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Sports: IB
Youthful Leopards
complete season
Community: 2A
Maysville library gets donation
February 13,2008
The Banks County News
504^ Homer, Banks County, Georgia 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • mainstreetnews.com • 24 Pages, 3 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 39 No. 27
Madison plea
hearing set
for March 4
A plea hearing has been set for
March 4 in Banks County in the
case of former District Attorney
Tim Madison, who was indicted in
August on theft
and two others,
his wife Linn
Jones and former
ADA Anthony
Brett Williams,
were charged
on allegations of
diverting public
funds while the
three worked in
the Piedmont
Judicial Circuit DA’s office.
All three plead not guilty to the
charges in December, but March’s
hearing could see a change in those
pleas. A pretrial conference was
scheduled late last week between
state prosecutors and the defendants.
DeKalb County Judge Robert
Mallis is hearing the case. All three
judges in the Piedmont Circuit recu
sed themselves from the case.
Madison resigned last June as
district attorney following a series
of investigative newspaper articles
published in The Jackson Herald.
Georgia Attorney General Thurbert
Baker subsequently launched an
investigation into the DA’s office.
That probe led to the theft indictments
in Banks County last August.
Driver killed
in Banks after
brief chase
An investigation by the Georgia
State Patrol continues after a man
was killed when a Banks County
Sheriff’s Office deputy briefly pur
sued him last week.
Sheriff Charles Chapman said the
chase lasted less than 30 seconds
in which Tommy L. Flynn, 28, lost
control of his Mitsubishi 300GT
as he tried to maneuver a curve on
Hwy. 326.
The accident occurred at approxi
mately 11 p.m. last Wednesday
after a BCSO deputy noticed Flynn
passing another vehicle in a no
pass zone. The deputy turned on his
continued on page 3A
charges. Madison
MADISON
Jamieson votes 'NO' on state water plan
The Georgia General
Assembly has approved a
statewide water plan that
represents a danger to
Banks County and other
rural Georgia communities,
according to Representative
Jeanette Jamieson.
Jamieson, who represents
Stephens County, Banks
County, and part of Franklin
County, said the approval of
the Comprehensive Statewide Water
Management Plan by both houses of the
Georgia legislature on Friday, January
18, is something that will haunt every
city, county and community in Georgia
except for the metro Atlanta area.
“In Governor Sonny Perdue’s
address to a joint session of the General
Assembly on Wednesday, January
16, he pledged that other
states will not get Georgia’s
waters, but endorsed a plan
that gives control of water
within our state to one indi
vidual - the director of the
Environmental Protection
Division, appointed by the
governor. Under this plan,
the regional groups appoint
ed by the governor, lieutenant
governor, and the speaker of
the house can make recommendations,
which may or may not be accepted by
the EPD director. Thus, the regional
groups are advisory only,” Jamieson
said before the plan was adopted.
Representative Jamieson went even
further in her assessment of the water
management plan, saying her major
concern is that “Atlanta does not fall
under the requirements of this plan.
However, this major area will continue
to require more and more of Georgia’s
water. To require all of Georgia to
adhere to this plan, but give our largest
consumer area a free ride is a plan I
cannot support or vote for. My con
stituents, especially in Banks County,
have spent millions of dollars in devel
oping water plans and building a good
water infrastructure. I oppose any other
community that hasn’t done the same
to prepare a similar infrastructure, yet
wants to take from these communities
that have created strong infrastructure,”
she said, alluding to the Atlanta metro
area.
“I don’t know the reason any of the
other representatives or senators had
in voting for this dangerously flawed
plan, but they obviously have not read
the plan. I have read the plan twice.
As I said, it doesn’t include any of
the metro area, and if that area picks
up Banks or Habersham County, for
instance, the Atlanta metro area will
have its foot in the Savannah River
Basin of which Banks County is a
part.” Jamieson said.
“This is the most important vote
any member of the General Assembly
could make in their entire career, but
those who voted in favor of the plan
said they voted yes because the plan’s
backers pledged to come back to it later
with legislation to address their con
cerns. I have been told that many times
in the 24 sessions that I have been here,
and I’ve never seen pie in the sky yet,
and I cannot support the bill.”
Jamieson said proponents of the plan
used scare tactics to convince those
who were reluctant to vote in favor of
it to push it through, namely that time
was running out for the plan’s approval
or else the old water management plan
no one likes would automatically take
effect.
“This is only the fifth day of the
session,” Jamieson said on Friday,
January 18, shortly after the plan was
approved, “We have another month to
work on this plan and get it approved
before the deadline to do so has
passed. Don’t let anyone say we were
running out of time. That is simply not
the case.” Jamieson said.
“I will never support a plan that
takes water from my district, thus
denying our area the ability to develop
jobs and meet the needs of our com
munity,” Representative Jamieson
said.
JAMIESON
BASKETBALL CONCLUDES
Banks County High School's Lindsey McDuffie goes for a basket against Dawson County
High School last Friday night. McDuffie, a freshman for the Lady Leopards, helped
BCHS record the subregion win in the final regular season game of the 2007-08 season.
