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Page 4A — Wednesday, December 30, 2020, The True Citizen
OPINIONS
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LOOKING BACK
{this week in Burke County history}
10 YEARS AGO-DECEMBER 30,2010
Mrs. Lela W. Stone, a retired educator and former member
of the Burke County Board of Education, died at Kennestone
Hospital in Marietta. She was the wife of G. Samuel Stone,
long-time Georgia Extension Service county agent.
Burke County Administrator Merv Waldrop said that the
Special Local Option Sales Tax which began in 2006, was
about to run its course. Revenue had flowed in faster than
expected and the tax, scheduled to be in place until 2012,
could be collected as early as next March.
Area farmers were being victimized by metal thieves who
were stealing copper wiring from equipment. Surveillance
cameras had captured images of one of the thieves, but he
had not been identified.
25 YEARS AGO-JANUARY 4,1996
A veteran Waynesboro postal employee, Frederick
Williams, was charged with murder in the shooting death of
his estranged wife in her Richmond County home on New
Year’s morning.
Beth Ann Smith was appointed Waynesboro City Attorney
by newly elected Mayor Martin Dolin. She replaced Gary
A. Glover, who had served in the post for 20 years. Pauline
Jenkins was unanimously elected vice-mayor.
Burke County had a new congressman, Rep. Charles
Norwood, as the result of the Federal Courts redrawing the
congressional districts.
50 YEARS AGO-DECEMBER 30,1995
Mrs. W.D. Drew assumed her duties as Clerk of the City
of Midville.
Jenkins County native John Roy Clifton joined the staff
of the Waynesboro-Burke County Recreation Department.
Clifton had recently earned his degree in recreation from
Georgia Southern College.
Advertisers included John Greiner Contractor & Realty,
Keller Aluminum Chairs, Mims Service Station and Skinner
Auto Supply.
75 YEARS AGO-JANUARY 3,1946
The Jarvis Drug Company’s $25 war bond was awarded
to the first baby born in the county. The winner was a baby
girl born to Mrs. Maggie Ruth Parish of Pine Street in
Waynesboro.
B.D. Ellis and C.L. Abbott opened a modem Shell Service
Station on Liberty Street.
Alfred Steadman, recently returned from four years service
in the Navy, joined the Ruby L. Davis Insurance Agency.
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Waynesboro, Georgia 30830
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THE PRESIDENT
SAYS HO PARDON
FOR YOU I
BEN ROBERTS
benroberts@bellsouth.net
With us crossing the thresh
old into a new year and just
about every one of us hoping
and praying for 2021 to be
vastly different than this year, I
thought I might offer up a little
New Year’s resolution for our
local elected officials to aspire
to: let’s get back to - or in some
instances, let’s start - doing the
business of the public out in the
public.
Several years ago, I was
having a discussion with a lo
cal elected official when they
suggested they were the “most
transparent” officeholder in
Burke County. This was disap
pointing for several reasons.
One, they were simply flat out
wrong in their assessment and,
two, they weren’t exactly set
ting the bar real high.
I’ve never been very im
pressed with the forthrightness
of any of our public offices. I
understand that it can be ag
gravating having to answer to
pesky citizens out there but
that’s just the nature of the
beast. If you want to live off the
public dime, you’ve got to be
willing to dance with the public
when they ask.
The problem is, I’m not en
tirely sure the vast majority of
our local elected officials or
public workers understand the
concept of transparency.
At the Burke County Com
mission meeting in November
I broke one of the cardinal
rules of journalism by involv
ing myself in the meeting by
responding to something one
of the Commissioner’s said. It
was not one of my prouder mo
ments, but the level of outright
dishonesty was more than I
could stand.
At one point, Commissioner
Lucious Abrams suggested that
the Commission’s public meet
ing was not the proper place to
discuss the reasons behind a
change in public policy.
This was the same meeting
where county attorney Barry
Fleming, an elected state rep
resentative himself, provided
legal cover to the Commission’s
backroom dealings, forgetting
it seems that while the Com
missioners might sign his pay-
check, he’s supposed to actually
be working for the rest of us.
Earlier this year, during a
virtual debate, Sheriff Alfonzo
Williams got visibly irritated
when his primary opponent,
Wayne Scott, brought up the
purchase of an aerial drone that
cost the BCSO almost $30,000.
The sheriff was angry this infor
mation had been leaked and he
threatened that he would find
the culprit.
The catch is, you can’t really
“leak” public information since
its very definition means that it
should be available and known
to the public.
