Tag Archives: forum

Animals and humans @ LCDP 2015-12-07

The county government is less clear about animals than it asks citizens to be. Tonight the Lowndes County Democratic Party is doing what the county has never done: holding a public forum on animal rights. Apparently there are some human rights involved, too, given recent allegations of a deputy with gun drawn and arson.

Last month two more citizens complained to the Lowndes County Commission about treatment of dogs, including about three dogs that may not have shelter and barking dogs and apparent retaliation through arson. That second speaker, as he said, had already spoken up back in June about animal control taking his grandson’s dog out of a kennel, yet he said when he complained about a barking dog a deputy came out with gun drawn to demand he come out of his house “like a common criminal”. At the time the Chairman asked citizens to be “clear and direct”.

Yet it’s not clear what the county has done about any of this, nor about 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

Candidates Forum by Chamber of Commerce

Today from 5 to 7 PM at the Rainwater Conference Center is the 2011 Meet the Candidates Forum organized by the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber’s Meet the Candidates Reception provides an opportunity for Chamber members to meet and hear from candidates running in the Nov. 8 general election. All Chamber members and guests are invited to attend this event at the Rainwater Conference Center. There is no cost to Chamber members to attend.
Here’s the link to RSVP or if you need directions.

Here’s a list of who qualifed to run. As you can see, most local incumbents are running unopposed. Maybe they’ll show up anyway, and there are at least a few contested positions (Valdosta Mayor and Council At Large, Hahira Council 3, Dasher Post 3, and Lake Park Council At Large. This being an odd year, there are no county-wide posts up for election, but the municipal elections affect everyone around here, even people like me who do not live in any of the cities. Whether at this event or elsewhere, you may want to ask the candidates their platforms and positions on local issues.

Usually there’s also an AAUW Lowndes County Political Forum; I don’t know what’s up with that this year. Usually it’s immediately after the Chamber thing, and the AAUW Forum is open to all.

-jsq

Why We Oppose Consolidation —Lowndes County Schools

From their website:
Lowndes County Schools will be hosting a forum entitled Why We Oppose Consolidation on October 4, 2011 at 7:00pm in the Lowndes High Cafeteria. All community members invited to attend.
Some people have been confused by LCBOE’s image version of this meeting announcement:

The meeting starts at 7PM on the fourth of October, which is Tuesday.

They’ve also put the LCBOE resolution online in plain text. Here’s the earlier LAKE transcription from our video of Supt. Smith reading the resolution. Here are videos of that entire LCBOE meeting, including the unanimous vote to adopt the resolution.

-jsq

Industrial Authority Defensive about Minutes

Could the Industrial Authority try any harder to make it look like they’ve got something to hide? Of all things to go to the mattresses about: their board minutes?

The VDT picked up on our series about a local citizen being overcharged for an open records request for VLCIA agendas and minutes. In a front page Sunday VDT story, David Rodock reports:

In response, The Valdosta Daily Times submitted their own Open Records Request for the salaries of all Industrial Authority employees.

According to the information provided by the Authority, the lowest paid fulltime employee, the Operations Manager, is paid an annual salary of $46,526.

When this number is divided by 2080, (52 weeks multiplied by 40 hours per week) it shows that the lowest paid full-time employee is making $22.40 per hour.

The salary quoted on the invoice is not the same as either Continue reading →

Five hours of staff time to copy agendas and minutes?

Why does it take someone paid $24.23 an hour to convert agendas and minutes to PDF?

Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority, VLCIA, Open Records Request, Bobbi Anne Hancock asked Allan Ricketts why a bunch of agendas and minutes should cost $125.09? She received back this itemized invoice:


 

Apparently the lowest paid VLCIA employee who can convert documents to PDF is paid $24.23 an hour. According to Georgia Code 50-18-71: Continue reading →

AAUW Candidate Forum Today, 7PM

Meet the candidates tonight:
AAUW Candidate Forum
7:00 p.m. – Rainwater Conference Center – The Valdosta chapter of the American Asso. of University Women will host the forum. It is open to the public. For more information, Dr. Martha Leake 229-333-5756
That’s the James H. Rainwater Conference Center, 1 Meeting Place, Valdosta, GA.

It’s for all candidates: Democrats, Libertarians, Republicans, and non-partisan; for statewide, congressional, and local. Attendees will have the opportunity to submit written questions to be posed to the candidates for their response.

Just before that, the Valdosta–Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce will host a Meet the Candidates Reception, for Chamber members and their guests, 5–7 P.M. Here is a list of the candidates who have confirmed (PDF). Continue reading →

VSU-TV Rebroadcasts of AAUW Forum

Dennis Marks notes that VSU-TV’s rebroadcasts of the AAUW Forum of 15 Sep 2009 will include the two-minute statements of unopposed candidates who showed up. Those are not in the LAKE videos of the event which are already on YouTube, but pretty much everything else is. Maybe VSU-TV will also put their videos online.

According to email from Walter Rollenhagen:

The Lowndes Co. Political Forum, or as we label it, VOTE 2009, will air on VSU-TV cable channel 20:

Sunday, Oct. 4th at Noon

Saturday, Oct. 10th at Noon and Midnight

Saturday, Oct. 17th at Noon and Midnight

Sunday, Oct. 18th at Noon

Saturday, Oct. 24th at Noon and Midnight

Sunday, Oct. 25th at Noon

Saturday, Oct. 31st at Noon and Midnight

Sunday, Nov. 1st at Noon

Lowndes County Political Forum, AAUW, 15 Sep 2009

By Kenny R. Bush and John S. Quarterman, with videos by Gretchen Quarterman.

On Sept 15, residents of Lowndes County gathered inside VSU’s Whitehead Auditorium for a political forum concerning the upcoming 2009 General Municipal Elections. It was the competing Mayberrys, Hahira and Dasher, in the shadow of the big city of Valdosta with its council and school board. The 100 or so people who watched learned about the candidates. You can too, by watching the videos of each speaker provided by LAKE on YouTube. Perhaps VSU can also be encouraged to release online the videos it took, which are probably of higher quality.

Update: VSU TV rebroadcast schedule for this forum.

Perhaps VSU can also be encouraged to release online the videos it took, which are probably of higher quality.

The event was sponsored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and moderated by Jim Peterson, chair of the Political Science Department at VSU. Before the forum began, the audience was provided note cards and encouraged to write questions for forum participants. A three person committee then decided which four questions that would be asked on stage for each set of candidates.

Valdosta City Council District 2

The forum began with the five candidates competing to be the newest councilman of Valdosta’s 2nd district. Willie T. Head, the incumbent, is not running, but five other people other are: David G. DeMersseman, David L. Dempsey, Rodney R. Flucas, Deidra A. White, and Dr. L. W. Williams.


(All the other LAKE videos of this AAUW forum are also available online.)

The first question of the night concerned annexing land neighboring Valdosta and if candidates believed it to be a good idea or not. Continue reading →