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THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 30. 2010 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3A
A sole commissioner’s view on what
type of government is needed here
By Lamar Paris
Union County
Sole Commissioner
I have refrained from com
menting on the Sole Commis
sioner vs Multi-person Board,
but after reading the article last
week, I do want to point out a
couple of issues that may not
have been brought up. Since I
am a sole commissioner in
Union County, my side of the
issue will be biased, but bear
with me. These are my personal
opinions based on nearly 10
years of experience in office,
and not representative of any
group or organization.
There are many commission
boards throughout Georgia that
function perfectly well and you
allude to a couple in your arti
cle, Dawson, as an example.
Dawson has an excellent chair
man, commissioners and man
ager, as does Lumpkin.
However, at the same time,
there are many counties in
Georgia that do not function
nearly as well, usually based on
personality conflicts of the
board members. What makes
good or bad government has lit
tle to do with the type of gov
ernment but has everything to
do with electing good people.
Pickens has had two good,
hard working sole commission
ers in the recent past including
Billy Newton and currently
Robert Jones. I have gotten to
know both of them and they
were and are totally dedicated
to their jobs. Typically, when
folks want to change the form
of government, it begins be
cause someone is not happy
about a decision made. If it is a
sole commissioner, they typi
cally think they need three com
missioners. If they have three,
they think going to five will
make it better. It rarely does.
Of the nine sole commis
sioner governments remaining
in Georgia, seven are in North
Georgia. Most in South Georgia
were removed years ago be
cause of issues related to race
equality. However, in North
Georgia, that has not been the
case. Some, such as Lumpkin,
have changed. However, most
including Union County have
remained, even with recent
elections. Union County voted
2 to 1 to remain with sole com
missioner in 2000. Towns
County voted 2 to 1 to remain
sole commissioner about four
years ago. Bartow County
(Cartersville) voted 2 to 1 to re
main sole commissioner about
three years ago. People with this
type of government realize how
accountable it is to the public
and most mountain people seem
to like it. Ask your representa
tives or senators how they enjoy
working with sole commission
ers and you will usually get a
very positive comment?
If you look at the property
tax mill rates in Georgia for
2009, the sole commissioner
governments in Georgia rank as
some of the lowest in the state.
Five of the seven sole commis
sioner governments in North
Georgia rank in the lowest 14
property tax rates out of all 159
counties in Georgia. Union 2nd
lowest (4.94 mils), Towns 8th
lowest (5.58 mils), Murray 11th
lowest (6.014 mils), Pickens
12th lowest (6.26 mils). Walker
14th lowest (6.76 mils). The
other two counties (Bartow and
Chattooga) are in the lowest
half.
You only have to go to the
61st position to reach 10 mils.
This is a sign of efficient
government. What makes it so
good for the public is that you
never have to worry about who
you should talk to about a prob
lem. The buck always stops
with one person.
Finally, I think some signifi
cant mistakes were made in set
ting up the commissioner board
structure for your election, al
though my hat is off to the ef
fort that went into the process.
(Remember, just my opinion)
First is having the chairman, the
only commissioner that is
elected by all the people, never
cast a vote unless there is a tie.
While several counties have this
method, why would you possi
bly, as a citizen, elect a person
to a commission board and es
pecially the chairman and not
want to know how they are vot
ing on every issue. I think the
chairman and every commis
sioner should always have their
vote counted. Second, you have
your district commissioners
elected by members of their
own district only. This means
that you have a chairman that
does not vote and you have four
of the five commissioners in
other parts of the county that
you can not vote on, so your in
fluence as a voter and with that
commissioner is greatly dimin
ished. Some will disagree, but I
think all voters should have the
opportunity to vote for all com
missioners, because most all
their decisions impact everyone,
especially in smaller counties.
Finally, with limited input, you
will have a county manager
who basically totally runs the
operation of the county. He is
not elected and is not account
able to the public directly, but
only to the commissioners who
hire him.
What about streamlined gov
ernment. Prepare to be held up
potentially months for a vari
ance for a home location, zon
ing decision or property line
encroachments. If all commis
sioners do not come to the
meeting prepared, then the vote
is delayed until the next month
and sometimes beyond that.
