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Vol. 142, No. 36 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Established in 1882 Wednesday, October 26, 2022 - $1.00
Development Authority budget comes under scrutiny
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
While much to-do has been made
about spending at the Sheriff’s Of
fice, the Development Authority of
Burke County may be a golden goose
whose wings could use clipping.
The Board of Commissioners
recently approved $3,241,250 for
the DABC for 2023, of which ap
proximately $135,000 will be spent
on salaries. There are discussions
about the need for a new vehicle
to be driven by Director Jonathan
Lupo, hired in March. Lupo lives in
Columbia County.
County Manager Merv Waldrop
reported during the Tuesday, October
25 meeting that the DABC checking
account at Southern Bank holds a
balance of roughly $431,000. Two
certificate of deposits at Queens-
borough Bank amounts to about
$500,000. A Georgia Fund I account
amounts to more than $1.9 million.
SPLOSTIV balance, including sales
tax collection and interest amounts
to approximately $2.5 million. The
total of all the DABC accounts
equals $5,397,798.96. However, the
DABC, may still not have enough
money despite the fact that it’s been
years since they brought any jobs to
the county.
Commissioner Evans Martin, not a
regular attendee of the early morning
meetings, asked an important ques
tion during this week’s meeting.
“So the total of the accounts is
$5,397,798.86 right?” he asked “So,
that is money that is available that we
could use before the County has to
pitch in for projects, correct?”
Lupo quickly responded in a way
that kept the door open should the
DABC come to the board with fur
ther financial requests.
“The SPLOST (equal- SEE
ing approximately half DABC,
of the available funds) 12
Seated next to Mayor-elect Bill Tinley, Commissioner Evans Martin (right)
attended the Development Authority meeting Tuesday, October 25.
Career Day
The future of Burke County legal system. Celebrating career day at Waynesboro Primary a Police Officer,
a Judge, and an Attorney... Left to right: Major Burley, Zuri Wimberly, and Carter Williams.
Early voting shows strong
turnout in Burke County
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Burke County early voter turnout
is looking strong as the November 8
election day approaches.
Board of Elections Director Beau
Gunn said the number of early vot
ers last week reached nearly as high
as the entire 3-week period in May.
“Turnout is way up,” he said.
“That is pretty standard statewide,
but it’s a good thing.”
The BOE has seen at least 200
people show up to cast their votes
on every week day. Saturday voting
hosted 128 voters, an increase of 30
ballots cast on a Saturday earlier in
the year.
“I hope that pace continues,”
Gunn said.
The BOE is open for early vot
ing at the Historic Courthouse from
9a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and Satur
day, October 29 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
as well.
“Of course election day all 16
polling locations will be open,”
Gunn said. “If people decide to go on
Election Day, November 8, they will
have to go to their assigned polls.”
The deadline for absentee ballot
by mail requests is Friday, October
28. Applications can be mailed to the
BOE at Burkereg@burkecounty-ga.
gov. Forms are also available on the
BOE’s website.
“We encourage and invite people
to vote early and in-person,” Gunn
said. “There haven’t been any lines
really. It moves really quickly and
there hasn’t been more than a 15
minute wait for anybody.”
Included on the ballot is the heated
race for United States Senate. The
candidates include Republican
Herschel Junior Walker, Democrat
Incumbent Raphael Warnock and
Libertarian Chase Oliver.
Warnock's vote has proved rel
evant on a number of legislative
items, including the Inflation Re
duction Act, which passed without
any Republican support. Last year,
former President Donald Trump
endorsed Walker, an ex-professional
football player.
The Georgia Governor’s seat is
also up for grabs in a controversial
race. Republican Incumbent Brian
Kemp is running against Democrat
Stacey Abrams and Libertarian
Shane Hazel.
During a debate Monday, October
17, Kemp pledged not to pursue any
new restrictions on abortion or birth
control beyond the “Heartbeat Bill”
he signed in 2019. Abrams, who nar
rowly lost the race for governor four
years ago, has criticized Kemp as an
extremist on abortion.
Locally, Democrat Clinton Bates
and Incumbent Republican Tommy
Nix are vying for the District 4
County Commissioner seat. Allie
Crockett is running for Brier Creek
Soil and Water Conservation District
Supervisor. C. Britt Herrington and
Lacey Hillis Zorn are running for
the Waynesboro City Council seat
vacated by Bill Tinley.
A referendum on the ballot gives
voters the chance to vote yes or no
on a one percent sales tax (SPLOST)
estimated to raise $40,500,000 to
ward projects within Burke County
and its individual cities. The project
list includes funding broadband
throughout the county.
Examining conflict in Iraq through the eyes of two local veterans
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Christopher Jones and Gregory
Fitzgerald Robinson are two Burke
County men who served their coun
try with military duties in Iraq.
Jones entered the U.S. Marine
Corp through the delayed entry pro
gram in 1984. Drawn to the uniform
and rumors of toughness, he wanted
to see for himself how tough Marines
were. He entered boot camp July
9, 1985 at Parris Island in South
Carolina after he graduated from
T.W. Josey High School in Augusta.
Growing up on a farm, he was accus
tomed to hard work and boot camp
seemed like a “summer break.”
“We had the farm down in Waynes
boro and we worked from sun up to
sundown,” Jones recalled. “Boot
camp was a little break, but it had
its ups and downs, here and there.”
Jones was trained in machinist
school for six months. Initially a
reservist, Jones joined active duty
in 1987 and was stationed at Camp
Lejeune, North Carolina where he
trained as a heavy equipment motor
mechanic. He was deployed during
a “Mediterranean workup,” designed
to engage the soldiers in foreign
land training, and included travel
to Spain, Italy, France, Ireland and
Norway.
“Every country we went to, we
got with that country’s military and
trained with them,” Jones said.
Robinson graduated from Burke
County High School in 1989, but
didn’t enter the U.S. Army until
1997.
“I chose to marry somebody and
the job I had didn’t pay much, so I
joined the military,” he said.
Robinson completed his basic
training at Fort Jackson, South Caro
lina. At 25 years old, he was con
cerned that he might not be able to
keep up with his younger comrades.
“I quickly changed my mind once I
was around them,” he said. “I didn’t
feel like I was old, even though I was
considered to be the old guy.”
Robinson was
trained in commu
nications, which as
fate would have it,
found him stationed
SEE
VETERANS,
12
Gregory Fitzgerald Robinson
Christopher Jones