Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 9A
Braselton swears in new mayor, council member
POSING FOR TOWN PHOTOS
The new Braselton mayor and council pose for an official photography recently
during an oath of office ceremony. Family members, town employees, friends
and others watched new mayor Bill Orr, new council member Peggy Slappey and
returning council member Dudley Ray take the office of office. Shown (L-R, back
row) are: Peggy Slappey, Dudley Ray and Richard Mayberry, council members;
and (front row) Bill Orr, mayor, and Tony Funari, council member.
Photo by Kerri Testement
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
BRASELTON’S new
mayor says he plans to
keep his campaign promises
— quality growth for the
town and no new taxes.
Bill Orr was sworn into
office as Braselton’s new
mayor on Jan. 7 during a
special ceremony witnessed
by family, friends and town
employees.
“I am honored to be the
new mayor of Braselton,”
Orr said in a statement.
‘‘The mayor of our town is
elected to serve the citizens
of Braselton and I intend to
that.”
Orr will follow in the
footsteps of Pat Graham,
who announced in July that
she would be running for
the District 47 state sen
ate race. Kelley Gary,
Hoschton, and Shane Coley,
Winder, are also vying for
the seat — which covers
all of Barrow, Oglethorpe
and Madison counties, and
parts of Jackson, Elbert and
Clarke counties.
“I would like to thank
Mayor Pat Graham for her
service over the past eight
years to our town and I
pledge my support for her in
her campaign for the state
senate,” Orr said.
Over the past decade,
Braselton’s population
boomed during the real
estate upswing, while new
industries — such as Home
Depot, PetCo, Tractor
Supply and Havertys
— opened new distribution
centers in the town.
But like many cit
ies throughout the region,
Braselton’s new residential
growth has been dramatical
ly slowed by the recession.
Orr said that as the town
moves forward, he will keep
his campaign pledge to bring
quality growth to Braselton
and no new taxes. The town
doesn’t have a property tax.
Orr, who is a financial
advisor for Edward Jones,
was joined by his wife,
Garol, and their two daugh
ters for the ceremony.
New District 2 council
member Peggy B. Slappey
was also joined by her hus
band, Tommy, two sons and
their wives, and three grand
children for the ceremony.
She is the owner/broker of
Peggy Slappey Properties,
Inc.
Incumbent District 4
council member Dudley Ray
was sworn into office for
another term with his wife,
JoAnn, by his side. Ray was
first elected to the Braselton
Town Council in 1997. He
is retired from US Steel
and the Georgia National
Guard.
Braselton Mayor Orr talks about finances, growth
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE NEW Year welcomes
a new mayor for Braselton
— only the second person in
the town’s almost 94-year-old
history to not be a member of
the Braselton family.
Bill Orr was sworn into
office on Jan. 7 as mayor
of Braselton — a town that
spans Jackson, Barrow, Hall
and Gwinnett counties.
MainStreet Newspapers
asked Orr to respond to sev
eral written questions about
his new administration.
MainStreet Newspapers:
After being sworn in as mayor
on Thursday, what was the
first official task you did for
the town?
Orr: I ran the Town Council
work session and signed pay-
checks for Town Employees.
MainStreet Newspapers:
What will be some of the key
areas of the town’s services
that you will look at dur
ing your first six months in
office?
Orr: As you know, it is
Jennifer Dees’ responsibility
to run our town as our town
manager. I believe that due to
the economic challenges that
will likely be here for some
time related to the nationwide
economic downturn, our town
needs to be both frugal in
our spending and opportunis
tic taking advantage of lower
costs.
MainStreet Newspapers:
Every local government is
dealing with declining rev
enue. How do you plan to
stay on top of Braselton’s
financial status and what
action —such as a reduction
of services —would you take
if the town’s revenue drops
ORR TAKES OATH OF OFFICE
New mayor Bill Orr takes the oath of office, as admin
istered by town attorney Gregory Jay on Jan. 7. Orr is
shown with his wife, Garol, during the ceremony.