Typically, with a sole com
missioner form of government,
decisions are made either on the
spot or certainly made in a
timely manner. The cost differ
ential of government between
the two will be significant, but
not in ways you can always
quantify. For example, with a
serious employee problem, or
contractor problem, or con
stituent problem, a sole com
missioner can simply call them
in the office, determine the facts
and make a decision as he is
elected to do. The commission
board will have to wait until the
next monthly meeting and dis
cuss the issues in front of the
public, making decisions much
more difficult and less timely
and often embarrassing to a
family. Then it may get tabled
until the next meeting. These
delays all have cost associated
with them. In one N. Georgia
area the commission board
worked on a sign ordinance for
months on end, then several
more months just to agree on a
variance for the size of a sign
for a large retailer. If you are a
business, this can be a signifi
cant cost.
I applaud the community
(Pickens County) for taking this
issue very seriously and the
committee working so very
hard, but in the end, the change
of form of government will not
make the difference in your
community, the involvement of
the majority of your citizens in
the process will (civic engage
ment). Electing good people is
vital. Changing the form of gov
ernment could make it better
but also could make it worse.
However the vote goes, good
luck to a great county with
many wonderful people and
good leadership in the city and
county.
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Wal-Mart donates $5,000 to CARES
At the grand opening of Wal-Mart in Jasper, shown are (L-R)
Tracey Osborn, assistant manager, and Clete Marshall, store man
ager, presenting a $5,000 check for CARES to Larry Starr who rep
resented CARES. All of these funds will go to help the needy
citizens of Pickens County. Thanks Wal-Mart.
Georgia Guitar Quartet to perform
at Falany Performing Arts Center
The Georgia Guitar Quartet has emerged as an exciting new
voice on today’s music scene. These four young men from the
American South (Kyle Dawkins, Brian Smith, Phil Snyder and
Jason Solomon) deliver a high-energy blend of breathtaking virtu
osity and imaginative programming.
They do this while taking an adventurous approach to classical
music. Audiences at one of their concerts experience an exciting
musical journey through an expansive array of genres, cultures and
time periods. The Charleston Post and Courier in South Carolina
describe one of their performances as “A dazzling display of tech
nical prowess, versatile programming and audience rapport. ”
Rousing Irish folk music and late impressionistic masterpieces
share the stage, while the sublime beauty of Chopin rubs shoulders
with ground-breaking contemporary works. Accomplished com
posers in their own right, members of the quartet often incorporate
their unique works into increasingly dynamic concert programs.
The incredible range and interactive spontaneity of a performance
by the Georgia Guitar Quartet always offer the listener a musical
experience that uplifts the spirit and lives in the memory.
All seats are reserved and admission to the concert is $25 for
adults and $20 for seniors (55 and older) and children (12 and
under). Additional service charges may apply. For tickets and in
formation, call the Falany Performing Arts Center box office at
770-720-9167 or go on-line at http://www.reinhardt. edu/fpac
the perfect balance between
health & care.
Piedmont Mountainside Hospital is pleased to welcome
Chris Graham, M.D., to Piedmont Surgery Specialists.
Dr. Graham is joining Dr Barrett and Dr. Kenney at Piedmont Surgery Specialists in September 2010.
The general surgeons of Piedmont Surgery Specialists provide evaluation and treatment of the full range of complex
general surgery problems. They often work in conjunction with colleagues in other specialties and emphasize
collaboration with referring physicians to achieve optimal patient care.
Chris Graham, M.D.
General Surgery
Chris Graham, M.D., graduated with a bachelor of science degree in exercise science and a master’s degree in cardiac rehabilitation
from the University of Georgia. Dr. Graham earned his medical degree from Mercer University School of Medicine. He completed
his internship at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga and residency in general surgery at Orlando Regional Medical
Center. Dr. Graham is certified in advanced trauma life support and advanced cardiac life support. Dr. Graham provides may
surgical services and has a special interest in laparoscopic surgery and open hernia repairs.
Patrick Kenney, D.O.
General Surgery
Patrick Kenney, D.O., earned his medical degree from Midwestern University’s Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Prior to joining Piedmont Surgery Specialists, Dr. Kenney served as the chief surgical resident at Huntington Memorial Hospital
in Pasadena, California. Dr. Kenney has a special interest in endocrine surgery, breast cancer surgery and reconstruction, and
laparoscopic surgery.
Keith Barrett, M.D.
General Surgery
A Georgia native, Keith Barrett, M.D., earned his medical degree from the Medical College of
Georgia. He completed his internship at the Memorial Medical Center in Savannah,
Georgia, and his surgical residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of
New Jersey in Newark, New Jersey He is board certified by the American Board of
Surgery. Dr. Barrett provides a broad range of surgical services with extensive
experience in vascular and thoracic surgery and advanced laparoscopy. He is
a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
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