Newspaper Page Text
Farly County News
Volume 123 - No. 49
© Early County News, Inc.
Candidates Stumping Hard
(Editor’s Note - The following
feature article is the first of a series
covering the gubernatorial race by
Melita Easters Hayes of Capitol News
Service, who has traveled with all the
candidates and attended many of the
candidate forums. )
The six serious Democratic con
tenders and the two Republicans in
the race for the governor’s chair are
now in the final stretch before the
August 10 primary.
Congressman Bo Ginn, House Ap
propriations Chairman Joe Frank
Harris, Public Service Commissioner
Billy Lovett, former Macon Mayor
Buck Melton, former Appeals Court
Judge Norman Underwood and
former White House Chief of Staff
Jack Watson, each predict their name
will be on the November ballot.
The Republicans seeking the
nomination are State Sen. Bob Bell
and former Congressman Ben
Blackburn.
Undisputed Democratic front
runner Bo Ginn tells ardent sup
porters he would like to sin the August
10 primary without a runoff, but he
quickly conceeds that is not likely.
Unless Ginn’s support shifts
dramatically, the remaining five
Election Deadline
Candidates have until 5 P.M. Mon
day, July 19th to qualify for the
August 3rd City Election.
The citizens of the City of Blakely
will be going to the polls to elect a
Mayor and two city councilmen to
serve two year terms beginning
January 1, 1983.
All three incumbents have qualified
for re-election. Incumbent Mayor Bil
ly Fleming, having been elected in a
special election this past March, is
presently serving a nine month term
as mayor. He previously served three
terms as a city councilman from 1975
through 1980.
Both incumbent councilmen, Tom
Grist Named To Board
A e WY
Wik
L
The Bank of Early announced this _
week that Richard Dawson Grist, Jr.
has been named to the Board of Direc
tors.
“Buck”, as he is widely known
around Early County, began manag
ing Grist Farms in 1967. He became
Hatcher To Speak
m’" : g 'm\"é
i ;" |
=7
‘ #-fiy? i
s ‘ m o 4
g ‘ _—_ p
Congressman Charles Hatcher will
be the guest speaker at Friday’s
Rotary Club meeting.
Democrats are content to predict they
will eventually pull ahead of the pack
and finish second to Ginn on August 10
and ultimately defeat him August 31.
The candidates have appeared at
more than 110 forums, including
‘“‘command performances’’ before the
Georgia Press Association, the
Georgia Broadcasters Association,
the Metropolitan Alanta Chambers of
Commerce, the Georgia Municipal
Association and the Association Coun
ty Commissioners of Georgia earlier
this summer. The candidates have
criss-crossed the state during the last
few weeks opening local and regional
campaign headquarters in towns like
Gainesville, Macon, Columbus,
Augusta, Savannah, Moultrie, Tifton,
Bainbridge and Athens.
Candidates have attended fun
draisers, Braves ballgames and
barbecues. All have made the civic
club speaking circuit and have ‘“‘paid
respects’’ to judges, local elected of
ficials and government workers by
handshaking their way through
almost all of Georgia’s 159 County
Courthouses and a good share of the
city hall’s as well.
Billboards and yard signs are up
and radio, newspaper and television
my Wright and David Griffin are ser
ving their first terms in their posts.
As of Tuesday, David Griffin in Post
No. 4 is the only incumbent facing op
position. Lester Shoemaker and
Dwight Evans have both qualified for
Council Post No. 4.
Qualifying
Qualifying for the August 3rd elec
tion began Friday, June 25th at 9:00
a.m. The last day to register to vote in
the city election is July 23rd.
Candidates wishing to qualify may
pick up a letter of qualification at City
Hall and deliver personally to the
Mayor or City Clerk.
mllnag”2 er of Grist Oil Co. in January
1982,
He has been very active in his com
munity. He is Past President of Early
County Cattleman’s Association, Past
Chairman of Blakely-Early County
Recreation Board, Past Chairman of
Early County Board of Tax Assessors,
Soil Conservationist of the Year, 1980,
Member and Director of Georgia
Oilmen’s Association, Member of
Blakely First Methodist Church and
past member of Administrative
Board, and current president of the
Blakely Rotary Club.
A graduate of Blakely High School,
he also graduated from the University
of Georgia with a B.S. in Agriculture,
and was a member of Sigma Alpha
Epsilon fraternity.
He is the son of Isabel Williamson
Grist and the late Richard Grist, Sr.
His grandparents are Mrs. H.H.
Williamson and the late Dr. William
son of Albany and the late Mr. and
Mrs. W.J. Grist of Blakely.
He is married to the former Pam
Houston of Blakely. They have two
children, Ginny, age 8 and Dee, age 7.
Charles Hatcher was born in Col
quitt County and was reared on a
farm near Elmodel in Baker County.
