Newspaper Page Text
April 11
iReporter
Page 3A
VENT
www.MyMCR.net/vent
When a MAN has what
looks like a gun and is
pointing it at people and
putting it to their throats,
police had better react.
Police cannot be politi
cally correct. They respond,
votes: 6
It wasn t the newspaper or
deputies that disrespected
the guys family. He did a
real good job of disrespect
ing his own family! votes: 5
Commissioners work for the
citizens that elect them not
the other way around. No-
one wants to run because
its a joke, votes: 4
This new generation trying
to tell me (10 yrs active
army) that I should not have
a gun is the same genera
tion that eats Tide packs
and snorts condoms. What
the Neck" went wrong?
votes: 4
will bet that Marilyn will
not say anything about the
Left Wing, Muslim, Peta
activist, Vegan who shot up
YT with a PISTOL and not
an assault-style rifle in her
next article, votes: 4
The newspaper seems more
concerned about protect
ing our kids than the BOE.
votes: 3
Remember, drinking does
not solve your problems, but
at least it puts them on hold
until tomorrow, votes: 3
Why do y'all Good Ole
Southern Baptist Christians
keep harping on the Right
to Kill with Assault Weap
ons? Something or should I
say Someone AIN’T Right!!
votes: 3
Ambrose post on the MCR
page in tune with the other
Commissioners. Take it or
Leave It. They could really
care less about the citizens
of this county. Just keep
paying your taxes and you
get what we give, votes: 2
Anti-choice ...dress it up
however you want. You’re
still taking innocent life. And
yes, life begins at fertiliza
tion - whether it affects
your convenience or not.
votes: 2
What BOOK OF THE
BIBLE can I find Everything
matters so your that your
justification makes Sense?
votes: 2
May 22 can’t get here
quick enough. Its mid-April
and still not one comment
remotely close to an apol
ogy for hiring a convicted
pedophile. The BOE, it’s a
changin’, votes: 2
GET READY BOO, here
comes the Cross Creek
Circle people wanting to
stop the Apartments like
they tried to stop Bass Pro.
votes: 2
Just as Pres. Trump did, I
now congratulate Patrick
Reed on his Masters Cham
pionship. David slayed
Goliath even as everyone
rooted against him! votes: 2
In Forsyth like most small
towns, tell me exactly who
would we be defending
ourselves from? votes: 1
Mobley leads $$$ race for House District 141
Shane Mobley holds a
huge financial advantage in
the race for House District
141, according to campaign
finance reports filed last
week with the state.
Four Republicans, Mob
ley, Gary Bechtel, Todd Tol
bert and Dale Washburn,
are competing to replace
Allen Peake representing
north Bibb and south Mon
roe counties in the May 22
election.
Mobley, a healthcare
executive, reports loaning
his campaign $150,000,
giving him a giant finan
cial edge in the race. So far
Mobley reports spending
only about $2,000 of that,
on billboard, website and
Facebook advertising.
The next closest in cash is
former Bibb County com
missioner Gary Bechtel,
who reports $40,788 in
his campaign war chest.
Bechtel’s notable donors
include Monroe County
businessman Tyler Wood
($2,500), Macon mayor
Robert Reichert ($1,000),
Mercer president Bill Un
derwood ($1,000), former
Monroe County commis
sioner and waste manager
Jarod Lovett ($1,000) Ryan
and Rebecca McElvey of
Forsyth ($500), engineer
Carl Hofstadter ($500),
Forsyth native Hugh Sos-
ebee Jr. ($500) and former
Bibb commissioner Calder
Clay ($200).
Next in funding is Macon
real estate agent Dale
Washburn who reports
$24,660 in the bank.
The only Monroe County
candidate, Todd Tolbert,
reports just $9,628 in his
campaign account, though
he does boast a lot of local
donors. Those include For
syth developer Otis Ingram
($2,600) District 4 com
missioner George Emami
($1,000), Forsyth attorney
Joel Sherlock ($1,000),
district attorney Jonathan
Adams $500), Forsyth
businessman Henry Hicks
($500), Forsyth investment
manager Jason Jungberg
($300), MCR colum
nist Sloan Oliver ($250),
MedPro ($250), Forsyth
businessman Mac Brown
($250), likely sheriff candi
date Michael Bittick ($200),
and Velda Shackelford,
wife of Monroe County
chief deputy A1 Shackelford
($200).
