Tag Archives: Regular Session

How can we pursue happiness when we don’t even have a job? —Tony Daniels @ LCC 7 November 2011

George Rhynes’ video of the last two citizens speaking at the 7 November 2011 County Commission meeting has interesting closeups on the county staff while the Chairman was answering Matt Portwood. Then at 1:35 Tony Daniels answered the request for “any other business” by walking up to the podium and talking.

He cited life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness from the Declaration of Independence:

How can we pursue happiness when we don’t even have a job? I believe the city and county and Industrial Authority and the Chamber of Commerce need to work more together to create an atmosphere of trying to bring more industry inside the city. We have highways coming through Valdosta. I hope to see in the near future that the county and the city and the Industrial Authority and the Chamber of Commerce work like brothers and sisters. Because you know and I know that you are elected by the people of the people and for the people, and I’d like to see that…. Because we need more entrepeneurs, we need to see all governments in this area promote that….
I suspect the Chairman was asking the Commissioners whether they had any other business, but he wasn’t clear about that. I think what Tony Daniels had to say was important, and citizens should be able to say they have other business. However, since he had not signed up to speak before the meeting started, he was in violation of Rule #1 from the Commission’s hastilly adopted Policies and Procedures for Citizens Wishing to Be Heard:: Continue reading →

Video meetings like Lowndes Board of Education? —John S. Quarterman @ LCC 7 November 2011

After apologizing for setting off a flash earlier, I recommended the county video their own meetings, so they wouldn’t have to depend on amateurs.
Lowndes County Board of Education had an open forum about school consolidation. and they had their own person videoing the whole thing, and it ended up on the web in a day or two, which means that everyone in the county could see what was going on….
Chairman Paulk:
We get enough of that for free.

jsq:

I’ll send you a bill!
The Chairman nodded, so I’ll take that for approval of billing by LAKE.

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

Bicyclists at Valdosta City Council 10 November 2011

Courtesy of the camera of George Rhynes, here are the Citizens to Be Heard at Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting. Most of them are frequent cyclists, with a surprise ally speaking first. I think that’s all of them.

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I’m a bicyclist —Jim Jones @ VCC 10 November 2011

Jim Jones told Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting he was a certified bicycle technician. He mentioned all sort of reasons for bicycling:
Bicycles are going to be a big part of our future. Gas prices, and a lot of folks getting their licenses suspended, having to walk…. And if you don’t have a bicycle, that’s the only choice you have.
He mentioned Valdosta was lagging behind Portland.

Here’s the video:


I’m a bicyclist —Jim Jones @ 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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How about some bike racks? —Matt Portwood @ VCC 10 November 2011

Matt Portwood told Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting that since his last address to the Council was so well received this time he brought friends (such as Heather Evans, who had just spoken) and an ally in the front row ( Roy Taylor, who spoke first) This time he asked for bike racks. If City Hall had one outside, their bicycles wouldn’t have been locked to the front step railing.

Here’s the video:


—Matt Portwood @ 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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Community’s need for public transportation, bike lanes, and walking —Heather Evans @ LCC 10 November 2011

Heather Evans provided a petition with more than 200 signatures, and told Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting she got requests frequently while working in community service for something to be done about non-automobile transportation. She presented a variety of evidence.
Ideally, I’d like to see bike lanes all over town. But if I had to pick one to start with, St. Augustine would be my choice. I choose this road because it also needs to have a completed sidewalk segment. I can’t tell you how many people including myself have been endangered while using this portion of road.

George Rhynes took this video and remarked:

WOW! Valdosta-Lowndes County is now being seen as a real metro city and citizens are asking questions to their elected officials. WOW! The old control, suppress, and abate is apparently unacceptable in 2011 as we get ready for the 2012 Presidential election.

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

Bikes, Students and Public Meetings —George Rhynes @ VCC 10 November 2011

When he spoke in Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting, George Rhynes mentioned he had videoed the bicycles he found out front.

Here’s the video:


Bikes, Students and Public Meetings —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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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.

-jsq

Health and safety through bicycles —Roy Taylor @ VCC 10 Nov 2011

Roy Taylor spoke first in Citizens to Be Heard at Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting:
We need bicycle paths in this community, very very badly. I travel to Europe… and they have bicycle paths all over, and it helps our children as they are growing up. It helps us as adults…. It helps all of us…. It is good for our children, our community.

I want you to think about the health care cost that those bicycles can save. In the health care we have to pay, the hospitalization, the medical costs, if we keep our bodies in good shape.

You have a grant in here now of about $75,000 to $100,000 … school money. I can think of no finer way for those children than to walk the sidewalk and to ride a bicycle.

That’s right: Roy Taylor spoke in favor of a grant, and for bicycles. Bicyclers listened from the back before some of them spoke: Continue reading →