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Commerce News C gOYOfl RoiiflClliO
PAGE 2A • SEPTEMBER 23,2009
Petition Seeks
Recall In
Pendergrass
A group of Pendergrass
residents seeks the recall of
the mayor and city council
because of alleged misuse
of public funds.
A petition with the signa
tures of 37 people, which
is more than 10 percent of
the registered voters in the
small North Jackson town,
was submitted last week.
“The citizens of
Pendergrass have lost faith
in the elected government
officers of Pendergrass
because of the failure of
the officials to act in the
best interest of the citizens
of Pendergrass," the petition
states. “There is a lack of
public trust in the officials
because they have ignored
the citizens of Pendergrass
in providing services for
their interests as tax-paying
individuals."
Monk Tolbert is the
mayor. The council mem
bers include Judy Stowe,
John Pethel, Hilda Gee and
Thomas Marlow.
The specific allegations
against the mayor and coun
cil include the following:
•employment of an ille
gal alien from August
2008 through July 2009,
which is a violation of the
Federal Immigration and
Nationality Act and is a
federal felony. The petition
also states that the council
allowed the illegal alien to
drive while unlicensed and
paid a traffic fine he was
given by the county.
• unauthorized use of spe
cial purpose local option
sales tax revenue, including
purchase of automobiles
and gym equipment.
•violating state law by
exceeding budget expendi
tures overall for 2005, 2006
and 2007.
• violating the Georgia
Open Records Law by not
maintaining and providing
as requested credit card
receipts for 2007-2008 and
minutes of the July 2009
council meeting.
The mayor and council
have filed a petition ask
ing for a court review of
the allegations. A court date
has not been set yet, but
Judge John Ott of Monroe
has been assigned the case.
If the judge determines
the allegations are sufficient
for a recall, within 10 days,
a recall election must be
called and date set for a
vote.
In other news related to
the recent controversy in
Pendergrass, the one whis
tleblower who continued to
work for the city after July’s
firings by the mayor has
resigned.
Police officer Bill Garner
resigned last week. He
and former officer Scott
Rodgers and former city
clerk Katherine Rintoul
went public with allegations
of wrongdoing in the city in
late July. A GBI investiga
tion is ongoing.
Maysville Gets
Federal Funds
For Sewer Work
Maysville recently
received a $750,000 federal
loan for a sewer rehabilita
tion project, according to
city clerk Barbara Thomas.
Thomas said that Maysville
applied for the $750,000
and the city must repay 30
percent of the loan.
The project has just been
put out for bid to engineers.
She said that the bid will be
awarded in two weeks.
Thomas said that a com
pletion date is not estimat
ed at this time because it
depends upon when engi
neers review the bids and
make sure everything is in
compliance.
Navigator
Team Plans
Fomm Friday
The Barrow-Jackson
County Navigator Team will
host a community forum
Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m.
for individuals, parents and
families with special needs
family members.
The Forum will be held
at Winder First United
Methodist Church, 280
North Broad St. (across
from Ingles), Winder. Pizza
will be served.
The Barrow-Jackson
County Navigator Team
was formed this past spring.
It is under the umbrella of
Parent to Parent of Georgia;
and the goal is to have a
navigator team in every
Georgia county within the
next few years. The mis
sion is to be a local point of
contact for families trying
to “navigate" the maze of
finding information, sup
port and services for their
special needs family mem
bers.
dressbarn Sets
Fund-raiser For
Cancer Society
The dressbarn at Banks
Crossing will earmark a por
tion of the proceeds from a
limited-time sale of stuffed
animals to the American
Cancer Society.
Beginning Oct. 1, all dress
barn stores will allow cus
tomers to “adopt" Biscuit,
a stuffed plush dog, for $5;
the entire net profit of $2
for each one sold will be
donated to the American
Cancer Society to support
local and national breast
cancer initiatives. The cam
paign will continue through
Oct. 31, while supplies last.
The promotion is designed
to promote National Breast
Cancer Awareness Month,
which is October.
Tanger Again
Joins Breast
Cancer Fight
As part of its annual
Breast Cancer Awareness
Campaign, Tanger Factory
Outlet Center in Commerce
is offering 25 percent off
Pink Style Savings Cards.
Now in its 16th year
nationally, Tanger’s cam
paign to stop breast can
cer has donated more than
$6.1 million dollars to the
cause. Funds raised by
Tanger locally are donated
to the Northeast Georgia
Division of the American
Cancer Society through the
Stanley K. Tanger Breast
Cancer Fund. The fund is
named in honor of Stanley
K. Tanger, the company’s
founder.
Tanger customers can
purchase a special Pink
Card for $ 1 that gives them
a 25 percent discount at
participating brand name
outlet stores at Tanger in
Commerce. The 25 percent
OFF Pink Style Savings
Cards can be purchased
at the Tanger Shopper
Service Center and online
at tangeroutlet.com through
Oct. 20.
Tanger will also host its
first TangerSTYLE 5K Run/
Walk, another fund-raiser
for the American Cancer
Society, Oct. 10, beginning
at 8:30 a.m. The event is
open to runners and walk
ers of all ages. Prizes will be
awarded and the first 350
registered participants will
receive a special race pack
which includes a Tanger 5K
Run/Walk T-shirt and other
goodies. All finishers will
also receive a commemora
tive race medal. To register,
or for more information,
visit the Tanger Shopper
Services or register online
at www.tangeroutlet.com.
The early registration fee is
$20, with proceeds benefit
ing ACS.
Meetings To
Be Held On
Comp. Plan
Two meetings are coming
up to give Jackson County
residents the opportunity
to give input on an update
of the county’s comprehen
sive plan.
They will be held Monday,
Sept. 28, at the Nicholson
Community Center at 7
p.m., and Tuesday, Sept.
29, at the Commerce Civic
Center at 7 p.m. The meet
ings are open to all citizens
in Jackson County. Meetings
have already been held in
Jefferson and Braselton.
The comprehensive plan
covers a timeline of 20
years and will provide a
community assessment,
community participation
program and a community
plan. It covers population,
housing, economic develop
ment, natural and cultural
resources, land use, com
munity facilities and servic
es and intergovernmental
coordination. The goal is
to use the plan as a guide
in rezoning decisions, capi
tal improvements and new
program initiatives after it
is approved by the board of
commissioners. The dead
line to complete the update
of the comprehensive plan
is Oct. 31, 2010.
At the meetings, residents
are put into groups to dis
cuss what kind of develop
ment is important to them.
Each group has a map of
the county and is asked to
present what they discussed
to the rest of the meeting’s
attendees.
For more information
on the comprehensive
plan, contact Department
of Public Development
Planner Toni Smith at 706-
367-1832 or by email at
tsmith@ jacksoncountygov.
com.
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