Following his education in the Baker
County schools, he served in the
United States Air Force from
1958-1962. Hatcher received his B.S.
from Georgia Southern College in
1965, and his law degree from the
University of Georgia in 1969.
Hatcher served seven years in the
Georgia House of Representatives,
:nd w;.n;idary ?ldd i e
ions, , and Ways and Means
Committees. He was appointed Assis
tant Administration Floor Leader by
Governor Busbee.
Elected to the United States House
of Representatives in 1980, Con
gressman Hatcher currently serves
on the Agriculture and Small Business
Committees.
‘Hatcher is married to the former
Ellen Wilson of Savannah and has
three children, Polly, Chuck, and Jon.
Thursday, July 15, 1982
Early County - Blakely, Georgia 31723
ads are reserved. Georgians can ex
pect to see and hear plenty about the
race as candidates try to sway
undecided voters in the weeks re
maining before the primary.
From the months-old ‘“Bo's Bat
talion” to the newly organized
“Jack's Pack,” teams of volunteer
supporters are boarding buses and
vans to pass out brochures and cam
paign intensively in downtown
districts and shopping centers or
large public gatherings like music
concerts, parades and craft fairs.
For all the candidates, the cam
paign trail has meant seven day
weeks of 15 to 18 hour days, skipped
meals, catnaps on planes and in cars,
countless radio, television and
newspaper interviews and days of
separation from wives and children.
The candidates vary greatly in
campaign styles.
Bo Ginn has calluses on his fre
quently shaken right hand. As the
most experienced politician of the
pack, Ginn's campaign appearances
force him to exercise his remarkable
memory. When voters ask, “Do you
know my aunt, mother, father...,”
Ginn usually does and has something
nice to say about that person.
eR I ]
5 i e ST o
ATt or e
Ti s A
W 5 : G
» i 5 ‘_ N SrEs
; _ 254 ; A% i P e
el & g2t iyl B »,»’w'(“ 5
ol L ; : : e '.':‘4?.':l. M R S
ol 3 " i 5 AR e T S
g Ehoon G el R ek R RTR “i‘&f “u
580 ot : s W R T A O
M—fi”“ 7 ; i sTI -
: : L ’ éfli o ;
iR G T 7ML T 5 b e = S A
P g £ ¢ ; i o g N
ALI eTR ‘§ S 3 2 t it e e ‘1:;;;7‘“ b 4 e
o enITR A AT R, L B i
Be.T' e e e )
BoA e R e i i R G T N e & "
oLo il il ST g fee A {’{ o ey LB ENLID R
fE % £ P L S e T O ERt9e
L - » R o aal S T
Pk e G SR il B iéf"
%i : e
: ‘ T . S J TR
¥ i 5 5 1 o
7 e ! e | ‘ 3 -
B ot ‘v
o ;. ' i
1/ X ” 7-
—1
B P, Tens e
B YR s_'; Lab bl z
o e e 4
> ” ,w“’ . ’ LT e :
Wiy G S s e ; pia
Arsom‘sts
Strike Again
City Council Meeting
Mayor Billy Fleming called the
meeting to order. All the Councilmen
were present except Arthur Chap
man. City Clerk & Treasurer Sterling
P. Jones and City Attorney Tracy
Moulton, Jr. were present.
Motion was made by Councilman
David W. Griffi, and seconded by
Councilman Thomas E. Wright, Jr. to
approve minutes as read. Motion Car
ried with David W. Griffin, Thomas E.
Wright, Jr. and A.J. Gentry voting
Aye, ¢ ;
Mr. Ed Harris, Electrical Consul
tant with Patterson & Dewar
Engineers, Inc. explained electrical
rate increases to the Mayor and Coun
cil. Motion was made by Councilman
A.J. Gentry and secontied by Coun
cilman David W. Griffin to adopt pro
posed rate schedule. Motion carried
with David W. Griffin, A.J. Gentry,
Harris, whose early television ads
showed dark circles under his eyes
from stresses of his first hotly con
tested race in a long political career,
has clearly relaxed on the campaign
trial. His speeches are smoother than
last year at this time and his formerly
stiff style of campaigning has relaxed
to the point that he is comfortable roll
ing up his shirt sleeves for hot sum
mer campaigning.
Lovett campaigns in classic good
ole-boy Southern style. He shakes the
voter’s right hand, flashes a wide grin
and slaps the voter on the back with
his left hand - often several times dur
ing the course of a brief conversation.
A traveling aide follows Lovett's
handshake with a brochure.
Melton, the oldest of the frontrun
ners, has proven the comic of the
forum circuit as he slings good
natured barbs at his opponents. He
asks voters to look beyond the ‘‘pretty
faces and full heads of hair” to
himself - bald and greying.
