CMYK Thursday, December 6, 2012
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Century of life proclaimed. 3B
Litigation on SPLOST drawing criticism BY LEANNE AKIN
lakin@clickthepaper.com
Work on the EMS station to replace the existing facility serving the West Jackson area has been stopped by court order. Steel is up and the slab have been poured and plumbed but now the work site off Lewis Braselton Boulevard is devoid of activity. A Monday hearing will be convened at 9 a.m. before Superior Court Judge David Motes related to litigation being brought against Jackson County and the Jackson County Board of Commissioners related to Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) procedures. At the Dec. 3 commissioners’ meeting, the potential financial implications on the taxpayers of the county was confirmed by County Attorney Julius M. Hulsey after citizens’ comments drew two speakers to question the legal maneuvering.
Hulsey explained the four plaintiffs in the civil action claim the county is not in compliance with the intergovernmental agreement signed with the municipalities. Specifically, he said the plaintiffs maintain the county failed to appoint a technical review committee and has not published an accounting of SPLOST expenditures. The provision for a separate bank account for the SPLOST funds is also being questioned, Hulsey said. Albon E. Gilbert, Jerry Tate, James Lyle and Douglas C. Waters Sr., are the plaintiffs being represented by Homer attorney David C. Jones Jr. At Monday’s commission meeting, District 1 Commissioner Tom Crow, who will take the commission chairman post in January, said the hearing is likely to resolve some of the questions. Crow has questioned the location of the new EMS station and also raised an
See LITIGATION, 2A
Debbie Purvis The Paper
Steel has already been erected at the Lewis Braselton Boulevard location of the new Emergency Medical Services’ station which is to replace an existing facility, a rented residential structure. Work has been halted until a Dec. 10 hearing in Jackson County Superior Court.
Santa Claus at the Hoschton Depot The Hoschton Women’s Civic Club again this year hosted Santa at the Depot to give area children an opportunity to visit with the jolly ol’ elf and share their Christmas wish list. Children could also get their photo made with Santa and take home a prize. Debbie Purvis captured these and more scenes of the Dec. 1 event. See more at ClickThePaper.com. And Santa and Mrs. Claus were also spotted elsewhere around Jackson County in recent days. See scenes from last weekend’s holiday happenings in downtown Jefferson on Page 4B and at ClickThePaper.com.
McLocklin appointed as circuit’s 4th judge BY LEANNE AKIN
lakin@clickthepaper.com
Barrow County attorney Wayne D. McLocklin has been appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to serve as the fourth superior court judge of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit. The appointment was announced Nov. 28. Practicing law for 28 years, McLocklin has spent the last nine years managing his own firm. Much of his law practice in recent years has involved real estate and estate law – “that’s the direction the practice went” -- so he was able to be a part of people’s lives during those “times when clients are glad to see you because you have a happy buyer and a happy seller.” McLocklin’s practice has been one in which he represented and worked with people of all walks of life. “We were the kind of practice that served a diverse clientele,” he said. During the past 10-15 years, McLocklin said he has seen a shift in the priorities of many in the legal profession. Rather than taking care of the best interest of the client, the focus was more on playing a game with other attorneys to rack up more billable hours. For a man of principles who saw becoming a lawyer as a way to help people solve their problems and resolve issues,
See MCLOCKLIN, 3A
Judge David Motes: Justice is not a ‘one size fits all’ answer BY KATIE JUSTICE
kjustice@clickthepaper.com
During his tenure as a judge, Chief Judge David Motes has seen five different presidents reside in the White House and witnessed the economic recessions and recoveries of three decades. Motes has been practicing and studying law for 32 years, and he has served as a judge in the area for 24 of those years. “I wanted to help people, people that have a problem that they couldn’t solve themselves,” said Motes, of his reason for practicing law. “I saw what I thought were injustices in my youth and wanted to try to correct some of them.” Motes’ law career got its start at the University of Georgia. He is a self proclaimed “double dawg,” because he attended the UGA for both undergraduate studies and law school.
For the past 17 years, Motes has served as a judge in the Piedmont Circuit of the 10th Judicial District in Georgia. Before that, Motes served as a judge in Jackson County for seven years. During his time as a judge, Motes has seen a number of changes to how justice is served within the courthouse, including a series of changes to sentencing laws that went into effect last July. However, for Motes, the most outstanding change was the 1995 passage of a law outlining mandatory minimum sentencing. “Justice isn’t one size fits all, and I think that’s what the problem is with mandatory minimum sentencing,” said Motes, who said
Spotlight on our judges: A periodic series
INSIDE Business 8-9A Church 4A Entertainment 6B Events 5B Features 3B
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Volume 7, Number 5 Forum Obituaries Police report Puzzles Sports
6A 4A 2A 6B 1-2B
Katie Justice The Paper
Judge David Motes is the chief judge of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit which includes Jackson, Barrow and Banks counties.
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