Newspaper Page Text
4A
♦ SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2008
EDITORIAL
Urban design team great
approach but has us a bit blue
Don’t get us wrong. We believe the decision by
the local Urban Redevelopment Agency to bring
in the Pittsburgh, Penn., company Urban Design
Associates to provide a plan/vision for downtown
Warner Robins is/was a wonderful idea.
We just have one observation.
During their visit, you’ll note from the front page
story in today’s paper, they had city residents
place dots on a map.
The red dots they provided represented places
people felt were the “worst" places in Warner
Robins. The green stood for the best and the
blue, according to the company’s Vice President
Paul Ostergaard, represented, areas where they
felt the UDA team should spend most of their
efforts designing/redesigning.
We noted, from what we believe, the citizens
were spot on when it came to placing those red
and green dots, but we wonder if there might not
be some confusion as to the blue ones.
Typically, we saw red ones lining all up and
down areas like First, Second and Third streets.
We saw plenty around the area of Tabor Drive ->
- the east side (opposite of Lindsey Elementary
School, which was appropriate). If these aren’t
high crime/drug areas, well, they had us fooled.
We also saw green ones around the area where
GEICO is located - that whole area around the
ponds, the temp agency, et cetera, which we also
felt was fitting.
And, we also saw plenty of blue ones around
the Macon State Warner Robins campus and the
library and that’s what we don’t get.
Why would you pay someone to come in and
design an area that is ALREADY design-friendly
so to speak?
We mean, how long has the Macon State
Warner Robins campus been there anyway? A
year? Two years (at the max we would specu
late). And the library, didn’t it just get a facelift a
year or two ago?
The fact is that whole area - Robins Federal
Union and the civic center included - doesn’t
need a complete makeover in our opinion. And
if they do, what have they accomplished? We’ll
still have the high crime/drug areas of Tabor and
those low-numbered streets that will keep inves
tors and businesses out.
Personally, we’d like to see Urban Design
Associates - the city - take the opposite approach
to what they have now.
Somebody once said - back when we had
the Warner Robins Redevelopment Agency we
believe: “We’re going to take our community
back, one street at a time.”
But if you get out there and look today, it
appears it’s been more: We’ve been losing our
community - as it pertains to the north side of
town - one street at a time.
If this city really wants to see change, do some
thing drastic! Hit those areas with the red dots
and hit them hard. Make them an offer they can’t
refuse - meaning give them, the lowlifes, no
choice but to get out of our town!
You do that and the blue dots will take care of
themselves.
Prrustott Pome
Reader Information
1210 Washington St.
P.O. Box 1910
Pony, GA 31069
478-987-1823
See us online at
www.hhjnews.com
■ President - editor and publisher: Daniel F. Evans
■ Vice President: Julie Evans
■ Editor Emeritus: Foy S. Evans
■ General manager: Nicole Crofutt, 987-1823
■ Managing editor: Don Moncrief, 987-1823, Ext. 231;
donm@evansnewspapers.com
■ Staff writer (Also - Lifestyle and Food): Charlotte Perkins,
987-1823, Ext. 234; cperkins@evansnewspapers.com
■ Photographer: Gary Harmon, 987-1823, Ext. 229;
gharmon@evansnewspapers.com
■ Sports writer: Matthew Brown, 987-1823, Ext. 237;
mbrown@evansnewspapers.com
■ HHJ general e-mail: hhj@evansnewspapers.com
■ Classified Advertising: Call 478-987-1823 between the
hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can fax
an ad 24 hours a day to 478-988-9194.
■ Delivery by mail: Delivery by mail is available for in and out
of county. Call 987-1823 for rates.
■ POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: 1210
Washington St. Perry, GA 31069
■ The Houston Home Journal, is a periodical, mailed (ISSN
1526-7393) at Perry and is published Wednesday and
Saturday for S4O per year by Evans Nevyspapers Inc., 1210
Washington St„ Perry, GA 31069; 478-987-1823 Fax 478-988-
1181. Not published Thanksgiving and Christmas.
■ Main office hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
■ NEWS TIPS: Call 478-987-1823 Ext. 231 or 234; Newsroom
Fax:47B-988-1181
■ Corrections: The HHJ strives for fairness and accuracy, and
will print a correction or clarification when one is in order.
■ Advertising errors and omissions: The advertiser agrees
that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising from
errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid fgr the space
actually occupied by that portion of the advertisement. There
shall be no liability for non-insertion of any advertisement
beyond the amount paid for such advertisement.
■ Letters to the editor: There are three ways to submit: E
mail it to hhj@evansnewspapers.com, mail it to Houston Home
Journal at 1210 Washington St., Perry, GA 31069, or drop It off
at the same location between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday, betters should not exceed 400 words and must include
the writer’s name, address and telephone number (the last two
not printed). The newspaper reserves the right to edit or reject
letters for reasons of grammar, punctuation, taste and brevity.
