Tag Archives: Crawford Powell

Praise for Brad Lofton –Crawford Powell @ VLCIA 15 March 2011

Former VLCIA board member Crawford Powell remarked in Citizens Wishing to be Heard:
I was on the board as most of you know when we hired Brad and I just want to publicly say Brad I think you’ve done an exceptionally great job for this community. I’m very proud of the accomplishments you and the authority have done over the last five years since you’ve been here and I wish you continued great success wherever you go, and prosperity.


Former VLCIA board member Crawford Powell at the
regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director, Allan Ricketts Program Manager,
15 March 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

He did mention community.

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“the learning curve is very steep” –Ken Klanicki

This LTE appeared in the VDT yesterday (28 Feb 2011). -jsq
Former Lowndes County commissioner Richard Lee once told me “…the learning curve is very steep for first-time commissioners.” Our new county commissioners, Richard Raines and Crawford Powell, are living proof of the veracity of that statement. In case Bill O’Reilly is reading this, here’s a few examples.

Earlier this month a grant application for the purchase of 5,000 weather emergency radios was nixed by a 2 – 1 vote. The radios could’ve been a means for citizens residing in remote areas of the county to

Continue reading →

“we can limit them to one area” –Joe Pritchard

On the front page of the paper VDT today County Manager Joe Pritchard proposes further restrictions on citizens in public County Commission meetings:
“We cannot stop anybody from taking video of a session; but we can limit them to one area; it’s distracting to us and to citizens to have somebody running around the session trying to get different angles,” said Joe Pritchard, county manager.
The only person I’ve seen running around the session trying to get different angles is Paige Dukes, County Clerk. Will she now be prohibited from coming out from behind the bar to take pictures of awards and such?

Why they can’t stop anybody from taking video, according to Georgia law, O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1-c.:

“Visual, sound, and visual and sound recording during open meetings shall be permitted.”
Some courts do put some restrictions on visual recordings, such as prohibiting pictures of jurors. But the Lowndes County Commission is not a court. It is the only elected body for the entire county, and thus the only public forum at which citizens can peacefully assemble to petition their local government for redress of county-wide grievances.

Does the Commission really want to put more restrictions on citizens in its meetings, even though a constitutional scholar is questioning the constitutionality of the rules they recently passed? Rules which limit the number of speakers in Citizens Wishing to be Heard to 10 and Continue reading →

Why “jobs, jobs, jobs” isn’t good enough for the public good and the general welfare –John S. Quarterman

Sure, everyone wants jobs for the people right now and jobs so the children don’t have to go somewhere else to find one. But what good is that if those jobs suck up all the water those children need to drink?

This is the problem:

“What I believe the three most important things are, not only for our community, and our state, and our country, but for our country, thats jobs number 1, jobs number 2, and jobs.”


Brad Lofton, Executive Director, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
speaking at the Lake Park Chamber of Commerce annual dinner,
Lake Park, Lowndes County, Georgia, 28 January 2011.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

I shook Brad Lofton’s hand after that speech and told him I liked it, because I did: in general it was a positive speech about real accomplishments. I’ve also pointed out I had a few nits with that speech. This one is more than a nit. This one is basic philosophy and policy.

Now one would expect an executive director of an industrial authority to be all about jobs. And that would be OK, if Continue reading →

New Meeting, New Rules –Lowndes County Commission

Remember, the new rules take effect at the upcoming County Commission meeting:
  • 8:30 AM Monday Febuary 7th, 2010: Work Session
  • 5:30 PM Tuesday February 8th, 2010: Regular Session
Both meetings will be at 327 N. Ashley Street, Valdosta, GA 31601. Only the regular session has Citizens Wishing to Be Heard.

The Lowndes County front page has links to the resolution the Commission passed last time, to the new rules, and to the new sign-in sheet, along with this notice: Continue reading →

the myth that biomass constitutes a “health benefit” –Dr. Noll

A followup to his presentation at LCC last Tuesday. -jsq
Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:59:50 -0500
From: noll_family
To: apaulk@lowndescounty.com, jevans@lowndescounty.com, rraines@lowndescounty.com, cpowell@lowndescounty.com
CC: kay.harris, “John S. Quarterman”
Subject: Last Night’s Meeting

Dear Chairman Paulk and Commissioners.

Thanks for providing my wife and I and others opposed to the biomass plant the opportunity to address you last night. As a follow-up to last night’s meeting, let me share some thoughts with you, including reflections on a comment made about other “biomass incinerators” in our county and the continuing myth that biomass constitutes a “health benefit”:

Continue reading →

Wrapup –Ashley Paulk

Chairman Paulk notes the sheriff has a very difficult job in trying to find the younger Eunice in the Ocean Pond. He asks people also to keep the Eunice family and Joyce Evans in mind since her niece was recently murdered.

The Commission adjourns.


Video by Gretchen Quarterman
of the regular meeting of the Lowndes County Commission, 25 Jan 2011
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

This second version is both noisier and perhaps somewhat easier to hear. Continue reading →

County Manager’s Report –Joe Pritchard

He remarks that the county has contracted with an arborist to prune a tree on the courthouse property the next day, but don’t be alarmed; they’re not cutting any trees down. He thanks volunteers and agencies throughout the state who have participated in searching for the missing person in the lake.


Video by Gretchen Quarterman
of the regular meeting of the Lowndes County Commission, 25 Jan 2011
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

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Industrial Authority and the general welfare –Dr. William Fuller

First time speaker Dr. William Fuller refers to a paper copy he got from the City of Valdosta of the charter of the Industrial Authority. He says it allows them to make contracts, and he asks for someone to check to see the unelected members of the Industrial Authority don’t contract with relatives. He notes that the charter says their main purpose is to promote the general welfare of the people of Lowndes County, and the proposed biomass plant won’t do that.


Video by John S. Quarterman
of the regular meeting of the Lowndes County Commission, 25 Jan 2011
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Thanks for Susan Wehling’s email –Ashley Paulk

Chairman Paulk says he got a very good email from Susan Wehling, who said she could not be here tonight.


Video by Gretchen Quarterman
of the regular meeting of the Lowndes County Commission, 25 Jan 2011
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

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