Newspaper Page Text
September 7, 2022
Page 6D
^Reporter
Austin Scott talks foreign affairs at One Monroe
Congressman Austin Scott talks with local leaders at the One Monroe meeting on Aug.
30. [He said the Reporter will have to restart its clock in counting days since he has vis
ited Monroe County]. Pictured with Scott, left to right, are Forsyth council member Chris
Hewett, Monroe County Sheriff Brad Morgan, Development Authority member, Forsyth
Mayor Eric Wilson.
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcnnet
The focal speaker at the
One Monroe meeting
on Tuesday, Aug. 30 was
U.S. Congressman Austin
Scott. Scott has represented
Georgias 8th Congressional
District since January 2011
and is currently serving his
sixth term in the position.
The 8th district covers the
middle of Georgia, from
outside Macon (includ
ing Monroe County) to
the Florida border and has
been characterized as one
of the most Republican
districts in the country.
One Monroe, sponsored
by the Forsyth Monroe
County governmental
affairs committee, is an
opportunity for leaders of
the various governmental
entities in Monroe County
and Forsyth, to get together
to share activities in their
spheres, share ideas and
develop connections. It
meets each month with a
fifth Tuesday, which is ap
proximately quarterly.
Scott discussed the U.S.
involvements in Afghani
stan and Ukraine and the
dramatic impact he foresees
the happenings in these
countries having on the lo
cal economy and day to day
lives of people in Georgia.
He said he feels these are
things citizens of Georgia
should know.
“There is cultural warfare,
pitting American against
American in a way I don’t
remember in my lifetime,”
said Scott. “Democracy
depends on voters knowing
the truth.”
Scott said the first anni
versary of the U.S. with
drawal from Afghanistan
has just passed. He said
one consequence of the
withdrawal was that U.S.
partners in other parts of
the world lost confidence in
the U.S.
“I was in Brussels the
week Russia went into
Ukraine. All we heard was
how wrong we were in
Afghanistan,” he said.
He said General Ken
neth McKenzie, who was
commander of the U.S. and
NATO forces at the time of
the withdrawal in 2021, had
recommended that 2,500
troops remain in Afghani
stan to maintain control of
the airfield and other strate
gic operations but was only
given 700 soldiers and the
consequences were dire.
Scott said one positive
thing about the war in
Ukraine was that U.S. intel
ligence on the situation was
spot on, even to knowing
the date the invasion would
take place. He said that
intelligence was important
to the world. Scott said Rus
sia’s goal is control of the
Black Sea. Scott spoke of
Ukraine’s role in feeding the
world, exporting 4 million
metric tons of grain.
“We are looking at starva
tion around the world,” said
Scott.
He said Russia is also a
key to agriculture around
the world as it is the leading
exporter of nitrogen, which
is required to produce
fertilizer. Scott said an
increased tax on the natural
gas needed to make nitro
gen for fertilizer means an
increase in the cost of fertil
izer and the cost of food.
Scott shifted to talking
about agriculture in the U.S.
He said 90 percent of food
is produced by 12 percent
of farmers. The other 88
percent of farmers in the
U.S. are on small farms or
timber farms.
“Our food supply is
contingent on farms being
passed down,” said Scott.
“If you break down family
farms, they won’t be picked
up by another farmer.”
He said technically the
U.S. is in a recession. He
said the federal reserve
waited too long to start rais
ing interest rates thinking
the situation was transi
tory, and now there are real
problems with labor, the
supply chain and more.
Scott said the federal gov
ernment is using reserves
that were meant to sustain
the country through war
time or natural disasters,
not just to keep prices low.
Scott said the U.S. still had
energy independence a few
months ago but is giving it
up. He said the U.S. should
have encouraged the pipe
line for oil from Canada but
now those who try to move
forward with a pipeline
can’t get permits from EPD.
Scott described Saudi
Arabia and its ruler as a
serious threat to the U.S.
economy. He said Saudi
Arabia controls OPEC,
and the U.S. is giving
OPEC control over the U.S.
economy. Scott said Saudi
Arabia is not our friend and
doesn’t share our interests,
as evidenced by the murder
of the U.S. journalist in
Saudi Arabia. Scott said
Aramco, the petroleum
company owned by the
Saudi Arabian government,
is the largest, most profit
able company in the world.
