Newspaper Page Text
The
www.MadisonJournalTODAY.com
JANUARY 8, 2009
Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
Vol. 24 No. 2 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 22 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
Two arrested
after high
speed chase
Two men were ar
rested by Madison
County deputies
following a high
speed chase in Hull
Tuesday afternoon.
— Page 3A
Bball teams
victorious at
Hab. Tues.
Both the Madison
County boys’ and
girls’ basketball
teams won at
Habersham Central
Tuesday night.
— Page 1B
Wrestlers
gear up for
area duals
The Madison Coun
ty wrestling team
will travel to Clarke
County Friday and
Saturday for the
area duals.
— Page 1B
Opinions
Frank Gillispie talks
about a solution to
the nation’s manu
facturing woes.
Zach Mitcham
discusses media
coverage of the
economy.
— Page 4A
Index:
News—1-3A.5-6A
Opinions— 4A
Crime— 7A
Churches—7A
Obituaries— 12A
Sports— 1-2B
Socials — 3B
Legate—4-9B
Schools— 10B
Contact:
Phone: 706-795-2567
Fax: 706-795-2765
Mail: P.O. Box 658,
Danielsville, GA 30633
Web:
MadisonJoumalTODAY.com
TAXES
Two resign from assessor board
Recommendation on new chief appraiser shot doivn, 3-2; Ragland named new BOA chairman
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
Turmoil and strife continue to plague
the county's assessor board and staff
as the new year begins.
Two Madison County board of
assessor members resigned this week
after the board failed to accept a rec
ommendation made by one of them
for a new chief appraiser.
The county has been without a chief
appraiser since Dec. 31, when James
Flynt left after his two-year contract
expired and was not renewed by the
county.
Veteran member and former vice-
chairman Larry Stewart announced
his resignation, effective Feb. 1, at
the end of a BOA meeting Monday
night, following a vote 3-2 to deny his
recommendation of candidate Carey
Lamb, Swainsboro, to the board of
commissioners for the chief appraiser
position. Stewart issued a formal letter
of resignation Tuesday morning. (See
Page 4A for the full letter.)
Stewart and board member Bob
Fowler voted in favor of Lamb’s rec
ommendation, while David Ragland,
Samantha Garland and Jim Escoe
voted to deny it.
On Tuesday, Fowler said he planned
to follow suit with his own resigna
tion, effective immediately.
Stewart told the audience Monday
that he had enjoyed his three and a
half years of service on the assessor
board.
“It's been a lot of work and I’ve
invested a lot of time into it,” Stewart
said, but he added that he felt he
could no longer be an effective board
member.
“My conscience is free - I've done
— See ‘Assessors’ on 2A
NEW BOC Chairman: Anthony Dove
EDUCATION
BOE
New Madison County BOC chairman Anthony Dove will have plenty of issues on his desk in 2009.
Welcome, 2009
Chairman offers views on numerous
issues facing Madison County this year
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
M adison County Commission
Chairman Anthony Dove
stood in his new office
Monday and pointed out the spot where
a large county map will be placed next to
the meeting table. There was a fresh coat
of paint on the walls — paid for out of the
chairman’s own pocket. There were boxes
with documents belonging to former chair
man Wesley Nash that will be stored at the
county courthouse.
Dove had plenty to do to straighten up
his new work space at the county govern
ment complex. Of course, office decor is
far down the list of concerns for the man
who will watch over the Madison County
government for the next four years.
Dove wakes up during the middle of the
night, thinking about all the tasks ahead.
“It’s not that I wake up worrying,” said
Dove. “I wake up and something pops in
my head and I write it down. A lot of them
are just questions that I want to pose to the
staff and different departments. Is there a
way we can do this at a cheaper cost?”
Dove’s path to the chairman’s office
began last summer, around August, after
he prayed about a potential campaign.
“I can remember sitting down in the sun-
room at the house and I’d already spoken
to someone about running,” said Dove,
“And I felt pressure on me. There was
some type of pressure on me. Now, what it
was, I think I know. But I prayed about it.
And there was a burden on me to ran."
Now, Dove will carry the burden of
leading. And there are plenty of issues that
need attention. The new chairman recently
sat down for an hour-long interview at The
Journal office to discuss county business.
SPLOSTAND THE
JAIL EXPANSION
For instance, what does the new chair
man think of planned special purpose
local option sales tax (SPLOST) projects,
such as the expansion of the county jail?
County voters approved renewal of a one-
cent sales tax last year for county improve
ments.
Dove said he favors waiting before tak
ing any major actions on SPLOST proj
ects.
“My personal opinion is we need to be
very careful," said Dove, “I think we’re
going to have to really look at the cost
effectiveness of doing anything right now.
We don’t want to get ourselves in a situa
tion where it’s going to be a strain on our
budget.... We’ve got six years. It’s not like
there’s a time limit on when you can do
those projects. Because the way the law is,
you can go past your time, you just have to
use that money for that (project)."
Dove said he favors having a committee
look at the SPLOST projects to determine
what will be financially feasible. He noted
that the county projected $12.6 million in
sales tax revenue over the next six years.
However, with the economic downturn.
those figures may decline.
“Those things (SPLOST projects) were
on estimated tax revenues," said Dove.
“We’re going to have to look at the num
bers, what they actually are.”
LAND USE
Of course, growth was the major political
issue in Madison County for much of this
decade. Some have favored more homes
and development. Others have pushed for
government protection of farmland. The
land use map debates of recent years
highlighted this conflict, with actual lines
drawn on a map to indicate where growth
is most appropriate. Dove said he still has
to familiarize himself with that map. But
he said the growth issues have taken a
backseat to current economic problems.
“To be honest with you, with the specif
ics on the land use map, that’s something
I’m going to have to become familiar
with,” said Dove. “I’ve always said, even
during the campaign, that I thought the
way we need to look at this is growing
around our small towns and back out
towards our Hull area. Back then (when
the land use map was updated), that was
one of the big issues. I don’t see that as a
big issue right now."
THE ECONOMY
Dove said the primary concern these
days is the economy.
He noted that the state government is
shifting a lot of burden onto counties dur-
— See Dove’ on 5A
awaits
MCHS
wish list
Upgrades at
Comer Elem. also
being considered
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
County school lead
ers will soon learn what
improvements officials
at Madison County High
School desire most.
But what upgrades the
school system can actu
ally provide remains to
be seen.
Madison County
Schools superintendent
Dr. Mitch McGhee said he
expects to receive a report
from the high school this
month, prioritizing what
needs are most dire.
Though MCHS has been
added onto over the years,
the core of the building
dates back to 1970.
“I’m anxious to see,”
McGhee said. “The big
thing is what they pri
oritize, what’s their top
priority?”
At the same time, coun
ty school leaders are also
consideringimprovements
to Comer Elementary
School, the system’s most
— See DOE’ on 2A
EMPLOYMENT
Lowe,
Benner
make move
to Jackson Co.
Former Madison County
Sheriff Clayton Lowe and
his former chief deputy
Michael Benner will begin
new law enforcement
careers in Jackson County
next Monday.
Benner said Wednesday
that both he and Lowe
have accepted jobs with the
Jackson County Sheriff’s
Office. Lowe will work
in investigations, while
Benner will be a lieuten
ant shift commander in the
county jail.
Benner said he thinks
they’ll both settle in well
at their new jobs. “We’re
looking forward to it,”
Benner said.
