Oconee County, GA Politics

Blue Nation by Chris Bowers, Mon May 15, 2006 at 08:29:17 PM EST Ever since 2000, American progressives have been subjected to a steady stream of red-blue electoral maps. There are many problems with such maps, but what always irritated me the most about those maps were how they over-emphasized large, thinly populated expanses of land. New York City has more people than Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Montana and the Dakotas combined, but on the red-blue electoral map of national counties is shows up as a tiny, dark blue speck compared to a sea of deep red. It was the sort of visual aide that any feudal lord would have loved, since it emphasized land instead of people. However, the situation has now changed. The new Survey USA 50-state Bush approval rating shows the depth of Bush's troubles. In forty-seven states, Bush has a negative approval rating. In seventeen states, Bush's disapproval rating doubles his approval rating. In fifteen states, his disapproval rating is lower than any dis...

A Lonely Warning On Debt By David S. Broder, The Washington Post Sunday, May 14, 2006 The hardest question any Washington reporter faces these days, whenever talking with voters outside the capital, is simply: Can I believe anything I'm told by those politicians in Washington -- or by the press? The cynicism in the public is thick enough to cut with a knife. People are tuning out on the president, on politicians -- and on the press. That is what makes it newsworthy when a public official, speaking on the record, sets forth a view that is as blunt and uncomfortable as it is politically unpalatable. Without further ado, let me then quote extensively from a speech delivered May 3 on the floor of the Senate by George Voinovich, a Republican from Ohio -- a speech that, by the way, drew almost no comment from his colleagues or from the apparently benumbed press corps. Voinovich began by pointing out that when he came to the Senate in 1999, "the national debt stood at $5.6 trillion. ...

The rodeo sucked because the announcer was a racist, sexist asshole who belittled women and minorities and gays, among many others. They also dropped the flag on the ground. This is the press release from the People for Ethical Treatment for Animals: Farmington, Ga. — PETA has fired off a letter to Dr. Michael Adams, president of the University of Georgia (UGA), urging him to make this year’s "pig tote" race in UGA’s Great Southland Stampede Rodeo the university’s last. PETA’s request follows a rash of complaints from UGA students and faculty that the baby pigs used in the event are obviously frightened, often attempt to escape, and have even suffered painful broken bones. In the pig tote, competitors thrust baby pigs by their hind legs into wheelbarrows and begin the race, during which the animals sometimes fall out and are tossed back in. Besides the frightening noise of the crowd and having to cope with strange surroundings, the baby pigs particularly suffer when they are ...

Evening everyone: We received very good news today folks. The owners of the Branch Road property at the corner of US441 have withdrawn their rezone request! Undoubtedly the unanimous vote for denial by the Planning Commission on Monday night, along with the recommendation for denial by the Planning Department, had significant impact on the developers. I’ll keep you posted on what more we may learn in the days/weeks ahead. I’m cautiously optimistic that this will be the last battle over commercial rezone of that property. Hopefully in the short-term at least. Thanks to all of you for your support!!! By influencing the type and quality of development in the southern region of the County, we are making a positive difference in the County as a whole. Stay tuned………

It was not so much who was in attendance in the less than two dozen people present for Lt. Gov. candidate Ralph Reed's appearance in Oconee County, it was who was not there. Not a single member of the local government, not even the sheriff. Now there were some other elected officials and candidates for certain; Comer's own State Senator and father of a billboard man Ralph Hudgens was there and endorsed Reed, Bill Cowsert and son ? (not sure about him) - I will defer to Jay Hanley who ran a good meeting and the Rev. Larry Davison who made me feel welcome and shook my hand upon exit. Ralph Reed spoke eloquently about a variety of topics. The mechanics of his school voucher program made me wonder why people who are in counties where more than 50% of the people DON'T fail won't get the government money to go to private schools or homeschool. And one member of the audience remarked that the several thousand dollars Reed was proposing would not even cover a third of the expen...

