Oconee County, GA Politics

Another well written description of the governmental goings on in the town at the confluence of Walton, Oconee and Morgan county lines by now former council member Fred Johnson. After three months (or longer) of municipal business not being done, it is understandable how North High Shoals could not get everything caught up in one work session From: Fred Johnson Date: January 24, 2010 10:39:24 PM EST To: Fred Johnson Subject: TONHS January 18 2010 Notes from Fred Dear Fellow High Shoalers,                                                                                  ...

Although the missing of getting the property around Elder Mill Covered Bridge will not be on the agenda, Lee Becker breaks down what will be in his usually concise and accurate preview - From: Lee Becker   Date: Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 10:20 PM Subject: Busy Agenda for Tuesday BOC To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, The agenda for the BOC meeting on Tuesday contains a number of interesting items, including an update on county finances and renovation of the Government Annex on Greensboro road. The latter should shed some light on monies remaining that can be used for the courthouse expansion. Details are here < http://oconeecountyobservations.blogspot.com/2010/01/county-finances-and-project-plans.html >. Lee -- Lee Becker Blog: www.oconeecountyobservations.blogspot.com Web: http://lbbecker48.googlepages.com/ -- Sincerely, Dan J. Matthews, Jr.

Republican State Insurance Commissioner candidate and former Northeast Georgia area elected official Ralph Hudgens seems to have a mighty high opinion of himself. Next time I need tickets to the Dawgs football game, I know who to butter up. Actually I would be willing to wager that this perk will evaporate for the 2011 football season for most of our public elected officials. I remember a former State Senator who received a free trip to Hawaii for a bowl game a few years back. He is now working in Iraq so I certainly do not begrudge him a spot on Dr. Michael Adams' Airline from Athens (probably Atlanta's Jackson-Hartsfield because we almost never have the big airplanes at Ben Epps) to Honolulu. I would like to get a free trip to the next bowl game though. Sarcasm does not come off well in the written sense, Senator Cowsert, although your sentiments were evident to me. Great story by Blake Aued here. As lobbyists give, most take || OnlineAthens.com

Second D.A.R. engineered and organized clearing of brush and shrubbery from the old Watkinsville Cemetery this Saturday 10 am to 2 pm. Watkinsville Cemetery cleanup day planned || OnlineAthens.com

A little late now, but hey, at least we were calling for some action Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. To: oconee@yahoogroups.com From: jveit@bellsouth.net Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:05:15 +0000 Subject: [oconee] Memo To Oconee BOC Regarding Elder Bridge Property   Per our discussion at Thursday night's meeting, Robert Wyatt has written a terrific memo to the board of commissioners on behalf of the Democratic committee, the body of which is pasted below. If you are interested in having your name signed to this memo before it is presented the BOC please email me. Probably best if you do it off the list serve to my personal email jveit@bellsouth. net . The BOC meets Tuesday evening, so please respond ASAP. Thanks! Jonathan ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ We urge you to consider purchasing the 2.3-acre tract of land located just south of Elder Bridge, formerly owned by Al Cuming and now offered for sale by his stepson, James ...

OCAF plays a vital role in our community's arts foundation From: Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation  Date: January 15, 2010 12:15:14 PM EST Subject: Reminder - Southworks Art Exhibit & Market Applications Available Now! Reply-To: info@ocaf.com   Southworks: Juried Art Exhibition &  Southworks: Juried Art Market   Applications Now Available Online! Please click on the links provided below for pdf applications to download. If you have trouble downloading the applications, switch to your Mozilla Firefox browser. Southworks: Juried Art Exhibition Application Deadline February 6th Southworks: Juried Art Market Application Deadline March 1st If you have questions please e-mail info@ocaf.com and we will respond as soon as possible. If you know an artist who may be interested in the market or exhibit, use the forward e-mail link at the bottom of the page to send to them.   Southworks C...

Hello! (the following was written by Pat Priest.) Okay, it's been a dreary week. One of the worst in a long while. We may have lost some big battles recently, but our cause is just! And area Democrats have some neat events planned I hope you'll check out. Email me if you need more info about anything. 1) The community book group sponsored by the Oconee Democrats will discuss the important book " Hot, Flat and Crowded " by Thomas Friedman this Wednesday at 6 at Five Points Deli on Epps Bridge Parkway. Next month's book is the classic " A Sand County Almanac ." 2) And the Oconee Democrats are co-sponsoring a health care reform forum on February 4th with a great panel. (Please read more below and come out to celebrate Democrats' laudable efforts to reform health care.) 3) The Pull the Plug on Paul Broun, Jr. PAC is sponsoring a State of the Union mixer at the restaurant/bar Transmetropolitan in downtown Athens at 8:30 on the 27th. C...

Cactus Cafe closes, Chops and Hops opens - as observed by my fellow blogger Hilary Brown Grub Notes: It's a Massacre Out There - Flagpole Magazine: Colorbearer of Athens, GA

According to Lee Becker's blog Oconee County Observations , the property formerly belonging to Al Cuming next to Elder Mill Covered Bridge and containing the path leading down to the creek, has been placed under contract . It is a damn shame that the Oconee County Board of Commissioners could not follow through on the opportunity to purchase it. Now a once in a lifetime opportunity has passed them by, perhaps we can ask the new property own for a right of way on the path to the creek?

Friend -- Yesterday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations can spend freely in federal elections. It's a green light for a new stampede of special interest money in our politics , giving their lobbyists even more power in Washington. Now, every candidate who fights for change could face limitless attacks from corporate special interests like health insurance companies and Wall Street banks. While the GOP is celebrating a victory for its special interest allies, President Obama is working with leaders in Congress to craft a forceful response that protects the voices of ordinary citizens. Please add your name right away to help show that the American people support strong, urgent action to prevent a corporate takeover of our democracy. Congress: I support bold action to ensure fair elections. The Supreme Court decision overturned a 20-year precedent saying that corporations could not pay for campaign ads from their general treasuries. And it struck...

Mountaintop removal is an abomination that must be seen to fully appreciate the level of devastation. Instead of traveling to West Virginia or the Appalachian Mountains, why not go to Waycross, Albany or Statesboro (or maybe even author Janisse Ray's house for a potluck!) and hear more about this environmental travesty. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr.  Date: Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:21:36 -0500  From: stewards@altamahariverkeeper.org  To: stewards@altamahariverkeeper.org  Subject: South Georgia Riverkeepers Host Mountaintop Removal Road Show January 25 - 28  After seeing Kayford Mountain in West Virginia get blown up for coal,  Dave Cooper decided to devote himself to stopping mountaintop removal.  Dave will be traveling through south Georgia in late January, presenting  the Mountaintop Removal Road Show.  This issue is vitally important to Georgians as we fight new  coal-fired power plants in our watershed proposed ...