Photo by Kerri Testement
too much?
Orr: We are fortunate that
Braselton has a surplus to
help us weather this eco
nomic downturn. As a voting
member of our town council,
I will vote for projects that do
not substantially require addi
tional town funding for the
time being. It is important to
be frugal in our efforts and to
take advantage of less costly
ways to provide services. As
for services, our town man
ager has taken steps already
to reduce costs by not fdling
non-essential open positions
without impacting services.
If we are faced with a need
to reduce services, our Town
Manager together with our
Town Council will make the
tough decisions.
MainStreet Newspapers:
Do you see yourself as a
mayor who will handle many
duties yourself or one who
will delegate those duties to
town department heads? As
Dr. Neelagaru, M.D. (Dr. Neel)
Dr. Neel is:
• Associated with Northeast Georgia
Heart Center in Gainesville,
Georgia. He performs all invasive
cardiology procedures at the
Ronnie Green Heart Center at
Northeast Georgia Medical Center
Clinic.
• Affiliated with BJC.
• Accepts most insurances.
Commerce Cardiology Clinic
Call for appointment.
706-335-2000
the new mayor, what chal
lenges do you foresee in get
ting to know Braselton’s four
counties (Jackson, Barrow,
Gwinnett and Hall) at the start
of your administration?
Orr: As you know, we are
a Council form of govern
ment that has a town manager
to run our day to day busi
ness. Our town manager has
my full support to do her
job. I do not expect that I
will have to get involved in
the daily operations. I will
be involved deeply in town
council duties.
Over the past three months
prior to my swearing in, I have
been involved with all 4 coun
ty’s monthly Mayor meetings
as Braselton’s mayor elect.
Mayor Pat Graham invited
me to attend these meetings
when I was elected. I have
attended most of them at least
twice already and some three
times, which has given me
a head start forming needed
relationships and necessary
exposure to issues.
MainStreet Newspapers:
In an effort to bring new
developments to town dur
ing a slumping economy, are
you concerned about compro
mising Braselton’s plans for
quality growth?
Orr: No, I am not. These are
Council level decisions so I
can not tell how each vote will
go. However, Braselton is for
tunate to have an exceptional
town council that cares about
our town long-term. I feel that
“quality-growth” plans are
the reason that Braselton is so
attractive today and I have no
doubt that that we will stay on
that track.
MainStreet Newspapers:
What should the citizens, busi
nesses and visitors of Braselton
look forward to seeing under
your administration?
Orr: Braselton’s citizens,
businesses, and visitors will
continue to see a progressive
town that will stay focused
on small town values where
our citizens can Live, Work,
and Play.
r
Jackson County Board of
Commissioners
PUBLIC HEARING
The Jackson County Board of Adjustment will hold a
Public Hearing on Thursday, February 4, 2010, at
7:00 p.m., at the Jackson County Administrative
Auditorium, 67 Athens Street, Jefferson, Georgia, on
the following matters:
BOA-10-1 - Ronald E. Miller, Executor of
Evelyn A. Miller Estate, requests a variance
on approximately 2.36 acres at 876 Hwy. 124
West, Jefferson, GA to reduce the side setback
from 40' to 20' in order to construct a storage
building. (Map 082/Parcel 006N)
Complete applications, plats, texts, maps, and public
hearing procedures are available for review in the
Planning Division Office, of the Department of Public
Development during regular office hours. All
interested persons are invited to attend.
Anyone desiring to speak in opposition to the above
case shall file a Campaign Contribution Disclosure
form at least 2 business days prior to the February 4,
2010 Public Hearing.
SLAPPEY TAKES OFFICE
Peggy B. Slappey takes the oath of office on Jan. 7, as
her husband, Tommy, looks on. Town attorney Gregory
Jay (right) administered the oath to the new council
member and mayor during a ceremony.
