Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2007
6A
WR waiting to fill council spot
ByRAYUGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Warner Robins will wait
until after qualifications to
appoint someone to fill Steve
Smith’s Post 4 City Council
seat.
Smith stepped down at the
July 17 meeting, and the city
posted the job and accepted
resumes through last Friday.
Four have come in.
Mayor Donald Walker
said earlier this month, “the
appointment to council is a
mandatory thing we must
do.”
And earlier this month
council decided it would
be making the appoint
ment at Monday’s meeting.
“We defined the process,”
said Councilman Dough
McDowell, “and now we’ve
deviated from it. If we were
going to table it, it should
have been done as a group.”
McDowell raised the issue,
as it was not placed on the
agenda for Monday’s meet
ing.
“If there is only one can
didate that qualifies, then
that person will be appoint
ed,” said Councilman John
Havrilla.
CHAMBER
From page iA
said. “The Warner Robins
Chamber should serve
Warner Robins, not Perry,
Fort Valley or Macon, but
Warner Robins.”
While the resolution
passed, it was not unani
mous, with Councilman
John Havrilla opposed to the
resolution. Havrilla said, “as
a member of the governing
body, I don’t believe it is our
business. We should keep
our nose out.”
Walker advised Cowart,
as a councilman he has the
HICKS
From page 4A
to married homes as the best
place for children.
Changing the well-being
of hundreds of thousands
of Georgia’s children is no
small task. And the discus
sion should begin with how
to encourage strong, healthy
marriages, which result
in better homes' - and bet
ter outcomes for children.
Until now, there has been
an unending cycle of new
government programs to
address these issues.
Raising the minimum
wage, increasing education
and child care funding and
expanding other govern
ment programs are possible
solutions worthy of debate,
but these are proposals that
have been pulled from the
CONCERT
From page iA
Era Dance Association,
Atlanta’s top professional
swing and jitterbug dancers
will be performing in ’4os
costume.
“And, don’t forget your
dancing shoes,” Holmes
said, “you’re welcome on the
floor.”
There also will be sur
prise entertainment, special
soloists, more than $2,000
in door prizes and big sav
ings with discount coupons
at selected area businesses.
Refreshments will be avail
able in the lobby and Still
Swingin’ CDs also will be
on sale.
It’s all to support CLCP
ANNEXES
From page iA
“Its not a good place for
a convenience store, Walker
said. There is already one
planned just north of there.
In other business the coun
cil also approved a pay raise
for the planning commission
members. It is action the
council has taken before,
but the city charter was not
changed.
The action rectifies a
problem, explained City
Councilman Doug McDowell.
The change raises the month
ly stipend from SIOO to $175
for Planning Commission
members.
But what if there is more
than one candidate?
Councilman Dean Cowart
said “whoever sits in it
should be a non-runner so
we’re not showing favorit
ism to a candidate.”
That same argument, not
showing favoritism to a can
didate, was made earlier
this month as a reason for
making the selection before
qualifying.
Bob Wilbanks, the only
person who has publicly
declared an intention to run
for the council seat, argued
that by selecting a non-can
didate, “you are going to
pick someone not interested
enough to come to meetings
or to bother to qualify.”
Wilbanks has been attend
ing council meeting since
announcing Smith would be
leaving for a job in Augusta
and expressed an interest
in being appointed. He said
earlier this month he plans
to run either way.
Wilbanks said, “it would be
unfair to someone running if
the council picks someone
else. It is the kiss of death
for a candidate. The council
is saying you don’t have con
fidence in that candidate.”
authority to write a resolu
tion for anything.
“You can tell George Bush
not to wear black shoes,” he
said. “It doesn’t mean he’ll
do it, but you do have the
authority to pass a resolu
tion.”
Cowart said the opinion
means more coming from a
group. “It shows business
we support them,” he said.
Walker, who abstained
from the vote, told Cowart,
“I don’t think anything’s
gonna happen this time,
either.”
