Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 24 No. 45 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 28 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
COUNTY GOV’T
ELECTIONS
Auditors:
County finances
back on track
Two new mayors elected
Croya defeats Cross in Danielsville; McMickle tops Burroughs in Comer; Phillips
wins in Hull; runoff set in Colbert council race; Peck to succeed Waggoner
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County government's finance committee
received a sterling report Monday on the status of this
year’s annual audit.
Matt Miller, of the auditing firm Treadwell, Tamplin
and Company, told the committee that this year’s
audit is on time for the first time in a number of
years, and that information received from the finance
department to do the audits is “a sight better over the
way things were done previously.”
And he specifically praised finance director Kathy
Clark for her work at cleaning up the reporting pro
cess.
Miller said his company’s findings included no sig
nificant difficulties with the audit and that they had
no problems receiving timely and correct information
in order to do their work.
“Consequently, we (auditors) were able to get in
and out a little faster than in the past,” he told the
committee.
— See “Finances” on 2A
David McMickle
Mayor of Comer
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
T wo new mayors will
lead Madison County
municipalities after
unseating incumbents by siz
able margins in Tuesday night’s
elections.
Philip Croya beat 12-year
incumbent Glenn Cross 92-46 for
the Danielsville mayoral post. In
Comer, David McMickle defeat
ed Billy Burroughs 120-73, end
ing Burroughs’ eight-year tenure
there.
Croya said he feels Danielsville
is ready to move forward.
“We’re excited, and we’re
looking forward to work
ing together and rebuilding
Danielsville city,” Croya said.
With 138 ballots, the
Philip Croya
Mayor of Danielsville
Danielsville election had the
second highest turnout of any of
the local elections. Croya said
he campaigned extensively.
“Yeah, because I’ve seen every
registered voter’s house except
the ones I knew would vote for
him (Cross),” Croya said.
David McMickle, a political
newcomer who served in the
army for 20 years, wasn’t able to
be reached for comment over his
victory in the Comer election in
which 193 people voted.
Croya’s and McMickle’s terms
begin in January.
A third new mayor will also
take over after the new year as
Chris Peck will succeed long-
— See “Election” on 2A
DANIELSVILLE
Mayoral race:
Glenn Cross 46
Philip Croya 92
COMER
Mayoral race:
Billy Burroughs 73
David McMickle 120
HULL
Council race:
Paul Cook 6
Paige Phillips 23
COLBERT
Council race:
Ellyn Trinrud 31
Tim Wyatt 22
Reginald Hunter 20
*Trinrud and Wyatt will face each
other in a runoff Dec. 1
CRIME
DA yet to reach
decision on further
prosecutions in
gov’t theft case
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Melinda Spence pled
guilty to stealing money
from the Madison
County government, but
she took the stand last
week and testified that
former county clerk and
finance director Morris
Fortson participated in
the theft with her.
Fortson vehemently
denied Spence’s allega
tion, saying he had abso
lutely no part in stealing
over $80,000 in public
funds. He said he was
unaware that his assis
tant was taking money
from the BOC office.
Both testimonies came
before Judge Thomas
Hodges, who sentenced
Spence to two years
in jail, and Northern
Judicial Circuit District
Attorney Bob Lavender,
who said this week
that he has not reached
a decision on whether
he thinks Spence’s tes
timony warrants action
against Fortson.
“I don’t discuss pend
ing investigations,” said
Lavender. “I don’t know
at this point ... You
know, just as a general
rule, it would be unfair
to Mr. Fortson and unfair
to the state to make any
comments along that line
at this time.”
Lavender said he has
asked that a transcript of
the hearing be prepared.
“There are no charges
at this time is about the
best I can tell you,” said
the district attorney. “I’m
not in a position to make
a definitive statement.”
