Oconee County, GA Politics

Well written as usual from Dr. Patricia Priest Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Subject: [oconee] Let's defeat Paul Broun! Hi! Please see the invitation below about an opportunity to meet with Paul Broun's opponent, Democrat Bobby Saxon, before the movie screening at Ciné on Monday. I'll be there. I really admire Bobby, who -- all this week -- has been hard at work at National Guard training. Come talk to him, and you'll be impressed, too. The event takes place behind Ciné. Then come around front to buy your tickets for the 6:30 movie -- a well-regarded 2008 documentary about gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who pretty much skewered every politician but made grudging admirers of people such as Pat Buchanan and Jimmy Carter. Here's the message from Bobby's campaign manager, Tommy Valentine below. Thanks! Pat Priest Member, Oconee Democrats ------------ --------- --------- ---- Everyo...

More can be seen at the Athens Banner-Herald's onlineathens.com photo blog called Spotted .

Arts festival features pottery from around state - Variety

Please attend this event Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me From: oconee@yahoogroups.com To: oconee@yahoogroups.com Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:56:36 +0000 Subject: [oconee] Oconee Democrats Regular Monthly Meeting, 9/4/2008, 7:00 pm Reminder from:   oconee Yahoo! Group   Title:   Oconee Democrats Regular Monthly Meeting   Date:   Thursday September 4, 2008 Time:   7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Repeats:   This event repeats every month on the first Thursday. Next reminder:  ...

Looks like we have at least one contested race locally here in Watkinsville. Joe Walter will face opposition from Luke Bishop for Post 3 of the Watkinsville City Council in the November non-partisan election. Wonder how McCain's selection of Sarah Palin will rattle that cage? Mr. Bishop in an insurance agent and has appeared before the council to get a variance in recent months. Mr. Walter is an ex-code enforcement officer for the City of Watkinsville and was a police officer in Athens before that I believe. He is always ready to roll up his sleeves and do what ever is necessary for the city. I have not always agreed with every one of his votes but I think he deserves re-election.

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lee Becker < lbbecker@mindspring.com > Date: Thu, Aug 28, 2008 at 9:39 PM Subject: Epps Bridge Centre To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, On Tuesday night, the Board of Commissioners will vote on a major commercial rezone planned for beside and behind Lowe's on Epps Bridge Parkway. The project will greatly change the amount of traffic in the area, will pave over streams feeding into McNutt Creek, will create a large amount of impervious surface, and will generate a lot of tax revenue for Oconee County. This is a very big project. When it is built out--and it almost certainly will be approved--it will greatly change the nature of the part of Oconee County where it is located. Think of a 16-screen movie theater and seven restaurants. Think if retail space rivaling Georgia Square Mall. It is safe to say Oconee County will never be the same. And this is only the beginning of what is planned. For details of the projec...

Might be a good place to register voters - 400,000 new Democrats in Georgia alone. Nice speech last night Barack. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Hello Everyone! This Saturday we will have a variety of vegetables, peanuts and skins. Sweet potato pie, buttermilk, coca cola, chocolate and other varieties of pound cakes! So come on out and visit us at the Oconee Farmers Market! Have a wonderful weekend! Karl Berg www.oconeefarmersmarket.org  and http://www.apvoc.com/

My mother was once responsible for securing Hunter S. Thompson from the Des Moines Airport during the winter of 1971. She was the co-chair for the McGovern campaign. We were in the midst of a horrible Iowa blizzard, and my mom was searching for him numerous times during the afternoon and evening. His flight had come in late on a Sunday and no one could find him in the airport. We finally did find him passed out packing heat in an "unknown" bar upstairs in the airport. Unbeknowst to us, he had "opened" a bar with his pistol holding a terrified barkeep hostage until he was served enough of his favorite antifreeze. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Hello! The Oconee Democrats have planned another of our popular Movie Nights -- for this coming Monday -- to see a new documentary about Hunter S. Thompson. Join us -- or you can watch the Republican convention on TV that night instead! Hope to see you! Pat Priest Mem...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Pat Priest 706-353-8310 ppriest@charter.net McCain v. Obama Book Challenge The Oconee Democrats are issuing a challenge for people in the region to learn more about both Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama by reading and discussing both men’s autobiographies. Participants will discuss McCain’s “Worth the Fighting For” in September and Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope” in October at moderated sessions in Oconee and Athens-Clarke County. Both books are inspiring bestsellers. William Kristol of The Weekly Standard characterized McCain’s book as “a gripping story, and well told, and one that serves as an accessible and lively introduction to the last quarter century of American politics.” Publishers Weekly said of “The Audacity of Hope”: “Obama writes insightfully, with vivid firsthand observations, about politics and the compromises forced on politicians by fund-raising, interest groups, the media and legislative horse-trading.” The event organizer, ...

