Newspaper Page Text
www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com
Your only locally-owned community newspaper
Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Mill Creek, West Jackson and Barrow County
250 copy
Wednesday, July 16,2008
Vol. 4 No. 13 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.comBarrowJournal.com 24 pages, 2 sections
Jackson County Results
BOC Chairman:
Tony Beatty: 1,602
Hunter Bicknell: 2,393
Ron Johnson: 1,757
(Bicknell and Johnson will face off
in a run-off on Aug. 5.)
BOC District 1:
Tom Crow: 1,002
Amanda Spivey: 467
BOC District 2:
Chas Hardy: 824
Jody Thompson: 450
Sheriff:
Stan Evans: 4,532
Jim Keinard: 1,303
BOE Post 1:
Michael Cronic: 808
Brett Schwartz: 408
U.S. Congress District 10:
Paul Broun: 4,374
Barry Fleming: 1,420
(Broun will face Democrat Bobby
Saxon in November.)
Barrow County Results
BOC Chairman:
Jim Beckemeyer: 1,117
Doug Garrison: 2,398
Danny Yearwood: 2,728
(Garrison and Yearwood will face
off in a run-off on Aug. 5).
BOC District 1:
Jerry Lampp: 592
Larry Joe Wilburn: 881
BOC District 2:
Bill Brown: 662
Eva Elder: 756
BOC District 3:
Tom Williamson: 249
Steve Worley: 540
(Worley will face Democrat Bill
Healan in November.)
Sheriff:
Murray Kogod: 2,415
Jud Smith: 3,968
(Smith will face Democrat James
Bonnemer Sr. in November.)
Chief Magistrate:
June Davis: 4,665
Monica Durden: 1,443
(Davis will face Democrat Johnny
Smith in November.)
Clerk of Courts:
L. Riner Bemius: 2,776
R. Brock McIntyre: 3,274
Visit www.BraseltonNewsToday.com or www.BarrowJournal.com for details.
Revolts & Runoffs
Johnson, Bicknell
headed to runoff
BY ANGELA GARY
West Jackson residents Ron Johnson
and Hunter Bicknell are headed to a runoff
election Aug. 5 in their bid for the chair
manship of the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners. Bicknell led the way with
42 percent of the vote to Johnson's 31 per
cent and Tony Beatty's 28 percent.
County-wide, only 25 percent of regis
tered voters turned out for the election.
In other election results, incumbent
Michael Cronic beat Brett Schwartz for
the Post 1 seat on the Jackson County
Board of Education. Cronic had 66 per
cent of the vote, while Schwartz had 34
percent. Cronic was at the Jackson County
courthouse while the votes were counted
Tuesday night.
“I'm just tickled we came out on top,”
he said. “We have a lot of challenges and
issues ahead of us and important decisions
to be made.”
In other Jackson County results, Sheriff
Stan Evans overwhelmingly defeated chal-
Big changes in store for Barrow County
BY KRISTI REED
After months of intense campaigning, the
book has closed on several Barrow County
races.
The races for Dist. 1 commissioner, Dist.
2 commissioner and Clerk of Superior
Court are now over. The chairman’s race
is headed for a run-off and, in perhaps the
biggest upset of the night, a Winder police
sergeant defeated a longtime employee of
the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office in a bid
to be the county’s next top lawman.
In the multi-county District Attorney's
race, the incumbent fell to his challengers
in what will be another run-off for area
voters.
GARRISON, YEARWOOD
IN RUNOFF
With none of the three candidates for
chairman of Barrow County able to secure
a majority of the vote, the race will now
be decided in the August 5 runoff between
incumbent Doug Garrison and challenger
Danny Yearwood.
Yearwood garnered the most votes with
2,728 or 43 percent of the total votes cast.
Garrison finished second with 2,398 votes
of 38 percent of the total. The third candi
date, Jim Beckemeyer, finished a distant
A NEW SHERIFF?
Jud Smith (center) defeated Murray Kogod in the Republican primary for
Barrow County Sheriff. Smith will face Democratic opponent James Bonnemer
in November. A number of Smith’s supporters waited for election results on
Tuesday night. Photo by Kristi Reed
third with 1,117 votes or 17 percent of the
total.
Garrison praised Yearwood and his sup
porters for their hard work in the primary.
Garrison said Yearwood did a good job
mobilizing supporters and getting his mes
sage out. In the next few weeks, Garrison
will be trying to do the same.
“I need to get my message out that I
want to continue to prepare our county for
the future,” Garrison said. “I think [Barrow
County is] heading in the right direction. I
See BARROW RESULTS on page 5A
CASTING A VOTE
Evan Bartlett (right), 18, casts his vote on Tuesday afternoon in Braselton.
Bartlett said he was released from a hospital after surgery earlier in the day and
headed straight to the polls to pick his candidates. Photo by Kerri Testement
lenger Jim Keinard with 78 percent of the upset incumbent Jody Thompson for a seat
vote in Tuesday’s election.
