Mara S. Register, Assistant to the City Manager
Post Office Box 1125
216 E. Central Avenue
Valdosta, Georgia 31603
229-259-3571
Board Members
Burke Sherwood, Frank Morman, James Wright, Joyce Evans,
Now we know.
How hard would it be for the City of Valdosta or the County of Lowndes
to keep such information on their own web pages?
They could include pictures better than the ones I found lying about on the web.
Maybe even add agendas and minutes while they’re at it?
Before selling it off to a private landowner who
who two years later got a contract with private prison company CCA
to resell it for almost 100% profit,
the Industrial Authority acquired a road easement through county-owned wetlands
from Lowndes County:
Further, Grantor hereby conveys a Non-Exclusive Ingress and Egress Easement
in that certain 0.685 acre tract or parcel of land
situate, lying and being in Land Lot 153 of th 11th
Land District of Lowndes County, Georgia.
Said 0.685 acre tract being designated as “0.685 acres — Ingress/Egress
Easement reserved for future right-of-way extension”
as depicted on that certain map or survey
“Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority” dated
September 8, 2004 and recorded September 9, 2004 in Plat Cabinet A, Page 2659,
Lowndes County records, to which
map and survey is hereby referred in further aid of description.
An easement that a private landowner might have more difficulty getting
from the county.
Isn’t that convenient?
You know my main argument against the private prison is I don’t like
public/private partnerships and the sweetheart deals they encourage.
Also, when I requested CCA to provide me with information that
supports private prisons so I could research both sides they did not
respond. This led me to believe they have no concern for community
opinion even when citizens are open minded and seeking honest
information. They seem to prefer back room deals with local
politicians that escape community detection unless citizens are
aggressively observant like LAKE members.
However, we are not on the same page about what I consider
simplistic solutions for reducing the prison population. Education
and good drug treatment programs are definitely positives, but they
are not the silver bullet liberals proclaim them to be. Criminals
evolve from complex heredity and environmental mediums that don’t
magically dissolve via education or intervention protocols.
Certainly these are to be encouraged because they do help some, but
they will never totally replace the need for legal intervention and
penal institutions. In addition to educational and medical
institutions not being a magical replacement solution for crime,
these very institutions often encourage crony capitalism corruption,
which we agree to be a non-partisan enemy.
In summary, I support our criminal justice system which includes
prisons, but I do not support any mixing of government and business.
Public/private partnerships are crony capitalism playgrounds that
undermine free enterprise and citizen control. Unfortunately our
trusted elected legislators have already filled our GA Codes and
State Constitution with government consolidation and multi county
regional partnership initiatives. At present, they are pushing
SB 284, already passed by the senate, and in the house, which will
further enhance Land Bank Authority powers and partnerships. As
citizens we all need to remember that increasing unelected
bureaucratic authorities equals minimized citizen control. We also
need to ask our local, state and federal elected representatives why
they are listening to special interest groups that encourage
authorities and public/private partnerships instead of protecting
their constituents.
-Barbara Stratton Commenter
We don’t have to agree on every point to oppose (private prison) or
support (government transparency) the same things.
Indeed, there will always be criminals, but we don’t need to lock up
more than any other country on the planet.
The big change in the environment that has produced seven times
more criminals now than in the 1960s is the War on Drugs.
Time to end that failed experiment in prohibition.
Meanwhile, indeed crony capitalism corruption is our non-partisan enemy.
Winn Roberson told us how he had the idea for the
motorcade against CCA,
from the private prison site past Valdosta City Hall to the Industrial Authority.
Starting up Drive Away CCA —Winn Roberson 2012 03 06 Part 1 of 2:
No private prison in Lowndes County,
Motorcade against Corrections Corporation of America, Drive Away CCA,
CCA, VLCIA, Corrections Corporation of America, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority,
Valdosta City Council, Lowndes County Commission, incarceration, prison, private prison,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 6 March 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
And how he wasn’t opposed to it just because it was down the street from him;
also because:
“Every step so far has dollar signs behind it.”
A private prison would give everybody from justices to jailers incentive
to keep more people in prison instead of rehabilitating anybody.
5PM today,
Drive Away CCA, from the prison site at East US 84 and Inner Perimeter Road,
honk at Valdosta City Hall, and march at the Industrial Authority office.
John Quarterman, who is with a group informally called “Drive
Away CCA” visited The Morning Drive to discuss the group’s
displeasure with a possible private prison that is being discussed
in Lowndes County. A possible extension for the company to continue
its plans here is up for renewal and the group feels its location
here would be bad for area businesses and citizens alike.
The approved minutes of all city or town council meetings must be
posted on the city’s website within two working days of their
approval, A.R.S. § 38-431.01(E)(2) . In no event should minutes be
withheld from the public pending approval. Minutes must be reduced
to a form that is readily accessible to the public. See A.R.S. §
38-431.01(D). A public body of a city or a town with a population
exceeding 2,500 people shall, within three working days after any
meeting, post on their website a statement showing legal actions
taken by the public body or any recordings made during the meeting.
A.R.S. § 38-431.01(E)(1). Posted statements and recordings shall
remain accessible on the website for at least one year after the
meeting. Id.§ (J). In addition, any recordings and minutes are
public records subject to record retention requirements.
No barn door exception for “if” the municipality has a website.
Cities over 2,500 population also have to post recordings
if they made them.
Expand all that to counties and appointed boards and authorities,
add it to Georgia’s sunshine laws, and then we’ll be solar cooking!
Today the Georgia Senate Rules Committee votes on
Sen. Tim Golden’s SB 284 “Georgia Land Bank Act; governing
creation/operation of land banks; provision”.
Received 24 February 2012. -jsq
A citizen’s committee needs to be formed to keep an eye on the Land
Bank Authority because they seem to think they are exempt from state
Sunshine Law rules. In addition Sen. Golden has a bill SB 284
introduced into the state senate that will allow the establishment
of regional land bank authorities. We citizens never consented to
all this regional government that is being forced on us. If we can’t
keep up with what the local land bank authority is doing just
imagine what a regional land bank authority will be able to
accomplish with zero public knowledge and input. This is one of the
most dangerous pseudo-government entities ever and it needs to be
addressed from the citizen level immediately. I applied for a
citizen vacancy on the Land Bank Authority, but of course those
positions are reserved for politically supportive individuals. Per
the sunshine laws, which Sam Olens has sworn allegiance to, a
citizen review committee would have to be advised of the meetings
that are currently never publicized.
“The legislature has given the Attorney General’s office the
jurisdiction to enforce the Open Records law and this bill will give
us the tools to do so.”
Olens said the AG’s office receives an average of 400 complaints
each year of Open Records violations by governmental entities in the
state. The bill strengthens penalties and gives the AG more tools to
use to prosecute violators.
Subsection 50-14-6 changes the fine for knowingly violating the law
from $100 to $1,000 and allows the court to impose a civil penalty
as well.
The bill also strengthens the guidelines for posting notices on
websites and clarifies the rules for social events that may attract
a quorum of officials. Also, destroying public records can be
prosecuted as a felony.
Somebody else is trying to
drive away CCA.
Near Ft. Lauderdale, CCA wants to put a detention center
in Southwest Ranches, Florida, and
CCA Go Away (facebook)
is organizing against that.
