Category Archives: Lowndes County Commission

G. Robert Carter (1924-2011)



Update 13 Feb 2011: A very nice biography and tribute in the VDT today. His birth year is corrected in the title of this post.

According to

the VDT today [12 Feb 2011]:

At approximately 11 a.m. Saturday morning, emergency personnel responded
to the residence of G. Robert Carter, former Lowndes County Commissioner
and Sheriff. Carter, who was recently hospitalized for an unnkown illness,
has reportedly passed today.



Two weeks ago

he spoke as he was being honored
at the Lake Park Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner:





G. Robert Carter, former Lowndes County Commissioner District 3,
former Sheriff,
speaking at the
Lake Park Chamber of Commerce annual dinner,
Lake Park, Lowndes County, Georgia, 28 January 2011.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

I’ve lived long enough to appreciate the Greatest Generation,
but also to appreciate the younger ones coming along to take our place.

…

I’m not totally out of business; I might be able to help you somewhere
down the line.
As I told Crawford, don’t wait until you get in trouble.
Come to see me before you get in trouble.

Here are
videos of all the tributes to Sheriff Carter that evening.

Continue reading →

Why “jobs, jobs, jobs” isn’t good enough for the public good and the general welfare –John S. Quarterman



Sure, everyone wants jobs for the people right now and jobs
so the children don’t have to go somewhere else to find one.
But what good is that if those jobs suck up all the water
those children need to drink?

This is the problem:

“What I believe the three most important things are,
not only for our community, and our state, and our country,
but for our country,
thats jobs number 1, jobs number 2, and jobs.”





Brad Lofton, Executive Director,
Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
speaking at the
Lake Park Chamber of Commerce annual dinner,
Lake Park, Lowndes County, Georgia, 28 January 2011.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

I shook Brad Lofton’s hand after that speech and told him I liked it,
because I did: in general it was a positive speech about real accomplishments.
I’ve also pointed out I had a few nits with that speech.
This one is more than a nit.
This one is basic philosophy and policy.

Now one would expect an executive director of an industrial authority
to be all about jobs.
And that would be OK, if

Continue reading →

New Meeting, New Rules –Lowndes County Commission



Remember,

the new rules take effect at the upcoming County Commission meeting:

  • 8:30 AM Monday Febuary 7th, 2010: Work Session
  • 5:30 PM Tuesday February 8th, 2010: Regular Session

Both meetings will be at 327 N. Ashley Street, Valdosta, GA 31601.
Only the regular session has Citizens Wishing to Be Heard.

The
Lowndes County front page has links to the resolution the Commission
passed last time, to the new rules, and to the new sign-in sheet,
along with this notice:

Continue reading →

G. Robert Carter honored at Lake Park Chamber of Commerce



Former Lowndes County County Commissioner and former Sheriff G. Robert Carter
was honored by a variety of local dignitaries at the
annual Lake Park Chamber of Commerce (LPCoC) dinner.
Speakers included

Crawford Powell, former LPCoC chair and current County Commissioner
for District 3, Carter’s old district,

Richard Lee, former County Commissioner for District 2,

Joyce Evans, current County Commissioner for District 1,

Joe Pritchard, County Manager, and
Crawford Powell again, on

Lifting the next generation higher,
and on

a framed picture of G. Robert Carter.

The honoree

spoke briefly,
and

the Chamber presented him his award.

Two later speakers also lauded Carter:

Ben Copeland, former Chairman, Wiregrass Technical College,
and
Brad Lofton, Executive Director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority.

Here’s
a playlist,
and here it is embedded:





Honoring G. Robert Carter, at the

Lake Park Chamber of Commerce annual dinner,

Lake Park, Lowndes County, Georgia, 28 January 2011.

Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

LAKE also applauds G. Robert Carter for his service to the county.

-jsq

What was missing from Brad Lofton’s speech?

Seems like there’s something

from Brad Lofton’s speech at the Lake Park Chamber of Commerce on 28 January 2011.
Right at the end

he mentioned:

a project we’ve been working on





Brad Lofton, Executive Director, Valdosta-Lowndes COunty Industrial Authority,

speaking at the Lake Park Chamber of Commerce annual dinner,

Lake Park, Lowndes County, Georgia, 28 January 2011.

Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

What could that project be?

Right at the beginning

Lofton said:

Ben Copeland beat me slap silly

Maybe that’s a clue.
What did Ben Copeland

say about Brad Lofton?

