From Valdosta City Council minutes on their webpage. I was told point blank
by Mr. Carroll that he would not deliver his opinion on biomass (or anything
else apparently) until the moment he casts his vote. -Leigh Touchton
Councilman Yost stated that Mr. Rhynes asked some good questions earlier
about the proposed Travel Ordinance and a mountain has been made out of a
mole hill on that subject. The reporter that usually covers the Council
meetings did call Councilman Eunice and that was reported in the newspaper.
She was asked by Councilman Eunice to call other Council persons to give
their view on the Ordinance and what happened at that meeting. She stated
that everyone was on their way to Savannah to attend the Conference.
Councilman Eunice was also on his way to Savannah when she called.
Councilman Yost stated that if she had asked then he would have given her
his opinion; however, now that Mr. Rhynes has asked he would give his
opinion
This comment from George Boston Rhynes arrived just now,
on “Talk to my chairman”. -jsq
I was at
the last LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING when
Chairman Ashley Paulk shared information about the Biomass Project
extension being denied and the alleged secrecy surrounding keeping the
general public ignorant.
“Because certain people won’t share with you and I think it’s
unfair. We were approached about three weeks ago, Mr. (Joe) Pritchard
(County Manager) was, by the Industrial Authority, and we were tentatively
asked to make a move to ask that they not extend the contract.”
(Chairman Paulk!)
Chairman Paulk words prove that there is an apparent pattern and practice
LAKE welcomes all elected and appointed officials
to comment on this blog, to send submissions to post, or to call us up.
Please see our Submissions Policy.
While LAKE would be ecstatic if all elected and appointed bodies did
their own PR so we didn’t have to, in the meantime, we’re here, and we
do what we can, with a little help from everyone involved.
The member who hardly ever speaks at board meetings makes a strong case for openness.
Tom Call
called me back about the biomass plant,
and we talked about a number of other matters.
He remarked that he was not an appointed spokesperson for the Industrial
Authority, so this is just him talking.
Yesterday I wrote that we were left with hearsay through Ashley Paulk
and people he talked to about what the Industrial Authority is up to,
and I had
left telephone messages with all five VLCIA board members.
So far, three out of five have called me back.
Roy Copeland referred me to VLCIA Chairman Jerry Jennett
for an update about the present status of the biomass plant.
He also had many good things to say about the activism in the community,
including this:
Because people in the community are concerned, that makes us better.
And sometimes there are good things that come out of disagreement.
I don’t like to publish hearsay, but since the Industrial Authority
won’t talk, that’s what I’ve got.
According to Leigh Touchton, Ashley Paulk told her Tuesday night:
He said that Jerry Jennett took the biomass vote off the agenda at last
Industrial Authority meeting (April 19) even though Mary Gooding and
Roy Copeland wanted the vote to be taken ( a vote that was to oppose an
extension of the biomass contract since the biomass incinerator had not
met timeline benchmarks like having a buyer, etc). He said that Allan
Ricketts, Industrial Authority attorney Steve Gupton, and Jerry Jennett
went up to Atlanta to meet with Wiregrass officials and that’s when he
(Chairman Paulk) got a call telling him all this and he said he wouldn’t
keep quiet about it. He said the three men asked Wiregrass LLC officials
to rescind their letter asking VLCIA for an extension on their contract
and to substitute a new letter saying they were withdrawing their request
for extension (or not going forward to ask for extension).
This is in addition to what you can see him
on video saying during the meeting.
More after this picture of the cast of characters:
Continue reading →
Ashley Paulk agrees with my mother about
what the Industrial Authority should do.
At the Lowndes County Commission meeting last night, Chairman Paulk
discussed the biomass plant with Dr. Noll, and said:
Certain people won’t share it with you, and I don’t think it’s fair.
We were approached … almost three weeks ago by the Industrial Authority
and we were asked to … ask them not to extend the contract.
Well, it’s not our contract; we could do that, but … we didn’t.
And then last week the Tuesday of their meeting, I received a call
… on my way back fromm Atlanta and they had gone up
there to talk to Wiregrass Power,
because they’d written a letter asking for an extension.
My understanding was that they asked Wiregrass to write another letter
to remove that extension request.
These are things, I think should be public knowledge.
Regular meeting of the Lowndes County Commission, Lowndes County, Georgia, 26 April 2011
Video by Alex Rowell for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
He told me several weeks ago about the commission being asked to vote not to extend.
Continue reading →
Over the past four years, I have had a significant number of citizens
contact me. Some with complaints, some with questions and yes…even some
with compliments. I have never refused to meet with anyone. Some want
to know what my position is on an issue. As a rule, especially on items
that may come before council for a vote – I do not state a position. I
choose to wait for the public hearing at which time all final arguements
both for and against an item are stated and on the record.
Mrs. Noll contacted me directly this past week and we met and discussed
This came in Sunday as a blog post on
To Speak or Not to Speak.
As a contrast, Lowndes County Commissioners do usually talk to people before and after
their meetings, and sometimes they use that time to answer questions citizens asked during the meeting. -jsq
Yost engaged Dr. Noll (and was unpleasant about it) at one meeting that I attended, Mayor Fretti engages people sometimes, Attorney Talley engaged J. Smith last Thursday, and sometimes others at other meetings, myself included, and Vickers talks pretty much to whomever he wants whenever he wants. The whole CTBH policy is a smokescreen. The Council Comments period ought to be followed by adjournment and then the Councilmembers making their remarks from the dais during Council Comments ought to have to walk out into the audience and deal with the voters’ concerns directly.
When Jimmy Rainwater was Mayor, I may not always have agreed with him, or he with me, but he always came out into the audience and talked to us.
This Council is not responsive to the concerns of its citizens,
Councilman Yost stated that Mr. Rhynes asked some good questions earlier about the proposed Travel Ordinance and a mountain has been made out of a mole hill on that subject. The reporter that usually covers the Council meetings did call Councilman Eunice and that was reported in the newspaper. She was asked by Councilman Eunice to call other Council persons to give their view on the Ordinance and what happened at that meeting. She stated that everyone was on their way to Savannah to attend the Conference. Councilman Eunice was also on his way to Savannah when she called. Councilman Yost stated that if she had asked then he would have given her his opinion; however, now that Mr. Rhynes has asked he would give his opinion
