Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
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H Wednesday, June 16, 2010
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 136 NO. 1 52 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75c COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
•EJMS teacher named
for national award
page 6A
•Arcade to deter
speeders with stop
signs page 2A
Op/Ed:
•'Summer decisions
important for local
governments'
page 4 A
Sports:
•Several Jefferson Sea
Dragons scored high in
Saturday's Pentathlon
page 1B
Features:
•Looking for historic
Jefferson page 1 C
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 7-9A
•Legals
pages 4-28C
•Church News
page 5B
•Obituaries
page4B
•School News
pages 10-12 A
O -s
Nicholson debates budget amendment
Agrees to move $4,000 to administration
ti : KlI 1
DEBATES ISSUE
Shown at the Nicholson City Council meeting Thursday night are:
(standing) Mayor Ronnie Maxwell; and (seated, L-R) council mem
bers Chuck Wheeler, Howard Wilbanks and Lamar Watkins.
BYANGELA GARY
NICHOLSON LEADERS voted
Thursday night to move $4,000 from
the street department to administration
and to allocate the money to be used
to cover the cost of the town being a
“Partner in Education” with East Jackson
Comprehensive High School.
Council members Chuck Wheeler.
Howard Wilbanks and Lamar Watkins
agreed to the move but only after Wheeler
questioned Mayor Ronnie Maxwell about
his recommendation to do so. The matter
was on the agenda at an earlier council
meeting and didn’t move forward after the
three wouldn’t vote on the issue.
At first no one made a motion and
Maxwell asked, “Do I hear a motion?
Anybody?”
Maxwell said the move would “balance
the budget.”
“It’s just changing from one account to
another,” the mayor said. “It’s not making
the budget go up one red cent.. .We just
need to transfer money from one line item
to another.”
When there was still no motion
made, Maxwell said to the audience,
“Somebody out there, help me. I’m not
getting through.. .Y’all have to do this.
We have no choice. It’s a no-brainer...
Just transfer the money over and get it
over with.”
Wilbanks then made a motion, “I make
a motion we transfer it and get it over
with.” Wheeler seconded the motion and
Watkins voted along with it. Councilman
Bobby Crawford was not present for the
meeting.
ETHICS ORDINANCE
On another issue, the council resolved
another matter that had also been debat
ed at the last council meeting with no
action taken. The council agreed to ask
Commerce attorney Dylan Wilbanks to
represent the town on the ethics commit
tee, at a cost of $225 per hour. Wilbanks
will only be needed if an ethics complaint
is filed against the city or any of the coun
cil members.
The council had discussed a require
ment that one of the five members on the
ethics board would have to be an attorney
that resides in the city limits of Nicholson.
However, there is not an attorney living
inside the city limits.
SPLOST ALLOCATION
In the only other business at the meet
ing, the council agreed on how its portion
of a proposed special purpose local option
sales tax would be used. If the one-cent
sales tax passes, the city would use its
portion as follows: roads, 40 percent:
recreation. 20 percent; water, 15 percent:
retire existing obligations, 10 percent; his
toric building preservation, five percent;
capital outlay/equipment, five percent;
and library, five percent.
NEW FIRE TRAINING CENTER
An official ribbon cutting was held at the new county fire training center in Jefferson on
Saturday. City and county leaders are shown cutting the ribbon as firemen, their families
and other county citizens crowded around. Demonstrations and activities for children
were also offered at the fire training center Saturday afternoon. Photo by Angela Gary
OK still needed for runway opening
Botts ready to ‘turn up political heat, ’ Sell advises waiting
THE JACKSON COUNTY
Airport Authority continues to
play the runway waiting game,
much to the chagrin of one of its
members.
The authority has yet to
receive clearance to open run
way 927 — a secondary runway
— prompting Ken Botts to say
it’s time to take stronger action.
Botts told the authority
Friday that the Jackson County
Aviation Association has OK’d
an advertising campaign to push
for the runway to be re-opened.
If needed it will go to the top,
he said.
“If we have to go to the gov
ernor, then we’re going to the
governor,” Botts said. “I’ve been
directed by our association, last
Saturday, to turn up the political
heat. We’ll start with a news
paper campaign, starting next
week. And we’re not going to let
it go until it’s done.”
Other authority members
favored a more tempered reac
tion.
Authority chairman Shannon
Sell said the board couldn’t stop
the association from putting
an ad campaign together, but
advised against it.
“It’s not going to look good
for the Jackson County Airport
in general in trying to develop
and build this airport in a posi
tive fashion if it looks like there’s
petty bickering going on.”
The crosswinds runway was
closed several years ago, but
the airport authority has since
sought to reopen it.
It’s still uncertain yet what
steps are needed to open the
runway.