It passed Apple in value last
May.
“When we wake up and
grocery stores and other
store shelves are stocked, we
have got to quit taking it for
granted,” said Scott. “I wish
I had a lot of great news,
but what we have to do is
take care of things at the
elections.”
In response to a question
about immigration, Scott
answered, “Our borders
have got to be secure —
period. It’s got to stop. It’s
ridiculous, the idea of com
ing in this country without
consequences.”
Mayor Eric Wilson pro
vided an update on Forsyth.
He thanked the county for
lending its grapple truck
and an employee to help
operate it to the city to
catch up the pick-up of
yard waste while the city’s
grapple truck isn’t oper
able. He said the city’s truck
needs $14,000 in repairs,
but the problem is the city
can’t get the part needed for
the repair and ordering a
new truck would still be a
year away before delivery.
Wilson said Forsyth has
several upcoming events,
including a community
yard sale on Oct. 1, trick-
or-treating on the square
on Halloween, and a New
Year’s Eve event. He said
the city kept its millage
rate at 2.5 mills. The city
is trying to clean up blight
and is trying to streamline
the process of dealing with
blight.
Wilson said he and city
manager Janice Hall are
working with Georgia DOT
on several projects. Lee
Street will be resurfaced
and restriped, adding turn
lanes. The DOT has looked
at several intersections for
the installation of traffic
lights, but the ramp at Exit
183 is the only one that
seems likely to be approved.
Wilson said Quik Trip paid
for the traffic signal near
it, which was why it was
installed so quickly. Other
sites of concern are Main
& Lee Streets, Patrol & Lee
and Montpelier & Lee.
Commission chair Greg
Tapley gave on update on
the county. He said the
county’s new grant writer,
Tammy Selman, has begun
work on a USDA grant for
Monroe County Hospital.
Because Monroe County’s
population is over 20,000
it can’t be the applicant,
but the city of Forsyth can
apply.
Tapley said like many
others the county is dealing
with shortages of labor and
parts. He is concerned that
the county’s emergency
services department is 19
people short of being fully
staffed with 77 people. The
county is trying to find one
or two roll off trucks after
one being put out of service
in an accident. Work on the
county landfill was delayed
when workers hit rock.
The Juliette water project
is on target and should be
completed by the end of the
year. The county had one of
its best audits in years with
no findings. The county
lowered its millage rate
from 12.8 to 12.04 mills.
The TSPLOST has collected
$845,000 in its first two
months and is on track to
produce over $5 million in
revenue during its duration.
This will help with the cost
of paving that has increased
over 100 percent since last
year.
Tapley said the county is
on track to issue 90 build
ing permits in 2022. It
has building projects of
its own in the works for a
fire station (four months),
improvements at Animal
Control (six months), Mon
roe County Sherif s Office
training building, a records
storage building. Commis
sioners are working on a
new Planning & Zoning
ordinance and impact fees.
“There’s a lot of good,
folks,” said Tapley.
Monroe County Schools
Superintendent Dr. Mike
Hickman thanked the
Board of Education for
hosting One Monroe, es
pecially Nolen Howard for
preparing the low country
boil, which always insures
good attendance at the
meeting, and Dr. Priscilla
Doster for securing use of
Monroe County Clubhouse
for the meeting.
Hickman said that as of
this week there are 4,516
students, pre-kindergarten-
12th grade, enrolled at
Monroe County Schools
compared to 4,291 at this
time last year. About 50
percent of the new students
come from Henry County.
He said the additional
students have been evenly
distributed over the grade
levels; so it hasn’t been
necessary to add any new
classrooms so far.
Hickman said Monroe
County Schools has been
named one of four systems
of distinction in Georgia.
The recognition will be
presented at the BOE meet
ing on Sept. 13. Two of the
other systems are Cherokee
and Forsyth County.
The deadline date for the
College & Career Academy
application to the state is
Sept. 16. Hickman said 10
other school systems have
expressed interest, but
Hickman feels the school
system had good assistance
in completing its applica
tion for the grant.
Monroe County Schools
has a committee of citizens
who are advocating for
passage of a new cycle of
ESPLOST, which will be on
the November ballot.
