Newspaper Page Text
Dedication planned: 2B
Sports: IB
Mat Leopards get needed
break this weekend
New BCHS baseball facility
February 6, 2008
The Banks County News
504^ Homer, Banks County, Georgia 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • mainstreetnews.com • 20 Pages, 3 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 39 No. 26
— Piedmont Circuit —
Smith to run
for DA seat
Former assistant district attor
ney Brad Smith has announced his
intention to seek the seat of District
Attorney for the Piedmont Judicial
Circuit in July’s elections. The
position is currently held by Rick
Bridgeman, who was appointed to
the post following the resignation
of former DA Tim Madison last
summer.
“This July’s primary presents
a significant opportunity for the
people of the
Piedmont
Circuit,” Smith
said. “It will be
the first time in
over 20 years
they have had
a choice for
district attor
ney. I believe I
present the best
choice. Now
more than ever the DA’s office
needs experienced leadership — in
both words and acts - in address
ing the challenges of our criminal
justice system.”
Smith is a graduate of The Citadel
and University of Virginia and began
his legal career in the Piedmont
Circuit in 1997. While serving as
ADA, he was put in charge of
the Jackson County office. Smith
resigned the position last year and
is currently working in the Western
Judicial Circuit, which includes
Athens-Clarke County.
In addition to his legal career,
Smith has also been the “voice of
the Appalachee Wildcats” football
team for the past seven years, is a
supporter of the Peace Place battered
women’s shelter and the Barrow
County Relay for Life efforts. He
is an active member of the Barrow
County Republican Party and is the
current secretary/treasurer of the
Piedmont Bar Association.
Smith and his wife, Christine,
have been married for eleven years,
and have two sons: Aiden, 5 and
Jacob, 3. They reside in Hoschton
and attend Sanctuary of the Holy
Spirit Church in Winder.
“I have raised my family in this
community and committed virtu
ally my entire career to serving this
circuit,” Smith said. “I hope the
citizens of the Piedmont Judicial
Circuit will allow me the opportu
nity to return to their service once
again as their District Attorney.”
BRAD SMITH
NeWS - 2-3A
•DA announces first
quarterly public meeting
— page 2A
•Election fees set for
2008 county races
— page 2A
Op/Ed - 4-5A
• ‘Amazed by technol
ogy of today’s world’
— page 4A
Other news
•Public Safety — page 6A
•Social News — page 7A
• Legals — page 4B
•Church — page 5B
•Obituaries — page 6B
Banks votes for Huckabee, Clinton
County officials
report 'heavy'
turnout Tuesday
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Banks County voters went to
their respective polling places as
part of Super Tuesday, following
the state trend on the Republican
side while going against it on the
Democratic side.
Banks County voting officials
said 44.46 percent of registered
voters cast ballots in this year’s
presidential preference primary.
There were no local items on the
ballot so the 3,348 number of
votes cast was high, officials said
Tuesday night.
On the Republican ballot, Mike
Huckabee earned the most voters
in Banks County with 1,152 or
47.76 percent. Huckabee scored
an upset victory in Georgia with
34 percent of the vote. As of 9
a.m. Wednesday, Huckabee has
compiled 318,860 votes statewide
with 93 percent reporting.
John McCain was second in
Banks County with 684 (28.36
percent) while Mitt Romney was
third with 516 (21.39). Ron Paul
was fourth locally with 40 votes
(1.66 percent).
McCain, Romney and Paul also
finished in that order statewide.
On the Democratic side, Hillary
Clinton won Banks County
although Barack Obama won over
all in the state. Clinton picked up
693 votes locally for 68.55 percent
while Obama had 232 voters for
22.95 percent. That trend did not
follow statewide as Obama carried
66.3 percent of the vote as com
pared to 31.2 percent for Clinton.
It took officials of the Banks
County Probate Court office
approximately 90 minutes to tabu
late the local votes Tuesday night.
Banks County voting officials
said Tuesday afternoon that 196
citizens took advantage of early
voting from Jan. 28-Feb. 1. An
additional 134 voters requested
absentee ballots which had to
be back in the registrar’s office
Tuesday by 5 p.m. Only 82 absen
tee ballot were returned, however.
VOTE HERE
Ashley Hardin prepares to vote Tuesday afternoon at Homer City
Hall. Poll workers Sandra Smith, Diane Cheek and Catherine
Shubert assisted voters from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Photo by Sharon Hogan
Volunteers of the Year
VOLUNTEERS RECEIVE RECOGNITION
Tara Fulcher, left, Banks County Chamber of Commerce director, is shown with Ray and Mildred
Bellamy, who were recognized as volunteers of the year by the chamber last week. See more pictures
from the chamber banquet on page 3A. Photo by Sharon Hogan
— Town Governments —
Maysville votes 'No' on
policing Gillsville area
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
A request from the City of
Gillsville for police protection
from neighboring Maysville was
turned down by the Maysville City
Council.
Maysville leaders discussed the
request from Gillsville Monday
night, but expressed numerous con
cerns about it. Maysville attorney
Gary Freeman said he had con
cerns about the liability of extending
police coverage to Gillsville.
“It’s hard enough to take care
of your own town,” Freeman said.
“What does our town get for taking
on this responsibility? Would we be
covered if something goes wrong?”
Maysville police chief Clarence
Sullens said he has not researched
the issue of extending coverage, but
said in other instances where this
has been tried it has not worked.
Council member Stephan Lewis
said he didn’t know if it was some
thing he wanted to do.
“We would have to buy another
police car because you couldn’t
leave Maysville without a full
force,” Lewis said. “We had to bite
the bullet and start our own police
department. I think they have to find
another way.”
Council member Clay Dorsey
made the motion to deny the request
with Lewis seconding that motion.
The motion passed unanimously.
In other business at Monday’s
45-minute meeting, Maysville offi
cials:
•reappointed Freeman as city
attorney and Sullens as police chief
for another year.
•heard a preliminary proposal
from a representative of Freedom
Bank in Commerce about placing
an ATM machine in Maysville once
the current Regions Bank location
closes. The council voted to allow
mayor Jerry Baker to begin looking
to the process of negotiating with
Southern Railroad for one possible
location for placement of the ATM.
•tabled an item concerning the
paving of potholes.
•appointed Sam Small as solici
tor for municipal court at a cost of
$1,800 per year.
— Baldwin —
Judge rules against new
city election for Baldwin
BY SHARON HOGAN
Judge Hugh Stone ruled in the
City of Baldwin’s favor at a hear
ing held on Tuesday regarding the
challenge to the November 6, 2007
city election. The day-long hearing
was held in the Habersham County
Courthouse in Clarkesville.
Council Post 1 challenger
Theron Ayers filed the suit against
the city and Baldwin Election
Superintendent Brandy Kyle. The
final count in the election showed
incumbent Post 1 council member
Beverly Holcomb beating Ayers
by three votes.
The final count for the race was
99 to 96.
When asked to make a com
ment after Tuesday’s hearing to
the newspaper Ayers replied, “No
comment.”
Baldwin city attorney David
Syfan said after the hearing, “I’m
happy we were able to answer Mr.
Ayers questions in court.” Syfan
also said, “Anytime anyone wants
to look at how we do things, we try
to do things right.”
Baldwin mayor Mark Reed also
declined to comment.
Ayers’ suit alleges that Kyle
went out to homes in the city and
brought back absentee ballots.
continued on page 2A
LEOPARD CHEER
The Banks County High School cheerleaders help keep the home fans motivated during a recent
contest. See a basketball update in today’s sports section. Photo by Randy Crump
