Oconee County, GA Politics

  -------------- Forwarded Message: -------------- From: karen solheim <ksolheim@hotmail.com> To: <ccdc@clarkedemocrats.com>, <ccdc-nm@clarkedemocrats.com> Subject: CCDC Save-the-date: Tuesday, January 20---Inaugural Ball Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:23:19 +0000 Dear CCDC members and friends,   Please the date of Tuesday, January 20,2009, from 8 p.m. through midnight for the  Clarke County Democratic Party 2009 Inaugural Ball to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama.   This event will be held at Trumps new facility on Milledge; will involve elegant  dining (heavy hors d'ouevres), dancing, and a grand celebration of an historic event; and is bl ack-tie optional. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale this Sunday, December 14, at CCDC Holiday Party at Nancy Denson's house. Additional information will follow.   Sincerely, Karen Solheim CCDC Vice Chair for Communication  

I always support the Jeannette Rankin Foundation, and so should you. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:38:51 -0500 From: andrea@rankinfoundation.org To: danmatt@hotmail.com Subject: Holiday Cards from Jeannette Rankin Foundation Having trouble viewing this email? Click here You're receiving this email because of your relationship with Jeannette Rankin Foundation. Please confirm your continued interest in receiving email from us.   You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails. Dear Friends, Not sure what to get those special people on your holiday shopping list who already have everything? Make a meaningf...

What are you doing for lunch tomorrow? I will be conducting basketball practice, but if you are so inclined, please go to Krimson Kafe tomorrow and talk to some good people about interesting subject. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. From: oconee@yahoogroups.com To: oconee@yahoogroups.com Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:58:25 +0000 Subject: [oconee] Blue Hats of Oconee Co. Democrats, 12/13/2008, 1:00 pm Reminder from:   oconee Yahoo! Group   Title:   Blue Hats of Oconee Co. Democrats   Date:   Saturday December 13, 2008 Time:   1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Repeats:   ...

  -------------- Forwarded Message: -------------- From: OCAF <director@ocaf.com> To: danjmatt@bellsouth.net Subject: Artist Shoppe Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:39:43 +0000   OCAF Artist Shoppe  8 DAYS LEFT! Tuesday thru Sat 10 am to 4 pm Special Last Day December 22nd! Dear Dan, There are still 8 days of shopping left at the OCAF Artsist Shoppe, the one stop, unique, art shoppe in Watkinsville.   Lots of new items have been added. If you looked during Holiday Market, you haven't seen it all yet! Please make time to come on in and see. The local artists we represent thank you!   Some of the many beautiful handmade items are listed below:    Artist: Diane Perry Handmade Jewelry   Price: $25.00   Artist: Variou...

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: CCDC FW: January's AA DEMS Breakfast Resent-Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:30:24 -0800 (PST) Resent-From: ccdc-nm@clarkedemocrats.com Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:30:14 -0500 From: karen solheim <ksolheim@hotmail.com> To: <ccdc@clarkedemocrats.com> , <ccdc-nm@clarkedemocrats.com> References: <D6119586-A93E-4F3B-BDA6-CCDDD036275C@charter.net> Dear CCDC members and friends,   Please read the email below concerning the next Athens Area Democrats breakfast on Saturday, January 10, 2009 , beginning at 9 a. m. at Trump's new facility.   A great program with our local legislators is planned.   Sincerely, Karen Solheim CCDC Vice Chair for Communications From: anitabarney@charter.net To: Subject: January's AA DEMS Breakfast ...

The weather was not particularly hazardous last night but on the way to and from basketball practice I saw a pair of multiple car pile-ups on Oconee County roads. The first was a five car (looking like a) chain reaction crash on 316 between the By-Pass and the Oconee Connector in the left lane where a couple of the vehicle were partially lifted off the road from the ferocity of the multiple impacts. The Georgia State Patrol and the Oconee County Sheriff's Department and Volunteer Fire Departments were on hand right away to get traffic flowing as smooth as possible during the rush hour. The second accident was at Hog Mountain Road (State Route 53) and View Larger Map ">the cut through at Burr Harris and Jamestown Boulevard near those new shopping centers en route to Herman C. Michael Park. That looked like three cars at least at that non-signaled intersection. We were driving carefully to the Georgia men's basketball game. Be careful out there people, especially with the...

