Blog Topic: Government

In the Loop: Oconee Board Signs Off on 'Ritz-Carlton of Retirement Communities'

By Lee Becker | January 31, 2020 12:03pm

Landscape architect Ken Beall (right) speaks to the Oconee County Planning Commission.

The Oconee County Planning Commission has recommended that the Board of Commissioners approve a rezoning request for just under 62 acres between Old Epps Bridge Road and the Loop for a large retirement community with 398 residential units.

The project, called Celebration Village Athens–Oconee Campus, will include in Phase 1 two three-story “concierge living” buildings, a three-story assisted living and memory care building, two four-story independent living buildings and 32 independent living cottages.

Phase 2 will include 86 independent living units that will be sold to interested residents who are 55 years old or older.

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In the Loop: Live-Work-Play Development Planned in Watkinsville

By Lee Becker | January 20, 2020 2:15pm

Photo Credit: Lee Becker

The Watkinsville City Council on Wednesday authorized City Manager Sharyn Dickerson to move forward with creation of a development agreement for the 66.6-acre former Southwire property on Barnett Shoals Road.

The council took the action following a presentation by developer Duke Gibbs and planner Bob Smith for what they are calling Wire Park.

The project includes single-family detached housing units on both large and small lots, townhomes and condominium flats, and an adaptive reuse of the existing wire manufacturing building on the site.

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In the Loop: BOE Picks Antwon Stephens as New Member

By Blake Aued | January 17, 2020 3:35pm

Photo Credit: photo via Twitter

A 23-year-old political consultant will serve out the year as the District 2 representative on the Clarke County Board of Education, other board members decided Thursday. A majority of the BOE selected Antwon Stephens from among five applicants to replace Frances Berry, who resigned in December.

In a speech to the school board at its Jan. 16 meeting, Stephens said he is concerned about the school-to-prison pipeline. He called Vernon Payne—who held the East Athens seat for decades before illness forced him to resign—a mentor. “I’m tried, I’m tested, and I’m ready to serve,” he said.

Stephens is perhaps best known as a potential candidate for Athens-Clarke County mayor in 2018, although in the end he opted not to run because of health problems. He also made headlines in 2013, when he ran for chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia as a 17-year-old and faced charges of not paying speakers at a tea party conference he organized. Despite not being old enough to serve in Congress, he has been running as a Democrat against U.S. Rep. Doug Collins (R-Gainesville).

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In the Loop: The Best and Worst Athens Politics Stories of 2019

By Chris Dowd | December 31, 2019 11:33am

Here are top five best and worst things that happened in Athens government in 2019, courtesy of the Athens Politics Nerd.

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In the Loop: John Knox Won't Run for Re-Election to BOE

By Blake Aued | December 30, 2019 4:26pm

Clarke County Board of Education member John Knox won't run for re-election this year, he recently announced.

The UGA geography professor posted a message on his Facebook page Dec. 21 stating that his growing academic duties do not allow him enough time to devote to serving on the school board.

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In the Loop: Accreditation Agency Will Conduct 'Special Review' of CCSD

By Blake Aued | December 20, 2019 11:31am

Photo Credit: Whitley Carpenter/file

Former superintendent Demond Means.

School accreditation agency Cognia will conduct a "special review" of the Clarke County School District in response to complaints that board members attempted to micromanage and undermine the authority of former superintendent Demond Means.

Cognia—formerly known as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and AdvancED before recently merging with another education nonprofit—informed CCSD of the special review in a letter dated Dec. 16.

Unknown parties filed complaints with Cognia in August, and Means wrote a letter to the company in September inviting it to investigate the allegations. SInce then, more unknown parties have come forward with similar complaints, according to Chief Certification Officer Annette Bohling.

Among Means' allegations:

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In the Loop: Both Athens Congressmen Vote Against Impeachment

By Blake Aued | December 19, 2019 10:26am

Rep. Doug Collins (R-Gainesville)

It should come as no surprise, given that both are Republicans, but Athens congressmen Jody Hice and Doug Collins voted Wednesday night against impeaching President Donald Trump, although they were defeated by a Democratic majority, so the GOP-controlled Senate will now quickly dispense of the charges hold a trial on whether Trump should be removed from office.

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In the Loop: BOE Names Xernona Thomas Interim Superintendent

By Blake Aued | December 17, 2019 9:15pm

Photo Credit: Blake Aued

Xernona Thomas.

The Clarke County Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to name Xernona Thomas as interim superintendent.

Thomas had served as former superintendent Demond Means' chief of staff until last week, when the board placed Means on administrative leave, ending his controversial two-and-a-half year tenure.

Thomas is a Clarke Central High School and University of Georgia graduate who holds a bachelor's degree in journalism, a master's in social work and a doctorate in education, and has 27 years of experience as a social worker and school administrator in Clarke and Oconee counties.

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In the Loop: New Voting Machines Available for Testing

By Blake Aued | December 16, 2019 11:05am

Photo Credit: ACC Board of Elections

Georgia’s new voting machines are available for testing in Athens through early February.

Voters use a touch screen to make their choices, then the machine prints a paper ballot that is run through a scanner.

"I'm excited to use the new system and for Athens-Clarke County voters to try it out for themselves," Charlotte Sosebee, director of elections and voter registration, said in a news release. "The new voting system is easy to use, provides opportunities for voters to review their votes on a screen and on paper before casting their ballot, and also provides our office with multiple ways to review election results if necessary."

Voters can try out the machines at the Board of Elections Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Other sites include:

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In the Loop: Demond Means Is Out as CCSD Superintendent

By Blake Aued | December 3, 2019 10:34pm

Photo Credit: Austin Steele/file

Superintendent Demond Means and the Clarke County School District will be parting ways .

"The board has entered into negotiations for his exit," President LaKeisha Gantt announced after the school board met for nearly four hours behind closed doors.

The board took no vote on Means' departure. It's unclear if he is resigning, being fired or—most likely—negotiating a buyout. It's also unclear when his rocky tenure as superintendent will formally end. Gantt declined to answer any questions, saying that discussions in executive session are confidential.

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