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±r Nws Region Roundup
DA Candidates
Trade Barbs
Before Barrow GOP
With the runoff just two weeks
away, the candidates for District
Attorney have become more
aggressive in their attempts to
cast doubt on their opponents’
qualifications.
Candidates Brad Smith and
Donna Sikes had just two minutes
to address the Republican Party
faithful at the Tuesday night meet
ing of the Barrow County GOP.
With an effort worthy of a high
stakes closing argument, Sikes
and Smith made their case for
election as the next District
Attorney of the Piedmont Judicial
Circuit.
Sikes fired the opening salvo in
the night’s confrontation between
the two attorneys.
Sikes said she was better quali
fied for District Attorney due to
her seventeen years of experi
ence and because of her ability to
restore public trust in the office.
'The problem with my opponent
is that everything that went wrong
in that office was because of Tim
Madison and everything that went
right was because of him,” she
said. “You can’t have it both ways.
He either was involved in running
the office or he wasn’t.”
Sikes remained on the offensive
arguing that Smith’s experience
was worthless without good judg
ment.
Sikes also said Smith, as head
of the Barrow County office,
needed to take responsibility for
excessive spending after Madison
left office and for thousands of
unprosecuted cases.
“I’ve learned as an attorney that
you can delegate authority, but
not responsibility,” she said. Sikes
vowed to prosecute cases aggres
sively and restore public trust in
the office.
After thanking his supporters
and all those who voted in the
primary, Smith began his rebuttal
of Sikes’ argument.
“Throughout her campaign,
my opponent has consistently
used mudslinging and baseless
personal attacks. Since the elec
tion, there have been rumors and
conspiracy theories running ram
pant,” he said. “I am here to tell
you now that these are not true.
The things you have been reading
about are not true.”
Smith said the negative cam
paigning was causing citizens to
lose sight of the real issue in
the campaign — who is better
qualified to be the next District
Attorney.
Smith said police and sheriff’s
deputies risk their lives every day
to get dangerous criminals off the
streets.
“If the District Attorney is not
qualified, these criminals will be
back on the street,” he said. Smith
spoke of a quadruple murder case
currently pending in Hoschton.
He reminded voters that whoever
is elected as District Attorney
will immediately be faced with
prosecuting that case.
“I am the only candidate with
any experience in the compli
cated world of death penalty liti
gation,” he said. “My opponent is
not death penalty qualified.”
Smith said the defendants in
death penalty cases are guaran
teed representation by counsel
that is death penalty qualified. If
Sikes is elected, the defendant
would have more qualified rep
resentation than the citizens of
Barrow County, he said.
The race for District Attorney
of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit
will be decided in a three county
run-off to be held Aug. 5.
4-W Farm Project
Being Sold To
Canadian Firm
One of the largest proposed
developments in Jackson County
may soon be in the hands of a
new owner.
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Let me take this opportunity to express my
gratitude to the citizens of Jackson County's
District 2 for your support during the election. I
appreciate the confidence you have placed in
me and promise that I will serve you with
honesty, integrity and a desire to make Jackson
County the envy of all Northeast Georgia. I
promise to be a strong voice for all of District 2
and a wise steward of your
tax dollars. My family and I
are proud to call Jackson
County home and again thank
you for your vote and support.
Sincerely,
Chas Hardy
Chas
Hardy
lackson County
Commission District 2
The owner of the 4-W Farms
Development in Arcade — Brand
Properties LLC — plans to sell
the proposed 2,300-lot project to
Walton International Group.
Arcade Mayor Doug Haynie
said after a called council meeting
Monday that Walton International
wants to stick with the plans for
the mixed-use development locat
ed on U.S. Hwy. 129
“They share the same vision,”
Haynie said. “And they expressed
that in many of our meetings.”
Walton International is based in
Alberta, Canada, with a U.S. hub
in Phoenix, AZ.
Haynie said the 4-W Farms
development would mark the com
pany’s first project in Georgia.
The project is slated to include
a public golf course centered
around a man-made lake, retail
development and 2,300 houses.
Brand Properties, Atlanta, plans
to divide the property into five
parcels and close Aug. 11. City
council action tied to a wastewa
ter treatment plant for the project
was needed prior to the closing
date, Haynie said.
Brand Properties was slated to
construct a wastewater treatment
plant for the project, with Arcade
being the permit holder for the
plant.
Haynie said once the develop
ment is built, the city will have the
first option to buy the wastewater
treatment plant and operate it.
Arcade currently has no sewer
system.
Haynie said there is no time-
frame to develop the 4-W Farms
project, but the developers are
likely to wait until real estate mar
ket conditions improve.