Underwood never really quit cam
paigning when he failed to make the
runoff in his 1980 bid to unseat Sen.
Herman Talmadge. His campaign
style, somewhat stiff in 1980, is loose,
informal and far more natural now.
David W. Griffin and Billy Fleming
voting Aye. Thomas E. Wright, Jr.
voted Nay.
Mayor Billy Fleming brought the
council up-to-date on load Manage
ment System after his discussion with
John Dowling with Motorola, Inc.
Mr. Talmadge Ferguson, Gas Con
sultant with Dixie Natural Gas Ser
vices explained Gas Rate Increases to
the Mayor and Council. No action
taken at this time.
Motion was made by Councilman
A.J. Gentry and seconded by Coun
cilman David W. Griffin to amend 11.7
Hearing Procedure in Zoning Or
dinance of the City of Blakely to read
as follows: Before taking action on a
proposed amendment to the Zoning
Ordinance, including special excep
tion and rezoning requests, the Plann
(Continued To Page 18)
His speeches flow smoothly even if
one tires of hearing about his
“Grassroots” swing through all of
Georgia’s 159 counties earlier this
year.
Jack Watson is perhaps the can
didate with the most charisma and
energy. Women certainly like his
handsome face. He bounds up cour
thouse steps three at a time, leaving
television cameramen and staffers
huffing and puffing behind. His
speeches are laced with just enough
emotion to keep supporters charged
up even when poll results show him
behind,
Billy Lovett has spent much of the
campaign trying to label Norman
Underwood as the ‘‘silk stockinged
chief rate hike lawyer for the Georgia
Power Company.’’ Meanwhile,
Underwood, who was never a senior
partner in the law firm which
represents Georgia Power, has most
ly ignored the “silly Billy” tactics
-even the Billy Lovett fans with the
photo doctored to make it appear that
a Underwood Neighborhood Head
quarters sign is perched atop the new
Georgia Power headquarters. Those
fans have been passed out at Braves
games and in churches.
An early morning blaze here destroyed three buildings Tuesday on North
Church Street.
According to Fire Chief Franklin Brown, the blaze apparently had been burn
ing 10 to 15 minutes before the alarm was received at 3:45 A.M. $
“We feel sure this is another case of arson,” stated Brown. “We have
recovered some evidence and expect the Fire Marshall to be on the scene
Wednesday morning.”
Although the three wooden structures and their contents were totally
destroyed, firefighters did manage to bring the fire under control by approx
imately 4:30 A.M. and prevented the blaze from spreading to an adjacent
building.
The three structures, which belonged to Claude Day, housed an oyster bar, the
Boar’s Inn, a pool room, and a hoarding house.
Local Option Sales Tax
Yields $498,651 Here
The Georgia Department of
Revenue distributed $91,802,419.69 in
local option sales tax collections to
participating counties and
municipalities during the first six
months of calendar year 1982.
The one percent local option sales
tax was collected in 111 counties and
306 municipalities during the six (6)
months period.
The total local option sales tax
distributed in Early County during the
first six months of 1982 was
$498,651.94.
The Early County Board of Com
missioners’ share of the local option
sales tax revenue was 5%, totaling
$276,751.84. The City of Blakely’s 40%
USPS 16.54060 zsc
Harris, whose slogan is ‘‘Promises
won’t work. Joe Frank Harris will,”
has spent much of his campaign time
promising that if elected he will not in
crease state taxes.
Harris has tried to label Ginn a big
spender who would, if elected, be forc
ed to raise taxes to fulfill campaign
promises. Ginn says his programs
won't require a tax increase and
charges Harris is irresponsible for
promising not to increase taxes when
massive federal budget cuts are pen
ding.
The two engaged in a war of press
clippings last week, in an attempt to
show who had promised what, when.
The clippings served only to confuse
the issue more.
For the most part, Watson and
Melton have stayed away from mudsl
inging. Watson has criticized Ginn’s
stand on women’s issues and Melton
has criticized Ginn for his lack of
clarity on the issue of pari-mutual bet
ting.
For those voters more interested in
substance than style, the platforms of
all the major Democratic contenders
are now available from campaign of
fices.
(Continued To Page 16)
share was $199,460.76. Arlington’s
2.5% was $12,466.29 and Damascus’
2% share was $9,973.05.
The largest amount - $6,204,808.45,
was returned to the City of Savannah,
The Georgia Department of
Revenue collects the local option sales
tax for participating counties and
municipalities. All funds derived from
the tax, with the exception of a one
percent charge go into the State’s
general treasury,
The first half distributions in calen
dar 1982 exceeded distributions dur
ing the same period of 1981 by
$12,681,575.15. Ninety-six counties and 4
275 municipalities participated during "
the first six (6) months of calenens/ /
1981. ' 4