It appears the younger Luken may have found a signature send off in stopping the four lane build out of Simonton Bridge Road after members of the Georgia Department of Transportation said the thoroughfare does not meet the criteria for becoming four lane at a MACORTS meeting today. The fact he also found an extra $40,000.00 from interest on the city's Certificates of Deposit for the City coffers is not bad thing to be remembered by either.  "We have a real chance to step in a muddy hole here," commented Luken.  "We have got to be careful."  The county seat of Oconee County continues a carefully honed path of progress and growth amidst a sea of abandoned subdivisions even encroaching inside the city limits. Among the new businesses approved by the Cit...

Great to have Julie Sanders back. I can comment that I meant the trash near Morgan Manor adjacent to Farmview, but no matter. MINUTES OF MEETING OF MAYOR AND COUNCIL CITY OF WATKINSVILLE July 8, 2009 PRESENT: Mayor Luken, Council members Link, Brodrick, Purcell, Walsh, Walter and City Attorney Reitman. VISITORS: See attached sheet. QUORUM CHECK: Mayor Luken acknowledges a quorum is present. Councilwoman Purcell is out of the country at this time. All speakers are asked to approach the lectern and address Council. PRESENTATION OF THE WATKINSVILLE BEAUTIFUL YARD AWARD: Councilwoman Purcell announces the winners of the Watkinsville Beautiful Yard Award as Patrick and Susan Kennedy of 1011 Christian Court. Chicken Express sponsored this month’s beautiful yard award. MINUTES: Councilman Brodrick moved and Councilman Walsh seconded the motion to approve the June 10, 2009 Minutes as presented with corrections noted from Councilman Link. Opportunity for discussion. Motion carried unani...

Some dork (me) got up and talked about curbs, recycling, ballfields, paving, soil and a Board of Education candidate who helped pick up trash at Harris Shoals Park: MINUTES OF MEETING OF MAYOR AND COUNCIL CITY OF WATKINSVILLE May 14, 2008 PRESENT: Mayor Luken, Council members Link, Purcell, Brodrick, Walsh, Walter and City Attorney Reitman VISITORS: See attached sheet. QUORUM CHECK: Mayor Luken acknowledges a quorum is present. He also welcomes Chuck Horton, County Commissioner , to our meeting. All speakers are asked to approach the lectern and address Council. PRESENTATION OF THE BEAUTIFUL YARD AWARD: Councilwoman Purcell presents Maridee Williams of 1021 Jeremy Drive the Watkinsville Beautiful Yard Award for the month of May. The selection was made by Athens Seed. MINUTES: Councilwoman Purcell moved and Councilman Link seconded the motion to approve the minutes of the April 9, 2008 Council meeting as presented. Motion carried unanimously. AR...

It was wonderful and heart-warming seeing 20 some odd people turn out to Harris Shoals Park in Watkinsville for the semi-annual clean-up of the jewel of the county seat. All the members of the city council were there, bouncy Brian Brodrick, fireman Mike Link, teacher Samantha Purcell, former police officer Joe Walter and Mayor and ex-Marine Jim Luken were all sweating to the trash removal. Johnny Lay was removing brush and big limbs with Brodrick from the area near the playground. Other areas were under scrutiny for cigarette butts and what not. Former city council candidate Kathleen McQuiston arrived as I had to go to off to pick up my son for his soccer game. I am sorry I had only 45 minutes or so to offer. Mr. McGrath ~ the man who biked in my yard to get an Obama sticker ~ was there in a V-103 shirt. Board of Education Post 3 candidate Ashley Hood helped out in the flower bed with Sam and some others. The Mayor was in the creek and needed hip waders instead of the calf high galo...

The worst part of missing these Watkinsville City Council meetings is not hearing the part where Mayor Jim Luken reads his comments and generally they are not included in what I get from city clerk Julie Sanders (they are in here but Luken almost always adds some colorful but well spoken quote often but not always combining his military and or Cincinnati or Roswell or baseball backgrounds). Luken often reveals the best little nuggets of news in this part of the meeting. But I digress. Thanks to Julie for sending the minutes. I love Watkinsville. Been a pretty good week for Mack Guest III after getting appointed to the Board of Education and now he has another business under his belt. The following are unapproved minutes of last night's meeting, reads like this was a relatively brief and unspectacular or non-controversial gathering: MINUTES OF MEETING OF MAYOR AND COUNCIL CITY OF WATKINSVILLE November 14, 2007 PRESENT: Mayor Luken, Council members Link, Purcell, Walsh, ...