Newspaper Page Text
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The Le6 County Ledger
Volume XXVI - Number 20
Your Hometown Source Of Local News
Leesburg, Georgia - - January 15,2004
Hometown Newspaper of Charles and Frances Orton
Fifty Cents
Photo by Jim Quinn
State Representative Ed Rynders introduced Georgia Republican Party Chairman Alec Poitevint, Lee County
Republican Party Chairman Barry Vann, Tax Commissioner Betty Johnson, County Commissioner Jackie
Sizemore, and Coroner Ronald Rowe, at a press conference held in Leesburg last Thursday.
Lee County Commissioner, Tax
Commissioner, Coroner Change Party
Commissioners
will meet
Tuesday,
Jan. 20
at 6:00 p.m.
at the County
Administration
Building
Jim Thurman, Judge of
Smithville Municipal Court, is
sued sentences January 6, 2004.
Shawn David Davis, of
Sylvester, Georgia, charged
with reckless driving, failed to
appear in court and a DPS 912
was issued which will result in
the suspension of Davis’ license
if the fine is not paid.
Cynthia Vanessa Eddy, of
Albany, Georgia, charged with
speeding 50 in a 35 speed zone,
had her case continued to the
May 4 term of court.
Meghan Hastings, of Ameri-
cus, Georgia, charged with no
license on person, was fined
$80.00.
Tolema LaJaries Williams,
of Americus, Georgia, charged
with speeding 50 in a 35 speed
zone, failed to appear in court
and a DPS 912 was issued
which will result in the suspen
sion of Williams’ license if the
fine is not paid.
Tosha Renee Newsome, of
Americus, Georgia, charged
with suspended license and
must have two headlights, had
her cases continued to the Feb
ruary 3 term of court.
Shannon Marie Patterson, of
Conyard, Georgia, charged with
speeding 50 in a 35 speed zone,
was fined $80.00.
Rickavin L. Bobbs, of Ameri
cus, Georgia, charged with
headlights required, was fined
$80.00.
Lee R. Medders, of Sylvester,
Georgia, charged with speeding
65 in a 45 speed zone, failed to
see Smithville,
Page 2A
The Leesburg City Council
was scheduled to conduct a
public hearing on the rezoning
request from Flo-Rob, Inc. and
Stovall-Lee, Inc. The rezoning
request was to rezone land off of
Robert B. Lee Drive in Leesburg
from C-1, C-2 and Ag to RMA
mixed use development.
The request is to rezone 750
acres. The first phase of the
development is for 275 and in
cludes 12 allocations of land use
including commercial, multi
family, town houses, single fam
ily home, and institutional use.
The Leesburg City Council
meeting, to hear the rezoning
request, was to be advertised
January 15 and 22 but was can
celled after Paul Forgey, AJCP,
Planning Director with the
RDC in Camilla wrote a letter
January 9 to Mayor Boney with
copies to the city council and
Pamela Thompson, Lee County
Assistant Administrator. Miss
Thompson serves as the planner
for the county as well as the city
of Leesburg and Smithville.
Mr. Forgery’s letter to Mayor
Boney states that the Southwest
Georgia Regional Develop
ment Center is in the process
of reviewing the proposed Lee
Farms development in the City
of Leesburg as a Development
of Regional Impact. He stated
that it came to their attention
that the planning commission
has already taken action on the
development by recommending
that the property be rezoned.
Mr. Forgey states that the
purpose of his letter was to
inform the mayor that the action
of the planning commission
was not in accordance with the
state’s rules for Development of
Regional Impact. According to
the state rules, no action shall
be taken by the local jurisdic
tion until the project has been
through the DRI review process.
Doing so could result in the loss
of government’s Qualified Local
Government status.
The planning commission’s
approval of the rezoning request
potentially undermines the ef
fectiveness of the DRI process
by unnecessarily influencing
the outcome according to Mr.
Forgey’s letter.
He informed the mayor that
the city is not required to take
any corrective action but may
start the process over if it
chooses.
Unless instructed otherwise,
Mr. Forgey will continue his
review of the project. His review
should be completed by Febru
ary 7.
Three elected officials in Lee
County, County Commissioner
Jackie Sizemore, Tax Commis
sioner Betty Johnson, and Coro
ner Ronald Rowe, announced
Thursday, January 8, 2003 they
were joining the Republican
Party.
“We welcome these county
leaders to our Party,” said
Alec Poitevint, Chairman of
the Georgia Republican Party,
who attended the event. “They
join a growing list of leaders
who have put principle before
politics and joined the party that
best represents their values, and
the values of the people they
represent.”
Sizemore represents the
Smithville-Chokee District
(District 1), and served as Vice-
Chairman of the Commission
last year. Following Sizemore’s
decision, the Commission now
includes four Republicans and
one Democrat.