  Subject: McCain v. Obama book challenge Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Pat Priest 706-353-8310 ppriest@charter.net McCain v. Obama Book Challenge! The Oconee Democrats are issuing a challenge for people in the region to learn more about both Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama by reading and discussing both men's autobiographies. Participants will discuss McCain's "Worth the Fighting For" in September and Obama's "The Audacity of Hope" in October at moderated sessions in Oconee and Athens-Clarke County. Both books are inspiring bestsellers. William Kristol of The Weekly Standard characterized McCain's book as "a gripping story, and well told, and one that serves as an accessible and lively introduction to the last quarter century of American politics." Publishers Weekly said of "The Audacity of Hope": "Obama writes insightfully, with vivid firsthand observations, ab...

Beware of anyone asking for donations over the telephone. Woven cautiously, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Dear CCDC members and friends, Please see forwarded message below. Sincerely, Karen Solheim CCDC Vice Chair for Communications Karen, Please share this story with our mailing list. We do not want them to be victims of a scam. Cordially, MaC Wanted to share this with CCDC folks. Suppose someone IS doing this scam? Scary! Wanda I just fell for what I think was a well-plotted phone scam, and hereby issue a warning. This involved a very eloquent and polite young man who said he represented the local Democratic Party. We chatted about politics for several minutes before he got to his wonderful spiel, which included the reason why I couldn 't send a donation by check in the mail. Fool that I think I be, I happily gave him my credit card number to make a donation. As I hung up, it dawned on me what I had done without an oun...

Very few municipalities have been as amusing or shrouded in mystery and controversy as that of Bogart, Georgia. I have not been to a meeting for quite some time as the powers that be at the Banner-Herald have decided I am not worthy of reporting freelance stories (thanks Melissa and Wayne). Recently resigned Mayor Thomas "Tom" Peavey was always one to get up in former Mayor Jan Thurmond's face when it came to matters involving her son Bret or just about anything involving the softball facility or recreation department. I can recall Peavey going toe to toe with former residents such as Jack Hierholzer and former mayors such as Robin Hoag and city council members such as Woody Bruce over any number of personal and public topics. We can speculate all day long on why Peavey choose to resign but he never struck me as typical leadership material. Peavey seemed to be very blue collar type in a white collar job. I wish the municipality of Bogart well and interim Mayor Terri Glen...

Why would we want a grocery store in the midst of the busiest traffic thoroughfare in Oconee County? This is what you get when the more narrow minded members of the Oconee County Planning Commission continues to drive our economic engine into the ground. Sure the zoning and planning may actually conform to the prospect of such a project, but for once does the neighborhood have anything to say about what stores get rammed down their throats? Bruce MacPherson, Bill Yarborough and George Rodrigues are the three members of the Planning Commission who vote with some regularity against moronic development in our community, and kudos to them for doing that. Someone trying to win an insurmountable write in campaign might consider such populist issues to propel their campaign, For those who do not know the background, there are plans afoot to build a grocery store shopping center somewhere near LaVista Road and Highway 441 here in Oconee County. This is near both the campus of Athens Academy a...

Thanks to Lee Becker for filming this and filling us in Dear Friends, The proposed rezone of 68 acres on the north side of SR Loop 10 on Epps Bridge Parkway for the proposed Epps Bridge Centre was approved by the Planning Commission last night with only Bruce MacPherson of Bishop dissenting. Questions were asked about impervious surface, wetlands mitigation, traffic, and amount of asphalt to be put down. Representatives of Oconee 316 Associates had a variety of answers. Commissioner Mike Maxey expressed concerns that the conditions being recommended by the planning staff on the amount of development might be overly restrictive and could put the developer at significant financial risk. The planning staff is concerned because the road access to the development--the proposed Oconee Connector extension--isn't built, or even started. In the end, Maxey seconded the motion for approval, which included the restriction on the amount of the development that could be completed before the new ...

Bobby Saxon calls on Congressman to refund taxpayer money ATHENS, GA – Bobby Saxon, Democratic nominee for the Georgia 10th Congressional District, calls on Congressman Paul Broun, Jr. to refund taxpayer money he wastefully spent on self promoting mailers. "I am shocked and dismayed with today’s news that Congressman Broun would be so careless with taxpayer money. He has regularly voted against the interests of hardworking Georgia families; voting against critical programs for needy children, benefits for veterans, and against stronger law enforcement for child pornography, all the while spending our tax dollars promoting his name,” Saxon said. “Today I call on Paul Broun, Jr. to refund the $562,000 of hard earned taxpayer money that he spent on shameless self promotion. Congressman Broun's hypocritical position on government spending illustrates the need for true positive change in the 10th District. If elected, unlike Congressman Broun, I will provide the responsible leader...

