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♦ TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2003
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OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
President,
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans Rex Gambill
Vice President Managing Editor
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
It Takes Money To Run
The days when a person can announce for pub
lic office and get elected without spending any
money are gone.
It is expensive to run for local offices. And out
rageously expensive to run for any statewide or
national office.
There was a time, not too long ago, when candi
dates seeking to become governor or congressman
would ask for contributions of SIOO. Now they do
not blink an eye when they ask for $5,000 or
SIO,OOO. My, how times have changed.
Local elections - city and county - are different
only that the amount of money needed to run a
successful campaign is much less. But it still
takes money to put out signs and purchase a lim
ited amount of advertising.
Not many years ago candidates in Warner
Robins knew almost everyone in town. They
could go out at night and knock on doors and be
successful. Warner Robins today is almost a city
of strangers. Candidates for city council this year
are finding that out. It takes money to get mes
sages out.
Mayoral campaigns in Warner Robins in recent
years have cost candidates thousands of dollars,
upwards of 20 or 30 thousand dollars. Supporters
provide some of the money, but most of it must be
provided by the candidates themselves.
Centerville’s mayoral election has been the
most expensive ever held in that city.
It is less expensive to campaign in Perry,
because the county seat has not yet felt the kind
of growth that turns neighbors into strangers.
Being a mayor or councilman or county com
missioner or school board member calls for a real
interest in serving the public, as well as a willing
ness to dig into their own pockets to run their
campaigns.
The winners may get back a portion of what
they spend in salaries, but the losers just have to
lick their chops and take pride in the fact they
were willing to step forward and offer themselves
for the offices they sought.
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Clyde's right; Ray's the man
Editor:
I have lived and worked in Warner Robins
and Houston County for more than 32
years. I know a lot of people living here now
and a few, for one reason or another, who
moved away. A few days ago I read where
Clyde, an old friend of mine whom I knew
before his wife inherited the convenience
store in North Florida had, once again, sur
faced. And that he was interested in the
political season here in Warner Robins was
no surprise. Clyde has always been interest
ed in making Warner Robins and Houston
County better. And so, the fact that he is
supporting Ray Golden is not surprising. I
am glad, though, that Clyde supports Ray. I
found out years ago that it is better to have
Clyde on your side than against you.
I hope when the wily Clyde comes up to
congratulate Ray Golden on being elected to
Warner Robins City Council once again that
I get to see him. Because, dear readers, I can
tell him about so many positive things Ray
Golden does for his city and his county - and
hardly anybody knows about a tenth of
them. I have known Ray probably as long as
Clyde has, but I have been here to witness
some of his work while Clyde has been off in
North Florida.
I am looking forward to meeting Ray at
the Warner Robins City Hall and congratu-
Should governments be so generous?
THE STATE of Georgia
gave a $2.5 million grant to
Blue Bird in Fort Valley to
create new jobs. Last week
Blue Bird announced the
layoff of more than 400
employees.
Georgia has spent more
than S6O million preparing a
site for a hoped-for Daimler-
Chrysler plant in Pooler. To
go along with this, the state
also promised to give away
almost S4OO million in tax
concessions to the automo
bile giant. The plant is not
coming to Pooler.
Governments are very
generous with taxpayer
money when big companies
ask for tax concessions or
grants and promise to create
more jobs. The little fellow,
who has struggled to build
his small business, couldn’t
get the time of day if he
asked for it.
A stranger can come to
town and promise to create
30 jobs and can get all kinds
of help and concessions. The
local fellow next door, who
started from scratch and
now employs 30 or more
employees, is looked upon as
a source of tax income.
I feel very strongly about
this policy of attempting to
What is Houston County to do?
