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IS JOHNNY MARCHING HOME?
would entail a SI,OOO fine due with their next
water bill. (At press time, there was a possibility
that one person was going to catch the fine; of
ficials were still examining the situation.) During
the almost two months this summer when out
door watering was limited to one day per week,
officials issued around 200 warnings, with two
citizens accruing a second violation and being
assessed a $400 fine.
According to ACC Water Conservation
Coordinator Steve Dorsch, the code-enforcement
ticket and yellow flier describing a "notice of
first violation" tend to catch people's attention.
"If they haven't heard about it," Dorsch says,
"this [ticket] sticking on your door with one of
these fliers, that changes your tune." The major
ity of those 80 or so warnings went out in the
first week or so after the ban took effect, he
says, noting, "It takes a while to get the mes
sage out." A little over two weeks in, though,
the rate was down to an average of one per day.
"By the time we get... you know, two weeks in,
most people get the message."
What about those few people who haven't got
the message (or are brain-dead)? An ACC press
release dated Oct. 1 lays out the procedures for
enforcing the outdoor watering ban and, among
other things, it gives after-hours witnesses of
water-wasting as much ability to report incidents
as someone who sees a sprinkler on at noon on
a Tuesday.
How does it work? As noted above, a first
violation—directly observed by authorized ACC
staff from the Public
Utilities Department,
Community Protection
Division or Police
Department—results
in a written warning;
a second violation
results in the $1,000
fine. (Repeat violators
could have their water
cut off.) Also, if any of
those staffers see sec
ond-hand evidence of
watering, car-washing
or such—-like water run
ning down the gutter in
the street—they'll place
the address it's coming
from on their "watch
list."
Although Community
Protection Division
officers (formerly the
county Marshal's of
fice) typically patrol
during business hours,
the Public Utilities
Deoartment has created
a round-the-clock patrol
of seven employees
already assigned to vari
ous second and third
shifts in that depart
ment's 24-hour mainte
nance staffing arrange
ment. That means that
if citizens see watering (or evidence of it), but
want to remain anonymous, they also can report
it to the Public Utilities Department, putting
the address on the watch list. A patrol can then
check on the address in question at the time
the tipster has made note of, even if it's in the
middle of the night.
Another option open to citizens—but likely
to be little used—is to complete and sign an of
ficial sworn witness statement in the presence of
a notary public, testifying to having witnessed
a violation first-hand. If notarized, two of these
statements from different people are enough to
constitute a first violation (i.e., a yellow-flier
warning). One such statement puts the address
in question on a watch list.
Meanwhile, water conservation indoors is
not yet regulated, but is strongly encouraged.
Outdoor watering violations can be reported to
the Public Utilities Department at 706-613-3470.
More information is at www.athensclarkecounty.
com.
Ben Emanuel ben@ilagpole.com
In Memoriam
Sue Roalman
Suzann Roalman, known to all as Sue, died
Tuesday, Sept. 25, at the age of 57. Sue was
known to many Athens residents as a healer,
activist and writer who passionately championed
causes ranging from peace to protecting animals
and the environment.
Born in Lancaster County, PA, she had lived
in Chicago and England, but made her home in
Athens after 1980, with some time also spent in
Brevard, NC. Thousands of persons in Northeast
Georgia were familiar with her letters to the edi
tor, columns and articles in various media clearly
defining her positions on civic matters. Sue was
a professional massage therapist who impressed
many with her ability to practice the healing arts
through her knowledge of massage, herbs, foods
and medicinal plants. Her generosity in giving
free, personally prepared herbal and other rem
edies was part of her character. She grew many of
the herbs herself and loved working with plants.
"She was a true Earth Mother," her son,
Woody Hauke, says. She was in the vanguard in
practicing conservation of resources and her care
for the environment. "She was saving 'gray water'
long before it was a necessity," her son recalls.
After a long and difficult fight with cancer,
she died, surrounded by her loved ones, at St.
Mary's Hospice in Athens. She had returned from
Brevard the previous
day, where she had
hoped to live into old
age in the beauty of the
mountains, enjoying the
bounty of the rich earth
and plentiful rain.
"Many of us looked
forward to reading what
Sue wrote in support of
her causes," her long
time friend Al Hester
says. "She didn't pull
any punches and was
clear about where she
stood. I think one of
her outstanding quali
ties was her identifica
tion with those who had
been short-changed by
life or who were iso
lated or newcomers to
Athens."
"Sue was always
befriending someone,
inviting them into her
home, giving them a
cup of tea and listen
ing to their stories," he
says. Sue was a protec
tor of the Earth and
growing things, whether
they were plants or
animals. She adopted
many dogs and cats who
somehow found their
way to her home. They formed a companionable
and important part of her life and welcomed her
friends and visitors.
Many friends have a mental image of Sue as
an expert and tireless knitter whose "trademark"
was the creation of colorful and well-made knit
ted caps and baby bootees. Her knitted creations
were some of the most beloved presents she gave
her many friends.
"I think my mother loved to throw herself
into a good cause. She was always giving energy
to others who needed it," her son recalls. "I
think she had a calling to be a healer. She was
always alert to see a need, and she tried to help
with a whole lot of compassion."
Sue is survived by her son, Woody Hauke, of
Athens, and a brother, Andy Roalman of San Luis *
Obispo, CA. Memorial contributions may be sent
to Transylvania County Hospice, 260 Hospital
Drive, Brevard, NC, 28712 or to the Athens Area
Humane Society, 399 Beaverdam Road Ext.,
Athens, GA, 30605.
Conoly Hester
There had been a buzz building for quite
some time that Senator Johnny Isakson was
thinking of leaving Washington behind in 2010,
when his term in the Senate will be up, to come
back home and run for governor of Georgia.
