Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 106 NO. 51 PERRY, HOUSTON COUNTY, BA., THURSDAY DEC. 16, 1976~ 32 RACES 2 SECTIONS
To Join City’s Law Firm
Hulhert Resigns
Post On Council
1 ™
Skeet Hulbert
$ Perry City Councilman
David P. (Skeet) Hulbert
Jr. ( confirmed to The
Home Journal this week
that he will resign his
council post effective Dec.
31, in order to become a
partner in the Perry
Warner Robins law firm
of Walker, Clarke, Mc-
Connell, Richardson and
Hulbert. Hulbert is now
practicing law in Perry by
himself.
*Garbage Workers
Stay Out Os Work
Thirteen city sanitation
workers failed to show up
for work on Tuesday as a
protest to city council to
wage increases they
had demanded. Council, in
a special meeting, voted
not to meet the demands,
saying they were
"exhorbitant."
Councilman Dr. Jerome
Bloodworth, chairman of
the city sanitation dept.,
stated, "We felt like their
demands were too much
and we had not budgeted
what they demanded. We
also felt it was dangerous
to set a precedent by city
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These People Are All Paid Up!
Shown here are some of the members of the Perry Area
Chamber of Commerce who have paid their dues for next
** year. They are gathered at the chamber quarters on
Washington Street. From left, chamber assistant executive
director Ann Conner, Glen Van Fossen, Forrest Baynard, E.
The Houston Home Journal
Published Every Thursday At Perry, Georgia- - - A Certified Georgia City
Hulbert's resignation is
brought about because
continuing to serve would
be a conflict of interest
since the law firm he is
joining represents the City
of Perry. The senior
partner in the firm, Larry
Walker, is the city at
torney.
Hulbert told The Home
Journal, "Serving the city
has been an enjoyable and
rewarding experience and
I have thoroughly enjoyed
serving with the mayor
and council."
He further stated, "I will
continue to do anything I
possibly can to assist the
city administration and the
members of council."
Hulbert has just com
pleted his first full year on
council. His resignation
means a special election
will be held 30 to 45 days
after his final day on
council. The council will
set the qualifying dates
and the date for the special
election to fill the two year
unexpired term.
Mayor James McKinley,
commenting on Hulbert's
employees to put such
pressure on city officials,
so we simply did not meet
the demands."
Dr. Bloodworth said he
considers the 13 workers
no longer employed by the
city. He said applications
are now being accepted at
city hall to fill the
vacancies.
In the meantime, gar
bage will be picked up by
city street dept, employees
and prison labor from the
Houston Correctional
Institute. Bloodworth
noted that the prisoners
resignation, said, "This is
a terrible loss to the city. I
have come to know Skeet
very well since he got
elected to council and I do
not believe I have ever
served with anyone more
dedicated, honest and of
such high character. He
always approached
problems with intelligence
and thought things out well
before making a final
decision. His attitude has
always been deliberate,
positive and open minded,
and that has meant much
to this council and to the
people he has so ably
served."
Hulbert is presently
serving as chairman of the
city's community planning
and development com
mittee, co-chairman of the
finance committee and
member of the public
works committee.
WHOWILL RUN?
Hulbert's decision was not
known by many prior to
the publication of this
week's Home Journal so
speculation on just who
are all under supervision
of guards.
Bloodworth added, "As
soon as we are able to fill
these jobs, we will phase
out the prison labor but in
the meantime we are
grateful for the help of the
county warden Allen Stone
and his crew to help us
keep up with the garbage
collection."
Bloodworth said the
workers who quit were
making in range from $2.21
to $2.45 to the highest paid
at $2.64 an hour and they
were all demanding flat
increases to $3.00 an hour.
Carter Smith, Hugh Lawson Jr., George Nunn, Tony Ed
mondson, Bill Nipper, Hugh Lawson Sr., Bob Richardson,
David Pierce, chamber president Jim' Geiger, McKinley
Franklin, Charles Evans, Dallas Goff, Bobby Tuggle, Shaffer
Day, Pete Dlearo.
might seek the unexpired
term is sparse. However,
The Home Journal con
tacted Security Federal
Savings vice president Al
Baggarley to ask if he
would consider making the
race and he stated, "The
news is so sudden that I
will have to have time to'
think it over carefully, but
I certainly would not want
to close the door on the
posslbllty of my running
for this most important
post."
Baggarley, on his first
entrance into city politics
last December, was
defeated in a close race for
the council by Councilman
Dr. Jerome Bloodworth.
Candlelight March To Be Held Sunday
Perry's Second Annual
Olde Fashioned Christmas
celebration continues this
weekend, with the Can
dlelight Procession
scheduled for Sunday
evening, December 19.
Project cochairman
Councilman Gene Smith
advises churches to have
their members leave on
the way toward the
courthouse by about 7:15
p.m. to be at the Christmas
tree by 7:30 p.m.
