Newspaper Page Text
O
O
THE
ACKSON
/m
H Wednesday, September 9, 2009
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 134 NO. 13 50 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75« COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
•Veterans monument
planned in Nicholson.
page 2A
Op/Ed:
•'Maysville should
say "no" to pouring
license'
page 4A
Sports:
•Panthers get another
big win page 1B
Features:
•A search of the
Maysville Library results
in the discovery of
100-year-old books on
the Civil War
page 1C
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Legals
pages 5-28C
•Church News
page 5B
•Obituaries
page 6B
•School News
pages 9-12A
Q -R
Herald sues for open meetings, records
Newspaper seeks injunction against Pendergrass'
secret meetings and to turn over documents
THE JACKSON HERALD
filed suit in Jackson County
Superior Court Wednesday
morning asking that all future
meetings of the Pendergrass
City Council be held accord
ing to the law. In addition, the
newspaper asked the court to
order the city to make avail
able documents requested in
August under the state’s open
records law that have not been
forthcoming.
The action comes after last
week’s unannounced meeting
of the Pendergrass City Council
at Mayor Monk Tolbert’s pri
vate real estate office. That
meeting had a quorum of the
council who interviewed can
didates for police chief. The
city council also attempted to
hold an unannounced meeting
the week before at Tolbert’s
office.
In addition, the city settled
an EEOC lawsuit in July for
$20,000, but no meeting was
ever announced and no min
utes for that meeting have
been located by The Herald.
In August, The Herald
asked to see the city cred
it card statements and cell
phone records for 2005-2008.
The mayor said the records
couldn’t be located. The
Herald then asked the city
to get the documents from
their card and phone issuers.
No documents have yet been
made available.
“This is not an action we
wanted to take,” said Herald
editor Mike Buffington. “But
it’s clear that the mayor and
continued on page 2A
State asked to look at
Pendergrass court
DISTRICT
Attorney Brad
Smith announced
Friday that he
has asked the
Administrative
Office of the Courts
of Georgia to look
into the operation
of the Municipal
Court of Pendergrass
Smith said the GBI
had declined to look into
allegations from a group
of Pendergrass
whistleblowers
of ticket-fixing in
the court because
there appeared to
be no criminal vio
lations. Smith said
he then asked the
state to look into
the operations to
“restore confidence” in the
system.
continued on page 2A
SMITH
Nicholson mayor’s wife slapped at
BY SHARON HOGAN
THE WIFE of Nicholson
Mayor Ronnie Maxwell was
slapped by another woman
during last Thursday’s city
council meeting.
Pam Presley slapped Gail
Maxwell at the meeting while
the council was in a closed
session in another room.
Presley had earlier appeared
before the council to com
plain about a building permit
issue.
While waiting for the coun
cil to reopen the meeting,
Presley was reportedly talk
ing to other attendees about
her complaint. Mrs. Maxwell
apparently told her to stop
stating untrue comments
about the issue. Presley then
told Maxwell not to call her a
liar, then slapped her.
The Jackson County
Sheriff’s Office was called
to the community center and
FOLLOWING ALTERCATION
Things appear to be calm after the altercation at the
Nicholson City Council meeting on Thursday night.
Pam Presley (R) struck Gail Maxwell (L) in the face
after Maxwell questioned some statements Presley
was making to others in attendance. Bobby Rapper (C)
intervened to separate the two women.
Photo by Sharon Hogan
Presley was given a trespass
ing citation. Presley was also
ordered off city property until
Mayor Maxwell permits her
to return.
During the meeting, Presley
said there was no zoning in
place in Nicholson when she
started building her house.
She added that the work was
stopped due to some health
issues. She is angry because
the city will not issue her a
building permit to finish the
house.
“The house has been sit
ting over there seven or eight
years,” she said. “It is almost
ruined.”
Mayor Maxwell report
ed Presley started building
before she obtained any per
mits.
“I have all the health
department permits,” Presley
said. Presley added that a
mobile home was located
meeting
on the property before the
house.
Maxwell asked Presley
about the outcome of a court
hearing on the matter. Presley
said the judge told her to stop
building.
Presley still believes she
should be able to complete
the house and indicated to
the council that there was a
house there and she is build
ing onto it.
“Eve got pictures to prove
there was a house there,” she
said.
Maxwell advised Presley
she would need to attend
the next work session of the
council set for 7 p.m. on
Thursday, Oct. 1, at the com
munity center.
“Wayne (Holcombe, city
building official) will attend
that meeting,” Maxwell said.
“You will need to talk with
him about this.”
County furlough days approved
BYANGELA GARY
THE downturn in the
economy has led to the
Jackson County Board
of Commissioners
approving 15 employee
furlough days through
2010.
In a called meeting
on Sept. 2, the BOC
approved the 15 proposed
furlough days in an effort to
save the county $646,000. The
county is facing a $3.5 million
shortfall in its 2010 budget.
“The other alternatives are
even more unattractive than
this,” county manager Darrell
Hampton said.