Of course, it can be hard for
citizens or taxpayers or newspa
per writers to get information if
you can’t even get in the door
to a so-called public meeting.
The Waynesboro City Coun
cil closed their monthly meet
ings earlier this year due to
COVID-19 and has kept them
closed ever since. You can at
tempt to watch them on Face-
book but good luck hearing
anything they say.
I’d be willing to give them
credit for their concern for
public safety except these same
council members are out all
over town attending functions
and going to church on Sun
day. I’m not suggesting you
shouldn’t be in church, but
there’s not a congregation in
this county smaller than the
group of people trying to get
into a city council meeting so I
doubt they’re going to become
a super-spreader event.
And next month, in their first
meeting of the year, the Burke
County Board of Education will
decide on what day and time
of the month they’ll hold their
meetings in 2021. And, just as
they’ve done for the almost 20
years I’ve lived here, I’m will
ing to bet they’ll continue to
hold those meeting at the same
day and time as the County
Commission meeting because
nothing says transparency like
forcing your citizens to choose
which meeting they want to
attend.
So, here’s to hoping we see
some meaningful change in
2021, but a little more public
service from some of our public
officials would be a nice start.
Don Lively
THE WEEK OF
I'm a fellow who loves to be
on the road.
Traveling is my favorite of
all pastimes.
I also raised my children to
be independent and, sometimes
to my regret, they actually took
me at my word and through
the years scattered to the four
winds.
So how does that all relate to
this week's screed?
Well, I'll tell you.
In my lifetime I have awoken
on Christmas morning in six
different states.
Now, if you're a career mili
tary person, somebody spend
ing Christmases in six states
sounds like a piker, but for
many folks, the Holidays spent
anywhere except "home" is
unheard of. I know plenty of
people who have spent every
Christmas of their lives in the
same place.
The point of all this is, it
gives me a perspective of com
parison.
America, with oceans on
three sides and mountains,
plains, deserts, rain forests,
valleys and vast waterways
scattered from border to border,
is blessedly located on a planet
where many other countries
are not much more than vast
wastelands.
It's not an accident.
God ordained America's
greatness before He created
the universe.
Because I've gotten to see
every state and have traveled
extensively all across "the
fruited plain", I will never lay
down and watch her become
just another third world country
without a fight, and I suspect
most of you feel the same way.
Once again, I've digressed.
Christmas week.
My first twenty some odd
Christmases were spent right
here in this neck of the woods.
The familiar smells of cedar and
Mama's cooking still lingered
in the days after Christmas and
the memories of those times are
forever burnished into my heart.
Christmas week in the Blessed
South, for a young farmboy,
was a magical, relaxing time
away from school and from
chores. A time to visit cousins
and compare Christmas gifts.
Perhaps to wander the woods
with that new J.C. Higgins 22
rifle that I found under the tree,
in search of squirrels or rabbits.
Other years I sat under a pine
with my brand new guitar trying
my best to play House Of The
Rising Sun, and failing, but en
joying the sounds just the same.
A week after I graduated
from college I headed Out West
where I would spend the next
thirty years. Christmases in
Colorado, more often than not,
were "white" with newly fallen
snow adding to the already fes
tive feeling. Many times in the
days immediately following
Christmas we would take our
children sledding in the foot
hills of the Rockies and then
warm up with hot chocolate
and cookies right out of the
oven while new snow fell on
the already frozen landscape.
If that ain't Christmas, grits ain't
groceries.
During those same years
we would occasionally spend
Christmas in Texas where my
wife's family lived. Did you
know that folks in Texas deco
rate their Christmas trees with
chili peppers and spurs? Yep.
The wind almost always blows
across the Texas plains and
Christmastime is no excep
tion. The chill would go right
through you but during walks
around the neighborhood af
ter the gifts were opened and
brunch was eaten, you'd hear
George Strait or Jerry Jeff
Walker Christmas songs com
ing from the houses.
After my kids scattered I
spent one Christmas in Califor
nia where my Marine son and
his wife and newborn boy were
living. Having a Christmas
meal on the Santa Monica pier
jutting out into the Pacific made
for an unforgettable Christ
mas week. It's not unusual to
see palm trees decorated with
lights and garland, or to catch
a glimpse of a surfer out on the
waves dressed as Santa Claus.
Another Christmas was spent
in the Show Me State of Mis
souri. It was a delightful time
with just a smidgen of snow
on the ground, cold temps and
lots of hugs from two of my five
grands. Another highlight of
that Christmas was standing at
continued on page 5A