CMYK Thursday, August 27, 2015
Get updates during the week at ClickThePaper.com | 50 ¢
ESP kids celebrate Camp Hooray. 1D
City election qualifying starts Aug. 31 Qualifying will begin on Monday, Aug. 31, and there are 32 seats up for re-election in Jackson County municipalities, according to Jackson County elections supervisor Lori Wurtz. “If you are interested in qualifying for a position, please contact your city clerk for a list of eligibility requirements,” said Wurtz. In Braselton, qualifying will begin at 9 a.m. Monday and conclude at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at Braselton Town Hall. The qualifying fee for District 1, currently held by Richard Mayberry, and District 3, currently held by Tony Funari, is $36, which is 3 percent of the annual salary. Incumbents Mayberry and Funari have indicated they intend to seek re-election. “I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving the community,” said Funari. Qualifying in Hoschton will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, and wrap up at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2. The qualifying fee for the three council posts which will be on the ballot is $18. District 4, currently held by David Poteet, the District 5 seat held by Scott Butler and Jim Cleveland’s District 6 post are up for re-election.
In Jefferson, three council seats will be on the upcoming ballot. Those seats are District 1, currently held by Steve Kinney, District 3, held by Steve Quinn, and District 5, held by Don Kupis. The qualifying fee is $75 and qualifying begins at Jefferson City Hall at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, and concludes at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, at city hall. The trio of Jefferson incumbents have indicated they intend to qualify to seek re-election. Qualifying will also be held for three Jefferson Board of Education posts, District 1, held by Angela D’Zamko, District 3, held by Willie Hughey, and Guy Dean Benson’s District 5 seat. The qualifying fee for the school board is $36. Arcade will be conducting qualifying for three at-large council posts from 8 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, through 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at city hall. Qualifying is $36 for the seats now held by Dean Bentley, Cindy Bone and Tom Hays. In Commerce, qualifying is from 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, until 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at city hall for the posts of mayor and three council seats as well as three board of education posts. Clark Hill is
the current mayor. Mark Fitzpatrick is the current Ward 3 councilman; Steve Perry holds the Ward 4 post; and Johnny Eubanks is the current Ward 5 councilman. The qualifying fee for mayor is $126 and it’s $81 for council. Qualifying for Commerce Board of Education posts is $72. On the ballot will be District 3, now held by Bill Davis; Rodney Gary’s current District 4 post; and District 6, now represented by Paul Sergent. A mayoral race will also on the ballots in Maysville, Nicholson and Pendergrass. In Maysville, qualifying will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, and conclude at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at city hall Qualifying fee for mayor, currently held by Richard Presley, is $75, and $35 for council seats, Ward 2, now held by Junior Hardy and Ward 4, now represented by Scott Harper. Qualifying at Nicholson City Hall begins at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, and wraps up at 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4. Qualifying fee for mayor, now held by Ronnie Maxwell, is $144 and for two council seats, now held by Faye Seagraves and Jan Webster, is $72. Pendergrass qualifying gets under way at
8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, and concludes at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at city hall for the mayor’s seat, currently held by Melvin ”Monk” Tolbert, and two council posts, currently held by Hilda Gee and Thomas Marlow. The qualifying fee is $35. Two council posts will be on the Talmo ballot and qualifying begins at 9 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, and wraps up at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2 , at city hall. Qualifying is $10 for Seat 1, now held by Myra McEver, and Seat 2, currently held by Dana Woods. Wurtz reminds the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 General is Monday, Oct. 5. “This is also the deadline to change your address prior to the election, which is very important for those who move into or out of a city limit boundary,” said Wurtz, who encourages voters to contact her office, located in the Jackson County Administrative Building, located at 67 Athens St., in Jefferson, by calling 706-367-6377, to verify voter registration information. You can get voter registration information by visiting the website of Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp at www.sos.ga.gov.