Jefferson Budget
Projects 12 Percent
Spending Increase
The City of Jefferson is prepar
ing its 2009 budget and as draft
ed, proposes an increase in city
spending of around 12 percent.
No hike in the city’s millage rate is
anticipated, but due to growth in
the town’s digest, the city projects
to collect nearly $300,000, or 11
percent, more in property taxes
with the current rate.
The budget and tax rate should
be set by the end of August,
according to the city’s timetable.
The city’s general fund budget
is currently set at $7.7 million.
For the first time, the town’s debt
service payments are expected to
top $1 million in 2009, making it
the town’s third largest expense.
The town’s largest department is
police at $1.9 million followed by
recreation at $1.2 million.
A majority of the town’s rev
enues are expected to come from
taxes. But due to the slow econ
omy, the city is projecting only
small growth in sales tax income
over 2008, an amount that is even
less than what was collected in
2007.
Fine income is expected to go
up in 2009, but the budget calls
for that to also be less than what
was collected in 2007.
Recreation fees are expected to
climb by over $100,000 in 2009,
however to a total of $609,400.
That is 72 percent more than what
was collected in rec fees in 2007.
GBI Awaits Audit
Before Investigating
Missing Money
DANIELSVILLE - Georgia
Bureau of Investigation agent Jim
Fullington said Tuesday that his
office is waiting for the Madison
County government to complete
an audit of the board of commis
sioners’ office. Once the audit is
finalized, the agency will conduct
an investigation into reported
missing funds in the BOC office.
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Fullington said there is no esti
mate yet on how much money is
missing.
“We don’t have an exact dollar
amount,” he said.
Fullington said he doesn’t expect
the case to drag on for months,
noting that the length of an inves
tigation is often determined by
the complexity of a money trail.
“At this point, I don’t think that
this is going to be a case that will
be a long, drawn out thing over
five or six months,” he said. “But
that said, we really won’t know
until we get into it.”
The investigator said the GBI
has questioned a couple of peo
ple in the case but that the agency
won’t necessarily interview every
employee in the office.
“It depends on what the audit
shows,” said Fullington, adding
that the GBI will look at when and
where the money went missing
and who had access to it.
Fullington noted that the Athens
GBI office has six agents working
11 counties. Those agents have
conducted a number of govern
ment investigations in recent
months, including a previous
probe of the Madison County
BOC office after senior center
funds were reported missing. That
investigation led to the arrest of
deputy clerk Melinda Spence,
who was charged with the theft
of approximately $1,700 in senior
center funds.
'Turtle Trek' To
Raise Funds For
The Tree House
The event, a major fund-raiser
for The Tree House, will again
feature a free Family Fun Festival
and organizers are seeking activ
ity and informational participa
tion from non-profit and civic
groups that help children and the
community.
“Fast year, we had very success
ful participation from non-profits
such as the Humane Society of
Jackson County, Keep Jackson
Beautiful!, the Moms Club of
Jefferson/Braselton, the Jefferson
Fions Club, numerous health and
safety organizations and many
other wonderful groups,” said
Donna Butler, Family Fun Festival
coordinator. “All hosted fun and
informational outreach activities
for children and adults, and every
one had a great time. We hope to
increase non-profit participation
this year, as we expect an even
greater turnout.”
The Turbo Turtle Trek, around
which the free Family Fun Festival
is built, raises funds for the Tree
House Inc., the children’s advo
cacy center serving the Piedmont
Judicial District. Funds raised
through the 2007 Turbo Turtle
Trek helped reduce the occur
rence and impact of child abuse
through counseling, nurturing,
education and support of numer
ous families.
Organizations interested in
participating in the Family Fun
Festival may contact Butler at
706-559-4841 or via email at story-
teller826@bellsouth.net For more
information on the Turbo Turtle
Trek or The Tree House Inc., con
tact The Tree House at 770-868-
1900 or www.thetreehouseinc.org.
Plans are underway for the third
annual Turbo Turtle Trek and
Family Fun Festival to be held
Saturday, Aug. 9, at Crow’s Fake,
Jefferson.
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City of Commerce
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC
The City of Commerce Planning Commission will
hold a public hearing on Monday, July 28, 2008 at
7:00 P.M. in the Commerce Civic Center Peach
Room, 110 State Street. The purpose of the
hearing is for 1) Tommy Smallwood, 128 Harris
Street, rezoning from R-3 to R-5, Map C01 Parcel
029, Map 010 Parcel 022. 2) Keith Whitfield, 375
Highway 441, Conditional Use Permit, recycling
station.
The public is invited to attend.
David Zellner
City Planner
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