Meanwhile, the Macon
Telegraph reported on
Tuesday that Bechtel owes
$2,500 in fines to the state
for not filing campaign
disclosure forms prior to
deadlines during previous
runs for county commis
sion, more than any other
Bibb commissioner, who
owe in total more than
$7,000. The Telegraph said
if commissioners don’t pay
their late-filing fees, they’ll
be subpeonaed to appear
before the state Georgia
Government Transparency
and Campaign Finance
Commission to explain
why.
Political debate set for April 30
Meet the candidates, ask questions
at Reporter forum at Alderman Hall
Monroe County vot
ers will have a chance to
hear from candidates for
school board and the state
legislature at a debate set
for Monday, April 30 at
Alderman Hall in Forsyth.
The Reporter is spon
soring the debate for all
contested elections in the
May 22 election.
Featured will be the Dis
trict 5 school board race
between incumbent chair
man Nolen Howard and
challenger Matt Morris, as
well as the candidates for
District 3, incumbent Phil
Walker and challengers
Tanya Williams and Greg
Head.
Another debate will
feature candidates for Dis
trict 141 in the Georgia
House of Representatives,
the seat being vacated by
Allen Peake. Running to
replace him are former
Bibb County commission
er Gary Bechtel, health
care executive Shane
Mobley, Monroe County
businessman Todd Tol
bert and Macon real estate
agent Dale Washburn.
Candidates for the city
council’s special election
to replace the late Dexter
King will also be invited.
The debate is set for 6
p.m. on Monday, April 30,
the first day of early vot
ing leading up to the May
22 election. If you have a
question you’d like asked
of any candidate, please
email to publisher@
mymcr.net.
APARTMENTS
Continued from Front
the thus-far undeveloped
tract, which has the ad
dresses of 101 Preston
Court and 5771 New For
syth Road, for $301,500 in
a bank sale on March 27,
2015.
The Monroe County
Planning & Zoning will
first hear the request at a
meeting at 5:30 p.m. on
Monday, April 23. Re
gardless of whether P&Z
approves the request,
Monroe County commis
sioners will have the final
say at their regular meet
ing at 6 p.m. on Tuesday,
May 1.
Both meetings are
open to the public, and a
large contingent of south
Monroe County residents
are expected to attend
and voice their opposition
to the proposed project.
Several opponents have
posted on Facebook that
adding the apartments
so close to the growing
Academy for Classical
Education (ACE) will cre
ate even more traffic woes.
According to its website,
“Vantage Development’s
objective of providing
high quality affordable
housing for seniors and
families dates back nearly
40 years to when we first
developed rural single
family housing in North
east Alabama. Today, our
primary development
focus is affordable rental
housing that utilizes
numerous funding pro
grams, including Federal
and state Housing Tax
Credits, state and local
HOME funds, Federal
Home Loan Bank AHP
grants/CIP loans, and
USDA 515/538 loans. To
date we have developed
39 operational facilities in
three states, including an
assisted living facility, and
are currently in various
stages of development on
numerous communities in
Alabama, Georgia, South
Carolina and Tennessee.”
Other Middle Georgia
apartment complexes
developed by Vantage
include: Jordan Estates in
Swainsboro, Pecan Hills
in Milledgeville, and The
Reserve at Hampton in
Fort Valley.
Internal Medicine Associates
of Middle Georgia
WELCOMES
Nurse Practitioner
Allison Bowden
to our Medical Team
Front: Nurse Practitioner Allison Bowden
Back L/R: Nurse Practitioner Lisa Goodwin, Dr. Craig Caldwell,
Nurse Practitioner Tammy Barnett & Dr. Jeremy Goodwin
a Internal
w Medicine Associates
of Middle Georgia
(478) 994-1010
97 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. • Forsyth, GA 31029
Monday - Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
i*r ★ ★ ★★ ★★★★★★ ★★ ★★★★★★ ★★ t*t t*t
UPDATE FROM THE GOLD DOME
End of Legislative Session Update
ACCOUNTING PROFESSIONALS.
BUSINESS CONSULTANTS.
Tax • Audit • Bookkeeping • IRS Representation
Certified Public Accountants
68 Northjackson Street • Forsyth
(p) 478-994-1820 • (f) 478-994-3102
www.hopkinscpaga.com
Serving Forsyth for more than 40 years!
HOPKINS
AH- associates
I WANT TO REPRESENT YOU! %
hJvote
TODD
TOLBERT
District 141
State Representative
Early Voting
April 30 - May 4
* i
Call me and let me how I
can earn your vote.
478-471-1035
Visit my webiste at
www. votetoI bert.com
By Rep. Robert Dickey
robert.dickey@house.ga.gov
The 2018 Georgia General Assembly ended on
Thursday, March 29th. As much as I enjoy represent
ing you in Atlanta, I am glad to be back home serving
you in our district and seeing you day to day at differ
ent events.
