Oconee County, GA Politics

Dear Dan, Did you know that state of Georgia employees can easily donate to Jeannette Rankin Foundation through payroll deductions?   Employee Giving Program   Although the current economy is challenging for everyone right now, it is an especially difficult time for low-income people who receive help from charitable organizations.  This is where your donation, of any amount that you can give, will add up over the course of the year to make a difference for people in need.   Many state of Georgia employees take advantage of payroll contributions to their favorite charities through Georgia Shares, and these add up to make a huge difference!  Your pledge to support Jeannette Rankin Foundation's scholarship program will have a great impact in helping women and their families rise above poverty.   To designate JRF for your gift, us...

I was about the 20th person to vote yesterday at the Watkinsville Community Center in the lone contested municipal election in the race between incumbent local car wash co-owner and former police officer/code enforcement officer Joe Walter and challenger Luke Bishop. Once again I voted for Joe Walter without hesitation, and I would suggest Mr. Bishop best set his sights on the Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners in his next attempt at political office, if he is so moved. Current city council members Samantha Purcell and Mike Link are also on the ballot unopposed. You can get in and out of there in about five minutes top. This is the second time I had to advance vote in two different places in one election (in separate races obviously) but it went smoothly and quickly and I give high marks to the wonderful people at the Watkinsville City Hall and Community Center for effectively making it easier to vote in advance of the November 4th general election.

Ecology school presents film festival - Variety

Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation Fall Wine Fest Tickets - Now on Sale!     October 26th, 3:00 - 6:00 PM  at Ashford Manor, Watkinsville GA   This year's Fall Wine Fest promises to be the best in years with 34 participating restaurants, wineries and package stores. Short Road Home and the Athens A-Train Band will provide musical entertainment for the day. Gosford Wine will be doing pairing demosntrations and the Rolling Pin will be hosting Dalla Bono , a renouned local Tenor who just happens to be a great chef!     There will be a Silent Auction of artwork and donated services. This year will also be different in that Terrapin Beer will be sampling their product.    So come on out and bring your friends and family (21 and older) to Ashford Manor for one of ...

Every new restaurant takes some time get its patterns established. Any time you come in a new place before it has figured out how to do the little things, while still figuring out how to do the big things, you run the risk of being on the shorter end of the learning curve. Such was our experience this evening at the new Town Center restaurant in Watkinsville called Shishkabobby's, or "Barberitos on a stick" as I like to call it. The set up and the cilantro seem the same at least. David Weeks, the beleaguered chairman-elect of the Oconee County Board of Education and ill-advised pimp for State Senator Bill Cowsert's re-election advertising, has his hands full with his media onslaught, and I do not imagine we will be seeing Dr. Thomas Dohrmann eating in there any time soon. Simple improvements would include wiping down the tables more regularly and not when people are eating next to them. Have some examples of the finished product for people to see. Are we getting a sk...

Lee Becker once again effects positive change on the Oconee County, Georgia government with repeated and successful Open Records requests making more public and noticed. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lee Becker < lbbecker@mindspring.com > Date: Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 9:51 PM Subject: County Agrees to Follow Open Meetings Law To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, Without admitting any wrongdoing in the past, Oconee County has informed the state's Attorney General that it plans to notify the public of meetings of its Drought Contingency Committee and of meetings of other advisory committees in the future in keeping with the state's Open Meetings Law. Documents provided by the county in response to an open records request I filed on May 13, 2008, showed that the Drought Contingency Committee met on Feb. 19, 2008, and approved an increase in water rates for residential users of the county. The county did not provide any evidence of advance notice of ...

Obama '08 - Vote For Hope from MC Yogi on Vimeo .

Already looking toward our next election....thanks Lee ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lee Becker < lbbecker@mindspring.com > Date: Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 11:06 PM Subject: SPLOST and Ballot Amendments To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, While many voters are still focused on the Nov. 4 election, the County is about to launch a campaign to get voters to approve a renewal of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) of 1 cent on the dollar at a special election on March 17, 2009. The first of two public information sessions on the proposed SPLOST renewal will be on Oct. 21, and it will be followed by a second on Nov. 3. Both meetings will begin at 7 p.m. at the Oconee County Civic Center on Hog Mountain Road. Local Farmland Protection Advocate Russ Page has launched a campaign to get farmland protection included in the SPLOST allocations. I've explained the schedule for the SPLOST campaign, Russ' work at including Farmland Protection...