Sell said he’s talked with
the DOT, which told him that
runway 927 still needs to meet
licensing requirements. He also
noted that the DOT has no fed
eral or state funding available for
runway 927.
But Botts said funding is not
the issue.
He said the runway is usable
now and thinks the Jackson
County Airport Authority con
tinues to get the runaround by
officials, which he believes may
be politically motivated.
“The only way I’m going to
be satisfied with it ... I would
have to get a third party expert
to say, ‘yes, this is the real rea
son,’ because I think we’re get
ting some political junk out of
Atlanta and the people in this
county who are opposed to
reopening it,” Botts said. “There
are people here who are opposed
to reopening it, so we can never
get a straight answer on it.”
The matter resurfaced at the
airport authority’s Tuesday night
meeting.
Botts wants to arrange for an
FFA official to address the air
port authority regarding what
steps remain before the authority
can reopen runway 927.
“If the FFA comes in here
and says you cannot open it
no matter what, then yeah, we
might let it die,” Botts said. “But
I don’t think that’s going to be
the case.”
Sell said he still believes fund
ing will be the deciding factor.
“I think when we get done
with everything, it’s going to be
about money,” he said.
Early voting to continue through July 9
BYANGELA GARY
EARLY VOTING for the
July 20 election will be held
through July 9.
Voters may cast a bal
lot from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mondays through Fridays in
the Administration Building
in Jefferson.
The only local race is in
the West and North Jackson
areas for the District 5 seat
on the Jackson County Board
of Education. Steven Bryant
and Randall Skelton are both
seeking this seat. Incumbent
Jill McEver is not seeking
re-election.
The State Senate District
47 seat that covers Jackson
County will also be on the
ballot. Those to qualify were:
Kelley Gary. Shane Coley.
Doug Bower and Frank Ginn,
all Republicans, and Tim
Riley, a Democrat. Incumbent
Ralph Hudgens (R) is run
ning for state insurance com
missioner.
continued on page 5A
Lawsuit filed against
Pendergrass officials
Former employee, tow truck
owner allege discrimination
BYANGELA GARY
A FORMER Pendergrass
employee and the owner of
the tow truck company used
by the city have fded a law
suit against city officials over
their claims of unfair treat
ment due to their association
with the “whistleblowers”
who accused the city of cor
ruption.
Darrell Moore, owner of
1-85 Garage and Towing, and
his daughter Felicia Scroggs
filed the lawsuit against
Pendergrass Mayor Monk
Tolbert, city administrator
Rob Russell, police offi
cers Becky Davis and Mark
Abruzzinio and the City of
Pendergrass.
Scroggs, who was employed
by the city from 2004 until
her termination on Oct. 20,
served in several positions
with the city, but was assis
tant to the chief when she
was fired.
Moore’s business, 1-85
Garage and Towing, was the
sole provider of towing ser
vices for the city until the city
ended the relationship on Oct.
16. Moore was also respon
sible for the maintenance of
the city’s automobiles and
worked as a contract laborer
for the street and road depart
ment where he operated the
city garbage truck, tractor and
bush hog. Moore stated in the
lawsuit that he also created
an outdoor firing range on his
property which the city police
officers used for practice and
to qualify to meet required
firearm standards.
In the lawsuit, Moore states
that Davis called 911 and
asked that his business be
taken off of the 911 list. Moore
said he asked Davis why she
did this and she said Mayor
Tolbert told her to because
Moore was seen associating
with Mike Buffington, edi
tor of MainStreet Newspapers
Inc., Peter Val Preda, an
investigator for the law firm
that represents the whistle
blowers and Lt. Bill Garner,
one of the whistleblowers, at
a court hearing.
According to the lawsuit,
Sroggs was fired “due to her
continued associating with
individuals the defendants did
not approve.”
“Defendants Tolbert.
Russell, Davis and the City
of Pendergrass discriminat
ed against plaintiffs Moore,
Scroggs and 1-85 due to
their continued associations
with the whistelblowers, the
media and other individuals,”
according to the lawsuit. “...
Defendant Russell stated that
Lt. Garner was not a member
of the family and if Moore
wished to remain in the fam
ily he would disassociate
himself with Garner.”
Last year. Gamer and two
other former city employees
made allegations of corrup
tion against city officials.
The Georgia Bureau of
Investigation is still looking
into these allegations.
Freedom Festival planned
for June 26 in Jefferson
Event to be held at rec complex
THE ANNUAL Freedom Festival
will be held Saturday, June 26, at the
Jefferson Recreation Complex, located
on Old Pendergrass Road.
The event has been moved from the
downtown area due to construction
related to the streetscape project.
The festival will be held from 5 to 9
p.m. with food, rides, music and games
planned. Fireworks presented by the
Jefferson Fire Department will be at
the end of the evening.