Foy S. Evans
1919-2008
m r
The best legislator in Atlanta
Recently, a friend asked an unex
pected question: “Who do you think is
the best legislator in Atlanta”? I was a
little caught off guard and waited a few
moments before answering. For one
thing, I assumed he meant by “best,”
the most effective. For another, this is
the fourth legislative session since I
have been a member, and many of the
legislators (perhaps 30 to 40 percent)
weren’t even members when I left. Also,
many in leadership positions, today,
including committee chairs, were rela
tive newcomers when I departed. So,
I’m not confident that my answer was
very meaningful.
Still, the question started my think
ing about the many “best” that I served
with during my long tenure. Let me
share some names and opinions with
you.
I have to start with Denmark Groover,
Jr. Denny was the best of the best. On
a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best,
Denny was a 10. He read every bill
(that’s no small task and was something
I didn’t and couldn’t do). He was a great
debater and tactician - a bigger than
life character. This World War II Black
Sheep Squadron pilot would have made
a great Governor.
Speaking of “governor,” I served with
five who became Georgia Governors.
George Busbee, Joe Frank Harris, Zell
Miller, Roy Barnes, and Sonny Perdue.
They were all excellent. Obviously,
they were all smart, and they were all
hard workers. George Busbee was the
first House Majority Leader (I was the
third). Joe Frank Harris chaired the
Appropriations Committee and knew
the budget like the back of his hand. Zell
Miller was a good Lt. Governor and an
outstanding Governor. Roy Barnes was
smart, witty and fun. Sonny Perdue, my
State Senator, was a very hard worker,
and a good and decent man.
Terry Coleman served as chair of the
House Appropriations Committee for all
of my 16-year tenure as majority leader.
He later served two years as Speaker.
Terry understood state government
Foy
Evans
Columnist
foyevansl9@cox.net
Larry
Walker
Columnist
lwalker@whgb-law.com
better than anyone with whom I served
(there must have been at least 1,000).
Terry was a great legislator.
Calvin Smyre was the first African-
American to have real power in the
House. Calvin was an outstanding lead
er and excellent in every respect. He
still is.
Hugh Gillis served over 50 years in
the State Senate. Hugh had the respect
of all of his colleagues. If you wanted
a bill passed in the Senate, give it to
Hugh. I don’t ever remember Hugh’s
losing a bill he sponsored.
Here were some outstanding com
mittee chairs who knew how to run
a committee and get the job done:
Bill Lee, House Rules; George Hooks,
Senate Appropriations; Jerry Jackson,
House Motor Vehicles; Rudolph
Johnson, House Retirement; Bill
Cummings, House Retirement; Sonny
Watson, House Industry; Marcus
Collins, House Ways and Means;
Terrell Starr, Senate Appropriations;
Jeanette Jamieson, House Education;
Wayne Snow, House Judiciary; Tommy
Chambless, House Judiciary; Henry
Reaves, House Agriculture; Tom Buck,
House Ways and Means; Robert Ray,
House Agriculture; Jack Hill, Senate
Appropriations; Sloppy Floyd, House
Appropriations; and Pete Phillips,
Natural Resources.
During my time as Majority Leader,
I dealt with many House Minority
Leaders. All were honorable, smart and
effective (under difficult circumstanc
es). I remember all with affection and
respect: Paul Heard, Johnny Isakson,
Bob Irvin, Steve Stancil, and Lynn
Westmoreland. In particular, I must
"One voice can make a difference"
'))
I# ' a
1 1
■ t£ : A
j M
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
mention a class act, Johnny Isakson,
now a United States Senator, and
hopefully one day to be Governor, and
my close friend, Lynn Westmoreland,
now a United States Congressman, and
hopefully one day to be Governor.
Charles Walker was an effec
tive Majority Leader in the Senate,
and Jimmy Skipper was an excellent
Majority Whip and later Majority
Leader in the House.
As I was leaving, Jerry Keen became
Majority Leader in the House, Mark
Burkhalter became Speaker Pro-Tem,
and Glenn Richardson became Speaker.
All three are smart, hard workers and
effective. And, all three have been
extremely courteous to me, and for this,
I am deeply appreciative.
Speaking of Speaker Richardson,
I must mention Tom Murphy, “my
Speaker,” for 29 years. If Denny Groover
was the “best,” Mr. Murphy was “the
most effective”. In fact, in my opinion,
Mr. Murphy had the most positive polit
ical influence on the State of Georgia of
any living Georgian during the time I
was in the legislature.
I can’t finish this article without men
tioning present Houston Countians in
the legislature. Ross Tolleson, a fel
low Perryan, chairs the Senate Natural
Resources Committee, Larry O’Neal,
who now occupies the seat that Sam
Nunn and I once held, chairs the House
Ways and Means Committee and pop
ular Willie Talton, the only African-
American who is also a Republican,
completes ‘our folks’ in the legislature.
Houston County has a real heritage of
sending good people to the legislature.
I know I have given short shrift to the
State Senate in this article. It’s because
I served in the House for 32 years, and
that’s what I knew. I apologize to those
giants in the Senate that I failed to men
tion. People like Wayne Gamer, Culver
Kidd, and Al Holloway. And, I must
mention our outstanding Lt. Governor,
Casey Cagle, another good candidate for
a future Governorship.
See WALKER, page fA