Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
^Reporter
June 29, 2011
www.mymcr.net/vent.
If you voted for Obama in
2008 to prove you were not
a racist, then you better vote
for someone else in 2012 to
prove you are not an idiot!
rank: 36
I would like to know why the
welfare department doesn't
verify whether people are re
ally separated before giving
out food stamps. I know 2
girls that are receiving over
$1,000/mo. and have never
been separated from their
husbands rank: 14
Mr. Jay Johnston would be
an excellent choice for the
BSMS principal position!
rank: 11
I don't want to sound like
Obama, but I also inherited
the Ga Power suit. It was
done while I was out of of
fice and signed by the late
Chairman, Ben Spear.
Harold Carlisle rank: 10
Thank you, Harold Carlisle
for your letter explaining
your efforts to resolve the
county line dispute. Can you
now explain why MC hired
Jim Ham's brother-in-law in
the GA Power tax suit and
ended up paying him over a
million dollars for doing al
most nothing to earn it?
rank: 10
Dear God, thank you for the
rain, rank: 9
Say NO to new school tax
es!!! rank: 9
Thank you Mr. Carlisle for
answering my Vent. Also,
thank you for trying to run
the MC Coms'ers' meetings
when you were chairman in
a dignified and business like
manner in spite of having to
work with such BUFOONS!!
The deck was surely
stacked against you. rank: 8
Extract the federal govern
ment from our public school
so the student can learn and
teachers can teach. No
more Title One, Two or any
thing similar, rank: 7
Georgia doesn't have edu
cation unions. So, these
non-existent entities are not
running our school board
meetings. Therefore, your
comment, my good friend, is
what the kids these days call
an "Epic Fail." rank: 7
Jim Ham, you need to read
the MCR Vent every week.
The taxpayers and the vot
ers are trying to tell you
something. RETIRE -before
we retire you like we did Mr.
Mike Bilderback! rank: 7
A "mistake" is mixing salt in
stead of sugar into your cof
fee. Jeff Davis did not make
a mistake, he made a
"choice." It was a bad
choice to drink and drive. I
applaud him for owning up
to it, but drunk driving is not
a mistake. It's a choice! It
can be a deadly choice. Just
ask Austin Bustos, rank: 6
If you are a teacher and
think PAGE is a union organ
ization, you need to find a
different occupation. You are
in over your head, rank: 6
It amazes me that 1/2 the
venters on this post do not
know the difference be
tween: THERE, THEIR AND
THEY'RE. Wow! rank: 6
Mr. Will Davis, the fight for
open government should
apply to the BOE also. We
want extensive coverage of
BOE meetings in the paper,
rank: 6
Not enough books for every
student, not going to school
180 days, budget shortfall,
no money but there's a new
position at the BOE. How
much is that going to cost
us? rank: 6
City voters to decide Sun. sales in Nov.
BY RICHARD DUMAS
Forsyth citizens will
have the opportunity to
vote in November whether
to allow Sunday alcohol
sales by the drink in city
restaurants and hotels.
Forsyth council voted
unanimously Tuesday to
approve placing a referen
dum on the November city
election ballot that will
allow citizens to deter
mine whether restaurants
and hotels can serve on
Sunday. Monroe County
has allowed the Sunday
sale of alcohol in county
restaurants and hotels
since 2000.
Sunday sales would only
be allowed at restaurants
that get over 50 percent of
their sales from food or
hotels that see over 50
percent of income from
overnight lodging. The ref
erendum will not affect
laws against package
sales in liquor or grocery
stores.
City attorney Bobby
Melton said the question
on the ballot will read:
Shall the governing
authority of the City of
Forsyth be authorized to
permit and regulate
Sunday sales of distilled
spirits or alcoholic bever
ages for beverage purpos
es by the drink?”
Melton said the ballot
question does not specify
restaurants and hotels,
but that the law does.
Among the affected
existing establishments
are: Ramada Inn, Jonah's
on Johnston, El Tejado
Mexican Restaurant and
Grits Cafe, when it is
open on Sunday.
The Forsyth-Monroe
County Chamber of
Commerce's govern
mental affairs com
mittee approached
council about the
measure several
weeks ago at the
request of the local
restaurant associa
tion.
Governmental
affairs committee co
chairs Todd Tolbert and
Phil Viviani said they
researched the issue and
believe that allowing
Sunday sales will help
Forsyth attract a major
restaurant franchise, as
well as make Forsyth
more competitive in bring
ing in Sunday events,
such as conventions.
Tolbert told council
members during council's
Tuesday work session that
the full chamber board
unanimously approved
asking council to put the
referendum on the ballot.
"Not a single person
raised a concern other
than they wanted to let
everyone know that we
(Chamber) weren't encour
aging the consumption of
alcohol," Tolbert said.
"From the business com
munity's standpoint, the
three items that really are
key are tourism, mar
ketability and competi
tiveness."
Viviani said he heard
that a major Macon
restaurant chain wanted
to have a location in
Warner Robins but decid
ed not to as a result of the
city's alcohol restriction.
Tolbert said the govern-
against it because no one
approached them asking
for Sunday sales in pack
age stores like the local
restaurant association did.
Not a single person raised a concern other than they
wanted to let everyone know that we (Chamber)
weren't encouraging the consumption of alcohol.
- Todd Tolbert, government affairs chairman of the
Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce
Hit me with your best shot
Stephanie Lanier-George plays the Vegas girl as she sells
cards to patrons for a chance to win money at “Arts a la
Carte”, a fund-raiser hosted by the Monroe County Arts Al
liance on Saturday night. She finds a willing buyer in Eddie
Sheppard, at right. Held at Gallery 51, the evening gala
gave supporters a chance to participate in several commu
nity art projects and bid on a variety of locally made artwork
in an auction. David and Kelli Bailey of River Forest even
donated their Hilton Head home to auction for weekend
getaway. Organizer Ann Rose said the event was a big suc
cess for the Alliance. See more photos at www.mymcr.net.
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mental affairs committee's
job is to research and
report back to the
Chamber and to educate
the community on the pos
sible impact. He told coun
cil members they will not
be asked to endorse sup
porting the approval of
alcohol sales.
"We're not asking the
city council, city govern
ment, or any of you to go
out (community members
in attendance) and solicit
votes for it," Tolbert said.
"Leave that to us (govern
mental affairs commit
tee). Leave that to the
restaurant organization."
Forsyth mayor Tye
Howard said some citi
zens still think the refer
endum also involves
package sales because
Gov. Nathan Deal signed
a bill in April allowing
local governments to put
Sunday alcohol sales in
package and grocery
stores on the ballot.
Tolbert said his commit
tee considered requesting
putting package sales on
the ballot but decided
)orterl
Tolbert said committee
research showed that
package stores sell the
same amount in six days
that they do in seven
days, but they have the
added expense of staying
open an extra day. Tolbert
Advanced
added that no one
approached the Chamber.
Tolbert added that there
is a much better chance of
passing a referendum ask
ing for restaurant
sales than package
sales in 2011
because off-year
election voters are
historically more
conservative than
voters in a presiden
tial election year,
f the measure does
not pass in November, the
issue could reappear next
year because Tolbert said
the committee would prob
ably approach council ask
ing for another referen
dum in 2012.
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