Oconee County, GA Politics

AGENDA CITY OF WATKINSVILLE January 9, 2008 CALL TO ORDER QUORUM CHECK MINUTES APPEARANCES 1. George Svoronos – business license – Physio-Diagnostics, Inc. – 1191 Felton Drive 2. Hometown Communities (Wisteria Ridge) – building permit – 565 sq. ft. pool house – 95 N. Main Street 3. Hometown Communities (Wisteria Ridge) – building permit – 356 sq. ft. mail kiosk – 95 N. Main Street 4. John Byram – building permit – renovate existing building at 19 & 21 N. Main including 4, 6 & 8 Court Street ADMINISTRATION MAYOR’S REPORT CITIZEN’S COMMENTS OLD BUSINESS 1. Consider Subdivision Regulations 2. Consider Franchise Fee Ordinance NEW BUSINESS EXECUTIVE SESSION 1. Discuss land acquisition ADJOURN

This is the result of a long series of email exchanges, but it was fun and I was happy to contribute. I can remember being huddled at the end of the stairwell in my pajamas watching a crowd of people up our stairs raising their hands for George McGovern on a cold night in 1972. We had a "raucous caucus" according to the Des Moines Register and Tribune newspaper at the time and thus was born yet another nickname from Coach McGuire. We had people packed into every corner of our stucco house on the hill in the middle of Snake Drive.

Please let your feelings be known about our local government doing things behind our back...... Citizens for Oconee's Future, Inc. P.O. Box 1301 Watkinsville, GA 30677 Following is a message from Lee Becker, Friends of Barber Creek with information about the secret bidding process being used by the county to contract for the Rocky Branch sewage treatment plant. Please remember this is the plant that will result in treated sewer water being dumped into Barber Creek which flows through several Oconee subdivisions. This project was advertised for bids once before but no contract was let as a result. Go to Lee's blog for the background on this project. Charles Baugh Subject: Citizens "Taint" the Bidding Process Dear Friends: Oconee County officials, in an effort to keep citizens from "tainting" the review process, have decided to keep secret the second round of bids for the $8-10 million upgrade of the Rocky Branch sewage plant as well as the re...

Dear Friend, If you're like most Georgia Democrats, you're excited about Georgia's Presidential Primary coming up on February 5th. I want to ask you to help us get out the vote on that day, by reminding your friends, family, and coworkers about this important election and by making sure that everyone you know is registered to vote. The deadline to register to vote in the February 5th Presidential Primary is next Monday, January 7th! If you know someone who hasn't yet registered to vote, please encourage them to get in touch with their local Board of Elections, so they can help choose our next President. For more information on how to register to vote, or to download and print a voter registration application, visit the Georgia Secretary of State's website . As you know, Georgia's primary date is shared with many other states. I want to challenge all of us to start 2008 off on the right foot by getting more Democrats out to the polls than ever ...

Please come help pick up litter along the side of the road on the busiest thoroughfare in Oconee County, Georgia with the Oconee County Democratic Committee. Oconee Democrats, their friends, neighbors, and children are invited to meet at the Mars Hill fire station on Sat., Jan. 12, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. to clean up our mile of the Oconee Connector. Please bring a pair of work gloves and any aluminum cans you have to recycle in the firefighters' recycyling bin. Safety vests and trash bags will be provided. The Fire Chief has graciously offered the station's dumpster for our filled bags, so that is one less messy job to worry about. Lets turn out a crowd and finish this off quickly!

I have lived in Georgia more than a quarter century with my father's family going seven generations deep on a hilltop in Druid Hills, but I grew up in the great state of Iowa in a rather interesting political climate. My mother Norma S. Matthews was part of the apparatus adjusting the Iowa Caucuses to the front of the line in 1972. We hosted a caucus at our house on 44th st.eet "Snake Drive" where people huddled in corners to declare their allegiance to everyone from Hubert Humphrey to Edmund Muskie to Scoop Jackson and George McGovern. My mom was the co-chair of the McGovern campaign and we had quite a parade of people through our living room and guest rooms that year, including Bill and Hillary, Gary Hart, and many others less famous. McGovern came in third that evening but won in the expectations game, doing better than was thought possible, and the Senator from South Dakota won the elusive momentum factor into New Hampshire and Wisconsin on to the nomination. Every ...