AGENDA CITY OF WATKINSVILLE December 10, 2008 CALL TO ORDER QUORUM CHECK CHRISTMAS PARADE AWARDS PRESENTATION OF THE WATKINSVILLE BEAUTIFUL YARD AWARD MINUTES APPEARANCES 1. Jeffrey Maddox – business license – Zion Skate Park – 1051 Business Boulevard 2. Joanne Nucci – business license – JEB-N-JATS (hand crafted items) – 20 Spring Circle 3. Lindsey Byram – business license – Stone Soup (artwork & crafts) – 19 Main Street 4. Rodney Ellerbee – building permit – 16x20 room/garage addition to existing residence at 1051 Christian Court 5. Ann Miller-Andersen – Beer & Wine License – Le Maison Bleu – 2 S. Main St. Ste 111 6. Jose Zambrano – Beer & Wine License – Jose’s Restaurant – 24 Greensboro Highway, Ste. A 7. Healthy Gourmet – presentation of interest in business. ADMINISTRATION 1. October, 2008 Reconciliation Report MAYOR’S REPORT CITIZEN’S COMMENTS OLD BUSINESS 1. Consider SPLOST Intergovernmental Agreement NEW BUSINESS 1. Discuss Solid Waste Management Ordinance Update ...

  From: "Ashford Manor" <ashfordmanor@charter.net> To: "Ashford Manor" <ashfordmanor@charter.net> Subject: A White Party in Honor of Jim Shearon at Ashford Manor Date: Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:01:05 +0000

Among the interesting items on next Wednesday's agenda for the Watkinsville City Council meeting is the Zion Skate Park business license approval. Since the place where the kids skate is either in front of my house or behind the court house, this could be a welcome development. Stay tuned for more details: AGENDA CITY OF WATKINSVILLE December 10, 2008 CALL TO ORDER QUORUM CHECK CHRISTMAS PARADE AWARDS PRESENTATION OF THE WATKINSVILLE BEAUTIFUL YARD AWARD MINUTES APPEARANCES 1. Jeffrey Maddox – business license – Zion Skate Park – 1051 Business Boulevard 2. Joanne Nucci – business license – JEB-N-JATS (hand crafted items) – 20 Spring Circle 3. Rodney Ellerbee – building permit – 16x20 room/garage addition to existing residence at 1051 Christian Court 4. Ann Miller-Andersen – Beer & Wine License – Le Maison Bleu – 2 S. Main St. Ste 111 5. Jose Zambrano – Beer & Wine License – Jose’s Restaurant – 24 Greensboro Highway, Ste. A 6. Healthy Gourmet – presentation of interest in bu...

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Daniells Bridge Road Rezone Date: Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:35:22 -0500 From: Lee Becker <lbbecker@mindspring.com> Reply-To: lbbecker@mindspring.com To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, As promised, I've filed a more complete report on the Daniells Bridge Road rezone on my blog. The county is spending $400,000 of taxpayer money to support this office park development. The good news is that the money almost certainly will make the roadway more safe. Contrary to what you might have read elsewhere, however, the $400,000 will NOT eliminate the blind curve. And it is not consistent with the county's plans to eventually create a four-lane loop road around the Epps Bridge Parkway and SR Loop 10 interchange, meaning it is a short-term fix rather than the result of long-range planning. It is pretty ...

Great time at the annual Oconee County Democratic Committee Christmas party last night at Becky Vaughn's Meriweather Drive home in Bogart's Jennings Mill County Club, despite a relatively small turn out. My only complaint is the lack of announcement of the second vice-chair based on the fact that this perspective candidate person is not yet even officially on the committee, and I felt like if the nominating committee is going to recommend a slate of candidates, they need to be straight up with the whole slate and not just part of the slate due to their inability to even get a firm commitment for this person to officially join the committee, yet alone be the largely ceremonial officer. It is not like there is a huge line of people wanting to be involved in the committee's inner machinations. Even though I know she refuses to be chair, Dr. Patricia Priest is once again in my humble opinion the de facto chair with her outstanding public relations work and many engaging program...

Thanks to my Cordele friend Lori Mcbrayer Jobe and her Facebook friends for alerting me of the letter writer in the Tifton Gazette from a few days before the election. Their less than impressive website does not let one copy the entire letter in one fell swoop so I pasted them together for maximum impact. This is a fairly lengthy read by most posts on this blog but please give it a chance. One of Lori's friends said this should have been a full page ad in every newspaper in Georgia from the Democratic Party with this letter and their might have been a different outcome. The letter writer's name is Dick Marti, and the pagination of the original leaves a little to be desired: The Georgia Senate runoff between incumbent Saxby Chambliss (R) and challenger Jim Martin (D) is well under way, with the vote scheduled for Dec. 2. A lot has been made of the magic number of 60 Democratic seats in the new Senate. Preventing the Democrats from reaching that number gives Republicans some leve...

