Tag Archives: Election

Citizens at Lowndes County Commission 7 November 2011

Five citizens spoke up at the 7 November 2011 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session. Some got answers, some got excuses, and some got fingerpointing. And one illustrated how the Commission doesn’t follow its own rules.

  • George Boston Rhynes asked about Open record requests and jail deaths and got the same excuses he’s heard elsewhere: nobody seems to be responsible for supplying information to the public about what’s going on in the Lowndes County Jail.

  • John Robinson asked about Contracts on the south side related to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and to Title III Section 3 of the HUD program and got a clarification from the Chairman that the county has no Title III projects.

  • John S. Quarterman asked the Commission to video meetings like the Lowndes Board of Education does, and got a slightly different excuse this time than the many previous times he’s made similar requests.

  • Matt Portwood asked the Commission or the individual Commissioners to state a position on school consolidation and was told they weren’t going to. The VDT printed that much the next morning, the morning of the election with the referendum on school consolidation. They did not print Chairman Paulk’s allusion to his already-known support for FVCS in opposing consolidation, but LAKE published a video with that on Election Day, and you can see it here.

  • Tony Daniels wanted to know How can we pursue happiness when we don’t even have a job? and had several recommendations for how the various local elected and appointed bodies could go about getting us more jobs. He also illustrated that the Commissions ordinance on Citizens Wishing to Be Heard is, as we’ve discovered on many previous occasions, merely guidelines at the whim of the Chairman.

Citizen participation!

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Only a vote where both city and county residents could take part would reveal the will of the people —Karen Noll

Received yesterday on Repealing the 1928 GA School Consolidation Law. -jsq
While I live in the city as was able to vote on the consolidation issue, I feel that only a vote where both city and county residents would be democratic. Only a vote where both interested parties could take part would reveal the will of the people and be admissible. Although I opposed the effort to consolidate that was recently defeated, I feel strongly that a true vote of both city and county residence is necessary if consolidation should reach the ballot anytime in the future. For this reason it is paramount that the old law that allowed the city only vote be stricken to allow the georgia constitution to prevail. The GA constitution allows for both city and county to vote and a majority in both in order to pass.

Please contact your legislator to support repealing the 1928 law from the GA law books.

Thank you ALL for your commitment to community,

-Karen Noll

Repealing the 1928 GA School Consolidation Law

Received today. -jsq
From: JC Cunningham
Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2011 09:01:26 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Fw: The Repeal of Ga. Law on School Consolidation
To: [many people]

Friends,

Even though we the Citizens of Valdosta have spoken and defeated that hostile takeover, this is not the time to let up. We all must stay a vigilant as possible and never let anything like this happen again.

One way in which everyone in Valdosta and Lowndes can make a impact is to write a letter to Amy Carter, Admin. Floor Leader to the Governor, and ask for her to introduce a bill to repeal the old 1928 law that Cuee was able to use.

Remind Amy that she has an obligation to bring this bill to the floor. Remind her that the people

Continue reading →

Cobb EMC incumbent concedes election: insurgents win 4 for 4

Last week, 3 out of 4 insurgent candidates won places on the board of Cobb EMC, the utility that wants to build a coal plant in Ben Hill County, as close to here for smoke drift as the Okefenokee. Another was headed to a runoff that would have cost around $70,000. Not anymore! It’s 4 for 4.

Janel Davis wrote for the AJC yesterday, Cobb EMC incumbent concedes election,

Kennesaw businessman and incumbent Cobb EMC director RJ Patel conceded the race for his board seat Monday evening eliminating a need for a runoff next month and advancing four new members to lead the utility.
That means Charles Malcolm ‘Cooter’ Swanson is the new Area 7 board member.

The new members are still a minority of 4 out of 10 on the Cobb EMC board, but that’s better than 0 out of 10.

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PS: Owed to Ellen Corrie and No Coal Plant in Ben Hill County!

FVCS community event 5:30 PM 15 November 2011 @ MLK Monument

Received today (this is the event Sam Allen mentioned in his speech on Valdosta City Hall steps last Wednesday). -jsq
Friends,

We must bring healing and closure to the consolidation saga. As a means to reuniting our community the FVCS has planned one last event designed to bring EVERYONE together for some good fun and relaxation. Please come out and join us, bring the kids and your friends as we close this chapter and begin anew. I pray that we can move forward and enjoy the true meaning of the upcoming holidays with love and forgiveness in our hearts. Remember: Don’t worry about me because I’m be alright.