The days the county offices
will be shut down this year
include: Oct. 30, Nov. 25 and
Dec. 23. Furlough days for
2010 include: Jan. 4, Feb. 19,
March 5, April 2, May 28,
June 25, July 6, Aug. 6, Sept.
13, Oct. 15, Nov. 24 and Dec.
22.
“Staff has not arrived at
this lightly,” said BOC chair
man Hunter Bicknell.
“We’ve been delaying
this to see what would
happen with the sales
tax revenue and the
tax digest ... This is
the most painless step
we can take at this
time ... I think it is a
prudent step to take at
this time. Everyone is having
to suffer. It is common to fur
lough employees as opposed
to terminations.”
Hampton added that elected
officials would also be tak
ing the days and their salaries
would be cut too.
“It’s from the top to the
bottom of the organization,”
he said.
Bicknell said, “I commend
them for setting an example.
They didn’t have to do that.”
On the furlough days, all
county offices will be closed.
Public safety workers, includ
ing deputies and EMS staff,
will take their furlough days
on different days.
REFINANICING BONDS
In another move to address
the county’s budget crisis,
the BOC agreed in the called
meeting to refinance its 2008
economic development bonds.
The Jackson County Industrial
Development Authority mem
bers also attended the called
meeting and voted to refinance
the bonds through Merchant
Capital. The action will save
the county approximately $2.6
million.
“These are difficult times
for everyone,” IDA chairman
Scott Martin said. “This will
not compromise these projects
one bit. This is the right thing
for us to do.”
Finance director John Hulsey
said the budget concerns for
2010 are due to an 18 percent
reduction in sales tax revenue,
a freeze on property values,
growth in the tax digest of less
than two percent and other
issues.
Other efforts to cut the bud
get have included laying off
staff, cutting the 2009 budget
by five percent and the 2010
budget by 10 percent.
Offices to be closed for 15 days
BICKNELL
Search on for college student s abductor
JACKSON COUNTY and Athens-Clarke
officers are looking for a man who allegedly
kidnapped a woman in Athens, took her to the
Nicholson area where she was assaulted.
A woman thought she was getting into a taxi
in the early morning hours Friday, but instead
said she was abducted.
The 20-year-old, who is a sophomore at the
University of Georgia, was spotted walking
along Hwy. 441 a little after 7 a.m. Friday. She
had a blanket wrapped around her and was
wearing only her underwear.
David Cochran with the Jackson County
Sheriff’s Office said the woman was leaving
a Milledge Avenue location and thought the
SUV was a taxi cab. She said it was red or
green and the man driving it was Hispanic and
has a mustache.
The woman said the man took her to a
business on Hwy. 441 in Jackson County and
assaulted her and left her there. Her clothes
were found near where she said he dropped
her off.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is work
ing with the Athens-Clarke County Sheriff’s
Office on the case.
Mayor s race set in five
towns for Nov. 3 election
BY ANGELA GARY council. Incumbent David
When qualifying ended
Wednesday afternoon, races
were set for the mayor’s
seat in five Jackson County
towns.
Jefferson Mayor Jim Joiner
will face challenger Debbie
Langley in the Nov. 3 elec
tion.
In Nicholson, incumbent
mayor Ronnie Maxwell will
face Jimmy Ford.
In Arcade, mayor Doug
Haynie will face Polly Davis,
who now serves on the city
council.
In Braselton, Ralph
Richardson Jr. and Bill Orr
qualified to seek the mayor’s
seat. Incumbent Pat Graham
is not seeking re-election as
she is running for state office.
In Hoschton, Robbie Bettis,
James Keinard and Erma
Denney qualified. Incumbent
Bill Copenhaver is not seek
ing re-election. Jim Jester had
qualified earlier but he with
drew his name.
JEFFERSON
In the District 4 Jefferson
council race, incumbent coun
cil member Bosie Griffith and
challenger Brian Mitsdarffer
qualified.
Kathy Dubose was the only
candidate to qualify for the
District 2 seat on the city
Unemployment
THE JACKSON County
unemployment rate held at
11.1 percent in July, the same
rate as June.
But that was still far above
Varnedoe is not seeking re-
election.
As for the school board,
incumbent chairman Ronnie
Hopkins and District 4 rep
resentative Derrell Crowe
were the only candidates to
qualify.
In the District 2 school
board seat, Janice Wilbanks
was the only candidate to
qualify. The incumbent is her
husband, Damon Wilbanks,
who is not seeking re-elec
tion.
NICHOLSON
In Nicholson, those who
qualified for the four at-large
council seats are the incum
bents, Faye Seagraves, Howard
Wilbanks, Paul Cartledge
and Lamar Watkins, as well
as Edmond Dempsey, Bobby
Crawford and Chuck Wheeler.
ARCADE
Qualifying for the five at-
large council seats were:
incumbents Dean Bentley,
Tom Hays, Cindy Bone and
Ron Smith and political new
comer Ricky Walker. An elec
tion will not be necessary since
only five candidates qualified.
BRASELTON
In the Council District 2
seat (currently held by Ralph
continued on page 2A
holds at 11.1%
the rate of 6.2 percent in July
of 2008.
According to state numbers,
some 3,078 Jackson Countians
are unemployed.