The two chambers of
commerce are consid
ering the creation of one
same playbook Georgia has
been using for years. Yet, we
face the same problems.
We need a paradigm shift.
The question must be asked:
What are we doing to pre
vent the breakdown of the
family in Georgia? Put posi
tively, what are we doing to
prepare people for healthy
marriages and to strength
en existing marriages? And
when I say “we” I’m not
necessarily talking about
government.
Helping adults to form and
maintain healthy relation
ships should be a priority for
multiple segments of soci
ety including government,
churches and business. Also
known as marriage educa
tion, this approach is a pre
ventative strategy to stop
family breakdown before it
happens, thus reducing the
need for programs that con
and the Adult Education,
ESL and GED programs at
Middle Georgia Technical
College,” Holmes said.
Tickets “still” just $lO,
Holmes said, and are on sale
at Warner Robins City Hall,
Hodac, Warner Robins Area
Chamber of Commerce,
Street Home Medical,
Warenr Robins Senior’s
Center, Middle Georgia
CREDIT PROBLEMS GOT YOU
PULLING YOUR HAIR OUT?
cl la
WE’VE GOT THE SOLUTION!
GET THE CREDIT YOU DESERVE AT TERRY HOLMES
AUTOMOTIVE.
CONFIDENTIAL AND SECURE CREDIT APPLICATIONS
BY PHONE OR ONLINE FROM THE COMFORT OF
YOUR OWN HOME.
1-888-913-LOAN (5626)
wwwcarconnection.qetaves,CQm
MUST USE A TOUCHTONE PHONE TO APPLY OR APPLY OVER THE iNTERNEI
Smith’s Post 4 position is
up for election in November
as is McDowell’s Post 6 and
Cowart’s at large Post 2.
Qualifying for the November
election is next week, Aug.
27-30 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. The qualifying for each
city council post is $252.
The election will be Nov.
6, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and
absentee voting will be held
at City Hall the week prior.
Polling places for the elec
tion will be the Recreation
Center for District 5,
Northside High School for
District 6, Houston Mall and
the Houston County Annex
for District 4, and Second
Baptist Church and Miller
Elementary School for
District 3.
Smith accepted a job as
head of the state mental hos
pital in Augusta and had been
commuting since May and
coming back for the Monday
council meetings. Smith said
he was not looking to leave
the city, and had applied
for a job in Columbus, but
explained he was offered the
job as administrator of East
Central Regional Hospital in
Augusta.
Houston County Chamber
of Commerce.
The Team Houston County
Coalition Committee was
formed for the planning pro
cess, which both chambers
agreed to and elected mem
bers to serve on, explained
Kelly Mullins, chairman
of the board of directors of
the Perry Area Chamber of
Commerce.
Steve Williams, her coun
terpart in Warner Robins
said the committee was
formed to look at the pos
sibility of one countywide
chamber to serve the best
interests of the business com
munity. Williams said, “the
centrate on helping families
after problems have already
occurred.
My own organization,
Georgia Family Council, is
committing a lot of time
and resources to reducing
the divorce rate in this state
through our Georgia Healthy
Marriage Initiative —a pro
gram that builds coalitions
of community leaders in an
effort to prepare couples for
lasting, healthy marriages.
Child well-being is most
closely associated with
strong, healthy families. One
way to improve Georgia’s
ranking on future Kids
Count reports is to spend
more time and energy now
ensuring that marriages and
families are supported by
communities, corporations
and state government.
Georgia Family Council
is a non-profit organization
Technical College and the
Warner Robins Convention
& Visitors Bureau. There
are also special group rates
of $7.50 for groups of 12 or
more and kids and Students
pay just $5.
For ticket information
call Holmes at 329-4765 or
447-2876, or call Bryetta
Calloway at Hodac at 953-
5675, Ext. 236.
LOCAL
DDA officially ending Oct. 1
ByRAYUGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Warner Robins is deac
tivating its Downtown
Development Authority as
of Oct. 1.