Despite the numerous signs saying no campaigning on Rocket Field, guess which Chairman of the Board of Commissioners chose to ignore this and was glad handing everyone he could? We bought our usual dinosaur bone from the Karwoskis and did the candle melt thing and saw lots of big hair being done. The yard sale seemed to be going well except for lack of yard signs. More photos here and here

Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2008 09:31:29 -0400 To: danmatt@hotmail.com From: Georgia@BarackObama.com Subject: Help Barack get out the vote in Georgia Obama '08 Dear Dan, It's hard to believe, but Election Day, November 4th, is only 17 days away. That means the final push to turn the page on the last eight years of failed Bush-McCain policies begins right now. Here in Georgia, supporters like you are hard at work giving their time, energy, and passion to spread Barack's message and build this movement for change. And we know that winning Georgia for Barack and Democrats up and down the ballot comes down to what we do in these final two weeks. Sign up now for a volunteer shift and help the Campaign for Change get out the vote. If you don't want to wake up with regrets on November 5th, it's crucial that we turn out every vote right here in the Peach State. That's why the Georgia Campaign for Chang...

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: SPLOST and Ballot Amendments Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 23:06:07 -0400 From: Lee Becker <lbbecker@mindspring.com> Reply-To: lbbecker@mindspring.com To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, While many voters are still focused on the Nov. 4 election, the County is about to launch a campaign to get voters to approve a renewal of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) of 1 cent on the dollar at a special election on March 17, 2009. The first of two public information sessions on the proposed SPLOST renewal will be on Oct. 21, and it will be followed by a second on Nov. 3. Both meetings will begin at 7 p.m. at the Oconee County Civic Center on Hog Mountain Road. Local Farmland Protection Advocate Russ Page has launched a campaign to get farmland protection included in the SPLOST allocations. ...

Listen to the radio tonight if you can - Georgia Gazette comes on at 7 pm Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr.  Subject: FW: Susanna Capelouto urges folks to listen to GA Gazette tonight  Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:02:49 -0400    Hi all. Sorry I've been out of contact with several of you. I was in  Mexico for the week.    Celestea's film is being profiled Georgia Public Radio! See below.    Tony    Susanna Capelouto urges folks to listen to GA Gazette tonight        Tonight on Georgia Gazette,  Our interview on Carving Up Oconee, a film about development in  rural Georgia. It's part of the upcoming Eco Focus Film Festival in  Athens.  The show airs on GPB's statewide radio network at 6 PM. It airs at  7 PM on WUGA in Athens. Always on line at GPB.org/georgiagazette.  Also, if you are not yet a member of GPB, please consider a  contribution during Georgia Gazett...

Hi Everyone! We will be part of the Fall Festival this Saturday at our usual spot in front of the Eagle Tavern. This week we are jam packed with fresh, locally grown produce, including shiitake mushrooms. We will have THE most wonderful variety of homemade pies, cookies, brownies, cakes and breads! We also will feature sales and demonstrations of making handmade brooms! The Clarke-Oconee Cattlemen's Association will be selling their famous smoked brisket and slicing some up for sandwiches, so be sure and stop by and see us! This will be our final market of this season, but we will return next spring. Thank you to all the vendors and patrons who have helped make the Farmer's Market a huge success! See you next year! Karl Berg 706-215-7385 www.oconeefarmersmarket.org and http://www.apvoc.com/

Subject: Daniells Bridge Rezone Again Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:17:59 -0400 From: Lee Becker <lbbecker@mindspring.com> Reply-To: lbbecker@mindspring.com To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, A rezone request is back before the Planning Commission (Oct. 20) and the Board of Commissioners (Nov. 4) because the county has decided not to fight a suit filed against it in Oconee Superior Court by owners of land on Daniells Bridge Road who want to build yet another office park. The BOC turned down the rezone request in May of 2007 after more than 400 homeowners in subdivisions on Daniells Bridge Road opposed it. As part of the agreement, the county agreed to bring the rezone request back before the Planning Commission and before the BOC. The rezone is predicated on yet another roadway that does not exist. For details, go to my blog at http://...

I am attempting to have lunch there today to let you know how it goes, but here is the preview lunch report from Paul and Diane Boykin's blog .

Traffic At Epps Bridge Centre from Lee Becker on Vimeo .

ginger's-obama-sign Originally uploaded by ivy_windchaser What the neighborhood vandals do not have the capacity to realize

Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. From: George@JimPowellforGAPSC.com To: Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCTOBER 15, 2008: POWELL CALLS ON MCDONALD TO SIGN OPEN DOOR PLEDGE Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:34:28 -0400   For Immediate Release: October 15, 2008 Contact:         George P. Birchby, Campaign Manager                         678-644-8355 (Mobile)                         George@JimPowellforGAPSC.com     Powell calls on McDonald to sign Open Door Pledge   HIAWASSEE, GA: Jim Powell, Democratic Candidate for the Public Service Commission, calls on his opponent, Lauren McDonald, to join him in pledging to the voters that if elected the candidate would not part...