Watkinsville City Council May 11, 2006 Oconee Living Section Athens Banner-Herald Watkinsville Council increases local businesses by 10 By Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Correspondent The Watkinsville City Council met with a very busy schedule Wednesday and approved nine new business license applications and renewed one with a notorious past. Sandy Callaway of S.C. Logging Company at 50 Barnett Shoals came back before the city council to seek reinstatement of his wood yard’s business license after getting it revoked during the previous administration of Mayor Sammy Sanders some years back. Callaway complied with numerous suggestions for beautifying the area he thought had been a wood yard for more than 60 years by removing junk cars and other garbage. Council member Joe Walter, who was the city’s first code enforcement officer, commented that he thought Callaway had complied with every request presented him by current code enforcement officer Robert Hegge. Council member Samantha Purcell succ...

Oconee groups want revised plan tweaked Stormwater management By Merritt Melancon | juliana.melancon@onlineathens.com | Story updated at 9:56 PM on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 WATKINSVILLE - Though turnout was low and public comment virtually nonexistent at the first public hearing on Oconee County's revised stormwater management plan, local advocacy groups are hoping officials will tweak the plan before it's approved June 6. Since Amy Morrison, the county's stormwater coordinator, first introduced the proposed stormwater management plan last fall, it's been consolidated from three ordinances into one and lost some of its teeth. Now members of the Athens Area Home Builders Association are inspecting the ordinance looking for any other objectionable regulations, while members of the county's smart-growth advocacy group Citizens for Oconee's Future are hoping that county officials will restore some of the regulations cut from the first draft. County officials ha...

This just in from Tony Glenn and the folks who want to save South Oconee: Sorry it’s taken me 24 hours to update all of you on the events at the Planning Commission meeting last evening. For those who could not attend you can find additional info at Kate McDaniel’s site (http://www.apvoc.com/). Our main issue was of course the proposed convenience store at the corner of Branch Road and US441. The Planning Commission voted unanimously to deny the request. Their vote, along with the Planning Staff report which also recommended denial, gives us cautious optimism going into the Board of Commissioners meeting on June 6th. Remember that the BOC has the final deciding vote on rezone issues. I can’t stress enough that you should plan to attend the BOC meeting if at all possible. Having a significant number of people at the meeting, whether you intend to speak or not, does have an impact. Also, at the June 6th meeting, note that outside the Commission chambers there will be a row of sig...

FOR RELEASE ON Friday May 5, 2006 May 5, 2006 For Information Contact: Becky Vaughn, 706.540.9724 Becky Vaughn enters race for the House of Representatives, District 113 BOGART (GA) Becky Vaughn qualified in the race for the Georgia House of Representatives District 113 today to represent Oconee County, northern Morgan, western Oglethorpe, Winterville, and Clarke’s southern and western edges. “I believe we need a change—one that takes a new leader with a broad vision. At a minimum the citizens should have a choice. I want to use my knowledge, skills, and leadership abilities to effectively serve as the voice of this dynamic community called the 113th. Vaughn, who narrowly lost in her bid for state senate in 2004, has been a resident of Oconee County since 1995. She serves as the President and CEO of the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse where she has worked with many legislators over the years i...

I apologize for not getting this sent out sooner. I want to update everyone on the recent meeting with one of the three developers of the Branch Road property. Last Wednesday evening a group of us met with Frank Williams, the son of Francis Williams. Initially the meeting was to include both the junior and senior Mr. Williams as well as a third partner, Jimmy Johnson (not to be confused with the Jimmy Johnson living here in Farmington), but the other two men did not attend. I'm really glad the meeting took place. I think Frank Williams was as nervous and unsure about the event as we were. We all seemed to get the impression that he himself does not really like the planned development but is simply looking at it as a business investment (emotional detachment). Seems to us that his father is really the one running the show and that he is a very blunt, old-style businessman that only sees land as a commodity and not as something to cherish. Ironically Frank mentioned that he, ...

I encourage everyone to take a moment and write an email to the Oconee County Board of Commissioners to voice your concern with the proposed rezone request currently posted for the corner of US441 and Branch Road. The following information is taken directly from our website (home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-SouthOconee), which now contains a page dedicated to this issue. The previous truck stop proposal for the corner of Branch Road and US441 has once again come forward but is now a convenience store, fueling center (12 passenger car stations), carwash, and office space. While the current project is reduced in size and scope, the underlying issues are no different from the previous plan. The inconsistency with the Future Land Use Plan, the lack of infrastructure in the region, the uncertainty of the US441 widening project, the public and traffic safety concerns, the proximity to Heritage Park, as well as the detrimental impact that such a development will have on the quality and value of the...