There were no updates
from the One Monroe spe
cial task groups. The next
meeting will be Nov. 29.
INCIDENTS
Continued from Page 5D
smell alcohol coming from
the 2021 Nissan Titan that
had 3 passengers. Warren
asked the driver to step to
the rear of the vehicle.
The deputy could smell
alcohol as spoke with the
man and asked if he spoke
English; he answered, “A
little bit.” None of the pas
sengers spoke English.
Warren then asked the
driver if he had consumed
any alcoholic beverages and
he admitted to drinking
only one but refused to take
a sobriety test. When asked
again about the number of
beverages he had, he then
answered, “Three or four.”
He was then handcuffed
and secured in Warren’s
patrol car. Several open
bottles of Michelob Ultra
were found in the passen
ger compartment.
The driver was taken to
the Monroe County jail
where he was cited for
DUI-refusal, open contain
er, and failure to maintain
lane.
Woman wanted by Bibb
Co. arrested by FPD
A woman with a war
rant out of Bibb County
was arrested by officer
Richard Maddox on Aug.
28 after he ran the tag on
a gray Kia Sorento she was
driving. He spotted the
woman traveling east in
H.G. Clarke Parkway at
Patrol Road and made the
stop in the Shell gas station
parking lot. Maddox had
her step from her car and
handcuffed her.
The vehicle was turned
over to the woman’s
mother. Maddox trans
ported the woman to the
Monroe County Jail where
she was turned over to jail
personnel. This incident
was captured on my body
cam.
Man on drugs
abandons Ford Ranger
in middle of road
An unoccupied white
1996 Ford Ranger was
found blocking Dames
Ferry Road near Abares
Road around 1:50 a.m. on
Aug. 30 by deputy Justyn
Weaver and the offender
was later arrested on nu
merous charges.
While Weaver was
checking the vehicle,
he was dispatched to a
nearby Dames Ferry Road
home where a man was
beating on the windows
and screaming. The man
who turned out to be the
owner of the abandoned
Ranger was sweating
profusely and speaking
fast as he told Weaver that
someone was shooting at
him and his dog and that’s
why he left his pickup in
the road.
Weaver then secured
him in the rear of his
patrol unit and assured
the homeowner the man
would not be return
ing to his property that
night. The suspect told the
deputy that he smoked
marijuana around 12
hours earlier but denied
any other narcotic use.
He was then trans
ported to Monroe County
Detention Center without
incident, turned over
to jail staff and cited for
DUI-drugs, failure to
change address on his
license, failure to exercise
due care, illegal parking,
DUI-refusal, and driving
without a license.
Woman taken for
mental evaluation
after refusing
to pay for room
The front desk manager
at the Days Inn on North
Lee Street called police
after a customer refused
to pay for their room on
Aug. 30. The manager told
officer Arthur Musselman
that a woman had not
check out of the room by
11 a.m. and was refusing
to leave the room.
The woman had had
been booked into the
room the previous eve
ning by a man who has
allowed the woman to
stay with him periodically
at his home on Clifton
Drive. He had told her
to leave his residence on
Aug. 29. The man was
distraught that she was
potentially going to jail
and offered to take her
personal property if she
was arrested.
She was taken to Pied
mont Hospital for a
mental health evaluation
and took her personal
property along with her.
The man was advised
not to allow the woman
back into his home as
they were not able to live
together without fighting.
8th Annual
Michael Norris ATV Memorial Ride
154 Lockett Street • Culloden, GA 31016
The School House in Culloden
September 17th, 2022 • 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Ride Registration ($5 per person)
Sign up and Silent Auction
10:00 a.m. Ride Starts
11:00 a.m. Memorial Service at the Memorial
Monument
12:00 p.m. - Until Lunch ($5 plate) & Silent Auction
ATV's, Side by sides, motorcycles and law enforcement vehicles and jeeps are
welcome. Motorcycles will have a different route to avoid a short stretch of dirt road.
T-Shirts $20 each (SM - 2x) $25 (3x & 4x) • Decals $5 each
All proceeds go to the Deputy Michael Norris Scholarship Fund and
Georgia Concerns of Police Survivors.
For further info call 478-214-4522.