Oconee County has already lost the DePalma's restaurant slated for the new Market Center at Capital Avenue development near Butler's Crossing thanks to the Board of Commissioners not voting on allowing restaurants to pour beer and wine (such as the case for a year now inside the city limits of the county seat Watkinsville). The Loco's is not coming to the development around the corner and a BBQ restaurant has already closed in the same Mander's Crossing development. But there is a wine store there and a Taco Stand is being built in the old Quick Lube place in front of Butler's Crossing. So our Board of Commissioners has evidently succumbed to the pressures of the pulpit and congregations versus taking into consideration the economic development of our county. Now I do not condemn our local churches for making their feelings known and petition the government to address their grievances. I have tremendous respect for our houses of worship out Oconee way, be they so ma...

Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:21:14 -0500 From: angplange@yahoo.com To: danmatt@hotmail.com Subject: You're Invited to the Official Opening of the Clinton HQ in Georgia THIS SUNDAY! You're Invited to the Official Opening of the Clinton HQ in Georgia THIS SUNDAY! Open House You are invited to the official opening of Clinton HQ The Georgia Campaign Office for Hillary Clinton for President is now Open for Business! Our local Georgia Staff invites you to join them for an Open House Party next week. What: Georgia Campaign Office Open House When: Sunday, Dec. 30 - 3:00 -5:00pm Where: Hillary Clinton Campaign Office 1080 Spring Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30309 Find more information and RSVP at the Hillary Events Center here.       ...

Deck The Halls | Funny Jokes at JibJab

The 25 th Georgia Blog Carnival is up over at Marketing Through the Clutter . Many thanks go to our hostess, Sandi, and to everyone who submitted a post. If you would like to link to the carnival and alert your readers about it the url is : http://sandisolow.blogspot.com/2007/12/25th-georgia-blog-carnival.html

The following is from Pat Priest of the Oconee County Democratic Committee. She should be the chair, but is not. I have walked the long trails of Harris Shoals Park many times with Lowell and have seen huge snakes and birds and fish among many other creatures. I am afraid my son will not be able to make this event but I strongly urge anyone and everyone else to do so if they can. Hi, Fred and others! I've scheduled it for Friday instead -- at 2 PM. I hope you can join us that day! December 28th Naturalist-led walk for families The Oconee County Democrats are sponsoring a free walk in the woods led by a local naturalist at Harris Shoals Park on December 28th, a Friday, at 2 PM. The park is just outside the city of Watkinsville, at Highway 53 and VFW Drive. Families from Oconee and nearby counties are encouraged to join us outdoors for an hour or so to explore the lovely creek and wetlands of Harris Shoals. Dress warmly! For more information, contact Pat Priest ( ppriest@char...

This Saturday, December 22nd, Kroger in the Alps Shopping Center is holding a special event to help raise money for Sgt. Courtney Gale, the ACCPD officer that was brutally attacked last week, and who remains in ICU at St. Mary's Hospital. The details are below. Blood Drive from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. Cook-out from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm - hot dogs, chips, drinks Silent Auction from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm - we have numerous UGA related items including: an autographed football from Mark Richt, autographed photographs of Dennis Felton and Andy Landers, a warm up suit from the UGA basketball team, numerous items from the UGA Gymdogs, a football commemorating the 700th victory of the UGA football team dated November 11, 2006 versus Auburn, and many other items. We are trying to secure more items from UGA including some camp passes from the different athletic teams provided they do not violate NCAA rules. Bulldog 103.7 will be here from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm doing a live remote. Do me a favor and pass...

Better put away those pitchforks and torches people. Seems North High Shoals won't be wiped out this evening after all due to a sickness and a lack of quorum and legal advice to Fred Johnson. Dontcha just love small town politics?

People have tons of stuff to get rid of at this time of year. Normally I put a lot of items on Athens Freecycle for the first person to claim, but this is a time for donating good quality used items to the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation OCAF Thrift Sale The OCAF Annual Thrift Sale 2008 fundraiser will be held on March 14-15. We will be ready to accept your tax deductible donation of items beginning this Fri. Drop off dates - Dec 21-22 & 28-29 from 10 am - 2 pm Drop off location – Rocket Hall on School Street, Watkinsville Please share this information with your neighbors and co-workers. Should you have any questions please feel free to contact Cindy at the OCAF office (706) 759-3903 or email info@ocaf.com .

