Category Archives: Elections

Videos: ESPLOST V kickoff meeting @ ESPLOST 2015-02-24

Co-Chair Jerome Tucker emphasized that ESPLOST helping public schools also helps economic development. See below for who we now know are the committee members for the Educational Special Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST). It’s mysterious why that information wasn’t in the PR before the meeting, but now we know, since Gretchen went and took the videos and collected the flyers you’ll find below.

Early voting already started that same day and continues through March 13th, with the final Election Day 17 March 2015.

600x450 Crowd picture, in ESPLOST Kickoff and Press Conference, by Gretchen Quarterman, 24 February 2015

Lowndes/Valdosta Citizens for Excellence in Education
Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
For Lowndes County Schools and Valdosta City Schools Continue reading →

Board of Elections meeting @ Elections 2015-01-13

Received by email 8 January 2015, with no agenda and no other materials. -jsq

Notice is hereby given that the Lowndes County Board of Elections will conduct a public meeting on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 4:30 p.m., at the Lowndes County Elections office, located at 2808 N Oak St., Valdosta, GA 31602.

All interested parties are invited to attend.

For meeting information, please call the Elections office at 229-671-2850 or e-mail elections@lowndescounty.com.

Videos: Swearing Commissioners this morning @ LCC 2014-12-19

Here are videos of swearing in the new Commissioners, Commissioners, Mark Wisenbaker (District 3) and Scott Orenstein (District 2), and also the re-elected Commissioner, Demarcus Marshall (District 4), by Senior Superior Court Judge, H. Arthur McLane, at 10 AM this morning, 19 December 2014. Continue reading →

Special Election, Budget, Meters, and Rezoning @ Lake Park 2014-12-02

They called a special election to fill the unexpired term of Sandy Sherrill, who had resigned unexpectedly, plus a referendum for Sunday off-premisses liquor sales, at the Lake Park City City Council Regular Session of 2 December 2014. They amended the 2014 budget and adopted a 2015 budget. More than half an hour on a presentation about water meters. Professional therapy, including massage therapy, at the location being rezoned for Keith Sandlin in rezoning LP-2014-10-20. The Planning Commission 24 November 2014, previously unanimously recommended approval. The Lake Park City Council voted 2 for 1 against, so it passed. And they had direct reports by Police, Fire/Rescure, and Maintenance, since they don’t have a city manager. They appointed an additional member to the cemetery committee. They discussed executive sessions being each time a choice and participants in executive sessions not being bound to secrecy, the real test being not violating the public trust.

Here’s the agenda, and below are the videos, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Board of Elections @ Elections 2014-12-09

They usually have Citizens Wishing To Be Heard first and they let citizens converse with them during the rest of the meeting. They meet 4:30 PM Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at the Lowndes County Elections office, 2808 N Oak St., Valdosta, GA 31602. There’s no posted agenda that I can find, and no posted list of board members. I’ve sent them an inquiry.

Agenda PDF and inline below. -jsq

300x300 4:30 PM 9 December 2014, in Notice of Public Meeting, by Lowndes County Board of Elections, 9 December 2014

Lowndes County Elections

Deb Cox
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS

Madlyn Hightower
CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF
ELECTIONS

LOWNDES COUNTY ELECTIONS
LEGAL NOTICE Continue reading →

Videos: Candidates in Lake Park @ LPCoC 2014-10-16

Sitting at a table, the local candidates laid out their positions in Lake Park. See also LAKE videos of the previous candidate forum in Valdosta. Continue reading →

Videos: Valdosta Chamber Candidate Forum @ VLCoC 2014-10-07

Here are LAKE videos of the candidates forum at the Rainwater Conference Center organized by the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce. In the one remaining County Commission race, for District 3, Tom Hochschild made opposition to the Sabal Trail pipeline a platform plank, while Mark Wisenbaker mentioned his opposition to the county’s lawsuit against local business Deep South Sanitation (DSS). We know Hochschild is opposed to that lawsuit and Wisenbaker is opposed to that pipeline, so we may get some change on the County Commission in January. Cary Scarborough of DSS was at this forum, as were many pipeline opponents. Bikram Mohanty wins special mention for best use of the VSU students Hochschild brought.

Continue reading →

Rosalynn Carter at Lowndes County Courthouse, 6PM Thu Oct 9th 2014

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter will here tomorrow, 6PM October 8th 9th, at the Lowndes County Courthouse, to support her grandson Jason Carter for Governor of Georgia, the Lowndes County Democratic Party announced today.

Incumbent Gov. Nathan Deal’s campaign took $10,000 from Spectra Energy, which wants to build the Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline through south Georgia. Deal’s campaign also accepted contributions from three other pipeline companies, adding up to at least $21,300.

Jason Carter’s campaign accepted no dollars ($0) from any of those companies. And as his campaign website says, State Senator Jason Carter “has twice received Environmental Leadership awards from Georgia Conservation Voters”.

Former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter visited Valdosta in 2003, when they helped Habitat for Humanity build a house. Tomorrow she will be back, this time at the Courthouse.

-jsq

Meet the Candidates @ VLCoC 2014-10-07

Update 2014-10-21: Fixed year in title, and LAKE videos are posted.

Tuesday is the annual Chamber Meet the Candidates event. Usually there’s not much chance to ask them questions and see them answer in front of everybody, but at least you get to hear them speak.

Oddly the Chamber did not list which candidates will be there, but Valdosta CEO did:

U.S. Representative – District 1
E.L. Buddy Carter (R)
Brian Corwin Reese (D)

State Senate – District 8
C. Ellis Black (R)
Bikram Mohanty (D)

State House – District 174
John Corbett (R)
Jessie Smith (D)

Lowndes County Commission – District 3
Tally Mark Wisenbaker, Jr. (R)
Tom Hochschild (D)

Meet The Candidates 2014 Continue reading →

Lula Smart acquitted on all counts: Quitman 10 vindicated

Lula Smart cleared by a jury in third trial. Third strike by the prosecutors: they’re out! Will they stop wasting our taxpayer dollars now?

Katheryn Hayes Tucker, Daily Report, 17 September 2014, Acquittal in Trial Over Absentee Ballots,

Lula Mary Smart was acquitted on 19 felony charges of voting irregularities Wednesday following a month-long trial in Brooks County Superior Court in South Georgia.

Continue reading →