Townspeople will carry
lighted candles from their
respective churches as
they walk as congregations
toward the tree, with all
scheduled to arrive at the
same time. Last year the
event was marked by
drizzling cold rain, but
more than a thousand
persons participated
anyway. The ceremony
was called one of the most
beautiful events in the
city's history.
Special music at the
Courthouse will be
directed by First Baptist
Minister of Music Bob
Brewer and by Perry
United Methodist Youth
Director Jim Mcllrath.
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Kiwanis ‘Man Os The Year ’
Perry Mayor James McKinley (R) is shown
here receiving the Perry Kiwanis Club’s “Man of
the Year” award Tuesday night from State
Representative Larry Walker. The Mayor was
cited by Walker for his long years of service to the
community and for his leadersship role in city
government and many other areas of community
Olde Fashioned Christmas Celebration
The Devotional and Prayer James McKinley, more minister Rev. Tom After a song, the
will be given by Rev. music will follow. The Johnson. Special guest benediction will be given
Daniel Thomas of the New speaker will be Perry by Rev. James Stewart of
Hope Baptist Church. speaker will be introduced United Methodist associate Perry Presbyterian
After, remarks by Mayor by Perry United Methodist minister Rev. J.B. Smith. Church.
Sales Tax Fails
In one of the lightest
turnouts in Houston County
history, a proposed sales
tax went down to crushing
defeat Tuesday in the
county, by a 4,762 to 1,674
count. Only twenty one
percent of registered
voters cast a ballot.
A total of 836 Perryans
took time to go to the polls
Tuesday, with 637 saying
no to the proposed sales
tax, and 199 voting yes.
Only two of the 15
precincts in the county had
a majority voting for the
tax, and those two by only
six votes total. Henderson
Only Two Precincts Favor Increase
precinct said yes 17 to 15,
and Elko voted aye 22 to 18.
The other 13 precincts cast
overwhelming negative
ballots, including all of the
nine absentee ballots.
County Commissioners
were subdued after being
notified of the results.
County Commission
Chairman Dr. V.W.
McEver said, "The ab
normally low turnout had a
lot to do with the defeat.
People against a
proposition will vote.
Those in favor will stay at
home during bad
weather."
Commissioners Charles
Carter and Alton Tucker
added, "I basically think it
was a case of most people
misunderstanding the law.
City Clerk
Resigns Job
Mrs. Ruth Bunting, for
the past 22 years the Perry
City Clerk and Treasurer,
has announced her
resignation effective
December 31, 1976. Mrs.
Bunting began work for the
City in January 1955 and
has worked under direc
tion of seven Mayors.
Mrs. Bunting is married
to Neal Bunting, a
salesman with 3-M
National Advertising
Company. She and her
husband reside at 1007
First Street.
"Mrs. Ruth" has four
sons: Marvin W. Griffin,
Jr., 38, who lives in
life. McKinley joins a long list of distinguished
Perryans who have received the award in the
past, including U.S. Senator Sam Nunn. At the left
is Kiwanis president Tom Holland and in the
foreground is guest speaker Ellis Swint, president
of Southern Meat Co. of Columbus, Ga.
It might have come at the
wrong time too, too close to
Christmas.”
Carter said he "had a
bad feeling the past two or
three days. I'm sure what
Mayor McKinley (James
McKinley of Perry) said
had a bad effect. A lot of
people evidently believe
his figures, even though I
think they are
unrealistic."
McEver said he doubted
the Warner Robins City
Council would introduce
the sales tax proposal for a
citywide vote, despite
other predictions to that
effect. "I don't think
anyone in Warner Robins
would be interested. If it
was voted in, businesses
would just move outside
Chamblee; Terry T.
Grlffin-36; living In
Westfield, New Jersey;
Bobby R. Grlffln-34, living
In Tifton; and Ronnie A.
Grlffin-32, a Perry
resident.
The popular City Clerk-
Treasurer worked for she
County Health Department
and for Dr. A.G. Hendrick
prior to her association
with the city. The seven
Mayors under whose
direction she worked In
cluded: the late Stanley
Smith, Milton Beckham,
Richard Ray, Malcolm
Reese, John Barton, Dan
Britton, and James
McKinley.
the city limits." He added
that the crushing defeat
would also deter
resurrection ideas.
The Warner Robins
surgeon added, ''l
definitely think this will
hurt the efforts to attract
industry into the county."
The theory Is that in
dustries prefer lower ad
valorem tax bases, even if
sales taxes are imposed.
The seven Warner
Robins precincts were
unanimous in their defeat
of the question. A total of
1,085 voters were for the
sales tax, but 3,316 voted
against it being levied.
If it is passed, the sales
tax collections would have
mandated a rollback of
property taxes a year after
col lections bagan.
Projections based on 1976
figures indicate Warner
Robins would have
received $982,000 in
revenue, Perry $227,000,
Centerville $50,600, and
Houston County's unin
corporated area $545,000.
Houston County would
have had to rollback
property taxes in the
unincorporated area only,
and this may have had a
bearing on the defeat. City
residents would have
received a reduction In
their city taxes.