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16 Pages, 2 Sections
A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County, Georgia $1.00 Copy Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Special
Election
Jan. 31
State House
District 119
Chairman of the Barrow
County Board of Educa
tion Bill Ritter qualified to
run in the Jan. 31 special
election for state House
District 119.
Bill Ritter
announces
candidacy
for state
House
Bill Ritter (R), of
Statham, announced
his candidacy in
the Jan. 31 special
election to fill the
vacant District 119
House seat created
by Danny Rampey
after a drug arrest
last month.
Ritter is current
ly serving in one
of the two at-large
seats on the Barrow
County Board of
Education (BOE),
where he’s served
as chairman since
2021.
First elected on
the school board in
2018, Ritter served
as vice chair in
2020 prior to being
selected to serve as
chairman.
Aside from the
school board. Rit
ter is vice president
of the Board of Di
rectors for the Boys
and Girls Club
of Winder-Bar
row County and a
board member of
the Georgia Club
Foundation.
MAILING LABEL
What just happened?
Top stories of the year
[UMi IrMssDS
Gov. Kemp signs order to fill
Danny Rampey 9 s House seat
Governor Brian Kemp signed
an executive order Dec. 31 to
have t Danny Rampey's District
119 House seat filled following
his arrest Dec. 16 by the Bar-
row County Sheriff's Office.
Rampey was charged with
possession of a controlled sub
stance. burglary and exploita
tion and intimidation of disabled
adults, elderly persons and resi
dents following an investigation
at Magnolia Estates of Winder,
an assisted living facility he
manages, where he was shown
burglarizing an unoccupied
residential unit.
Kemp's executive order for
mally issues a writ of election
to the Secretary of State for
a special election to be held
Tuesday, Jan. 31.
Danny Rampey’s District 119 seat
in the Georgia House of Represen
tatives is up for grabs following
his arrest in Barrow County last
month.
If needed, a run-off will be
held Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Qualifying for the special
election will be held at the
Georgia Secretary of State's
Office at 2 MLK Jr. Drive,
Suite 802, Floyd West Tower in
Atlanta.
The dates and hours of quali
fying are:
• Tuesday, Jan. 3, 9 a.m. to
5 p.m.
• Wednesday, Jan. 4, 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m.
• Thursday, Jan. 5, 8 a.m. to
1 p.m.
The qualifying fee is $400.
The last day to register to
vote is Tuesday, Jan. 3 for any
one who isn't registered to vote
and wishes to vote in the spe
cial election.
Advance in-person absentee
voting will begin Monday, Jan.
9.
A professional police department ’
Winder PD receives 20-year award as State Certified Agency
Credit: Katie Strickland
Winder Police Department (WPD) Chief of Police Jim Fullington and state certification manager
Alicia Thomas were presented with their Recertification Award for 2023-2026 during Winder City
Council’s voting session Jan. 3. Chuck Groover, state certification program coordinator at Geor
gia Association of Chiefs of Police, presented the awards. Groover also presented the agency’s 20-
year award for maintaining its status as a State Certified Agency. Pictured above (from left): Chuck
Groover; Alicia Thomas; Captain Chris Cooper; Chief Jim Fullington.
EVE Women’s
Ministry provide
toys and joy to
NGMC children
Northeast Georgia Med
ical Center (NGMC)
staff and EVE Women’s
Ministry board mem
bers provided toys and
joy for children staying
at the hospital during
the holiday season. Pic
tured (from left): NGMC
staff: Yolanda Oakley,
Sunita Singh, Sonja
McLendon and EVE
Women’s Ministry board
members: Auburn May
or Linda Blechinger,
Jennifer Shultis and
Sherita Walker.
Submitted photo
Georgia
Supreme
Court agrees to
hear Winder’s
case against
annexation
arbitration law
By Morgan Ervin
The Georgia Supreme
Court agreed to hear the
City of Winder’s discre
tionary appeal, challeng
ing the constitutionality
of the state’s annexation
arbitration law.
All but two of Geor
gia’s Supreme Court jus
tices concurred with the
decision to hear the case
- Justices Ellington and
Pinson dissented.
“The Supreme Court
of Georgia appears to
grant only those appli
cations of the greatest
importance, as they only
granted five other appli
cations for discretionary
appeal during the entire
2022 calendar year,” said
Winder Mayor David
Maynard.
“We believe the Su
preme Court of Georgia
likewise views these is
sues as great concern ,
gravity and importance
to the public,” Maynard
wrote in a letter respond
ing to the Department
of Community Affairs
(DCA), who wrote a let
ter to the city and Bar-
row County last month,
admonishing Winder
leaders for the actions
taken during the Meri-
tage Homes annexation
dispute with the county.
DCA’s letter served as
its first official response
to Winder’s Sept. 6 adop
tion of an ordinance to
formally annex accord
ing to the developer’s
proposal, rather than the
decision made by an an
nexation arbitration pan
el just a few days prior.
DCA advised that
should the city take ac
tions as it did in the Mer-
itage annexation case in
the future, the city could
lose its Qualified Local
Government status as a
consequence.
“The linchpin of the
annexation arbitration
law is the General As
sembly’s delegation of
zoning authority to an
unelected panel of per
sons from outside the
local jurisdiction,” said
Maynard.
“Winder believes such
a delegation is unconsti
tutional.”
“Winder presented all
of its concerns to the ar
bitration panel and still
fully participated in the
entire arbitration pro
cess, including an appeal
to the Superior Court of
Barrow County,” he con
tinued.
“The city council’s
decision to annex the
property on Sept. 6 was
consistent with our be
lief that the process is
unconstitutional and
contrary to the express
constitutional power of
municipalities to decide
local planning and zon
ing matters.”
Maynard said he an
ticipates the Georgia Su
preme Court to issue a
decision on the case this
spring.