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart M - Th 11p / 10c Indecision 2008 - Chambliss vs. Martin Barack Obama Interview John McCain Interview Sarah Palin Video Funny Election Video

This has some scrubbed, scoured, safe and interesting links from Media Channel's News Dissector about how Senator Chambliss worked the voting machine lobby effectively the first time around about what the Run Off means in a grander sense, especially with the National Republicans gasping at any victory as a sign of life. Did anyone else nearly choke watching the excerpts of the latest release of the Nixon tapes last night? One major difference between Democratic party members and the Republicans of 1972 at least is the killer instinct of the right. The Nixon crimes and cover-up were so much more heinous and calculated and premeditated then anyone of us would have dared dream before. Nixon's stooges wanted to rename the Republican party the Nixonians after strangling the last death throes out it the Democratic machine post McGovern election. Funny how the cycle swings back and forth and back again..... Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. LAME NIGHT IN GEORGIA: FEAR AND...

Lee Becker lets us know once again how ethically flawed the decision making process has become in the Oconee County government. Dear Friends, The Board of Commissioners tonight approved the rezone for an office park just east of the blind curve on Daniells Bridge Road. Margaret Hale cast the only dissenting vote. Chuck Horton made the motion to approve, which was seconded by Jim Luke. Don Norris, who in May of 2007 concluded he had a conflict of interest on the same rezone and recused himself, decided tonight he was not in conflict and voted with Horton and Hale to approve the project. In May of 2007, Hale, Horton and Luke all voted against the same rezone. The developer filed suit. In closed session, the Board decided to settle the suit. The vote tonight was simply a confirmation of that closed-meeting decision. Emil Beshara, director of Public Works for the county, told the BOC the blind curve was not "dangerous" but the development would make it better because it would inc...

The notoriously fickle Georgia electorate proved to be predictable and even returned Senator Clarence Saxby Chambliss with a much wider margin than many predicted. It was a gaudy 58-41 GOP bulge with 88% counted just now for the Senate race. The Republican Party painted Martin with the Raising Taxes curse and Martin never adequately responded to any of their attacks. Even worse may be Jim Powell losing out of the PSC to Lauren "Bubba" McDonald. Powell was pulling in one percent more in the returns than Martin. At least Sara Doyle came back and held off Mike Sheffield in the Appeals Court.

It is my own damn fault for being such a lazy blogger as to merely forward my mass quantities of partisan emails assuming dear readers will not spoof, scam, or otherwise hack websites and emails with pranks and what not. With the sleazy world of politics comes taking advantage of every cyber-rube such as myself and setting yourself up for all kinds of shenanigans and bully tactics. Oh well, I will not pepper the poor readers of this blog with environmental propaganda from those groups who want to keep Georgia's water clean and trees growing. Such radical plans these are. Not like a Governor spending tax dollars for fishing holes in the middle of a drought. Essentially someone responded to one of those countless emails in a not so subtle reminder that people do not appreciate recycled cyber trash on their blogs. So lesson learned people. And I will do my best to prevent future pilfering and other such tremendously juvenile tactics.

  Find the perfect handmade gift for that special someone at the 2008 Annual Holiday Market in Watkinsville. For a complete list of artists participating, click < HERE > Saturday & Sunday December 6 & 7 from 10 am to 5 pm. FREE Parking. Come early and avoid the rush for parade parking!   Held in our Rocket Hall & 1902 OCAF Center Facilities 34 School St. Watkinsville GA, 30677 (click here for directions ) Food will be available for sale, so come hungry!    Admission is $3 per person over 16 year of age, Under 16 is FREE. All proceeds benefit the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation, an independant non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. For more information about OCAF visit our web-site at www.ocaf.com

Saxby was a fruitcake salesman for Benson Bakery! Enough said Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2008 09:28:40 -0500 From: alerts@truemajority.org To: danmatt@hotmail.com Subject: Polls close at 7 pm TrueMajority PAC Dear Dan, Vote to Elect Jim Martin! Polls close at 7 pm. Find your polling place. ...