Oconee County, GA Politics

The Department of Community Affairs ranked Oconee County as the most prosperous in the State of Georgia, with nearby Hancock as the poorest, according to an Associated Press article.

I echo the sentiments of the incoming First Lady Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:19:12 -0500 To: danmatt@hotmail.com From: info@barackobama.com Subject: Happy holidays Obama for America Dan -- This holiday season, the grassroots movement you helped build can make a big difference for those in need. I hope you will join me in supporting your favorite charity or contributing to causes that are especially meaningful to me and my family. While many of us will spend the holidays counting our blessings and sharing dinner with loved ones, millions of people around the country won't be so fortunate. Donating to your local food bank will help provide a holiday meal to people in your community who can't afford one. Talking with the families of deployed troops was one of the most rewarding experiences I had during the campaign. Giving to Operation USO Care Package is a great way to send members of our military stationed around th...

La Parrilla opening restaurant Alonso Haro, owner of Mexican restaurant Taqueria La Parrilla in Homewood Village Shopping Center, will open a second location Monday. The new restaurant will be located in Watkinsville at 1431 Capital Ave. Unit 101 in the Market Center.

UGA PR prof and Oconee County Observations blogger Lee Becker once again scoops the mainstream media with details on the March 17 referendum allowing our illustrious and well educated voters to decide if we want to keep coming up with an extra penny for the next six years. -------- Original Message -------- Subject: SPLOST Vote Set Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 13:15:53 -0500 From: Lee Becker <lbbecker@mindspring.com> Reply-To: lbbecker@mindspring.com To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, The Oconee County Board of Commissioners has taken the final two steps needed to give voters a chance to decide to reduce local sales taxes by a penny on the dollar or to continue paying that tax for another six years. The Board has approved an intergovernmental agreement with the county's four cities and set the election for March 17, 2009. The county also ...

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: You're Invited! Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:58:22 -0500 From: Carl McGrath <carlmcgrath@yahoo.com> To: danjmatt@bellsouth.net Carl McGrath has sent you an invitation to 'Health Care Community Discussion' -- click here to view the invitation and submit your response: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gptkpf

The funniest moment of the Jim Shearon party for me was when I laughed so hard I cried during the Effie's Club Burlesque routine where Vice President Dick Cheney and President George Bush put on a particularly energetic dance routine which ends with the Veep prematurely shooting the soon-to-be-Ex-President Bush with a shotgun. After Dick nailed Bush and the dancer fell into heap she was pelted with shoes and had the whole audience roaring on a very wet evening and scurrying on the checkerboard dance floor. Keeping in mind this was a very well dressed and somewhat conservative appearing audience, but of course ran the gamut from gay to straight, young to old, black to white to brown, rich to poor, outlandish to invisible, connected to obscure, developer to educator, Republican to Democrat, town to gown, newborn to octagenarian, innocent to guilty. There was a genuine outpouring of grief and frustration and joy and celebration and outrageous laughter all at the shame time. Shoes over...

The launch of the Chinese lanterns unto itself may be the single most profound and accurate religious symbolism of the soul ascendancy I ever have taken part in, and I am far from a Biblical School scholar or Divinity School expert. It just was powerful and these pictures only begin to barely do it justice.

I am biased. I love eating at Zaxby's fast food restaurants with my son after an athletic event at Herman C. Michael or the Oconee Veterans Park. For those who do not know or live outside of Georgia, Zaxby's is a chicken finger fast food place with roots deep in Oconee and Baldwin counties I believe. I first tried their tasty food in the Cornelia-Demorest-Clarkesville area of Habersham County some 10 years back or longer. They had a very shrewd business plan and model to slowly grow and cater to clientele in secondary markets. They went were Chick-Fil-A would not go and sometimes where Hardee's had been. But something has gone wrong in the Zaxby's business model where paying semi-famous people to eat their limited time food products seems to be the rule now instead of careful growth. These days we usually eat at the Taco Stand after coming home from a soccer or basketball game or practice, but there was time where I would grab some fingers or a Zak Snack a couple of ...

Burnell Brown was an activist in Oconee County long before I was even alive . Mr. Brown was in many ways one of the few remaining African-American activists with a one generation removed from slaves. He was much older than Oconee County itself. His parents were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. He saw it all in Watkinsville during our lifetime, from segregation to lynchings to mass murders at the city jail to eventual desegregation and integration of our public and private school. He told me stories of a currently elected Republican official offering him a bribe for "his people's votes." I am sure both Rich Rusk and Bill Yarbrough will be at his 1 pm memorial service tomorrow at Bethel Baptist Church in Watkinsville. I was honored to introduce Mr. Brown to Lt. Governor Mark Taylor at OCAF a few years ago. Please attend his memorial service tomorrow if you can.

I have never experienced the wide array of emotions as I did last night at Ashford Manor Bed and Breakast. The occasion was a white party at Watkinsville landmark to honor the life and times of Jim Shearon, a genius who made everyone around him and those who got to know him much better people. His festive memorial was as unusual as Jim was, who was fondly recalled by his brother Dave as "the blind interior decorator." Among the many places in Watkinsville evolved by Jim and continuing on are Maison Bleu restaurant and Sweet ReTreat in Town Center. It was an amazing display of slides showing the infamous "ass-less" pants he designed for Prince, the many stage and theatrical designs for shows on and off Broadway, the costumes, the clothes, the interiors and so much more. Many people I had not seen in quite some time turned out for the celebration where Mozart and Shakespeare were performed, where burlesque and burning Chinese lamps ascended to the sky in an amazing tr...

MINUTES OF MEETING OF MAYOR AND COUNCIL CITY OF WATKINSVILLE December 10, 2008 PRESENT: Mayor Luken, Council members Link, Purcell, Brodrick, Walsh and Walter VISITORS: See attached sheet. QUORUM CHECK: Mayor Luken acknowledges a quorum is present. All speakers are asked to approach the lectern and address Council. CHRISTMAS PARADE AWARDS: Mayor Luken appreciates Maridee Williams organizing and overseeing the Watkinsville Christmas Parade. He explains that he and Maridee discussed a couple of weeks ago that the parade at one point almost dissolved, but thanks to Maridee and The Oconee Enterprise, it has continued. “Maridee has done an incredible job”, he says. Maridee Williams presents the Christmas Parade Awards (See attached list of winners.). MINUTES: Councilwoman Purcell moved and Councilman Link seconded the motion to approve the November 12, 2008 Minutes as presented. Opportunity for discussion. Motion carried unanimously. Councilman Link moved and Councilwoman Purcell se...

  -------------- 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...