Oconee County, GA Politics

Thank God that developer Frank Gunter Property LLC dropped their lawsuit against the Oconee County Board of Commissioners for an ill-advised, poorly planned and almost unanimously opposed shopping center in a neighborhood that does not need one. Almost everyone in the Chaddwyck subdivision - at ground zero of this proposed development - came out against this bird brained proposal, as did the Planning Commission and initially at least so did the Board of Commissioners. Put a Whole Foods or Trader Joes there (or anywhere in Oconee for that matter) and I might be down with it. Former Oconee County Board of Education candidate Ashley Hood should put her name in for the newest slot on the Oconee Planning Commission advertised in the Enterprise this week. I drive my son to school a couple of times a week to Athens Academy along LaVista Road off 441 and as anyone who has tried to exit from the neighboring Waffle House, it is already difficult to turn left against traffic. I turned right on to

MINUTES OF MEETING OF MAYOR AND COUNCIL CITY OF WATKINSVILLE February 11, 2009 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. MINUTES: Councilman Walsh moved and Councilwoman Purcell seconded the motion to approve the January 14, 2009 Minutes as presented. Opportunity for discussion. Motion carried unanimously. Councilman Link moved and Councilwoman Purcell seconded the motion to approve the January 28, 2009 Minutes with noted changes. Opportunity for discussion. Motion carried unanimously. KENT BEESE: Councilwoman Purcell moved and Councilman Link seconded the motion to approve the business license for A-Affordable Stump Grinding at 1091 Taylor’s Drive. Opportunity for discussion. Motion carried unanimously. JOEY BRACK: Councilman Brodrick moved and Councilman Walter seconded the motion

We love Courtney and want her to win Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. See the attached flier and the info below.  For those who may not know, Courtney lives in South Oconee.  She's a beloved neighbor, a great friend, and a HUGE advocate of South Oconee.  Oh yeah, and now she's a dancing star! Here's our chance to help her while helping others.  Vote for Team 11Alive! Courtney needs your support as she gears up to perform in the Dancing with Athens Stars.  Courtney may not be known for her dancing skills, but she is known for her competiveness. The couple with the most votes (donations) wins the audience favorite award.  She went from 2nd to 3rd to 4th place out of 12.  So, don't delay and vote for her today.  You can vote by going to www.project-safe.org , click on Dancing with Athens Stars, scroll down to group 11 -Courtney Gale and Ron Putnam and click donate.  It is $1 per vote and all donations support Project Safe and are tax deductible.  

Tony Glenn sent this and I am relating it to you as well. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Contrary to what you may have read in the papers, the issue of Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) is still very much alive within Oconee County.  Please mark your calendar for this event.  TDRs are one strategy for helping to preserve greenspace and the rural atmosphere within South Oconee.  Here's a chance to learn more. See the attached flier. Transferable Development Rights Educational Summit Sunday, February 22, 2009 5:00 p.m. Watkinsville Library Auditorium. Russ Page and other TDR committee members will be available to describe TDRs and answer questions. Transferable Development Rights (TDR) Educational Summit Sunday, February 22 at 5 PM Watkinsville Library Auditorium Landowners, homeowners and all Oconee County residents are invited to listen to a presentation and ask questions about Transferable Development Rights. What are Transferable Development Rights? Would

Subject: please attend/support Feb. 13 Tri-County Talent Show Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 07:49:51 -0500 From: Rich Rusk <richrusk@bellsouth.net> To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;> Please Attend Feb. 13 Tri-County Talent Show   Dear Moores Ford friends,    Our 7th Annual Tri-County Talent Show/MLK Celebration is THIS FRIDAY, Feb. 13.    If you can make it, please attend this event. These are spirited, wonderful events and we are proud to host them. Anything involving young people is where we need to be.     Hard times are upon us all. If you cannot attend, but can write a check...we welcome your tax exempt donation. We anticipate difficulty in raising $10,000 this spring for our scholarships. Our apologies for email solicitations, but we really have no choice.         Please email your family and friends, list servs, anyone you think might be interested. Press release

One would assume Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chairman G. Melvin Davis would have learned from his near defeat after the secret meeting in Madison, Georgia last year that he would not repeat such an idiotic maneuver to do it again, but evidently he has not learned his lesson since he held another unannounced meeting to try to start the ball rolling on moving the Courthouse again. We need to let the Chairman Davis know this kind of behavior is unacceptable and once again call for his resignation. The following was written by blogger and UGA journalism professor Lee Becker about this asinine patterrn of behavior. From: Lee Becker < lbbecker@mindspring.com > Date: Sun, Feb 8, 2009 at 7:44 PM Subject: The Courthouse To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, The /Enterprise/ and the /Banner-Herald/ this week carried front-page stories about the secret county meeting in December to discuss the courthouse. (The /Banner-Herald/ today editorialized about this as well.) Thes