McDuffie will be one of several returning players for coach Jerry King next season. See
a BCHS basketball update on page 1B of today's edition. Photo by Lyn Sengupta
Tim Harper to seek re-election
Banks County Clerk of
Superior Court, Tim Harper,
announced this week that he
will seek re-election. Harper is
in his fourth term as clerk, tak
ing office January 1, 1993.
He is a member of Riverside
Baptist Church, Hollingsworth
Masonic Lodge #355, and a
member of Winder Chapter
& Council of the Royal Arch
Masons. He is a member of the
Banks County Sunday School Celebration
Committee, the Banks County Holiday
Festival Committee, and the “Voice of
the Leopards” at all Banks County High
School home football games. Harper
is a member of the Georgia
Superior Court Clerk’s
Association, the 10th District
Clerk’s Association, and the
County Officer’s Association
of Georgia.
“It has been a honor and
pleasure to serve the people of
Banks County for the past 15
years and if re-elected, I will
continue to run the office in a
professional manner to the best
of my ability,” he said. “Your vote and
support in the upcoming elections will be
appreciated.”
Harper and his wife, Judy, reside in
Homer.
HARPER
— Baldwin —
Baldwin tire dealership gets approval
BY SHARON HOGAN
A rezoning request approved by the
Baldwin City Council Monday night will
allow a tire dealership to locate in the
town.
The council approved a rezoning request
from Jerry Tanksley for 8.34 acres located at
395 Hwy. 441 Bypass. The property is cur
rently a vacant lot and is zoned multi-fam
ily R-3. The council approved Tanksley’s
request to zone the property light industrial
to place a 25,000 square foot warehouse on
the site. The warehouse will be used for a
tire distribution business.
Wade Rhoades represented Tanksley at
the council meeting. Rhoades presented the
council with a copy of the site plans.
No one spoke in opposition to the request.
The second reading of the rezoning request
was approved by a unanimous vote of the
council.
SPECIAL USE PERMIT
In other business, the council approved
a special use permit to allow a manufac
tured home to be placed on 1.10 acres at
456 Willingham Avenue. James and Kristy
Woltz asked to place a new manufactured
home on the property. Council member Jeff
Murray voted in opposition to the request.
Woltz told the council during the hearing
that the property has been in her family all
her life. Currently, there is an old vacant
house and some outbuildings on the prop
erty. All of these structures will be removed,
Woltz said.
Several Baldwin residents spoke to the
continued on page 3A
News - 2-3A
•Jamieson introduces
tax plan — page 3A
Op/Ed
• ‘Remembering a can
didate of the people’
— page 4A
• ‘The birds are back’
— page 4A
Other news
•Social News — pages 8-10A
•School News — pages 7-8B
•Public Safety — page 6A
• Legals — page 4B
•Church — page 5B
• Obituaries — page 6B
— Lula —
Lula working out deal with citizen
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
City of Lula officials are still trying
to iron out a deal with citizen Chad
Warner for services he paid a private
contractor to relocate a water line on
his property into the public right-of-
way.
During a January meeting, the city
council offered Warner $3,000 as reim
bursement but Warner said that was not
acceptable as he had requested $4,700.
During a work session Monday night,
city manager Dennis Bergin told coun
cil members Warner was willing to
accept $4,000 but no less.
Council members had countered
with a $3,500 offer since it paid for the
installation of a water meter.
The issue arose when Warner
extended his driveway and discovered
a city water line on his property. The
issue has been ongoing for several
months and Bergin said he hopes the
issue could be resolved soon.
The city manager told council mem
bers he would continue to talk with
Warner about the issue and let council
members know an update at Monday’s
regular meeting for February.
In other items at Monday’s work ses
sion, the council:
•heard a report from Bergin on the
demolition process of the old water
tank.
•was reminded of a public hearing
for Highland Lakes rezoning Monday
at 5:30 p.m. at city hall.
•was told a new corrected city map
was being finalized.
•was given a state legislative update
by Bergin who said many of the items
would not directly impact the city.
Holcomb sworn in to Baldwin council
BY SHARON HOGAN
Baldwin Mayor Mark Reed swore
in Baldwin City Council Post 1 incum
bent Beverly Holcomb for another
term of office at Monday’s council
meeting.
Holcomb was not sworn in at the
January council meeting because a
lawsuit was filed contesting the results
of the November city election.
Holcomb beat out Theron Ayers,
post 1 challenger, in the November
city election by three votes. The total
count was 99 to 96.
Ayers requested a re-count of the
ballots and also filed a suit against the
city and Baldwin election superinten
dent Brandy Kyle.
Judge Hugh Stone at the Habersham
County courthouse heard the suit last
week. Stone ruled in favor of the city
in the suit.
HOLCOMB SWORN IN
Baldwin Mayor Mark Reed (L) is shown swearing in Post 1 coun
cil member Beverly Holcomb (R) at Monday's meeting. Holcomb
defeated challenger Theron Ayers for this post in the November
city election by three votes. Photo by Sharon Hogan