Thanks for everything,
Sam Allen
Details: Continue reading →

A community united! —Gretchen Quarterman

LTE in the VDT today. -jsq
In the last few weeks, our community has seen an unprecedented effort from left, right, and center, city and county, town and gown, all working
Let us not focus on the things that have divided us in the past, but rather use this opportunity to build a stronger community, a stronger education system.
together as a community to achieve a goal that the overwhelming majority see as in our best interest. We have an opportunity that we should not squander. It doesn’t take a lot of money. It takes dedicated people, calling their friends and neighbors, canvasing every neighborhood, holding open and honest forums, and answering questions to the very best of their ability.

Let us not focus on the things that have divided us in the past, but rather use this opportunity to build a stronger community, a stronger education system. Let us find opportunities to work together to benefit our students, teachers, police, firefighters, farmers, small local businesses and all the rest of us who call this community home.

We have an opportunity that we should not squander. Let us work as one community for the benefit of all our citizens; students, seniors, family, friends, urban, rural, conservatives, progressives, Wildcats and Vikings.

One community out of many,
with liberty and justice for all.

Gretchen Quarterman
Chairman
Lowndes County Democratic Party

Cobb EMC members win board election in landslide

Cobb EMC wants to build a coal plant in Ben Hill County, about as far from here as the smoke blows as the Okefenokee Swamp. They’ve run into some resistance at the polls.

Tod Rehm wrote for Peach Pundit 12 November 2011, CobbEMC Owners Association 3 for 4 with one runoff in board elections

The CobbEMC Owners Association, a group of customers dedicated to the reform of the EMC’s Board of Directors has made great steps in returning control of the utility to its customers. CEOA-endorsed candidates took three out of four seats today, with the fourth candidate narrowly missing a majority with 49.47% of votes cast.

Only 1.3% of eligible customers voted, with 2471 votes being cast. Winners were:

Area 1, Ed Crowell 79%
Area 6, David Tennant 68%
Area 10, Cheryl Meadows 80%

Hm, 4 to 1 odds! That reminds me of another recent election. Apparently when the people get organized fat cats can lose big. Cobb EMC’s incumbents already lost a special election back in September, that one about mail-in voting.

About the Cobb EMC runoff, Kim Isaza wrote for MDJonline.com today, EMC members elect 3 new directors; Area 7 goes to runoff Continue reading →

I’m glad GBR spoke up for Sam Allen. —Barbara Stratton

Received today on Truth really needs no defense! -jsq
I’m glad GBR spoke up for Sam Allen. The VDT article falsely stated that he had changed his mind about VDT support between Tuesday night & Wednesday when he spoke at the news release. I was standing beside Sam when he complemented one reporter after she interviewed him following the election returns at the Bd of Elections Tuesday night. The compliments were for her individual professionalism only as he stated to her that he appreciated that she always put exactly what he said in the paper. I agreed with his statements & complimented her also, because I have observed her professionalism in other venues & it is a refreshing change for some of the VDT reporting heritage.

Sam’s Wednesday comments about the VDT not providing balanced

Continue reading →

Truth really needs no defense! —George Rhynes @ VCC 10 November 2011

George Rhynes stood up at Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting to respond to Ken Klanicki’s concern about Sam Allen’s speech on the City Hall steps the previous day.
I want the record to show and I hope the Valdosta Daily Tims will print it, that former Superintendent Sam Allen, all he did was to act as a professional, which he is.
George also commended the bicyclers and said he had videoed the bicycles he found out front.

Here’s the video:


Truth really needs no defense! —George Rhynes @ VCC 10 November 2011
bicycle, path, health care, health, sidewalk, grant,
Regular Session, Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 10 November 2011.
Videos by George Boston Rhynes for K.V.C.I., the bostongbr on YouTube.

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We have just had a very divisive issue —Ken Klanicki @ VCC 10 November 2011

Ken Klanicki expressed concerns about Sam Allen’s speech the previous day on the steps of City Hall. He had only read about it in the VDT, which of course has space limits. You can see and hear Sam Allen’s speech for yourself, thanks to George Rhynes. Ken Klanicki also wanted to know who approved the use of City Hall for that speech. Ken probably didn’t know from the VDT that Mayor Sonny Vickers was standing beside Sam Allen at the time, but you can see that for yourself.

Here’s the video of Ken Klanicki:


We have just had a very divisive issue —Ken Klanicki @ VCC 10 November 2011
bicycle, path, health care, health, sidewalk, grant,
Regular Session, Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 10 November 2011.
Videos by George Boston Rhynes for K.V.C.I., the bostongbr on YouTube.

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