More insight from Lee Becker Dear Friends, The Oconee County Planning Commission tomorrow night is scheduled to review the rezone request for a major shopping center on Epps Bridge Parkway behind the current development. The rezone is the sole new item on the agenda < http://www.oconeecounty.com/Government/Planning/PlanningPDFs/PC-Agenda8-18-08.pdf >. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the courthouse in Watkinsville. The development will put a lot of traffic onto Epps Bridge Parkway and SR 316. It also will adversely affect McNutt Creek. As the Athens Banner-Herald < http://onlineathens.com/stories/081408/news_2008081400170.shtml > has reported, the entire project hinges on a road that is not yet built--an extension of the Oconee Connector. The Northeast Georgia Regional Development Center has raised concerns about the project. The Northeast Georgia Regional Development Center report is available here < http://www.negplanning.org/dri/search >. The Oconee County planning ...

Once again outstanding analysis from Lee Becker: Dear Friends, I've done some precinct analyses of the July 15 election results that suggest that incumbency played a significant role in explaining the vote in the Board of Commissioners races and that the beer and wine issue probably did not. Incumbency in this time of rapid development in the county probably is a surrogate for concerns about development. My analysis also suggests that while order on the ballot may explain some of the votes in the Board of Education races, it clearly was not the key factor. The August 5 BOC meeting shows that development, particularly in the south of the county, is likely to be an issue the new board will face when it takes office in January. Go to http://www.oconeecountyobservations.blogspot.com/ for details. I also posted an analysis earlier in the week of the coroner race. It is at http://oconeecountyobservations.blogspot.com/2008/08/oconee-coroner-runoff-outcome-not.html Lee

Saturday Sounds of Summer Concert Series Presents The gorgeously orchestrated and textured pop melodies of Athens' Amanda Kapousouz, aka Tin Cup Prophette, have made her a favorite on the local music scene. The multi-instrumentalist earned her name busking tunes on her violin in New York's subways. She's also a favorite of local aerialists and has worked several times with Canopy Studio in Athens, creating live music for the dancers. Www.tincupprophette.com or http://myspace.com/tincupprophette Saturday August 23rd, 2008 A Saturday night outdoor summer music series On the grounds of Ashford Manor Bed and breakfast In downtown Watkinsville Saturday Sounds of Summer Series 2008 Pricing Single night admission prices: $12 for adults, $5 for children under 12, children under 6 are free Gates open at 6pm Concerts starts from 7-9pm VIP TABLES AVAILABLE Table for 8, linen, chairs, and tickets $350 Don’t forget to pre-order or purchase on site from Buffalo&# 8217;s...

A Monday night outdoor summer music series On the grounds of Ashford Manor Bed and breakfast In downtown Watkinsville Presents (Southern Roots, and Blues) Monday August 18th, 2008 True Southern rock is hard to find. Maybe it's the fresh, honest simplicity of the lyrics, or maybe it's the soulful duets on slide guitars, but Delta Moon has found their voice in the aesthetics of Southern rock. It's the sound of Georgia clay and Kentucky whiskey; it's too good for any pickup truck commercial and it's too strong for any pop-country album. When Tom Gray and Mark Johnson first met at a music store, they had no idea that their slide guitar jam sessions would turn into the glorious, gritty band that it is today. With virtuosic precision and a thick, brawny, arena-worthy sound, Delta Moon will take you back to the Old South with skill and passion you won't soon forget. www.deltamoon.com 1st and 3rd Monday Series 2008 Pricing Single night admission prices: $12 for ad...

Help us pick up trash August 23, 2008. We have a sign on the road, and we need your help to honor this designation. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. To: oconee@yahoogroups.com From: sjathome91@yahoo.com Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:57:35 -0700 Subject: [oconee] Adopt-a-Mile Cleanup Aug. 23 Please join the Oconee County Democratic Party next Saturday, Aug. 23, to pick up the litter beside our adopted mile of road. Meet at the Barber Creek Fire Station (Mars Hill Road/Oconee Connector) at 8:30 a.m.. Bring a pair of work gloves, and any empty aluminum cans that you have to donate to the firefighters' recycling project. (Please be sure not to park in front of the big bay doors of the fire station.) See you next Saturday! Sarajane Love __._,_.