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gainesvilletimes com
Weekend Edition-December 23-24, 2022
John Chambliss Managing Editor | 770-718-3407 | news@gainesvilletimes.com
Gainesville reapportions district map
New boundaries set to comply with state law, account for continued growth
BY BRIAN WELLMEIER
bwellmeier@gainesvilletimes.com
Gainesville’s election district
map has been revised after the
City Council voted on Tuesday to
approve a home rule ordinance,
reapportioning the city’s bound
ary lines to comply with state law
and account for continued growth
in the area over the last 10 years.
A significant change to the dis
trict map is the reduction of Ward
4, according to City Manager
Bryan Lackey.
“In general, Ward 4 had to
shrink,” Lackey said. “That’s
where the growth has been
through Mundy Mill and the ques
tion is development since the last
time we did a census.”
The newly approved district
map now shows Ward 4, which
had included much of the down
town area, now receded back
to the southwest — the center
of much of the growth seen in
Gainesville over the years.
Ward 2 has now moved in to
include much of the downtown
area where Ward 4 once was.
“Because of that, the other
wards had to grow,” Lackey
explained. “Ward 2 now comes in
(and) goes a little beyond down
town. That’s the biggest change.”
Lackey said few changes were
made to the other wards, though
Ward l’s boundaries took a slight
expansion across Lake Lanier and
into territory in northwest Hall
that Ward 2 once covered.
The two main reasons for
amending the map, according
to Lackey, are the growth and
annexation that have taken place
in the city over the last decade.
“It’s mainly growth, and it could
be some annexation,” Lackey
said. “There’s just a lot of people
that have moved to the city in the
last 10 years. We’ve seen phenom
enal growth. State law requires
every 10 years that we balance
our wards and there’s been a lot of
growth in Ward 4.”
Councilwoman Barbara Brooks,
acting as mayor pro tem in Mayor
Sam Couvillon’s absence, recog
nized those behind the redistrict
ing effort following Tuesday’s
regular meeting.
“The council worked diligently,
looking at all stakeholders, their
positions, and we think we have
come up with the best solution for
everybody,” Brooks said. “I’m just
grateful for the organizations that
gave their input, grateful for the
city manager and staff who went
(above) and beyond. I’m really
grateful to the city board of edu
cation for being willing to take this
on as a partnership, and looking
for us to sort of shape the districts
so that we’re in sync.”
Members of Gainesville’s City
Council include Danny Dunagan
(Ward 1), Zack Thompson (Ward
2), Brooks (Ward 3), George
Wangemann (Ward 4) and Juli
Clay (Ward 5).
The ordinance took effect
immediately following its unani
mous passage.
More Magoo’s to enjoy
Huey Magoo’s has opened a second Hall County location on Spout Springs Road in Braselton.
Times file photo
Restaurant opens second location in Braselton
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
Huey Magoo’s chicken restaurant
has opened a new location in South
Hall.
The 3,500-square-foot store at 7310
Spout Springs Road in Braselton fea
tures an outdoor patio and mobile
ordering pickup window.
Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, the
restaurant is next to Publix-anchored
Friendship Springs Village shopping
center.
It is the fourth of up to 25 Huey
Magoo’s stores set to open in the
Atlanta area, with other locations in
Loganville, Oakwood and Dacula,
from franchise group DAD’s Tenders.
The Oakwood location opened in
November 2021, taking over an old
Steak ‘n Shake restaurant.
The Braselton location “is a perfect
fit for the style of restaurant, atmo
sphere and reputation we are creat
ing here locally in Georgia,” said Alex
Larson of DAD’s Tenders.
The store is also the Florida-based
chain’s 40th location overall.
The restaurant features grilled,
hand-breaded and sauced chicken
tenders, as well as salads, sandwiches
and wraps.
Client sues
lawyer, firm in
job injury case
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
Editor’s note: This published in a previous E-Paper
edition and is being provided here for print-only readers.
A man who lost his legs in a workplace incident has
filed a lawsuit against his former attorney, alleging that
the lawyer did not turn over the man’s files after he hired
new counsel, according to court documents.
Zach and Jennifer Johnson filed a lawsuit Monday,
Dec. 19, against Michael Weaver Jr. and the Weaver Law
Firm in Hall County Superior Court.
Attorney Matt Cook said his client, Zach Johnson,
was working for the city of Toccoa when his legs were
entrapped Dec. 2 in a baler machine. The attorney said
Zach Johnson lost both legs below the knee and is still
hospitalized.
According to the lawsuit, the Johnsons originally hired
Michael Weaver Jr. and the Weaver Law Firm to repre
sent them and signed a contract.
The lawsuit claimed that someone at the law firm
attended a site inspection of the incident scene and took
photos and videos of the baler machine.
After the inspection, the Johnsons retained other
counsel.
The Johnsons’ new counsel reached out to Weaver to
withdraw from the case and return their files, assuring
that they would be compensated for their brief represen
tation, according to the lawsuit.
“Without responding to the Dec. 12 correspondence,
defendant Weaver directly contacted plaintiff Jennifer
Johnson via text to discuss his prior representation of
(the) plaintiffs, but he did not offer a copy of (the) plain
tiffs’ file,” according to the lawsuit.
Weaver said in an email that he had seen a copy of the
complaint.
“We deny the allegations contained within it, but can
not comment further at this time due to the pending liti
gation,” Weaver wrote in an email.
The lawsuit claimed the Johnsons’ lawyers reached
out again on Dec. 14 and 16 to get the files ahead of a Dec.
20 site inspection of the baler machine.
The lawsuit stated that the photos and videos “are
essential to plaintiffs and to their experts so that they
can review those photographs and inspect the subject
machine prior to attending any inspection.”
“The ethical rules are clear,” Cook said. “The law is
clear. The client owns the file.”
Cook said Judge Michelle Hall ruled Tuesday after a
hearing that Weaver has to provide the file and any com
munications related to this case.
The lawsuit claimed the defendants were liable for
breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and inten
tional withholding of plaintiffs’ property. The case is
seeking “compensatory, nominal and punitive damages.”
Cook said he is still “pursuing all remedies.”
Man indicted in federal court in fentanyl distribution case
Bailey
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@
gainesvilletimes.com
A Gainesville man was
indicted earlier this month
in federal court on multiple
counts of fentanyl distribution,
according to court documents.
Lyedrekus Onetaye Bailey,
34, was indicted Dec. 7 by a fed
eral grand jury in the Gaines
ville division of U.S. District
Court.
The indictment alleges
Bailey distributed fentanyl
between October 2020 and Feb
ruary 2021.
Court documents also
showed that Bailey was pre
viously convicted of posses
sion of cocaine with intent to
distribute.
Defense attorney Mark Jef
frey did not return an email
seeking comment.
The Multi-Agency Narcotics
Squad, which is now the Special
Investigations Unit, previously
arrested Bailey in March 2021.
Hall County Sheriff’s Office
deputies stopped a car on Inter
state 985 at Mundy Mill Road.
The Sheriff’s Office said
deputies found more than 114
grams of heroin, worth an esti
mate $34,200.
Bailey was charged with traf
ficking heroin from the Sher
iff’s Office arrest.
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