Following the recom
mendation of the DDA to
disband, the city coun
cil voted to deactivate the
authority, but made the
decision effective Oct. 1,
which Councilman Doug
McDowell explained was to
accommodate the buyer of
the remaining six lots in
Wellston Villas.
“The buyer asked for
another 30-day extension to
pay for the remaining lots,”
McDowell said.
The sale of six of the lots
closed Friday, at $7,000 per
lot.
The other six at the same
price, are scheduled to close
Friday.
The city also moved
to transfer the remain
ing assets from the DDA,
which that authority moved
to the city last week, to
the Redevelopment Agency.
The assets include about
$209,000 in cash, a $120,000
promissory note and the
proposal is not a merger, but
the forming of a new organi
zation with new bylaws and
dissolving the other two.”
The committee, Williams
said, “is working on the
structure of what the new
organization will look like.
We’re in the starting phase,
we have the help of the RDC
and are looking at similar
organizations.”
It is a way to combine
the two, Mullins said, “while
allowing Warner Robins and
Perry to maintain individual
identities.”
Mullins said it is not a
consolidation, but has the
potential of increased mem-
that works to strengthen and
defend the family in Georgia
by equipping marriage advo
with the Houston Daily Journal
Look for our hometown football
heroes, players stats, coaches,
game schedules, etc.
31d
t-rt
remaining tracts of land,
explained City Attorney
Jim Elliott
McDowell made the
motion to deactivate and sec
onded Councilman Clifford
Holmes’ motion to transfer
the funds. McDowell was
the council representative
on the DDA.
He was also the only rep
resentative of the DDA at
Monday’s council meeting.
While talking about
transferring land to the
Redevelopment Agency,
Councilman Dean Cowart
proposed putting the 40
lots on Orchard Way on the
market. He suggested put
ting the lots out for bid
for a motivated developer
and proposed it as a project
for Redevelopment Agency
Executive Director Gary
Lee.
The city council also
declined an offer from
Mark Sullivan of $1,500 an
acre for a 4-to 5-acre lot on
Plantation Road. Land in
the area was sold for $5,000
an acre in the 19905, Elliott
said and Mayor Donald
Walker noted land to the
west of the site just sold for
$7,500 an acre.
bership and a have a broader
base of members.
She said membership
could be served better with
a shared vision and also
noted there is some overlap
of membership now.
She said the vision on the
committee at this time to
maintain the offices in each
city.
“Members will not see
a change in services,” she
said, “which ever over they
go to. They will see the same
service.”
Mullins said “we see it aas
n enhancement for mem
bers,” with a larger mem
bership and more opportu-
cates, shaping laws, prepar
ing the next generation and
influencing culture. For more
HQKQff
2007
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
The land has been sitting
vacant since the city cleared
it three to four years ago.
“We’re in no hurry to sell,”
said McDowell.
“Tell him $7,500 an acre,”
said City Councilman Terry
Horton.
“I‘m not opposed to sell
ing it but we want to get a
fair price.”
The actual size is not
known by Sullivan. “We’ll
spend as much surveying it
as we get out of it,” Horton
said of the $1,500 an acre
offer.
In other business the
city council accepted two
$15,000 grants from
the state Department of
Community Affairs. One
will go towards the Wellston
Trail, while the other is
a pass-through grant for
Cherished Children Child
Care Center.
Cowart was appointed to
the city ’ s Building Authority,
a post he had stepped away
from. He joins councilman
John Havrilla on the board,
where Havrilla has served
for many years. Havrilla
welcomed Cowart back to
the board.
nity for member-to-member
networking.”
Before any action is
taken, Williams said, the
entire membership of both
chambers will be informed
of the details of any pro
posed action and input will
be sought from all existing
members.
Members will vote before
any action is taken, the
chairmen said. Members
can submit comments or
concerns to the chairman of
each chamber.
Mullins can be reached at
988-2007, and Williams can
be reached at 953-5698, ext.
1422.
information, go to www.
georgiafamily.org, (770) 242-
0001, stephen@gafam.org.
L