Becky Vaughn of Bogart qualfied at the last moment of the extended qualifying period to run against Bob Smith for the State Representative slot in the new House of Represenatives district 113, including all of Oconee County, and some of Clarke. This should be an interesting race to say the least. Becky ran against Brian Kemp in 2004 for State Senate and gave the man seeking the Ag Commish post everything he wanted and then some in a very close contest. Smith has not had opposition for several terms but now must keep some of his considerable war chest at home in Watkinsville instead of running amok on other nearby contested races such as the Kidd-Cowsert round II or the Ag Commish primary or the Lt. Gov. primary or who knows what else. Becky learned a lot last time around and has jettisoned some of the excessive baggage of the previous campaign. We will keep you updated on her strategy as it becomes available.

Hello, Mr. Karl Hwang is an overqualified, inspirational, and generally amazing teacher that is being fired by Oconee County High School without a reasonable explanation. A coach that is currently in the P.E. department is being forced to go into the math department to make room for an assistant of the incoming football coach, Nick Saltaformaggio (“Coach Salt” for short). And there are several other questionable firings happening this year at the high school such as the only woman in the physical education department. Originally Mr. Hwang, a graduate of Georgia Tech, worked as a civil engineer and tutored physics and calculus on the side. Soon he grew tired of Engineering and decided to pursue teaching. He earned a Masters in Mathematics Education from the University of Georgia and began student teaching at Oconee County High School. A few months ago, two years after he began teaching full time at Oconee, Mr. Hwang confirmed rumors that he was being let go. Apparently, the administrati...

Dear folks, We had another fine scholarship banquet last Thursday evening, April 27, at the Sanctuary in Watkinsville. Over ninety persons attended. We awarded six $1,000 Moore's Ford Scholarships to graduating seniors from five high schools and $100 merit awards to eight finalists. We gave community service awards to Oconee Schools Supt. Thomas Dohrman for his efforts in hiring minority teachers and staff; another award to Loganville banker Stanley Kelley, whose The Community Bank donated $10,000 to our endowment. Dena Chandler of the Lemuel Penn Memorial Committee and Blair Rothstein, representing renewed interest in the Leo Frank story in Cobb County, both participated in this program. They are considering hosting scholarships for Penn and Frank back home. Press release, program, credits are attached. I will try to send a group picture of the finalists by separate email. It was a lovely evening. Thanks to all who contributed and worked to host this event. Let'...

Bogart City Council May 1, 2006 Oconee Living Section Athens Banner-Herald Bogart Council agrees to disagree with Mayor By Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Correspondent The long simmering feud between Mayor Jan Thurmond and city council members Woody Bruce and Terri Glenn came to a head at the Monday meeting in Bogart. The city lawyer David Wages started before the meeting giving Thurmond the answers she did not want to hear, namely her son’s engineering firm of Armentrout, Roebuck and Matheny was no longer employed by the town after a motion was passed terminating the operating agreement at a special called meeting April 16. Even the minutes for the April 16 meeting were not entered in the record for the May meeting after Mayor Thurmond forgot to bring an affidavit and resolution coming out of an executive session. She called home to try and get her husband to retrieve the information during the meeting but was unsuccessful. There was even some question as to whether there was a quorum pre...

Merritt makes sense of Bogart beef and how it stalls city progress 04/30/06

Terry Holley takes on Charlie Norwood in the new 10th district.

Oconee County Historical Society invites you to a Historic Preservation Program featuring BURKE WALKER Historic Preservation Planner NEGA Regional Development Center Burke will give an illustrated talk on historic structure preservation which will include guidelines and techniques to use in preserving older buildings. May 8, 7:30pm Watkinsville Library Auditorium Refreshments will be served. Oconee County Historical Society meets on the second Monday at 7 pm, Government Annex, Greensboro Highway, Watkinsville.

She was at the Moore's Ford Memorial Seventh Annual Scholarship banquet and not at the Clarke County Democratic Meeting where Terry Holley evidently announced his candidacy against Charloe Norwood.

She was at the Moore's Ford Memorial Seventh Annual Scholarship banquet and not at the Clarke County Democratic Meeting where Terry Holley evidently announced his candidacy against Charloe Norwood.