Oconee County, GA Politics

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.

Tire store marketing employee James P. Mason of Jefferson intends to enter his name on the ballot of the 10th district U.S. Congressional election here in Athens (and Augusta and north to the border), and I think his long shot independent candidacy will have equal effect on the Republican or Democratic candidates. I salute the former Marine who served his country in Afghanistan who has taken on the established parties. We shall see how effectively young Mr. Mason markets himself in the rather disjointed district stretching from the Central Savannah River Area to the Mountains of North Carolina with a dip in Watkinsville and Washington-Wilkes. Only one thing is for certain, Nicholson resident Bobby Saxon should have talked to his fellow Jackson County veteran in Mason and figured out why (or at least what is prompting him) he is going to run. Conventional political wisdom would prescribe that the Mason wild card will siphon off some votes from both sides of the aisle, but probably hur...

I have not yet had the pleasure of personally meeting the newest Oconee County beat reporter for the Athens Banner-Herald in Adam Thompson, but once I do I am sure my reaction will be something like - "Oh yeah, you're that other guy writing notes at all those various meetings around here." He has written an excellent summary of both sides of North High Shoals squabble surrounding the future (and past and present) of the debate surrounding the disbanding of the town charter, effectively un-incorporating the municipality. Let me also turn back the clock to a different time when small towns could take their differences out on the softball diamond . I had never hit a ball over a home run fence where the home run becomes an out, but I did that day.

The five radio stations owned by Paul Stone and Southern Broadcasting are now owned by the same media conglomerate Cox Communications that owns WSB and the AJC and hopefully the conservative Mr. Stone can go back to where ever he came from (Elberton, Pensacola?) with the $60 million. Does this mean we get Clark Howard and Neil Boortz 24-7? Herman Cain can now guffaw with his buddy Tim Bryant all the time? Matt Caesar and Babs Dooley will have to make room for Sean Hannity? We shall hear, I'm sure

These are the stories you will not hear, read or see in the Mainstream Media