It was Bill Scott!

Commissioner Bill Scott Said YES

Thanks to one of D&B's loyal readers for pointing out a major error made in the Dahlonega and Beyond post of July 19. D&B incorrectly identified the stalwart commissioner who has repeatedly allocated for giving the people of Lumpkin the right to vote on the Sunday alcohol sales referendum.

The Commissioner who voted YES on three different occasions for the referendum is Commissioner Bill Scott. Thank you, Commissioner Scott, for speaking for the voters of Lumpkin County. You listened to the people when others on the commission suddenly became hard of hearing.

Political Debates - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

In this famous debate, Nixon sweats and loses.

The uncertainty and anticipation of what can happen make debates entertaining, and that was why the Lumpkin County Republican Candidate Debate this week was worth attending.
While we've been to political debates before, the Lumpkin debate was the first time we had ever seen anyone debating over the office of Coroner. One candidate even told us that he had covered two murders. Guess if you are a coroner, you need to know how to deal with dead people.

The big hot button for Lumpkin was discussed - Whether voters should have the right to vote on the referendum for Sunday Beer and Wine sales. Guy LaBoa, Carlton Smith, Chris Dockery, Bill Scott, and Doug Sheridan all agreed that the issue needed to be voted on by the people. The only negative - and this comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with this issue - came from Tim Bowden, the current Commissioner from District 3. (By the way, Carlton Smith is running against Bowden. Not going to think too long about which one will get our votes.)

The only cheap shot of the night came from County Commission Chairman candidate Dockery. After LaBoa passionately explained why he went to Iraq to help our soldiers, Dockery made an off the cuff remark that sounded to many in the audience as a direct insult to LaBoa.

Retired Lt. General LaBoa was too much of a gentleman and soldier to respond. Let's hope that at the next scheduled debate on June 14, that everyone is on their best behavior. As Laurence Sterne once said, “Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners.”

Lumpkin's Gang of Three Vote NO Again

Well, the Lumpkin County Commission did it again. In their April meeting, the infamous Gang of Three (Tim Bowden, Clarence Stowers and Clarence Grindle) decided the referendum for Sunday Liquor Sales would NOT be on the November ballot.

The three commissioners didn't exactly vote NO on allowing the vote. What they voted on in meeting was to remove the topic from the meetings' agenda. "If we just don't talk about it," they surmise, "maybe this whole 'let the people vote' issue will just go away."

Unfortunately, Commissioners Bowden, Stowers and Grindle, the issue is NOT going away. The people of Lumpkin want the right to vote. If anyone doubts that, just pick up the latest issue of the Dahlonega Nugget, read the paper's news story on the meeting, and then read the angry Letters to the Editor.

Lamar Bates spoke out at the meeting and also penned one of those angry letters. In his speech to the commissioners, he challenged the Gang of Three to let the people decide. "It looks like you're scared to death to let the people vote," he said. "Church and state are to be separate, but not here in Lumpkin. You are interjecting your own beliefs into the issue. Put it out there and then let us (the voters) decide."

Lamar's letter, believe it or not, was even stronger. "Personally, I am embarrassed," he wrote, "by the recent Gang of Three - Bowden, Grindle, and Stowers - and their actions at the commission meeting. Their arrogant attitude let to the imposing an oligarchical government on the country."

But Lamar isn't the only 'Let the people vote' voice in the county. In another Letter to the Editor, Brad Musgrove wrote, "The simple fact that this issue continues to garner attention from both sides is reason enough to hand the issue to the voters of Lumpkin County."

Deborah Hunt's letter was just as pointed: "As someone recently said to me, 'The heritage of this county is alcohol, moonshine to be exact.' So does the heritage an history of this county cover seven days a week, or do we exclude Sundays? Come on commissioners, step into the 21st Century and put the matter on the ballot and let the people of the county. choose."

Bowden, Stowers and Grindle - Are you listening to the voters - or more importantly, do you read the local newspaper?