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The ADVANCE, January 19, 2022/Page 3A
PD.ADV.
11%’ are the media called the 4th estate?
In 1787 Edmund Burke, a Mem
ber of the British Parliament, used the
term “fourth estate” when he said that
there were three estates of the realm:
the clergy, the nobility, and the com
moners; but the reporters’ gallery was
a fourth estate more important in in
fluence than the others.
In the United States and many
European countries today, the three
estates refer to the legis
lative, executive, and ju
diciary branches of gov
ernment, with the news
media as the fourth estate.
Describing journalists and
news outlets as the fourth
estate acknowledges them
among the greatest influ-
encers of a nation.
The news media should
inform the public of a nation’s activi
ties without bias and with neutral, ob
jective and critical gathering of news
to serve the Truth. The Truth requires
more than facts; it requires journalists
to have the ability to connect the dots,
u
to discern patterns, and to aggregate
and summarize them into statements
of cause and effect without bias.
The press provides a vital role
in discerning fact from fiction and
reporting from a neutral, unbiased
perspective. We rely on the press to
record, investigate, interpret and pub
lish the facts truthfully. It should act
as a counterbalance to report, verify
and question matters of
governance using the pow-
ers that the people have en-
K ^ trusted it with. We have to
I be able to trust our journal-
-V3!L ists- If they fail, we fail.
Even though it is not
actually a part of a politi-
m cal system, the press wields
significant social influence.
The First Amendment to
our Constitution “frees” the press
from government control or over
sight. But that freedom carries with
it a responsibility to be the people’s
watchdog, which is important to a
functioning democracy.
MoCo Commission Sets
Qualifying Fees for
Upcoming County Races
NeSmith
continued from page 1A
In years past, NeSmith
spent a lot of time in his
“Dawg House.” The space
was actually an office and
decked out with the UGA
memorabilia he had col
lected through the years.
“I’ve been a Georgia fan
and started following them
in the late ‘50s. My wife is
a ‘senior cheerleader’ for
Georgia!” Ne Smith pro
claimed in a profile pub
lished in The Advance on
March 28, 2012.
NeSmith, the youngest
of five children, was born
in Cochran on January 14,
1929. He attended Middle
Georgia College, where he
met his future wife, June
Walters, and Mercer Uni
versity before joining the
PEWS
BY GARY TOOLE
The reason
some elder
folks sit on
the front
pew is
because they
cant see or
hear as good
as young
people. See,
the older we
get most people sit closer to the
front. Now, when I was just a
youngin a few days ago I sat on the
second pew from the back so I
could pass notes back and forth.
At one church my father pastored
back in the early 60s, now that’s
the 1960 s not the 1860 s they had
home made pews with 2” slats that
had a 1” crack between them to
make the slats go further. So, with
those cracks and my wool britches
I really wanted to sing, “When we
all get to Heaven,” because I knew
the Lord wasn’t going to allow
wool britches in Heaven no way.
Now that I’m a few years older I’m
sitting three pews from the front.
By the time I’m 90 I’ll be up there
with the preacher saying, “That’s
right brother! Tell them like it is!
If they had been here you sure
would have told them what they
needed to hear!” And have you
noticed how we lay claim to
everything. My parking space, my
song and my pew. Like the
preacher gave a pew grant and this
one is mine. I could say, “Honey,
let’s take my pew home with us,
because someone sat in my pew.
We’ll bring it back tonight.” Silly!
But we do lay claim to things that
really are not ours. Everything in
the church is for everyone and it all
belongs to God. Amen! Speaking
of claiming everything. This one
fellow was bad about claiming all
that he and his wife owned. He
would say, “My house, my car, my
this and my that!” She got fed up
with it and one night she hit him
over the head with a 12” cast iron
skillet and knocked a knot on his
head so big that the doctor couldn’t
cure it for laughing at it. The next
morning he got up and rubbed his
sore head and said, “Honey,
where’s our britches?” Anyway,
back to the pews. No matter
where you sit, I hope you are
comfortable at church. I hope you
can hear good and see good, but
most importantly I trust and pray
that you are blessed. How sweet it
is! Can you say amen?
army in 1950. He was hon
orably discharged in 1953
as first lieutenant, having
served during the Korean
Conflict.
“My father was a busi
nessman and a politician,”
he said in the profile. “He
was the Clerk of Courts
in Cochran. Both of my
brothers were Ford dealers,
and I listened to them and
bought the Ford dealership
in Forsyth.” That purchase
earned him the distinc
tion of being the youngest
dealer in the country. “That
was trouble,” he quipped. “I
almost starved to death!”
In August 1958, the
NeSmiths came to Lyons
where he went to work in
the oil distribution busi
ness with Pure Oil and later
established Pure Water
and Gas Company. He re
tired as an oil wholesaler of
NeSmith-Traffic Oil. Over
time, he witnessed a lot of
change in the gasoline in
dustry. “I’ve seen the gaso
line business go from a one-
horse farm to being totally
mechanized,” he said.
He reflected on the old
days at the gas pump. “Used
to be, when you pulled up
to a gas station, you got full
service. I mean, you got
your gas pumped, and your
oil, water and air checked.
Now, sadly that’s a thing
of the past. And way back
when I started, gas was less
than 50 cents a gallon and
heating oil was less than a
dime a gallon.”