Isakson seemed to confirm the speculation with
an announcement from his Senate office Oct. 1:
Heath Garrett, Isakson's loyal chief of staff for
more than 12 years, will be leaving the senator's
office to work with a high-powered political con
sulting firm, the Stevens & Schriefer Group.
Isakson's carefully worded announcement
said that Garrett will be based in Georgia for
the consulting firm that just hired him
and he "will move from the Senate of
fice to become chairman of Isakson's
campaign, serving as Isakson's chief
political strategist." Notice what
the announcement did not say: it
did not specify that Garrett will
be working for Isakson's "reelec
tion campaign" or for an upcom
ing "Senate campaign." It simply
referred to a "campaign," leaving
the door wide open for any number of
interpretations. The only interpretation
that makes sense, at this point in time,
is that Isakson is trying to clear the field for a
governor's race in 2010, when Sonny Perdue will
be stepping down after his constitutional limit of
two terms in office.
Why would Isakson willingly give up a seat
in the country's highest legislative chamber? It
comes back to the question of whether you prefer
being a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a
small pond.. Isakson is low on the seniority ladder
in a Senate that went from Republican control
his first two years there to a 51-49 Democratic
advantage after the 2006 election. The political
environment is threatening for the GOP heading
into next year, and realists inside the Beltway
see little if any chance of Republicans breaking
Democratic control of the Senate. Even GOP strat
egists are privately conceding that Democrats
could grab at least four Senate seats currently
held by Republicans next year.
Isakson thus faces the very real prospect of
being the junior partner in a minority party that
may not even be able to stop legislation through
the filibuster after 2008. That can't be much
fun for someone who'll be celebrating his 65th
birthday in 2009. It would be much more fulfill
ing to run for an office where you could really
accomplish things and where you would be the
heavy favorite to win before the candidates even
qualify.
The question for any ambitious Georgia poli
tician to be asking is not whether Isakson will
run for governor, but how the Isakson campaign
would affect the plans of everyone else. Lt. Gov.
Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson
have spent the last year positioning themselves
for the 2010 governor's race. Do they continue
along that road? Or does Cagle pull a Zell Miller
and s£rve another term or two as lieutenant
governor? Does Richardson switch his fo
cus to Isakson's vacated Senate seat?
State Representative DuBose
Porter (D-Dublin), the House mi
nority leader, is one of the few
Democrats left who can mount a
credible statewide campaign, and
he was seen as a possible candi
date for the 2010 governor's race.
But with the rumors building that
Isakson would come home to run,
there have also been reports that Porter
will now stay out of the governor's race.
Does Porter also switch to a race for the Senate,
or does he go home to run his string of weekly
newspapers?
There has also been speculation that Roy
Barnes might want to make another try for gov
ernor in 2010 and eradicate the bad memories of
blowing the 2002 race to Sonny Perdue. Would
Barnes really run against his Cobb County neigh
bor and old friend Johnny?
Let's not forget about Sonny Perdue, either.
It doesn't look like his campaign to run for vice
president is going anywhere and he'll need some
thing to do when his second term expires—such
as run for Isakson's Senate seat.
Obviously, there are lots of questions to be
answered. Fortunately for the voters, we've got
at least two years to start working out some ot
the answers.
Tom Crawford
Tom Crawford is the editor of Capitol Impact's Georgia
Report, an Internet news site at www.gareport.com that
covers government and politics in Georgia.
Tilt HWIH TMLI
HEY KIDS.' IT'S TIME FOR THE-
NCO-
by TOM TOMORROW
LET'S GET STARTED* OUR
FIRST QUESTION - -WHAT
COMMON ARTICLE Of
CLOTHING DO MOST Of US
WEAR ON OUR JT££T?
WELL DONE, CON
TESTANT 93! MOVING
RIGHT ALONG—WHAT
IS THE CAPITAL of
THE STATE Of IOWA?
CAME
SHOW
WITH TOOR HOST RICHARD PERlE!
MR
WITH CONTESTANT *3
FIRMLY IN THE LEAD-
IN WHAT YEAR WAS
THE DECLARATION of
INDEPENDENCE SIGNED 1
AND NOW FOR OUR
FINAL SONUS ROUND—
DESCRIBE. IN FOUR
WORDS OR LESS, THE
BEST RESPONSE. TO A
TERRORIST ATTACK
AND THE WINNER Of
TODAY'S GAME IS
COHTESTAHT *3!
CONGRATULATIONS—
YOU PLAYED LUCE A
TRUE NEOCON!
UNILATERALLY
attack and
OCCUPY AN
UNRELATED
COUNTRY AS
PART Of A
GRAND STRA
TEGY TO R6-
E GLO-
potmes!
THINK AT THE SINK!
• Wash fruits and vegetables in a basin or
a partly-filled sink, not under running
water.
• Install an ultra-low flow toilet if you
don't have one. They use 1.6 gallons per
flush, instead of 3.5 to seven gallons per
flush like pre-1992 toilets.
• Do not use running water to thaw meat
or other frozen foods. Defrost food
overnight in the refrigerator or use the
defrost setting on your microwave.
• Consider installing an instant water
heater on your sinks so you don't have
to let the water run while it heats up.
This will reduce water heating costs for
your household.
• Soak pots and pans instead of letting the
water run while you scrape them clean.
These water-saving tips are brought to you by
Flagpole and the Unified Government of Athens-
Clarke County. For more tips on how to save water,
visit www.athensclafkecounty.com.
This week’s reservoir update; Bear Creek Reservoir
is 13.8 feet below full pool. The precipitation
deficit for Athens this year (through Oct. 3) is ap
proximately 15.8 inches.
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OCTOBER 10,2007 • FLAGPOLE.COM 7
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