Last week I told you about
the incredible budgetary
demands that the folks who
run the Georgia Indigent
Defense program will be
seeking from the
Legislature. As a refresher,
they are asking for $63.5
million dollars to fund the
Superior Court defense of
indigents. No one really
knows where this money is
going to be coming from, but
the proposals range from
just asking for it from the
hardworking taxpayers to
adding “tack on” fees to sen
tences to get the criminals
to pay for their own defense.
(Now that’s a novel con
cept!)
Last week I left you with
the question: Does Houston
County “opt into” this new
program? If the commission
ers do, they could expect to
garner approximately
$500,000 in state funding,
we think. But we just don’t
know because the funding
formula isn’t really worked
out yet. But let’s say it’s a
cool $500,000. How, Kelly,
can the commissioners turn
down this much money to
offset the cost of defending
the indigent in Superior
Court?
There’s an old saying to
beware of government offi
cials bringing you money.
This is just such a case. The
folks who run this new pro
gram will have ulterior
motives when they seek to
get Houston County to join
this new program. A little
history is in order to explain
why this could be a horrible
Catch-22. The Georgia
Supreme Court recently set
a “guideline” that indigent
defenders should not handle
lating him on his victory. And I am also look
ing forward to seeing Clyde and hearing
some wonderful stories of yesteryear and
how things, even now, are going to get bet
ter.
Guy C. Fussell Sr.
Warner Robins
Parimutuel betting is the answer
Editor:
The news headlines continue to cover the
controversy over the HOPE scholarship
fund, yet no answer has been found. Costs
continue to rise as the revenues from the
lottery program dwindle.
The dilemma over the HOPE money con
tinues: Everyone praises it for raising mil
lions of dollars to help thousands of
Georgian students, but the governor’s solu
tion of raising SAT scores has been criti
cized by Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor. Something
must be done, everyone agrees, but the most
obvious solution has yet to be broached in
the media.
Rather than fighting over the crumbs, I
suggest another proven method - horse rac
ing and pari-mutuel betting. In conversa
tion with a few local state reps and senators,
they all privately approve of this notion, but
are hesitant about coming out publicly for it
due to the expected response from the reli
gious right who initially opposed the lottery.
LETTERS TO THE BJITOR
m % ilt mBB
Foy Evans
Columnist
foyevans 19@cox.net
buy jobs. I’ve seen too many
companies take the money,
stick around until the con
cessions run out and then
look somewhere else for
some more taxpayer money
and concessions.
I can’t appreciate giving
taxpayer money or tax con
cessions to the big boys - or
just somebody from out of
town - while individuals and
established local businesses
pick up the tab.
I’ll never forget the time,
back in the early Fifties,
when someone came to
Warner Robins and prom
ised to hire five people in a
blueprint business. Of
Kelly Burke
District Attorney
distatty@houstonda.org
more than 150 cases per
year. (By the way, the jus
tices set no guideline for
what prosecutors ought to
handle!) So the indigent
folks will, once a county has
) *s>> i' ...My, what a \
I thought we were passed the point of hav
ing religious fundamentalists dictate what
our secular government should do. The suc
cess of the lottery program and the many
Baptist students who also benefited should
render moot any objections to improve this
scholarship fund. Indeed, if the Baptists
continue to object, then they also should not
accept the HOPE money for themselves, but
that certainly ain’t gonna happen.
Think of the benefits for our local econo
my. Imagine during the National Fair in
Perry if it included horse racing - thorough
breds, quarter horses, trotters and pacers -
the huge increase in attendance that would
result. This would spillover to the hotels,
restaurants, merchants, and other vendors
too.
As well, other ancillary businesses would
be enriched by a track, such as ranchers,
farmers, breeders, and labor like carpenters
and track employees would be necessary to
build and to maintain a racetrack. Unlike
the lottery that employs only a few part
time quickie store employees, a racetrack
would cast a much wider net of employment
and opportunity.
