Tag Archives: Gretchen Quarterman

You’re losing the democratic process –Gary Wright @ LCC 2013-06-11



“I hope you’ll consider a democratic process working into your rules,”
remarked a military veteran at
Tuesday night’s

Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

After saying he was also concerned about how Deep South Sanitation
is being treated,
Gary Wright said:


Gary Wright

There is a little bit of a lack of democratic process in your meeting
groundrules.
On your website I don’t know anything in there that said
you have only thirty minute meetings for the entire thing.
I don’t know if this happens whenever you have a meeting
that’s only thirty minutes long; I’ve never been to one.

Their rules

don’t say that,
but it’s not surprising there is confusion, given Continue reading →

Do the right thing –Steve Parker @ LCC 2013-06-11



The right thing is not letting one company take all the money to New York
while putting another out of business, said a local resident
at Tuesday night’s

Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.


Steve Parker
When you get a company like Veolia or Advanced that’s taking
all the money to New York, and then they come to my house
and they leave, I put garbage bags beside my can and they
won’t pick it up.

And then my guy, Cary Scarborough, comes
and picks up everything,
and you know what else he does guys? Continue reading →

I want a choice in who I use –Jerome Tucker @ LCC 2013-06-11

“Let me decide who I want to haul my waste,”


said a former Chairman of the Industrial Authority
at Tuesday night’s

Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.


Jerome Tucker


Bill Slaughter, Chairman
Jerome Tucker thanked

Commissioner John Page for bringing up the topic of freedom,
since that was his main topic, too.

I’m here to talk about… where I have a choice who handles my waste…


Joyce Evans, District 1
Cary didn’t come to me looking for business.
I saw his truck come along and Continue reading →

Thanks to the community, and I don’t understand –Cary Scarborough @ LCC 2013-06-11


The owner of Deep South Sanitation thanked the community and his family
and said he didn’t understand what was going on.
The Commission offered no explanation.


Cary Scarborough

Cary Scarborough handed in a petition and sat down.
The crowd applauded.


Applause

That rapidly turned into a standing ovation. Continue reading →

What if we only had one hardware store –Duane Roark @ LCC 2013-06-11



Does the Commission already has reputation problems when
it’s being compared unfavorably to Lester Maddox?
A citizen canceled a business trip to ask “what if we only had one hardware store”
at last night’s

Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

Our prices we pay would be through the roof; we would not have a choice.

And you’re welcome, Duane Roark:
it was LAKE who

put you on YouTube last month.



He also quoted a headline from the Fayetteville Observer,

Operation Tarnished Badge: Years later, tarnish remains.

A corruption investigation that sent the Sheriff and 21 others to prison
still casts a shadow over law enforcement in Robeson County.


Duane Roark

If we put Deep South Sanitation out of business, it’s gonna give
Lowndes County a black eye.
People are to say, Continue reading →

A few Citizens to be heard for a few minutes only @ LCC 2013-06-11

Only fifteen minutes on any topic, said Chairman Bill Slaughter,
even though 8 people wanted to speak about trash
at last night’s

Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.
But there is no such rule in the county’s relevant ordinance.


County Attorney Walter Elliott, County Manager Joe Pritchard, County Chairman Bill Slaughter
He was enforcing an odd mashup of the county’s 25 January 2013 ordinance about
Citizens Wishing to Be Heard.
It does have these two rules: Continue reading →

Freedom or Order? @ LCC 2013-06-11

At last night’s

Lowndes County Commission Regular Session,

John Page praying for freedom and order

Commissioner John Page prayed about

“the freedoms to serve in government,
knowing that this government is supposed to be
of the people by the people and for the people”.

But the Commission seems to care more about this part he also said:

“our decisions and everything be done decently and in order”.


Deep South Sanitation shirts
The county government still seems determined to take

the shirts
off these people’s backs.

Here’s

the video:



Freedom or Order?

Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),

Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 June 2013.

-jsq

Videos: 3 appointments, 1 rezoning, 2 wastewater @ LCC 2013-06-10

Update 23 June 2013:
Now with sound!

Update 24 June 2013: Added links to separate posts for the newly audible items.



Unscheduled: Emergency Director Ashley Tye said more about
the proposed juvenile justice grant;
Kevin Beals announced the winners of the county’s
Wellness Weightloss Challenge;
and three

unscheduled Library Board applicants.
You can hear starting with the third of those last, but
you can’t hear the few potential appointees for KLVB, VLCCCTA, ZBOA, because


the county’s sound system
was out (due to a consultant or lightning, depending on who you ask)
and Gretchen didn’t notice and go to the camera’s mic until a few minutes in.

They did talk about
fixing the sewer force main that spilled into the Withlacoochee River.
Nothing was said about

the exclusive franchise for solid waste services.
Maybe you’d like to come tonight and say a few words.

Here’s

the agenda, plus links to the videos and a few notes.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Exclusive Franchise for Solid Waste Collection Services @ LCC 2012-12-11

Why did the Lowndes County Commission make

this exclusive franchise
with a Florida or Alabama or New York company


and then

sue a local Lowndes County company after

the VDT reported the previous spring that any contract
would be non-exclusive and wouldn’t put anybody out of business?

Here, obtained by LAKE through an open records request,
is the

contract with ADS of Middle Georgia, LLC.
The

the agenda item for the 11 December 2012 Commission meeting at which
this contract was approved
says ADS of Central Alabama, Inc.

The contract says ADS is “a Florida corporation”,
and we know ADS is owned by

Highstar Capital of New York City.


Once again,

why is granting a cheap monopoly to an out-of-state company
more important than either letting local companies compete for the service
or having the county continue to provide a public service directly to
its taxpayers and citizens?

The termination clause

I pointed out to the Commission
after
an ADS executive made excuses for nonperformance
is

Paragraph 18 of the contract:

Continue reading →

Three appointments, a rezoning, and 2 wastewater but no solid waste @ LCC 2013-06-10

No names for appointments (KLVB, VLCCCTA, ZBOA),
and nothing on the agenda about

solid waste collection


or

the public hearing they didn’t hold
or

why they picked Veolia’s highest bid
or

ADS buying more companies when its spokesman said that wasn’t forseen
or

how much the Commission forsees waste collection fees going up
or

suing a local company
at the Lowndes County Commission.
Wasterwater is on the agenda twice,
which is good after that

sewer spill into the Withlacoochee River,
but nothing about

a five-year action plan.
Let’s listen to what the preacher Commissioners pray about:
that’s usually a clue to what’s on their minds,
even if they proceed to do the opposite.

Here’s

the agenda.

Continue reading →