Newspaper Page Text
Tuesday, September 27,2022
barnesville.com
Barnesville, Ga. 30204
HERE???S THE
SCOOP
Sunday voting for general
election draws heated criticism
Beloved
educator
Dr. Olivier
succumbs
Retired local educa
tor Dr. George Olivier
died Sunday after a
battle with liver cancer.
???Doc??? was beloved by
his students and fellow
teachers.
Survivors included his
wife Linda Olivier.
Funeral services are
pending. Monitor barnes-
ville.com for updates.
WALTER GEIGER
news@barnesville.com
Former county
commission chairman
Kent Kingsley led a
delegation of citizens
who spoke out against
opening the early voting
polling place for Sunday
voting ahead of the Nov.
8 general election. The
remarks came at the
Sept. 20 county com
mission meeting.
The current plan is to
allow early voting from
1-5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct.
22.
Kingsley alleged local
Democratic party chair
Lynn Hadaway vowed
to ???fill up buses??? with
voters to bring to the
polls that day. He noted
there are already 17
days of early voting and
that should be enough.
Harold Jackson also
opposed the plan as did
Elaine Hallada.
Jackson alleged
weekend voting is a
waste of taxpayer mon
ey. ???The last Saturday
voting we had, they had
eight people working up
there all day and only
three people voted,??? he
said.
Kingsley also sug
gested the county take
a long hard look at how
elections board mem
bers are appointed.
???There is no account
ability there now. Each
commissioner should
appoint one board
member. Then we
would have account
ability,??? Kingsley said.
He alleged the elec
tions board has other
issues as well, specifi
cally citing 101 voters
he said were coded in
the wrong district in the
recent District 1 com
mission vote. ???Sixty-
eight of them voted
in the wrong district,???
Kingsley said.
Elections board sec
retary Monica Walters
said she was originally
against Sunday voting
but changed her mind.
???We should welcome
all voters. 1 would love
to see a 98% turnout.
Then we would know
how people really feel,???
Walters said.
The commission took
no action on the matter.
Homecoming game Thursday due to storm
alcohol sales
hearing Monday
The City of Barnesville
will hold a public hearing
next month on what it
terms ???additional??? alco
hol sales. The hearing
is set for Monday, Oct.
3 at 5 p.m. in the coun
cil meeting room at the
police headquarters.
The city is holding the
hearing to get input from
citizens and businesses.
Businesses in the city
with alcohol pouring
licenses have long sought
Sunday drink sales in
order to compete with
purveyors in neighbor
ing towns where Sunday
sales are allowed.
Additionally, beer and
wine sales are allowed in
the county on Sunday but
not in the city.
For more informa
tion, call city hall at
770.358.0181.
Political
forum Mon.
The three candidates
in the race to fill the Dis
trict 3 seat on the Lamar
County commission will
face off at a forum Oct.
3. The event begins at 7
p.m. in the commission
meeting room at the
courthouse.
The candidates in
race are Glenn Allen,
Ashley Gilles and Michael
Turner.
Questions are sought
from voters. E-mail your
questions to lamarvoic-
es@gmail.com.
Subscribe. Your name goes
on the label in this box
96852
78853
PHOTOS: THE HERALD GAZETTE/WALTER GEIGER
It???s Homecoming Week at LC and the public festivities begin with Thursday???s parade which will form up at the Gordon
College parking lots at 4:15 p.m. and roll through town at 5 p.m.
Homecoming royalty will be crowned at halftime of the homecoming game against Pike County which has been
moved to Thursday at 7:30 p.m. due to the approach of Hurricane Ian.
The homecoming court (top photo) includes (front, l-r) Ky???mora Buckner, Adalyn Williams, Nikilah Al-Nas, Erireyonna
Buckner, Makayla Padgett, Karmen Barkley; (middle, l-r) Rocio Sanchez, Haley Hebert, Jada Barronton; (back, l-r) Takey-
dra Lyons, Emma Eubanks and Ally Bloxham.
The homecoming king nominees are (bottom photo, l-r) Demari Carter, Ja???Darius Banks, AJ Haygood and Deontae
Brown.
Floyd
re signs
Milner
council
post
WALTER GEIGER
news@barnesville.com
Michael Floyd abruptly
resigned his post on the
Milner city
council at
the end of
the regu
lar meet
ing Sept.
19. Floyd
indicated he
was step
ping down
to avoid
Milner being
hit with blowback from
something he is about to
undertake.
???A few months ago, 1
started something and 1
have to see that something
through for moral reasons.
And, in order for me to
do that, 1 can no longer
serve on the city council...
Because of what is going
to result and the response
out of what is going to
occur, Milner will be tar
geted if 1 remain as a city
council member. Effective
now, right now, tonight, 1
resign... 1 do not want to
set Milner up for the gos
sip circles to bash or the
county to treat differently
because of what I am doing
or exposing,??? Floyd said.
When asked what he
was planning after the
meeting, Floyd responded,
???As soon as the paperwork
is filed, you will know all
about it. Everyone will
know all about it.???
Floyd was elected to the
council in November, 2020,
defeating Helen Palacios.
Milner city administra
tor Tausha Grose said a
special election will likely
be held to fill his post. She
had plans to discuss the
matter with elections su
perintendent Anita Reid.
County
asks court
to shut
down horse
track
WALTER GEIGER
news@barnesville.com
The Lamar County
commission has filed suit
in superior court seeking
to shut down the horse
racing and event venue
Rancho de Centenario on
High Falls Park Road. The
suit was filed Sept. 19.
On August 15, the coun
ty served ranch owner/op
erator Brutz English with
a cease and desist order.
In his response English
declared he would not
comply.
In the court filing, the
county alleges English
has violated restrictions
placed on the event center
regarding amplified noise
multiple times. The county
also claims it has the po
lice power to shutter the
facility in order to protect
???the health, safety and
welfare??? of its citizens.
The county is asking the
court to issue an injunc
tion to immediately halt
events at the venue. It is
also asking the court to
declare the venue a public
nuisance and to shut it
down permanently.
No initial court date for
the pending legal battle
has been set.
FLOYD
??2022 THE HERALD GAZETTE, BARNESVILLE, LAMAR COUNTY, GA 30204, 770.358.NEWS