— See ‘"Theft” on 2A
INSIDE
Index:
News — 1-3A 5A, 7A
Opinions — 4-5A
Crime — 6A
Schools — 8A 15A
Churches — 9A
Obituaries — 10A
Classifieds — 12-14A
Socials — 16A
Sports— 1-2B
Legate— 3-12B
Contact:
Phone: 706-795-2567
Fax: 706-795-2765
Mail: PO. Box 658,
Danielsville, GA, 30633
Web:
MadisonJoumalTODAY.
com
Veterans’
Day events
planned
Comer Elementary
School will recognize
local veterans Nov.
11 at the school.
Madison County
veterans will also
be among those
recoginzed Satur
day at a Veterans’
Appreciation Day in
Winterville.
— Page 7A
On to Clarke
Central
The Madison County
football team will
close out the regular
season Friday at
Clarke Central.
— Page 1B
Fun and Games
Kwannie Pope (left), 9, and Jacob Foster, 11, step back from the action and pose for a
snapshot Oct. 29 at the Madison County Special Olympics at Hull-Sanford Elementary
School. See Page 5A for more photos. Zach Mitcham/staff
TAXES
Property
tax bills to
arrive soon
Homeowners can expect
$240 increase thanks to
state gov't decision
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Property tax bills will
arrive in mailboxes
soon.
County tax levying
boards have already
approved their tax
rates. And BOC chair
man Anthony Dove
said Monday that the
state has accepted the
county’s 2009 digest.
“The bills should be
out in the next week or
so,” he told commis
sioners.
Dove allowed that the
arrival of tax bills in the
mail is a “good thing
and a bad thing,” point
ing out that two tax
bills in one year is hard
— See "Taxes” on 2A
HEALTH
ECONOMY
H1N1 shot still not available
at Madison Co. Health Dept.
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
The swine flu vaccination shot
hasn’t arrived at the Madison
County Health Department and
there’s no definite date when it
may.
The Northeast Georgia Health
District’s orders for the H1N1
injection have yet to be filled by
the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, causing a holdup and
some discomfort district-wide.
“That’s a really difficult ques
tion to answer for us, and that’s
a really frustrating answer for
us,” said Steven Dumped of
the Northeast Georgia Health
District.
Because of the delay on H1N1
shot orders, the restocking of area
health departments with the sea
sonal flu vaccine is also on hold.
“We find ourselves backed up
on both vaccines,” Dumped said,
“and it makes us a little angry
and at the same time, a little
nervous.”
The good news is that pads of
the Atlanta area have staded to
receive their first allocations of
the H1N1 shot, which could mean
that the area’s orders could be
filled soon.
But Dumped won’t speculate
when Madison County or the rest
of the district would receive the
H1N1 shots until it’s definite.
“I don’t want to tell anyone that
we have shots, until the shots are
in our hands,” he said.
While the Madison County
Health Depadment still awaits the
H1N1 shot, the nasal spray form
of the vaccine has been available
there since early October.
Still, not many people are tak
ing the Madison County Health
Depadment — or any of the oth
ers — up on the offer.
"Turnout has been a little bit
low, lower than we expected for
the 2-4-year-old bracket,” he
said.
That’s why the state granted
permission to offer the nasal spray
to anyone up to age 25, and those
between 25-49 who have condi
tions that may promote complica
tions with the flu.
Still, there’s resistance. The
nasal spray seems to be “intimi
dating” people, Dumped said,
through fear that it might give
them the flu.
That’s impossible, he contend
ed.
"It is impossible because the
vims that is present has been
modified so that it cannot live
inside the body,” Dumped said.
There’s a chance that the public
— See “Flu” on 2A
Monthly
foreclosures
match
record high
Fifty Madison County
properties are being adver
tised in The Madison
County Journal for the
December foreclosure sale,
matching a record monthly
total set in August.
In 2009,377 foreclosures
have been advertised in The
Madison County Journal.
That's up from 260 fore
closures advertised in 2008
and 150 advertised in both
2006 and 2007.
While the foreclosure
sales are advertised in the
newspaper, not all homes
will necessarily be sold
through the foreclosure
process. Mortgage hold
ers could still settle with
lenders before the property
is sold at the courthouse
steps.