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SrarNewl
"Faithfully Reporting on What Matters"
^tate of Carroll 2019
OCTOBER 2019 • VOLUME 25 NUMBER 10
www.starnewsgaonline.com
The Annual State of Carroll County Edition
AGRICULTURE • INDUSTRY- GOVERNMENT • LEGISLATIVE
HOSPITALS • LABOR • ELECTRICAL SUPPLY • WATER SUPPLY
FINANCIAL - EDUCATION • RECREATION • CHAMBER
See Governor Brian Kemp page 9
See Labor Commissioner Mark Butler page 10
CARROLL COUNTY, GEORGIA'S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED LOCALLY OPERATED NEWSPAPER
Star News monthly traditional print publication /StarN ews Online daily local news
Southwire hosts
annual “Business
Update” luncheon
for area leaders
Early voting begins Oct. 14th for Nov. 5th Elections
Two square off for Carrollton mayor:
Incumbent Walt Hollingsworth and
former probate judge Betty Cason
Three in the race for Villa Rica mayor:
Dominique Conteh, Michael Day,
and past councilman Gil McDougal
Carrollton-based company:
$6 billion in sales last year
by Sam Gentry
The Carrollton-based Southwire Company
held its annual ‘Business Update’ luncheon
Thursday, October 3, 2019 at ‘The Depot on
Bradley’, (renovated historic train depot)
Bradley Street, Carrollton. Rich Stinson,
Southwire president and CEO, spoke of the
company’s growth, community impact, and
innovations to a hill house of area leaders.
See SOUTHWIRE page 4
Carroll County in
drought level D0-D2
D0-D2: “Abnormally Dry” to “Severe”
by Sam Gentry
Carroll County has experienced intense
heat and dry conditions this summer. With
record setting temperatures showing promi
nence and below average rainfall as the new
normal, drought conditions now exist. As of
late September, the entire state of Georgia,
with the exceptions of small parts of
Seminole and Early counties, was in a
drought at some level.
In Carroll County, drought levels currently
range from Abnormally Dry (DO) to Severe
(D2), according to the precise location.
See GEORGIA DROUGHT page 3
Burn permits now allowed,
but extreme caution advised
High fire danger impacts outdoor burning
from press release
Georgia’s current drought is impacting
decisions to burn outdoors. The Georgia
Forestry Commission is urging everyone to
follow established procedures and exercise
See BURN BAN LIFTED page 3
by Prissi Sullivan
Carrollton mayoral candidates, Betty Cason and incumbent Walt
Hollingsworth, presented their views in a public forum hosted by
the Carrollton-Carroll League of Women Voters, Wednesday,
September 25, 2019 in the municipal chambers, Carrollton City
Hall. In addition to questions formulated by the League, queries
were taken from the audience and live streamed from Facebook.
by Prissi Sullivan
Three candidates are competing for the position of mayor of Villa
Rica: fomier council member Gil McDougal, Dominique Conteh,
and Michael Day. Generally summing up the candidates, McDougal
and Conteh are for good growth in the city, and candidate Day is
opposed to growth in the city stating, “Growing is unacceptable. . .
if you want a ‘big’ little city, Douglasville is over there.”
New voting machines include paper and photograph trails
Shown above is one of the new Dominion Voting touch screen machines
that Carroll County voters will use for the November 5th Municipal
Elections (see stories above). Carroll County is one of a few counties in
Georgia to test the new paper trail voting machines. For the past 17
years, Georgia vote counters relied on an electronic count only.
The new touch screens have a printer attached that will produce a
paper confirmation which the voter will have the option to accept or
reject. The accepted confirmation will then be inserted into a scanning
tabulator. The new system also allows for a photographic record of each
ballot. Photo and information by Sue Horn
See CARROLLTON MAYORAL RACE page 40
See VILLA RICA MAYORAL RACE page 6
City of Bow don mayor seat:
Incumbent Jim Chaffin and
newcomer Logan Jackson
by Prissi Sullivan
Two candidates, Incumbent Jim Chaffin and
newcomer Logan Jackson, are vying for the
mayor’s seat in Bowdon. The election will be held
See BOWDON MAYORAL RACE page 48
2015 SPLOST collections
until March 2021: $14-$15M
more projected to be collected
County’s portion of 2015 SPLOST is
$59.8M: $45M has already been
collected, $40M has been spent
Chairman Michelle Morgan hires analyst
to determine “needs” of 2015 voter-approved
SPLOST project ad-min building/parking
by Sue Horn
In November 2013, Carroll County voters
approved a $96M SPLOST that included “acqui
ring, constructing, and equipping a County
Administration Building and parking associated
therewith”. Collections began April 1, 2015 -with a
stop collection date of March 31, 2021- for the
county’s portion of that SPLOST of $59,894,400.
Four years since collections began, and six years
after voters approved, the ad-min building project
See $$ AD-MIN BUILDING page 43
Restaurant inspections
Who passed? Who failed?
Where are you eating this week?
Page 49
Obituary Listing
Page 42
Marriage Licenses / Pistol
Permits / Births / Cattle
Page 49
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Walt Hollingsworth
Mayor of Carrollton
CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE ANY CITY CONCERNS:
WALT HOLLINGSWORTH CELL: 770-328-7118 • OFFICE 770-832-2371
HOLLINGSWORTHWA@AOL.COM