By the way: Did you know that the horse
industry in Georgia is the fifth largest agri
cultural commodity,and contributes $248
million annually? Did you know that there
already are five thoroughbred farms in
course, he was given help to
get started by the city
fathers. We danced in the
streets because a new indus
try (our first) was coming to
town. After the city had
been milked of what it was
willing to give, the business
disappeared.
My philosophy, I know, is
out of step with every indus
trial and development
authority that ever existed.
But I’ll wager that most peo
ple feel the way I do.
• • •
LAST WEEK Mayor
Donald Walker told me, “We
just traded away your park.”
I knew what he was talking
about. The city had swapped
some land along the
Ocmulgee River to the gov
ernment.
One day when I was
mayor a friend came to my
office and said, “I didn’t
know you had a park named
for you.” I told him I didn’t,
either.
He said, “I was fishing on
the Ocmulgee River and
came across a sign that said
I was in Foy Evans Park.”
Upon investigation I
learned that Rhett Milam,
who was in charge of com
munity development for the
“opted in,” seek to require
counties to hire enough
defenders to reach the 150-
caseload figure per year. In
Houston County, that could
take the indigent defense
program from six attorneys
to 40 attorneys (depending
on whose numbers you use).
Such an increase in staffing
would take the indigent
defense budget from $1 mil
lion to over $4 million per
year. So, in order to get
$500,000, you might be
stuck with a $3 million dol
lar increase. That’s plain
bad economics.
Now what if a county sim
ply doesn’t want to meet the
demands of the indigent
defense folks? That’s easy -
some have already said that
Georgia? Both of these would drastically
increase with the addition of horse racing in
the Peach State. Certainly the number of
quarter horse ranches would increase, as
would the Standardbreds that already
reside in Hawkinsville.
Someone in Perry must champion this
cause as a solution to the HOPE problem
and as a boost to the local economy. Indeed,
it would undoubtedly be the biggest boost
we’ve seen in Perry since the Ag Center was
built, and this racetrack is a natural exten
sion of the purpose of the fairgrounds, and
there’s plenty of space to build a track.
I suggest our local reps and senators,
along with our local newspaper and media
folks, get off the snide and endorse this idea
immediately while this issue still has legs
(no pun intended).
Let’s broach the issue openly to handle
the expected but unjustified objections—
someone must get the public up the learning
curve as to the widespread benefits of horse
racing not only for the Hope students and
our 24 state colleges/universities, but for all
the other ancillary jobs it would create. This
is a golden opportunity for Perry; hopefully
our leadership will see the light and not
squander the possibility due to unwarranted
fear or procrastination.
JC Smith
Warner Robins
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
city, had erected such a sign
on city property in the
swamp adjacent to the river
as a joke. Mayor Walker told
me he believes the sign is
still there, along with some
alligators and bears I do not
want to get acquainted with.
• • •
HAS IT occurred to many
of you that we used the
same punch card method of
voting in Houston County
for years that created all the
stir in Florida during the
last presidential election?
Not only did we use them
but we did so successfully
without any problems....
Out in California, where
they are attempting to get
rid of an incompetent gover
nor, they use these cards for
voting. They have done so
for many years, including
the last gubernatorial elec
tion. Now activists, who do
not want to see the governor
replaced, are making an
issue about this way of vot
ing, claiming that many vot
ers will be disenfranchised.
If it worked so well for us,
why not everywhere else,
including California and
Florida, unless you are look
ing for a reason to raise a
stink?
they’re going to sue any
county that doesn’t comply
with their demands. So
what do you do if you’re a
commissioner? I’d say to
turn down the offer to join
this wonderful new pro
gram. Why take a $2.5 mil
lion loss when you’ve got the
“model public defender”
program in the state?
Oh, the Catch-22 contin
ues! I’m betting that they’re
going to sue any county
which doesn’t comply with
their caseload requirements
anyway. We’ll see what hap
pens.
Kelly Burke is Houston
County’s district attorney.
He can be reached at (478)
218-4810 or by e-mail at dis
tatty@houstonda.org.