Brad Lofton was going to talk after me,
and he’d talk about biomass.
[laughter]

Continue reading →

Brad Lofton asks for your ideas



In a generally congenial and well-received speech
to the Lake Park Chamber of Commerce (LPCoC), Industrial
Authority (VLCIA) executive director Brad Lofton
gave an update on various projects and concluded
by asking for input.
“Economic development is a team sport,” he said, and
“Give us ideas” and “There’s one of us and hundreds of you.”

Lofton was

introduced by LPCoC chairman Dan Bremer
who said that

Lofton and VLCIA brought a plant to Lake Park with 400 workers.

In his speech, Lofton

lauded the LPCoC as a great incubator of local businesses.

It’s going to come from all of you.

He talked about expanding local industries, especially PCA at length,

asking David Carmon of PCA to stand up,
saying PCA made a
$230 million expansion in 2010,
and noting

“We had to compete for the PCA project.”

Continue reading →

“Using words like green, renewable, etc. does not magically make it so.” –Russ Anderson

Following up on his previous correspondence. -jsq



From: Russ Anderson
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:20:24 -0500
Subject: Re: Attn: Clarifications on my comments
To: blofton@industrialauthority.com, info@sterlingplanet.com, bmaddox@sterlingplanet.com

Brad,

I’m not saying the project is good, responsible, that it will actually happen, and def. not that you are in any way right in your opinions of “green” and “renewable”.

Furthermore, I really wish you could get beyond the talking point of “the agencies and groups endorsing similar projects”, because again that is a highly contestable and skewed figure as many local, regional, and national agencies, groups, and networks still voice heavy opposition to this issue and biomass incineration.

Using words like green, renewable, etc. does not magically make it so. I know all about framing language and tactics of those wishing to line their pockets and exploit subsidy and tax loopholes. The simple fact that you are so set in your opinion and mentality is quite alarming..

For example, I am more than willing to embrace control technologies and

Continue reading →

the myth that biomass constitutes a “health benefit” –Dr. Noll

A followup to his

presentation at LCC last Tuesday.
-jsq



Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:59:50 -0500

From: noll_family

To: apaulk@lowndescounty.com, jevans@lowndescounty.com,
rraines@lowndescounty.com, cpowell@lowndescounty.com

CC: kay.harris, “John S. Quarterman”

Subject: Last Night’s Meeting

Dear Chairman Paulk and Commissioners.

Thanks for providing my wife and I and others opposed to the biomass
plant the opportunity to address you last night. As a follow-up to last
night’s meeting, let me share some thoughts with you,
including reflections on a comment made about other “biomass
incinerators” in our county and the continuing myth that biomass
constitutes a “health benefit”:

Continue reading →

Celebrate citizen participation –John S. Quarterman

A message to the only elected
body in Lowndes County that represents the entire county.
I’ve added a few links, and otherwise what you see is
the suggestions I sent to the Commissioners and the County Clerk
Thursday after

offering them Tuesday. -jsq



From: John S. Quarterman

Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 1:40 PM

To: Commissioner@lowndescounty.com

Cc: Paige Dukes

Subject: Policies and Procedures for Citizens Wishing to be Heard

Dear Commissioners,

At your most recent meeting I mentioned I had a few suggestions
about your new Policies and Procedures for Citizens Wishing
To Be Heard, and at least one of you has indicated he would
like to see them, so here they are.

“2. A maximum of 10 persons shall be allowed to speak at any meeting.”

I think that number is too low. On the one hand,

Continue reading →

What you didn’t hear at the County Commission meeting



The interesting commission meeting will be the next one.
Remember,

Chairman Paulk said they were still operating by the old rules
at the meeting that happened this week.
So next meeting they may actually refuse to let people speak
on certain topics.

On the

Frank Barnas Newstalk105.9 WVGA radio show 25 Jan 2011 the morning
before the County Commission meeting,
County Commmission Chairman Ashley Paulk
complained that Citizens Wishing to be Heard has been abused
and meetings are not free; there are people to pay.



“In these times we’ve got to run efficient meetings.”

Chairman Paulk also invoked Tuscon and said:

“You need to monitor people who are there.”

…

“You want a little better control over who and where they are.”

So

posting videos of the meeting to the web
should be a good idea so everyone could see what is going on.

And in the larger picture, should we be more concerned with
a few dollars now or with the
ability of citizens to be heard
or for that matter with the
long-term economics and health of the county?

Policies and Procedures for Citizens Wishing to be Heard

The host asked if tonight would be the time to comment on the new policy,
and Chairman Paulk responded:

Continue reading →