Tag Archives: 11 October 2011

Transparent government is totally what my heart is about. —Gretchen Quarterman



I repeatedly apologized to County Planner Jason Davenport
about an earlier misunderstanding about the

“public hearing” agenda item, which the Chairman stated was not really
a public hearing and for which no citizens were allowed to speak:

7.b. Greater Lowndes 2030 Comprehensive Plan Updates – Lowndes County Report of Accomplishments (ROA) and Short Term Work Program (STWP)

Then I said:

Transparent government is totally what my heart is about.
And I think that people trust the government more when we can see
the business done in public.
And I really appreciate when you do things in public and you ask questions
in the work sessions so everybody can hear.

The

VDT’s version was:

The lone citizen to be heard, Gretchen Quarterman, thanked commissioners
for their observance of open government and apologized to County Planner
Jason Davenport for things she said to him prior to the meeting, due to
a “misunderstanding,” she said.

After the meeting adjourned, Chairman Ashley Paulk apologized to me in public

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Lowndes County Commissioners approve intergovernmental agreement with SGMC



Without discussion, the Lowndes County Commissioners at their regular
meeting two weeks ago on 11 October 2011. approved an intergovernmental
agreement with South Georgia Medical Center to guarantee more than $100
million in bonds, for expansion of SGMC facilities, to include 96 new
private rooms in the Dasher Heart Center, the 5 story parking deck,
now under construction and due to be completed in early 2012, and Life
Safety and Generator Equipment updates.

If one had not been at the work session and heard

the presentation at their work session the day before,
one would have no idea what this agenda item was about,
since the Commission does not post such presentations anywhere the public
can see them.
Fortunately, LAKE was there and videoed it.

Here’s

the video:




Lowndes County Commissioners approve intergovernmental agreement with SGMC

Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 October 2011.

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

-gretchen

Cameras at Lowndes County Commission 11 October 2011

What does a bill of attainder mean, anyway?
Perhaps Lowndes County should ask their Attorney to look it up.



Here’s an interesting presentation by a group of 4-H people
to the Lowndes County Commission in their Regular Sessino of 11 October 2011.
Hm, first they said the pledge, and what’s that I see?


Why look, it’s a camera!

Here during the 4-H presentation,
she’s moved up to the second row from the front, right side:


What seems familiar about that location?

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Videos of Candidates Forum by VLCoC last night



Videos of the Candidates Forum put on last night by the Valdosta-Lowndes County
Chamber of Commerce (VLCoC) are starting to appear in

this playlist.
The three Valdosta Mayoral candidates are there already (in order of appearance):

There’s one more candidate video to come.

Here are the videos so far:




Candidates Forum, Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce (VLCoC),

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 October 2011.

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

-jsq

Chamber opposes hidden taxes while proposing taxation without representation



Chairman Tom Gooding of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce
said that the Chamber was opposed to government adding hidden taxes,
and Roy Taylor can be heard going “Amen!”.
Yet both of them back the Chamber and CUEE’s school “unification” referendum,
which would

raise taxes for everyone in Valdosta and Lowndes County
plus making conditions more difficult for business.
None of the school consolidation proponents seem to see the irony.

Gooding’s talk about the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee spelled
out the Chamber’s theory of local government, which is all about helping
business, and apparently not about anything else.
He didn’t say a word about government providing public benefits for the
common good.
Which is the tail and which is the dog?

Also, Gooding promised at least three times
(1
2
3)
that

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