NeSmith had never
been to Toombs County
before cominghere in 1958,
but he said he never regret
ted the move. “I’ve made
some good friends over
the years both in Toombs
County and Lyons,” he said.
“I think Toombs County is
one of the most progres
sive counties in Georgia
because of good leadership.
I am proud to call it home.”
NeSmith was vice
chairman of the Toombs
County Hospital Authority
during the time Meadows
Regional Medical Center
was built. In 1998, as he was
named Lyons Citizen of the
Year, NeSmith’s long record
of service to the commu
nity was recalled. He was
president of the Lyons Jay-
cees, the Lyons Lions Club,
and the Lyons Chamber
of Commerce. He was also
a member of the Lyons
Housing Authority, a past
director of Darby Bank
and Trust, and a trustee of
both Middle Georgia Col
lege and Brewton-Parker
College. He also served on
the Toombs Development
Authority. As a member
of First Baptist Church
of Lyons, he served the
church as a deacon, Sunday
school superintendent, and
finance committee chair
man.
In addition to his wife
of 70 years and son, Mayor
NeSmith, NeSmith is sur
vived a daughter, Ginny-
Anne NeSmith Lipscomb;
five grandchildren; and six
great-grandchildren. His
funeral was held on his
birthday, January 14.
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
In its regular monthly
meeting on Monday, Janu
ary 10, the Montgomery
County Commission ap
proved qualifying fees for
various county offices for
which elections will be
held in 2022.
Elections will be held
in the May 24 primary
(with July 21 runoffs if
necessary) and November
8 general election to fill
the District 4 and District
5 posts on the County
Commission currently
held by Commissioner
Clarence Thomas and
Commission Chairman
Leland Adams; the Dis
trict 3 and District 5 seats
on the Board ofEducation
currently held by Board
Member Debra Gay and
Board Chairman Jim Paul
Poole; and the Magistrate
Judge’s post currently held
by Judge Ashley Thorn
ton. Qualifying fees are
$108 for the commission
seats, $36 for the Board
of Education posts, and
$ 1,495 for the judge’s seat.
Fees are based on 3% of
the annual base salaries of
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“In response to the
‘big city problems
coming to a small
town near you,' I
have a good solution.
We need to build
more jails to a certain
extent, but I believe
in having them work
on a chain-gang,
make them all get
out and work. And
when they violate the
rules, have big boss
these positions.
The Commission also
approved three consent
agenda items:
• A purchase agree
ment with Harris Local
Government for software
for the Tax Commis
sioner’s Office at a cost of
$9,020 to be paid through
SPLOST.
• A Probation Servic
es Agreement with Judi
cial Alternatives of Geor
gia, Inc., (JAG) to provide
probation services for the
Montgomery County Su
perior Court.
• A service agreement
with Kofile Technologies,
Inc., to perform imaging
and indexing of the Mont
gomery County Clerk of
Superior Court’s histori
cal plat records at a cost
of $10,500, which will be
paid from the county’s op
erating budget.
The Commission also
agreed to purchase a rub
ber tire backhoe for the
Building and Grounds
Department after many
months of deliberation.
This equipment will
come from Flint Equip
ment of Macon, a John
Deere dealer, at a cost of
$132,430, the lower of
put a lash across their
back of learning. That
will close down a lot
of jails and prisons."
“As Americans,
we should be
pleased that Martin
Luther King had the
right to lead a march
on Washington in the
1960s and make his
speeches for unity of
the races rather than
for us to be con
stantly harping on
the evils of slavery,
which we no longer
have. Just observe
our mixture of races
in everyday life."
“We still have a
litter problem in Vi-
dalia. Parking lots of
our businesses are
prime targets."
“The light at the
corner of Ogletho
rpe and Hwy. 292 has
been out for over six
months. It is a very
dark corner and it is
tough to see the turn
at night."
two bids received by the
County. The equipment
will not be available to
the Department for five
months, during which
time the Commission and
County Manager will re
view the County budget
and finances to determine
the best possible way to
fund the purchase.
The Commission also
approved the adoption
of resolutions to support
Georgia’s annexation dis
pute resolution law, and
to establish and post park
rules and regulations for
the County’s recreational
properties. The Commis
sioners agreed to repair
a pothole on Bear Creek
Road; awarded the job of
applying fertilizer on the
fields and common areas
at the Recreation Depart
ment to the Montford
Group for a bid of $3,950;
and voted to install secu
rity cameras at the Tax
Commissioner’s office.
In other business, the
Commission reelected
Leland Adams as chair of
the Commission, reelect
ed Clarence Thomas as
Vice-Chair, and appoint
ed Dorothy Days to a six-
year term on the Board of
Health.
During reports,
County Manager Bran
don Braddy noted that
the County ended 2021
on sound financial footing
with revenues exceeding
expenditures. Actual net
revenues exceeded expen
ditures by $211,850.39.
EMA Director Donnie
Daniels related that the
EMA answered 282 fire
calls in 2021 and that cur
rently, the county is con
tending with 30 cases of
COVID-19. He said his
office still has some per
sonal protection equip
ment available for county
staff, but supplies are lim
ited.
The Commission
tabled the issue of updat
ing the County Tax Map
so that all proposals for
the work might be recon
sidered, and also tabled
adopting a resolution to
establish board seat num
bers and their respective
terms of office for the
Board of Tax Assessors.
An appointment to this
Board was also deferred
pending further study of
the Board’s structure.
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