Rowe, in addition to serving
as the Coroner, is President of
the AAA Medical Transporta
tion Company. Rowe has also
served as Chairman of the Lee
County Democratic Party.
Johnson has worked in the Tax
Commissioner’s Office for over
Doherty, Duggan
& Rouse Insurors
AN EMPLOYEE OWNED COMPANY
Home • Auto • Business • Life/Health
P.O.Box 71628 (229) 888-2040
Albany, GA 31708-1628 800-628-2040
2301 Dawson Road (31707) Fax (229) 435-3036
www.ddrins.com
Lee County
Sheriff Harold Breeden
announced that he will seek
re-election as a republican.
Sheriff Breeden stated that his
political views are in line with
the philosophy of the Repub
lican Party and he is changing
his political party affiliation.
Sheriff Breeden has served as
Sheriff of Lee County since
1989.
Sheriff Breeden pointed
out that people are moving
to Lee County for the quality
of life that they can provide
for their family. Insuring that
Lee Countians can feel safe in
their homes is a responsibility
that he and his staff take very
serious stated the sheriff. 24
hour patrolling receives many
positives comments from Lee
County citizens said the sheriff.
Sheriff Breeden said that he
looks forward to serving the
citizens of Lee County for an
other four years as their sheriff.
With pride. Sheriff Breeden
praised the caliber of his staff.
He noted the efficiency and
reliability of the road deputies,
the skill of the investigative
unit and the determination
of the narcotic squad as they
perform their duties. Sheriff
Breeden cited the fact that over
225 drug cases were made by
his department last year.
Sheriff Breeden commended
the efforts of former Chair
man Billy Mathis in providing
a budget to fund the sheriff’s
department. Sheriff Breeden
said that Mr. Mathis recog
nized the needs of the sheriff’s
department and the commis
sion funded the manpower and
equipment so that he could
provide quality law enforce
ment for Lee County.
Following a career of a
professional baseball player,
Harold Breeden entered the
field of law enforcement. He
served as a police officer for
the City of Albany for seven
Sheriff Harold Breeden
years. He was an undercover
officer the last year he worked
in Albany, before being elected
Lee County Sheriff.
Sheriff Breeden and his wife,
Linda, are the parents of two
children, Janis and Shaun.
They have two grandchildren,
Hunter, 3, and Brittany, 13.
BUFFALO ROCK
Lee County-
Leesburg-
Smithville
Planning
Commission
will meet
Tuesday,
January 27
at 7:00 p.m.
in the
Assembly
Room
30 years, serving as the Coun
ty’s Tax Commissioner for 23.
While announcing his mem
bership in the Republican Party,
Commissioner Sizemore said
“As an elected official, my first
duty is to represent the people
of Lee County. During the past
few years, as everyone knows,
the growth in our county has
been tremendous. And with that
growth, our county has shifted
strongly toward the Republican
Party.
I have close friends and rela
tives who are active Democrats
and they will always find me
with an open ear to their needs.
My Republican friends will be
able to help me do a better job
as a county commissioner.”
Sizemore closed his statement
by saying “While I will not
always agree, I will work hard
to be an active member of the
Republican Party.
My basic philosophy as a
county commissioner has not
changed. We have a great
county and I will continue to
work hard to make Lee County
a place people are proud to call
home.”
Sentences Issued In
Smithville Court
Ann Nix announced that she
will be a Republican candidate
for reelection for Lee County
Clerk of Court.
Mrs. Nix has served as Clerk
of Court for Lee County since
1990 when Martha Phillips
retired. Ann Nix has worked in
the Clerk of Court’s office since
March 1976.
In announcing her bid for
reelection, Ann Nix commended
her highly trained and experi
ence staff. Stressing the impor
tance of experience, Mrs. Nix
listed a wide-range of tasks that
she and her staff assist the public
with on a daily basis including
real estate recording, plat record
ing, warranty deeds, security
deeds, liens including federal
and state liens, issuing certificate
Ann Nix
of appointment of notary public,
filing civil and criminal cases,
filing adoptions, child support,
recording military discharges,
and trade name registration and
hospital liens..
Ann Nix said that she is
looking forward to serving the
citizens of Lee County for the
next four years as their clerk of
court. With the assistance of the
county commissioners, Mrs. Nix
said that office renovations being
planned will provide more space
for people to conduct real estate
research. With real estate deeds
already on-line, Lee Countians
will soon be able to use the in
ternet when researching liens or
plats by using the state-wide real
estate indexing system
Ann Nix and her husband, Jim,
are the parents of two daughters,
Kay and Karen. They have four
grandchildren, Kris, Ivy, Will
and Carlson. They are all Lee
County residents.
Nix To Seek Re-election
Breeden To Seek
Re-Election
Public Hearing
In Proposed R.B.
Lee Development
Cancelled