In the East Jackson Area, Chas Hardy See JACKSON RESULTS on page 5A
Sikes, Smith headed for District Attorney runoff
Donna Sikes
Brad Smith
Barrow: 1,974
Barrow: 2,891
Jackson: 2,117
Jackson: 1,481
Banks: 1,038
Banks: 448
Total: 5,129
Total 4,820
Rick Bridgeman
Barrow: 1,366
Jackson: 2,217
Banks: 1,083
Total 4,666
District Attorney candidate
Donna Sikes made a point of
her opponents’ past work for
former disgraced district attor
ney Tim Madison during the
Primary campaign and Tuesday
night, it appeared her strategy
had an impact. Sikes led the
three-person race with a cumu
lative 5,129 votes and will be in
a run-off with former Assistant
District Attorney Brad Smith,
who garnered 4,820 votes.
Incumbent Rick Bridgeman,
who was appointed to the post
last year by the governor after
the resignation of Madison,
finished last in the race with
4,666 votes.
Both candidates are already
making plans on how to come
out on top in the Aug. 5 run-off
election.
“I'm just thankful I have
led — even by a narrow mar
gin,” Sikes said Tuesday night.
“I know I have a lot of work
to do. I'm fixing to roll up
my sleeves and get to work. I
appreciate everyone who had
enough confidence to vote for
me. I hope they all get out and
vote in the run off and take
someone with them.”
Wednesday morning. Brad
Smith said: “I’m very encour
aged. I need to find a way to
pick up some of the people
who supported Bridgeman and
do a little better in Banks and
Jackson counties and make
sure my base in Barrow County
comes out and votes out.”
Smith pushed past
Bridgeman for the runoff
by carrying Barrow County
with 60 percent of the vote.
Although Bridgeman had gar
nered the most votes in Jackson
and Banks counties, it wasn’t
enough to overcome Smith’s
large win in Barrow.
Sikes made her ground
by hanging very close to
Bridgeman in both Banks and
Jackson counties and by best
ing him in Barrow County by
600 votes.
Inside: Barrow County voters say ‘No’ to Brain Train
General Assembly: Benton, England back Richardson’s ouster
Hearing set
in hospitals’
court fight
Bowers representing Barrow
in row with NEGA Medical
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
A court hearing on a lawsuit centering on a new hos
pital in Braselton has been set for Thursday, Sept. 4, at
9 a.m. in Barrow County. Since the lawsuit was filed,
Barrow Regional Medical Center
has retained former Georgia
Attorney General Michael Bowers
to represent the company in its bid
to stop a new hospital from being
built in Braselton.
Barrow filed a lawsuit in March
against the Georgia Department of
Community Health and Northeast
Georgia Medical Center in opposi
tion to the Gainesville-based health
system's plan to open a 100-bed BOWERS
hospital in Braselton. Barrow con
tends in the suit that a hospital in
Braselton would harm its Winder operations.
“The construction and operation of NEGMC’s new
100-bed hospital in such close proximity to Barrow's
facility will have a significant, potentially devastating
impact on Barrow,” according to the lawsuit.
Bowers said this week that Northeast Georgia didn't
adequately account for the economic impact the proposed
Braselton hospital would have on Barrow Regional and
See HOSPITALS on page 5A
Another Publix?
Plans show new store in
South Hall in Braselton
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Is Publix looking at opening another grocery in store
in Braselton?
According to plans given to town officials last week,
that's a possibility.
Halvorsen Development of Boca Raton, Fla., submit
ted construction plans to Braselton for a 46,500 square-
foot Publix at the intersection of Spout Springs Road
and the proposed re-alignment of Friendship Road in
South Hall.
Publix would anchor the proposed retail center
— dubbed “Friendship Commons” — that would also
include 25,800 square feet of shops and 12 outparcels
totaling 13.62 acres.
The 39.68-acre site is part of a larger parcel that
was annexed and zoned to General-Commercial in
Braselton in 2001. That property totaled 305 acres, and
now includes a Kroger and the Clearwater Plantation
subdivision.
The proposed Publix would be located across the new
Friendship Road from Kroger.
Publix also has a store in the town limits on Ga. Hwy.
211, at The Vineyards Shopping Center. The company
opened a store at West Jackson Crossing in May.
Other area Publix stores are located in Hamilton Mill,
Flowery Branch, Oakwood, Dacula and Winder. Publix
has 936 stores in five Southeastern states.
A phone call to Halvorsen was not returned by dead
line.
More Inside from Braselton
•Census Bureau says Braselton grew 10 percent
in one year — but officials doubt the results.
•Town council approves drive-thru windows for
pharmacy near Chateau Elan.
•EPD denies Braselton’s request to ease out
door watering restrictions.