Tonight at 7:30 pm (thanks Steve) - Thursday, December 20th, 2007 - there will be a special called meeting of the North High Shoals city council prompted by the paranoia of two of the old school members of the city council: Eddie Cape and Mayor Jeff Thomas. They are pushing for a referendum to dissolve the town charter. Their fear seems to stem from the recent election of one new council member Steve Holzman. Thomas, the owner of the Family Life Retirement Home - ran several elections past against Gaynor Bracewell, who ran on a dissolve the town platform. The late Bracewell, who owned a couple of homes near his Paradiso Falls water recreation and beach, lost by a large margin to Thomas in that election. Please attend this meeting and let your feelings be known about the attempt at wiping out the municipality of North High Shoals. Even though the local city government would not have much direct authority over it, there is a new Elementary School being built in the city. There are lots ...

This is a great small city with a strong local contingent of active parents, homeowners and folks looking for the quiet, secluded, rural life. Seems some people are upset over recent election activity and are not real happy with the new person elected to the city council. Now let me be the first to admit, newest city council member Steve Holzman and I are friends and serve on the Oconee County Democratic Committee together, but this irrational fear of him on the part of some previously elected officials is irrational, unwise and cowardly. I would strongly suggest that Mayor Jeff Thomas need not resign unless he is actually tired of working for the city. I would also suggest that Council member Eddie Cape need not attempt to dissolve the city unless there was some other reason that a little bit of discontent over three registered Democrats being on the city council at the same time. It takes much more than one upset city council member or a resigning Mayor to dissolve a city council. It...

There are a whole lot of good people who have come together to try and help Sgt. Courtney Gale's recovery from that brutal attack last week at the Alps Bridge Krogers grocery store. The nurse deserves a heroes congratulations for her brave role in immediately providing life saving first aid at the scene. I wish our officers, hell all officers, were paid and insured well enough where any attack like this would be covered and no fund raisers were needed. I also pray for Courtney Gale's family and loved ones in their time of need, as well as the family of the culprit in this heinous attack. It is a shame that the Judge could not have locked this loser away or given him the treatment he so obviously needs. There are many people who deserve a THANK YOU all that they have done. I could not possibly thank everyone involved but the fine folks at the A/CC Police Department have shown the utmost professionalism and courtesy to their injured comrade in her time of need. I do not know S...

I wish the Oconee County Board of Commissioners would vote on beer and wine pouring in our non-Watkiinsville restaurants. I resolve to spend some money there at the new restaurants like the Taco Stand coming to Butler's Crossing soon. Too bad DePalma's won't be there across the street or the BBQ place now shut down at Manders Crossing. I wish the US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan will be home by next Christmas. I resolve to support our troops in as many ways as possible without abandoning peace sentiments for Iraq and Afghanistan. I think we should not be bombing the Kurds in northern Iraq or helping the Turks do it. I wish the Georgia Bulldogs beat the snot out of Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl, although I hope the score is something like 45-33. I resolve to attend more free UGA events in the next 12 months. I wish that the Oconee County Democratic Committee would elect Pat Priest as chair. I resolve to attend more events if she is appointed/elected. She practically runs everyt...

The latest Presidential preference poll in Georgia done by Strategic Visions indicates that Arkansas extremist Mike Huckabee is leading amidst the G.O.P. and Hillary Clinton is leading amongst the Democrats in the Peach State. All that could change in three weeks when the Iowa Caucus take place. We shall see a lot of fluctuations over the Holidays as more comes out about outrageous statements in Huckabee's past including wanting to quarantine AIDS patients and other assertions showing his ignorance and lack of leadership. I think Barack Obama will shock the world and barely win Iowa, with Clinton and Edwards right behind. I think Huckabee will win but by a narrow margin over Romney with Ron Paul doing much better in third than the conventional wisdom would expect and Rudy Giuliani doing much worse in fourth with Thompson a distant fifth. It will be interesting to see how many candidates fall to the wayside before New Hampshire. I would expect Tancredo will tank before then as will ...