Newspaper Page Text
20 Pages, 2 Sections
A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County, Georgia $1.00 Copy Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Statham
turmoil
continues as
city council
seeks mayor’s
resignation
During the Tuesday,
May 4, Statham city
council work session,
councilman Scott Penn
read a resolution of
council requesting May
or Joe Piper’s resigna
tion. This action follows
months of controversy
and infighting among
the small city’s govern
ing body. Should Piper
agree to resign, council
members have asked for
a special-called election
to replace the mayor.
One of the grievances
voiced by council and
some citizens stems from
a severance agreement
Piper penned following
the March resignation
of city accountant April
Stephens. The agree
ment, in the amount of
$8685.27, was neither
legal nor ethical, accord
ing to council and some
citizens who addressed
the governing body
during the work session.
According to Piper’s op
ponents, the city attorney
must read and approve
any such agreement.
Piper disagreed, say
ing that he discussed
the agreement with city
attorney Jody Campbell
before executing it. Also
of note is the fact that
Piper, as the city’s pur
chasing agent, can spend
up to $25,000 without
council approval.
Without the severance
agreement, Stephens had
promised legal action
against the city, citing
a hostile work environ
ment. That legal action
would have cost the city
an immediate $25,000
deductible, no matter the
eventual outcome.
“When trust is broken,
a city can’t prosper,”
said councilman Lee
Patterson.
“The mayor’s actions
over the past two months
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have broken trust.”
Rudy Krause, Statham
resident and husband
of councilwoman Debi
Krause, addressed mayor
Piper during Tuesday’s
work session. “Mayor,
you’ve painted us into
a corner. I’m not sure
it’s recoverable (finan
cially).” Krause referred
also to a June 2022 con
troversy concerning a
proposed truck stop/
warehouse development
in Statham, which would
have been the first of its
kind along the GA 316
Corridor. Citizen oppo
sition was so strong that
council voted to deny the
proposal.
Janel Piper, the may
or’s wife, also addressed
council members during
the May work session.
“Meanness and bullying
are the hallmark of this
city,” she said, adding
that nothing can be ac
complished in an envi
ronment of hostility.
The mayor added that
“The council doesn’t talk
to me. They won’t work
with me. They meet off
site somewhere, like the
Mexican restaurant, and
discuss city business in
groups of three and four.
They walk in here during
meetings and say, ‘Good
evening, Mayor,’ and
that’s about it.”
COMPANY
PROPOSES CAR
CHARGING
STATIONS IN CITY
Rick Controy with En-
viroSpark addressed the
council during May’s
work session, propos
ing the installation of
several car charging
stations throughout the
city. “Small communi
ties are perfect places
for chargers,” Controy
said, adding that univer
sities, public buildings
and apartments are ideal
locations. EnviroSpark
recently won the bid to
install chargers along
interstate highways in
Georgia.
Piper advised that city
leaders would consider
the proposal.
COUNCIL TO
DECIDE CITY
POLICY ON
VACATION AND
SICK TIME
City leaders are con
sidering an ordinance
that will allow city em
ployees to convert un
used vacation and sick
time to paid time off
(PTO). The move would
prevent forfeiture of
these benefits for em
ployees, and would be
retroactive to Jan. 1,
2023.
A spec-taco-lar Ginco de Mayo
Winder’s first Jug Tavern Fiesta held
Credit: City of Winder
On Friday, May 5, the City of Winder celebrated Cinco de Mayo with its first ever Jug Tavern Fiesta. The
city offered local families an evening of food, margaritas and a live Latin band. The event also featured a
mechanical bull, a mobile game truck, a free fall jump, inflatables and more. Pictured above are food truck
vendors serving up the staple of Friday’s event - tacos.
The highlight of the evening was the taco eating contest (pictured), where nine contestants
competed while being cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters.
Fairytales come to life
at Auburn Ever After
Credit: City of Auburn
Crowns, capes and carriages filled Fourth Avenue at Auburn Ever After in downtown Auburn on Saturday, May
6, as over 25 characters visited local families for a day of whimsical fun. This year is the city’s sixth year hosting
the popular springtime event, featuring Disney princesses, Marvel superheroes and other beloved characters,
coupled with activities like horse-drawn carriage rides, airbrush tattoos, pixie dust wishes and vocal perfor
mances. This year’s event ended with a showing of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” on the big screen at the library.
Winder’s water named best tasting
drinking water in Northeast Georgia
The City of Winder’s water has
been named the district champion
in the 2023 Best of the Best Taste
Test performed by the Georgia sec
tion of the American Water Works
Association.
Winder’s assistant city adminis
trator Roger Wilhelm presented the
award-winning news to mayor and
council during the city council’s
May 2 meeting.
According to Wilhelm, providing
the best-tasting tap water to resi
dents demonstrates the hard work
from the operators and the strategic
investments in the city’s infrastruc
ture.
“You have the experts who are
doing an outstanding job working
out in the held with our pipelines
and in the plants themselves, so
we have the team to do it, and we
have the water plant that the coun
cil has been so diligent in providing
support for investments within the
plant to maintain a great facility,
and the result of that is what we de
liver to the citizens every day,” said
Wilhelm.
The statewide tap water taste test
competition, which is put on annu
ally by the Georgia Section of the
American Water Works Association
(GAWWA), took place last week at
the Spring Conference of the Geor-
See Water, page 2A
o