As I am writing this, I was distressed to learn of the
death of a great Monroe Countian - Harold Carlisle.
He has served our state and this county well forthe
last seventy years. Harold will be missed by not only
his Monroe County family but from friends and com
rades all over Georgia.
Overall this session was one of
the best in the last few years. We
started the session by passing
a couple pieces of legislation
from last year - the adoption
bill update and the largest state
income tax reduction since 1934.
The passage of these two bills
really set the tone for this year's
session which was making sure
we are conducting business of the state which will
make a real difference in the lives of the citizens of
Georgia. More Georgians are working today than
ever before with the all of the new business and small
business created.
In my first session eight years ago the mention of
the state's budget would bring frowns and groans
because Governor Deal inherited a state just coming
outofan eight year recession. With his firm hand on
our spending and his vision for improving the state,
this year's budget reflects our increase in revenues for
the past five years.
The FY2019 which begins on July 1 st is set by a
revenue estimate of $26.2 billion. Nearly 90% of the
new revenue is consumed by education as well as
health and human services expenses. I would like to
highlight some budget information I think will be of
interest. Please free feel to contact me with questions
and for more information.
> Comprehensive Tax Reform:
• Standard deductions were increased for Georgia
taxpayers to $4600 for a single taxpayer, $3000 for a
married taxpayer filling a separate return, and $6000
for a married couple filing a joint return effective this
year.
• Decreased the income tax rate from 6% to 5.75%
effective in 2019 and adjusts the corporate tax rate
to 5.75%.
• Includes a provision to decrease the individual and
corporate income tax rate even further to 5.5% sub
ject to approval by the legislature and the Governor
effective FY20.
>K-12 Education
• Georgia school systems will receive an additional
$166.7 million to completely eliminate austerity
reductions and fully fund QBE (Quality Basic Educa
tion) formula for the first time since 2003. More than
$1.14 billion has been restored to school systems
sinceFY2015.
• Increased education funding per student to the
highest level per capita, inflation-adjusted, in state his
tory. Total K-12 education is almost $10 billion out
of a $26 billion state budget.
• Combining funding for both K-12 and higher
education, the Teachers Retirement System receives
a state investment of $361.7 million forthe required
contribution increase.
• $750,000 is included to provide one non-STEM
AP exam for low-income students in addition to
current funds which provide one STEM AP exam for
all students.
> Health
•The rural health initiatives funded include:
$375,000 funding for the Rural Health Systems
Innovation Center; $979,591 to reinstate 10 regional
Emergency Medical Servicestraining positions.
• Funding for graduate medical education
programs: $1.7 million for 99 new residency slots in
primary care medicine; $750,000 for new fellowship
positions at Augusta University and $300,000 for two
rural surgical fellowship positions.
> Public Safety
• $2.3 to combat the opioid epidemic by expanding
drug taskforces statewide
• Georgia Public Safety Training Committee in
Forsyth for bond funding $ 4.95 million for tactical
training ranges and building and for the expansion of
the existing firearms training building and the exist
ing GPSTC-Savannah Regional Academy.
> Higher Education
• Increased the budget of the Georgia Student
Finance Commission for additional $26.7 million in
funding for Dual Enrollment(previously called Move
On When Ready); $1.8 million for the REACH Georgia
Scholarship program to provide 226 additional schol
arships and to expand into 44 new school systems.
• Georgia Cyber Innovation andTraining Center-
$4.4 million
> Transportation
• $100 million in the FY19 bond package for the
State Road and Tollway Authority to fund transit
needs across the state.
• For our continued commitment to the completion
of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, we are
matching the federal funds of $35 million.
Even though this budget reflects a revenue
increase due to the population growth in the last
eight years, we feel it is a very conservative budget.
The rainy day fund is at its all-time high and all of the
departments within the state are still budgeting very
conservatively.
In my next newsletter I plan to highlight some leg
islation that is on the Governor's desk waiting for his
signature. Governor Deal has forty-five days from the
last day of session to sign or veto any legislation.
If you have any questions about our state budget or
would like more information, please do not hesitate
to call (478-836-4362) or email me (robert.dickey@
house.ga.gov). I hope you will stop by the packing
house in Musella and visit. Our new strawberry patch
is going great and we are expecting a good peach
crop this year.
Thankyou for your support!
Rep. Robert Dickey
Rep. Robert Dickey • 404-651 -7737
245 State Capitol • Atlanta, GA 30334
robert.dickey@house.ga.gov
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