Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
m
H Wednesday, September 2, 2009
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 134 NO. 12 24 PACES 3 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75« COPY
— Inside —
•Motorcycle ride pays
tribute to Jefferson busi
nessman page 2A
Area news:
•Seasonal flu shots
available at health
departments
page 2A
Op/Ed:
•'Nepotism, arro
gance are Pendergrass'
real problems'
page 4A
Sports:
• Panthers earn huge
win page 1B
Features:
•Local churches work
together to help those
in Jackson County
page 1C
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Legals
pages 4-5C
•Church News
page 5B
•Obituaries
pages 6-7B
•School News
pages 8A, 4B
Tolbert: Tm going to keep doing
whatever the hell I want to do! 9
Pendergrass holds illegal meeting Tuesday night
A QUORUM of the Pendergrass City
Council met in an unannounced meeting
Tuesday night at the real estate office of
Mayor Monk Tolbert.
The mayor and council members Judy
Stowe and John Pethel were gathered at
Tolbert’s business office around 5:30 p.m.
Working from a tip, Herald editor Mike
Buffington went to the office around 6 p.m.
and knocked on the door. Tolbert opened the
door, but denied an illegal meeting was tak
ing place.
“We’re interviewing for the police chief’s
job,’’ he said.
But no notification of a city council meet
ing had been given as required by law, nor
was the meeting at the normal location of city
council meetings. According to Georgia law,
Tuesday’s meeting was illegal.
When told by Buffington the meeting was
illegal, Tolbert vehemently denied it.
After last week’s regular city council meet
ing, a quorum of council members had also
attempted to gather at Tolbert’s real estate
office. At that time, Buffington challenged
city attorney Walter Harvey about the meet
ing and it broke up after five minutes.
Buffington asked Tolbert repeatedly
Tuesday night why the city council didn’t
follow the law. Tolbert insisted the council
does follow the law.
At one point in the heated 10-minute con
versation, Buffington asked Tolbert: “You
think you can just keep on doing whatever
you want to do, don’t you?’’
Tolbert replied: “I’ll keep on doing what
ever the hell I want to do!”
Tolbert also dismissed citizens in town who
are upset about the city government.
“It’s just 20 people right down there,”
Tolbert said with contempt, pointing to
Blackberry Farms subdivision. “They’re the
only ones. I’ve got more support than you
think.”
Two of the police chief candidates being
interviewed by the council Tuesday night
were Robert Laroque, a former Jefferson
policeman, and Javier Garcia who at one time
worked at Braselton.
Buffington said The Herald is review
ing with its attorney all options to stop
Pendergrass from having illegal meetings in
the future.
“It’s just crazy,” Buffington said. “All they
had to do was give proper notification to be
within the law. They could have still gone into
a closed session to interview the candidates.
They flaunted the notification because the
mayor and council hold unannounced secret
meetings all the time and they think they’re
above the law. It’s just arrogance.”
GBI begins narrow
Pendergrass probe
THE GEORGIA Bureau of Investigation
has begun its probe into allegations of
wrong-doing in Pendergrass.
But the investigation reportedly won’t be
expansive in scope. District Attorney Brad
Smith asked the GBI to only investigate the
possible misuse of city funds, officials said.
“We have started the investigation,” said
GBI official Jim Fullington. “I don’t have a
timeline at this time.”
The call for an investigation into the
Pendergrass city government came after
three whistleblowers came forward in July
to allege widespread corruption in the town.
The group, two of whom were fired after they
took evidence of their allegations to Mayor
Monk Tolbert, alleged that city officials
engaged in widespread ticket-fixing, misuse
of SPLOST money, paying employees off
the books, profiling drivers for police stops
and that city manager Rob Russell used a
city credit card for personal purchases.
Despite the large number of allegations,
DA Smith is reportedly only interested in the
narrow question surrounding the possible
misuse of city funds, a move that has upset
some in the city who wanted a more expan
sive investigation into the town’s dealings.
“We are investigating alleged misuse of
public funds by employees of the Pendergrass
city government and the Pendergrass Police
Department,” Fullington said.
Last week, a throng of citizens turned
out for a city council meeting and verbally
ripped city officials over the allegations and
their handling of the city government. At
that meeting, Mayor Tolbert read a state
ment that led the crowd to believe the GBI
had already done its investigation. When
citizens found out they had been misled,
they reacted angrily in comments posted to
www.JacksonHeraldToday.com website.
“I am in complete shock!” said one poster.
“Monk Tolbert is a bold faced liar!”
Some have also been critical of DA Smith’s
call for a narrow investigation. Among the
allegations made by the whistle-blowers was
that City Court Judge Scott Tolbert, son of
Mayor Tolbert, had fixed a number of traffic
tickets for friends.
Scott Tolbert was the largest contributor
to DA Smith’s election campaign last year, a
situation some find troubling in this issue.
Smith did not call for a probe into
Pendergrass’ city court or into allegations
of ticket-fixing.
PENDERGRASS MAYOR MONK TOLBERT
OUTSIDE HIS OFFICE DOOR TUESDAY NIGHT.
Pendergrass in the red
THE CITY of Pendergrass is $49,600 in the red so far this year.
According to the city’s August financial statement, Pendergrass
has spent $479,000 so far in 2009, but taken in only $429,500.
Much of the extra expenses appear to be related to the settle
ment of a federal EEOC lawsuit that had been pending against
the town. Last year, former employee Becky Davis filed a sexual
harassment and discrimination lawsuit against the city.
But in July, Mayor Monk Tolbert took a blank check from city
hall and without a meeting of the city council, paid Davis’ law
yers $20,000 and promised to rehire Davis for three years. Davis
is now back at work in Pendergrass.
Where are Pendergrass 9 July 28 minutes? Page 2A
PULLING THE DRAGONS THROUGH
Jefferson High School student Brianna Triplet cheers
the Dragons on at last Friday night’s opening football
game against arch-rival Commerce. The Dragons won
the contest 30-13 — a third win against the Tigers in
a row. For complete sports coverage, see section B
Mayor’s race set in Nicholson
Qualifying under way for town elections
BYANGELA GARY
Qualifying is under way for town elec
tions in seven of the county’s towns and, as
of press time, the Nicholson mayor was the
only top elected official facing opposition.
Incumbent Ronnie Maxwell and chal
lenger Jimmy Ford have qualified for the
mayor’s seat. In the other towns, it was
mostly the incumbents who had qualified as
of press time.
ARCADE
Two candidates have qualified so far
for the five seats up for re-election on
the Arcade City Council. Incumbent Dean
Bentley and Ricky Walker have qualified
so far.
The election will be held to fill the seat
of mayor and five at-large council seats.
Doug Haynie currently serves as mayor and
the council seats are now held by: Bentley,
Cindy Bone, Tom Hays, Polly Davis and
Ron Smith.
Qualifying will be held through Friday at
city hall. The qualifying fee for the mayor’s
position is $156 and the fee for each council
seat is $36.
JEFFERSON
In Jefferson, incumbent mayor Jim Joiner
and incumbent District 4 councilmem-
ber Bosie Griffith and challenger Brian
Mitsdarffer have qualified so far, as well as
political newcomer Kathy Dubose, who is
seeking District 2 on the city council. David
Varnedoe is the incumbent in District 2.
continued on page 5A
County to consider furlough days
JACKSON County
employees may be required
to take one day off work per
month without pay due to
budget concerns.
The board of commis
sioners was set to meet at
6 p.m. today (Wednesday)
to discuss implementing fur
lough days. The recommen
dation is for employees to
take one furlough day per
month beginning in October,
as well as into fiscal year
2010.