Oconee County, GA Politics

Tyra Gebhard Byers I am so appreciative of the outpouring of support I received for my bid for County Commissioner so it is with a heavy heart that I am letting you know that I had to withdraw from the race for today. I jumped in because I am confident I can serve well as commissioner and because I believe we need a voice in the future of this community. I did not fully grasp what it would take to run a successful campaign. I was up all night over this, but ultimately realized that my kids and family are my number one priority right now. I wouldn't want to run a campaign that I couldn't pour myself into 100%. I hate to disappoint those who have already offered me support, but ultimately feel that it is the right decision. Thank you all!

Andrea Wellnitz  mins Today I qualified to run for Post 2 in the Oconee County Board of Education.  I am running for the Oconee County Board of Education because I believe in the importance of quality public education. I have 2 children who attend Oconee County Schools and I have a vested interest in seeing Oconee County Schools continue to succeed academically. I envision a district where communication, student success, and school climate are our top priorities.  School climate encompasses th e experiences of individuals in the school and research has shown that positive school climate has been linked to positive student development, learning, academic achievement, effective risk prevention and health promotion, high graduation rates, low dropout rates, and teacher retention. (Thapa, Cohen, Guffey & Higgins D’Alessandro 2013) School climate affects students’ mental and emotional health as well as their academic success. To help make our scho...

Fran Thompson 2 hrs Today I qualified to run for Post 3 in the Oconee County Board of Education! I believe in public education. I’m an 8 year resident of Oconee County. I have two children who attend Oconee County Schools. My 3rd child will enter kindergarten in the 2019-2020 school year so i will be invested in OCS for many years to come. Of the two children in OCS, one has an IEP and is served in Special Education and one is in the PACE/Gifted Program. I know how different humans are and I want every child to receive exactly what they need to reach their full potential. I have also worked as a School Social Worker in Clarke County for the past 12 years. I have served children and their families in every grade from Pre-K to 12th grade. I have worked closely with teachers, administrators, school psychologist, speech pathologist, counselors, and outside agencies to help children be successful at school. Most importantly, I want to know your hopes & conce...

Briant: Winterville's proposed tobacco ordinance conflicts with state law

STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 46 MARISUE HILLIARD E-mail: info@hilliard46.com PARTY: DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENT: NO OCCUPATION: RENTAL PROPERTY OWNER/ MANAGER QUALIFIED DATE: 03/07/2018 WEBSITE: www.hilliard46.com Contact: Media Relations Phone: 706-308-5522 E-mail: info@hilliard46.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS RELEASE Democratic candidate Marisue Hilliard Qualifies to Run for Georgia Senate District 46 Campaign Seeks to Represent the People of Georgia, not Corporate Lobbyists Watkinsville, Ga., March 7, 2018 – Marisue Hilliard, former U.S. National Forest Supervisor and newcomer to politics who is the local leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, today qualified to run for Georgia Senate District 46. Hilliard’s candidacy means Republican Georgia State Senator and GOP Senate Leader Bill Cowsert will face opposition at the ballot box for the first time in nearly a decade in a district that was gerrymandered to retain Republican control. Marisue Hilli...

Want to run for office in Oconee County?  Oconee County Observations: Incumbent Oconee County Commissioners And Board Of... : ***Hice Draws Opposition*** Oconee County’s two commissioners and two Board of Education members whose terms expire at the end of this yea...

Oconee County Observations: Citizens Along Apalachee River In Oconee And Morga... : ***Seek Public Hearing*** Residents living along the Apalachee River turned out in force on Sunday, producing a petition after nearly two ...

"March for Our Lives Rally” will be held at 11 am – 1 pm, Saturday, March 24, 2018 at the Pavilion in Oconee Veterans Park, 3500 Hog Mountain Road, in support of thousands of high school students across Georgia and the nation who are insisting that lawmakers everywhere put an end to the mass killings of school children. The event is sponsored by the Oconee County Democratic Committee. We invite the public to offer its sympathy for the slain and support for young students everywhere as they seek solutions to school violence. Jonathan Wallace and Deborah Gonzalez, Georgia House Representatives from Districts 119 and 117, respectively, will offer brief remarks in support of the goals young students are seeking, as will Chalis Montgomery and Richard Winfield, candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives in the Democratic Primary in May. Several high school students will speak as well, and civic leaders in the county have also been invited to attend and addre...

From Ann Stoneburner ahstoneburner@bellsouth.net Subject: For Immediate Release Date: March 5, 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2008 - 2018 “Carving Up Oconee” Revisited - A Public Perspective: A film and panel discussion of how a formerly agricultural county struggles to retain its rural nature and natural beauty in the face of mounting developmental pressures. For more information: 706 – 769 - 5362 Details in brief: 3 pm Sunday, March 25, 2018 Watkinsville Library, 1080 Experiment Station Road, Watkinsville, GA Sponsored by the Oconee Democrats and Oconee County Progressives Free and open to the public Carving Up Oconee, an award-winning documentary filmed on location in 2008, shows a real life battle between citizens in Oconee’s farmland and the commercial developers who plan to build a truck stop in Farmington. Today as Oconee County formalizes a new comprehensive plan, voices are raised once again to spread commercial development around the county and no ...

Metal work by North High Shoals couple honored by Garden & Gun

If there is anything that might make Democratic candidates and supporters to work even harder, this is it. GOP Lt. Gov. candidate sees their statewide demise in 8 to 12 years (can we expedite that for him)? Oconee County Observations: Republican Candidate For Lieutenant Governor Told ... : Expects Light Turnout For Primary Rick Jeffares, running for Georgia lieutenant governor, told Oconee County Republicans that he doesn’t e...

Oconee County Observations: John Barrow Tells Oconee County Democrats He Is Pr... : ***People Notice*** John Barrow, running as a Democrat for Georgia Secretary of State, told Oconee County Democrats last week that he was ...

Oconee County Observations: New Watkinsville Mayor Said Impartiality And A Des... : Mayor’s Report Dave Shearon used his first mayoral report to the City Council and the public to spell out a series of what he called “gene...

Investigation continues into Athens teen's death

Oconee County Observations: State Resource Team Praises Oconee County For Prom... : ***Criticism Too*** The state resource team studying tourism and its potential in Oconee County offered much praise of the county in the r...

Dear Oconee County High School Parents, At dismissal time, students reported a message found in a student restroom that included threatening language. Local law enforcement was notified and arrived on the scene within minutes to conduct an investigation. There was no threat to the safety of our school community; however, out of an abundance of caution, we are continuing to review this incident administratively. Safety is our top priority at Oconee County High School, and we take any and all situations such as this with the utmost seriousness. We appreciate the responsiveness of local law enforcement and the professionalism of our faculty and staff. We are very appreciative of our students who reported this, and ask all students to immediately report anything that makes them uncomfortable to a teacher or administrator. We remain committed to maintaining a safe learning environment, and appreciate the strong support of our community in helping ensure a safe OCHS for everyone...

Oconee County Observations: Speaker Tells Oconee Democrats They Need To Reach ... : ***Urged Involvement In Local Races*** Democratic activist Daniel Blackman from Forsyth County told the gathering of Oconee County Democra...

Rich Rusk, local activist, dies : It didn’t make any headlines, but Rich Rusk, who died Jan. 28 at the age of 71, once saved a toddler from going missing in Watkinsville.

Oconee County Observations: Oconee County Reports Another Spill At Calls Creek... : ***Monday And Tuesday*** Oconee County late Tuesday reported its second major spill in less than a month from its Calls Creek wastewater t...