Photo by Kerri Testement
Slappey to serve Graham’s
unexpired visitor’s bureau term
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
A new Braselton council
member will also serve on the
town’s visitor’s bureau author
ity.
Peggy B. Slappey — who
was sworn into office as the
District 2 council member on
Thursday — was appointed to
the Braselton Visitor’s Bureau
Authority on Monday.
Slappey will replace former
Mayor Pat Graham, who is run
ning for a state senate seat.
Qualification for the District 47
state senate seat will be held in
April.
Graham’s unexpired one-
year term on the visitor’s bureau
ends in June.
In other appointments on
Monday, Jan. 11, the Braselton
Town Council named Tony
Funari mayor pro tern.
Jennifer Dees was re-appoint-
ed as town manager, clerk, vot
ing registrar and election super
intendent.
Gregory Jay was re-appoint-
ed as town attorney.
FARMERS MARKET
The Hoschton Farmers Market has moved to the for
mer Ye Olde Station building and is open every day
except Sundays.
Hoschton Farmers Market
moves to new indoor spot
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
TOO COLD to get your veg
gies outdoors? Then consider
Hoschton’s new indoor farmers
market.
The Hoschton Farmers Market
had been offering its fresh vari
ety of locally-grown vegetables
and plants each Saturday morn
ing at Hoschton Towne Center,
located off Ga. Hwy. 53. It has
also been open in the Hoschton
City Square and depot area.
But now, the farmers market
has moved to another location
in the former Ye Ole Station
store, at the intersection of Ga.
Hwy. 53 and Peachtree Road
in Hoschton. The antique store
closed several months ago.
“What we’re doing is, we’re
taking the farmers market inside
and having vegetables in the
winter months when they don’t
have vegetables and then once
the vegetables start coming in
(the spring), they’ll be outside,”
said Dan Graves, an organizer of
the Hoschton Farmers Market.
The revamped Hoschton
Farmers Market will expand
its operating days to be open
six days a week — Mondays
through Saturdays, from 9 a.m.
to 7 p.m. It will be closed on
Sundays.
The farmers market will also
feature vendors selling then-
products on Wednesdays and
Saturdays.
Some of the vendors will be
selling antique furniture, knit
ting items and inspirational
Christmas cards.
Inside, the farmers market will
also offer ice cream, coffee, soft
drinks, herbs, breads and jellies,
Graves said.
For more information, contact
Graves at 770-861-7232.
Jackson County Planning Commission
PUBLIC HEARING
The Jackson County Planning Commission will hold a public
hearing at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 28, 2010, at the
Jackson County Administrative Auditorium, 67 Athens Street,
Jefferson, Georgia, to consider the following matters:
Old Business
None
New Business
1. CC-09-14 - Harold T. Beck requests a change in conditions
for the square footage on houses for lots 1 thru 10 and lots
36 thru 45 in Laurel Cove Subdivision located on
approximately 10 acres on Skelton Rd. (104E/001 thru 010
and 036 thru 045).
2. RZ-09-15 - Williams & Associates requests to rezone 139.32
acres on 655 Potters House Rd. from A-2 to CRC for a crisis
center. (041/017B and 055/007).
3. SU-09-16 - Williams & Associates requests a special use on
139.32 acres on 655 Potters House Rd. for a crisis center
(041/017B and 055/007).
4. The Planning Commission will also hold a work session after
the close of the public hearing to discuss possible UDC
amendments.
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will address the
recommendations of the Planning Commission at a public hearing
on February 15, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at the Jackson County
Courthouse at 5000 Jackson Parkway in the Jury Assembly
Room.
Complete applications, plats, texts, maps, and public hearing
procedures are available for review in the Planning Division
Office, of the Department of Public Development during regular
office hours. All interested persons are invited to attend.
Anyone desiring to speak in opposition to one of the above cases
shall file a Campaign Contribution Disclosure form at least 2
business days prior to the February 15, 2010 Public Hearing.