About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 2019)
Wednesday, December 25,2019 dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 5A Malo’s hands Photo courtesy of Joshua Demarest Malo spends Christmas with her grandkids, circa 1993. From left: Josh, Ginger,Trey and Malo. By Joshua Demarest jdemarest@dawsonnews.com In the Demarest household, Christmas is a time for family. Cousins, aunts, uncles, broth ers, sisters, wives, husbands, children and pets have histori cally descended on my parents’ house in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Christmas day. It has always been a day where the entire family comes together from however spread out across the country (and recently, globe) we’ve gotten. One Christmas, we had to video chat my cousin in from Afghanistan. So it was with a genuinely heavy heart that my wife and I decided to do Christmas away from the family this year. It has been a hectic, stressful year full of changing jobs, health issues, shifting timetables, and a heavy helping of both personal tri umphs and defeats. And so, Bethany and I chose to take a holiday in New Orleans that allowed us to disconnect from the world and reconnect as a family unit. Unfortunately, that also meant missing one of the fami ly traditions I hold most sacred. And that’s gotten me thinking a lot about the traditions and we have in our family. This week, my cousins Ginger and Trey will likely get too compet itive over board games. My mom will light up in a way she only does when everyone is together and happy. One ram bunctious toddler will be laugh ing and running around. The little silver bell that my parents got the first Christmas they were married hangs, as it has since 1979, on the highest branch of the Christmas tree. And oh, the food. Some of the same recipes that have been handed down over a century will make their way onto the table, and then my favorite family tradition of all will hap pen: the whole family will rem inisce about Malo’s hands. It’s usually Ginger who tells the story, while my mom and Aunt Anne supplement the details from decades of watch ing their mom perform. First, a little clarification. Malo is the name we affectionately called my maternal grandmother. My father coined the term. It’s a combination of Ma and Lois. Malo was the greatest cook I’ve ever known, with the down-home Southern cooking that calls to mind Sundays after church and long summer afternoons. Malo could cook anything, but nothing topped her biscuits. They were from scratch, of course, and she always made them the same way. Even though I was barely 11 when she passed, I can still see her in the kitchen performing the ritu al. After she mixed the dough — by hand, no KitchenAid for her — she would flour the counters and roll it out. Then the magic would start. Her hands would flutter under the dough in a circle, turning it over on itself and then rolling it back out. Time and time again, painstakingly creating layer upon flaky layer. Then, she’d cut the biscuits out of the dough using the top of a water glass. She had biscuit cutters, of course. But her mother had used a water glass, and I suppose her mother before her. Family traditions are funny like that. So during this special season, keep your family, friends and loved ones close. Even if you can’t be in the same room for whatever reason, be free with your love, your forgiveness, your compassion, and your laughter. Call the people you love and remind them why they’re special to you. And tell a story about those who are no longer with you. And to my family, remember Malo’s hands and that I love you. Joshua Demarest is the editor of the Dawson County News. His col umns will appear periodically. Stacy Harris received a Service Award for the month of December at the council meeting on Dec. 16. She holds the position of Customer Service-IT Specialist/Administrative Assistant and has been a part of the City of Dawsonville staff since December 2017. Pictured from left: Council member Caleb Phillips, Stacy Harris, Mayor Mike Eason, Council member Stephen Tolson and Council member Mark French. Photo for the Dawson County News FROM 1A Ethics Attorney Dana Miles to provide a legal opinion on the definition of “residency” for Sanvi. During the hearing, the board read a written statement provided by Councilmember French, which served as a rebuttal to the complaints filed against him. The statement, which was also provided to Dawson County News, took argument with the allegations that French directed Bolz and Miles to form a “legal opinion,” instead claiming that French’s email, which used the phrase “consult with legal to draft an appropri ate response” was intended to provide a quick answer and correct a situation in which a “legitimate concern of a resi dent had been brushed aside with no justification as to why.” French, who is represented by local attorney Steven Feibel, further asserted that the City of Dawsonville had failed to serve him a copy of the complaint within the seven days, as required by the Ethics Ordinances. Ab Hayes, a lawyer retained by the City of Dawsonville to handle this case, offered a solution of simply resubmit ting the complaints as they were and serving them within the timetable. Hayes told the ethics board that he would consult with Feibel as to the best path for both parties moving forward. French also added that he believed the entire ethics complaint is motivated by political gamesmanship. “I have given much thought as to the motives of the other members of the Council in the filing of the complaint. In doing so, I am of the unwavering opin ion it is based solely upon political motives and not upon any alleged improper action on my part. The Council is well aware of my support for another candidate in the recent Mayoral election. This fact combined with the sudden resignation of former Council Member Jason Power due to a residency issue is highly suspect in my mind.” The board deliberated for roughly fif teen minutes before coming back to open session and delivering its verdict: Complaints 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9 met the criteria for moving forward and the board will hear arguments and evidence from both sides in Jan. 2020. Complaints 6, 7, and 8 were dismissed by the board. Dawson County News will be updat ing this story as more information becomes available. 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