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expansion of the county jail, the three-laning
of Pulaski Street downtown and revisions to
the sidewalk cafe ordinance to accommodate
tenants of the new downtown parking deck.
But it appears the M8.C will have little to
say about whatever the revised plans for the
Classic Center expansion, which they will also
vote on July 5, will consist of. That's because
the Classic Center's architects, whose "final"
plans, it was announced May 26, were over
budget by an unspecified amount of money,
required five weeks, not four, to prepare
their revisions to be presented to the com
missioners whose job it is to approve them.
Oh, well—it's not like the architects or their
bosses have a history of disregarding over
arching public concerns in deference to what
ever is most convenient for the Classic Center.
The last plan the architects presented all but
ignored the commission's mandate for mid
block access between Thomas and Foundry
streets, and commissioners' half-hearted sug
gestions that such access actually be provided
in the revisions aren't likely to be taken very
seriously, either. Especially when the new plan
can be presented a week before the vote, with
predictions of downtown's economic ruin if
the M&C don't wave it through right now—for
real, this time. [Dave Marr]
Another Tragedy: It was only nine months ago
that Caixia Geng, an electronics engineer
who had lived in the Athens area since mov
ing here from China in 1993, was the subject
of a wonderful profile by Andre Gallant in
Flagpole's "Everyday People," in which she elo
quently reminisced on the changes that have
overtaken her hometown since her emigra
tion, and spoke with excitement of her son's
impending completion of a Georgia Tech doc
toral degree. Caixia and her husband, Denghui
Cheng, were killed in a car accident on GA
316 last week, and all of us at Flagpole offer
our heartfelt sympathies to all the family and
friends who loved them. [DM]
John Huie & Dave Marr
TjfrsriRTTfejmnfr, Krazy Korner
It's Complicated: Nobody thinks ACC commis
sioners Andy Herod, Kelly Girtz or Mike Hamby
have anything but the best of intentions—
"being responsible for the public's money," as
Herod puts it—in trying to get themselves
appointed to serve on the board of the
Economic Development Foundation. Indeed,
it's high time for improvements in Athens'
lagging efforts to bring in new business and
jobs. Whether "packing" the EDF board with
self-appointed commissioners is going to do
that is an open question. What are they going
to do differently? They haven't said.
In fact, they've said precious little, going
outside normal channels with little explana
tion. In an unprecedented move, a majority
on the commission threatened funds for the
board without explaining why (or offering
any specific criticisms)—and certainly without
revealing that they were doing so in order to
get three of their number appointed to the
board. This flirts with illegality and violates
the spirit of open government that usually
prevails here.
But it also shdws determination about an
important issue; a frustration with the fail
ings of the past. Longtime complacency has
allowed Athens to fall behind in recruiting
new business and jobs. Athens has, by some
measures, one of the highest poverty rates
in America; and as the OneAthens antipoverty
group has said, the real answer to poverty is
jobs. Yet, persistent recommendations for a
better-organized multi-county effort to "sell"
Athens have fallen to shortsighted politics
(notably in Oconee County). Clearly, some
thing needs to change. Maybe ACC's ambitious
commissioners have some answers, and are
prepared to make the effort it's going to take.
And maybe too, they could let the rest of us
in on their plans? [John Huie]
Have You Heard This One Before?: The mayor
and commission will set the agenda for
their July vote this Thursday, June 23, when
they will presumably discuss such topics as
the project concept for the
D. Broun is helping lead opposition to the President's Independent Payment Advisory
Board, a panel instituted by last year’s health care law which advises Congress on
how to keep Medicare's rising costs under control in order to preserve the program—
because it gives “unqualified bureaucrats... the power to ration health care.” O true
O false
Scoring: TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE. If you answered TRUE to all four, you’ve clearly
been paying attention. You understand that the decision to go to war is based not on
lives lost or attainable objectives but, rather, the party affiliation of the decision makers.
While a single FALSE response indicates only a nagging naivete, a T, F, T, F answer
key is a serious matter, and a clinical psychologist should become involved: to find
principles at work in Broun’s thinking indicates delusional episodes of a quite serious
nature. [Matthew Pulver]
C. Broun voted for Representative Paul Ryan’s budget plan, which would effectively
end Medicare as we know it. O true O false
Quiz time. Clear your desks. Let’s see how well you know the
congressman. “True or false” format:
A. Broun supported the Iraq war and occupation under President
Bush. O true O false
B. Broun co-sponsored a bill to reprimand President Obama for, and
question the legality of, committing U.S. troops to NATO’s war against
Libya’s tyrannical Muammar Gaddafi. O true O false
170 College Ave. • Athens, Georgia
Clay camps for ages 4-6, 7-10,11 +
Schedule online at: www.gooddfrt.net
706-355-3161
ATHENS NEWS AND VIEWS
4 FLAGPOLE.COM-JUNE 22,2011