NICHOLSON
GBI probe of SPLOST spending is ongoing BULLI inside Cotton Calf Kitchen
Although Braselton’s newest restaurant isn’t officially opening until after Labor Day, those seeking to learn more about Brenau University Learning & Leisure Institute (BULLI) in Braselton had an opportunity Tuesday to get a sneak peek inside the space where executive chef Javier Viera was preparing appetizers and Sloane Meyer, one the presenters for the upcoming BULLI session of Victorian lifestyle, literature and lore, talked about the upcoming offerings. Learn more at ClickThePaper.com
For JACKSON, BANKS
Is college and career academy a possibility? By LEANNE AKIN
lakin@clickthepaper.com
LeAnne Akin The Paper
Todd Shultz, Director of CTAE and Community Partnerships for Jackson County Schools, presented information at Tuesday’s morning meeting which serves as the kickoff of an effort to determine if a college and career academy can become a reality for the Jackson County community.
INSIDE Church Entertainment Events Features Forum
5A 3B 4D 1D 6A
Volume 9, Number 42 Health 7A Obituaries 4A Police report 2A Puzzles 3B Sports 1-2B
Jackson County’s educational and business and industrial community appears to want to work together to enhance prepare local high school students for the 21st century workforce, and a college and career academy is being discussed as a means toward that end. Todd Shultz, Director of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education and Community Partnerships for the Jackson County School System, welcomed nearly 50 people to the Jackson EMC auditorium for a Tuesday morning discussion. The purpose of the gathering was to start the dialogue and engage the
community in exploring if a college and career academy like those being supported by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle is a good fit for Jackson County. Jackson County Superintendent of Schools April Howard said those in the audience could be gamechangers for Jackson County by sharing their time and vision toward the possibility of the new addition to the educational landscape of the community. Representatives from Lanier Technical College including President Dr. Ray Perren and Lisa Maloof, who heads up the Lanier campus in neighboring Barrow County, were on hand and State
See ACADEMY, 2A
Got a news tip? Call 706-658-2683 or e-mail editor@clickthepaper.com Want to advertise? Call 706-658-2683 or e-mail dpurvis@clickthepaper.com Delivery questions? Call 770-532-2222 or e-mail circulation@clickthepaper.com
By LEANNE AKIN
lakin@clickthepaper.com
Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney Brad Smith, who requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation look into questions being raised about the use of special sales tax money in Nicholson even before Jackson County and municipal officials formally appealed for a probe, is being keep updated, according to Special Agent in Charge Mike Ayers. Nicholson mayor Ronnie Maxwell turned himself into the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on the morning of Aug. 12 after being charged with theft by taking following an ongoing investigation by the GBI. Ayers said it has been approximately six weeks since his office began its work on the case. “This is an active, ongoing investigation and we are continuing to interview people, collect evidence and interpret the information which has already been gathered and provided to us,”said Ayers. Maxwell was released approximately an hour later after turning himself in at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and posting a $10,000 bond. On Aug. 12, city hall was raided by eight GBI agents who began collecting information related to the allegations of Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds being used to pave a private road that Mayor Maxwell maintains is city property. Elected officials hope the matter can be resolved quickly in order to restore public trust that the SPLOST program dollars are indeed being properly expended. The Jackson County Board of Commissioners and the school systems of Jackson County are contemplating the approaching expiration of the current special tax collections with an eye on timing to call for referendums for a new collection. Ayers said the investigation is complicated but “we are working on it and we are making progress.” The district attorney has been asked to appear at the Sept. 21 commission meeting to update the board on the investigation’s progress. “This action is taken to clear a ‘cloud over a very important program to all of the cities and to the county,” says the recent letter to Smith from the Jackson County Board of Commissioners and mayors of the municipalities of Jackson County. “The citizens must know that their tax dollars are being spent ethically and legally.” A SPLOST V citizens panel determined the authorization of funds for the road paving was not appropriate spending.
The Paper P.O. Box 430 Hoschton, GA 30548
ECRWSS CURRENT RESIDENT
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 13 GAINESVILLE, GA