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and, some time later, transmit a 'short list" of
no more than five applicants to Governor Perdue,
who will appoint a judge. Though appointed, the
new state court judge will still have to run for
election to the position in the fall of 2008.
Wholl be Athens' next state court judge? No
one can say yet. of course. For one, Watson con
firms, the governor is technically "not obligated"
to make his selection based on the nominating
commission's short list (though that's most often
the case, of course.) 8ut even so, it may be dif
ficult to predict bow the Republican administra
tion in Atlanta will go about making a selection
for a place like Athens-CUrke. Although the ap
pointed judge will have the benefit of a year's in
cumbency when he or she runs for election to the
position next year—and therefore will be fairly
secure in the spot—it's not inconceivable that
someone like Bushnell with a local reputation in
politics (not just in taw) would be beatable at
the polls. Judge Simpson, meanwhile, has had
a group of fiercely toyal supporters among local
lawyers since her removal in 2005, and appar
entiy is well enough liked by most local lawyers
that she might win reelection easily. (The issue
at the time of her removal had largely to do with
problems commissioners had with local ordinance
prosecutions in her court.) It's worth noting
here that Simpson made a $250 contribution to
Gov. Perdue s campaign on election day last fall,
though she was unavailable for comment on this
story at press time.
Also worth noting; last falfs election saw
Rusty Simpson, a 2005 Perdue appointment to
Superior Court in South Georgia's Tifton District,
lose his new job by 12 percentage points. Apart
from that race (and as is typically the case) in
cumbent Superior Court judges facing challengers
won reelection in every district m the state last
fall. But who knows? Maybe Perdue can make a
better pick for Athens than he did for Tifton.
••ft Emanuel DenOttagpofeccm
Farmers’ Market
Could It Work Here?
'We want a farmers market in Athens for
the 200* growing season." Craig Page said to
a gathering of local farmers last week, with a
calmness that betrayed
hn rabid idealism For a
liberal college town, his
goal should* t veem so
outlandish Then again
he **v talking about
something permanent
regular and substantial.
«h*h Athens has yet to
prove It can handle And
he was talking about it
tn Georgia which accord
»ng to Georgia Organics
has the Vwest farmers
markets per iesi
dents m the country and
•s thud to last to total
—. k/kwR « • a euf
*> w*
Deiaware and Alaska
But at. Page s "farm
e*s forum* on Aug A
at fufi Moon Farms. *f
was an idea that
rWm#r to rnatlty than
ever anth empty piates
ad that
d**ne» »y fteter Dale
the < h*f at new »estau
•ant The National Pag*
Page had begun the arduous process of try
ing to realize a larger local farmers' market with
its most important component; the farmers. As
the meeting started, they seemed skeptical of its
benefits and practicalities, Witti little cumula
tive familiarity with markets, they had difficulty
visualizing their own. But Full Moon Farms' Jason
Mann, who's worked with farmers' markets across
the country, assuaged concerns. 'It just needs
a location," he said; soon the gradual whittling
path toward consensus was on its way.
Using the superlative market in Madison.
WI, as an example, Chuck Murphy of P.l.A.C.E.
talked of a "destination market," which would
have draws like music and crafts and turn out the
entire community. The conversation, however,
quickly settled on the two most pressing com
mercial aspects: location and merchandise. As for
viability, Mann argued, "Athens, yes, has the cus
tomer base." He can't grow enough produce, and
the waiting-list for his CSA (an acronym meaning
community-supported agriculture) is so long it's
almost unapproachable. Roots Farm, onty in its
first year of operation, has had to send CSA sub
scription checks back because the demand was
so high. And the membership of locally Grown,
an on-line market that pools together the output
from a variety of local farms, has jumped 300
percent this year.
Despite this evidence of local demand, it isn't
as easy a bet as it would seem. The spasms of a
maturing market will bite farmer's checkbooks.
Hart County farmer Michael McMullan's worry was
overproduction; growers are already bringing
unsold tomatoes home from some small markets,
he said. (Anyone is loath to expend too much
effort and capital in a business with little cash
return, but according to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's March 2006 economic report. '93
percent of farm households have negative farm
operating profits.")
*Wre crazy to do this for what we get from
it," said a man srith a palpable sense of frustra
tion and dignity. His statement summarized the
night's resolute spirit. In the face of uncertain fi
nances and some quibbles, the assembled f armers
affirmed their commitment to a local market.
Page hopes to have a "market steering
committee' together by September The small
group will work out questions of infrastructure,
management, site logistics and so on. Even
after countless meetings addressing all those
questions, the success of a farmers' market and
%tm4 t* tac* of two dry erase boards with an
agenda and addriniad a swearing crowd a# 25
•age H *h* frmftr *d P l A C. I a new Athens
wem-gnd* a*mng ta ******** local Farming (the
•sen* stands An Momering local Agrinrfhe* and
itMmmI Caper****) Seated erownd frodaNe
tables w* tar awns ad aft ages, shapes and uni
wth mater* tattoos and a*are beards than a ca
bal ad Am*** emnfrnts, who «««dd equally talk
John Deere and peea dlwN Ad no ******
ed «r untamable growers
local faming in general etil Mety be a matte* of
customer pnde «htt the locally groom tomato be
worth Ms added cast became ad the buyer s mri
m#ry with the source of AM toed, semitivoty cul
tivated without secret hem* at* and herbicides,
because ad the vibrant countryside that enriches
Hde k* Athens, and because ad the enhanced
< immunity that sprouts tom new frersenei tram
actions* That i the Fieg*
Ogee c eager
JOT 'EM DOWN
5T013E & BBQ
6*OC€ri£S • BBGE
WOTBOIlCD plknuT<,
_ V. . .J,:.
rDAn a
toft* 9>tC #
>»*52*!*wu
SALON, INC
Athens Business Center
Suite 2 2440 W Broad St
706-548-2188
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