The Citizen Newsletter

The Conservative Voice of Henry County

Issue # 351

June 13, 2012

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Contact The Citizen at hc.citizen@hccitizen.org

Americans for Prosperity 2011-2012 Legislator Scorecard

In This Issue:
Page Feature

AFP Ranks Rep. Steve Davis, District 109, with a score of 96 AFP Ranks Rep. Andy Welch, District 110, with a score of 87 AFP Ranks Sen. Rick Jeffares, District 17, with a score of 100
WWW.AMERICANSFORPROSPERITY.ORG

A+ B A+

1 1 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7

AFP Scorecard GA Chamber Scorecard Rutledge Admits Violation Cherokee GOP Debates Stanley for Henry BoE Cemetery Research Group Henry Community Coalition Forum Tax Assessments: It s not Right! Rep. Andy Welch Honored Ga Pundit TSPLOST Survey Campaign Civility Henry Co Election Schedule Gwinnett Candidate Debate Judson Hill Campaign McDonough Matters

Georgia Chamber Releases 2012 Legislative Scorecard

Senator Rick Jeffares Rep. Steve Davis Rep. Andy Welch 100 A+ 100 A+ 83 B

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Rutledge admits Ethics violations

Apparently even he makes mistakes. After casting many stones, Rutledge realizes he lives in a glass house. June 8, 2012: Republican House candidate Dale Rutledge today announced that he has self-reported a paperwork error that occurred when the campaign s original Declaration of Intention To Accept Campaign Contributions (DOI) was filed in early February.

July 9: Probate Judge: Keith Wood, Clerk of Superior Court: Patty Baker, House District 23: Mandi Ballinger, Dean Sheridan, Alan Shinall and Harold Welchell July 16: Senate District 14: Barry Loudermilk, Chief Magistrate Judge: James Drane, County Surveyor: Ron Wikle, Senate District 56: John Albers, Superior Court Judge: David Cannon vs. Mark Shriver, Judge: Ellen McElyea, State Judge: Michelle Homier vs Jeff Rusbridge & Judge: Dee Morris July 23: House District 46: John Carson vs. Martin Hawley & Congressional District 11: Phil Gingrey, William Llop & Michael Opitz This schedule is also posted on the front page of the CCRP Website at http://www.cherokeecountygop.com/
.

The error occurred when Rutledge loaned his campaign $7,247 from his personal account even though the DOI had not yet been received by the Commission. The DOI was postmarked three days after the funds were paid. Even though this was a minor oversight, I take full responsibility for the error that was made and personal integrity is exactly what I have been talking to voters about since the start of this campaign, Rutledge added.
Isn't it funny that Mr. Ethics violates the ethics law on his very first action? This might be a bigger violation than he realizes as he is subject to a fine of up to $1000 on his first offense. I guess that whole ethics argument just got a little more interesting.
HTTP://ETHICS.GA.GOV/ENFORCEMENTCOMPLIANCE/FINESPEN ALTIES-AVAILABLE-IN-ACT/

Dale Rutledge is campaigning for State Representative of the 109th district.

Visit WWW.STANLEYFORBOE.ORG/ISSUES Read Larry's ON THE ISSUES HR 1162 puts a constitutional amendment
before voters this November that, if passed, will permit state authorization of charter schools in Georgia. If approved by Georgia voters, this amendment will give local communities an additional tool for providing their students access to the best possible education through public charter schools approved by either the local school board or the state.

Cherokee County GOP

Debate Schedule
June 18: Coroner: Earl Darby , Board of Commissioners District 3: Christopher Hampton vs. Brian Poole & Board of Education Post 1: Kyla Cromer vs. Kelly Marlow June 25: District Attorney: Shannon Wallace, Board of Education Chairman: Danny Dukes vs. Janet Read & Senate District 21: Chip Rogers vs. Brandon Beach

BOE approves $293 million budget

HTTP://WWW.HENRYHERALD.COM/NEWS/2012/JUN/12/BO E-APPROVES-293-MILLION-BUDGET/

The calendar is free of scheduled unpaid furlough days for the first time since 2009.
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Cemetery Research Group

In order to help the cemeteries in the County the staff of the CRG has put together questions for the Board of Commissioner Candidates to answer we hope you will find this educational and a benefit in making your choice when it comes time to vote. Questions for Commissioner Candidates from the CRG 1 What will you do to make sure the Cemeteries in your District as well as the County are well maintained? 2 Would you vote to have County inmates clean cemeteries in order to save money? 3 If a cemetery is abandoned would you vote to have the County take over it so as to make sure it is well maintained? 4 Would you vote to make an ordinance change to make it easer for people to visit loved ones grave that is on private property? 5 Are you in favor of signage at all cemeteries so people can identify them easily? 6. Would you vote to fence in a cemetery for it's protection? 7. Would you vote to make sure the laws reflect that anyone caught destroying or vandalizing a cemetery is punished to the fullest extent of the law? 8. Would you vote to see that all cemeteries that are not on county maps are put there so future developers cannot say they did not know there were graves on the property? 9. Would you vote to appoint a cemetery committee when the population of the county hits 250,000 per state law? 10. Would you vote to preserve any Native American gravesites that are located in the County? 11. Would you vote to preserve the many Slave Cemeteries across the county only delineated by field stones for head markers? 12. Would you vote to see that part of the county budget reflects maintaining the cemeteries which come under the watch of the County? 13. Will you be more open to discussing cemetery matters which has been a problem with current commissioners? 14. Would you be willing to promote the historical aspect of some gravesites as they are those of soldiers and other veterans from all wars beginning with the Revolutionary War?

15. Are you in favor of laws to protect cemeteries from being moved? 16. Are you in favor of ordinances that force current churches to protect their previous cemeteries if they move to a new site within the county? The CRG staff

HCC, Inc. to host Commission Districts and Chairman Races Debate/Forum

June 14, 2012 at 7:00 PM Henry County Performing Arts Center, 37 Lemon Street, McDonough, GA 30253 McDonough, GA, June 2, 2012 : The newly formed Henry County Community Coalition, Inc. (HCC) is sponsoring a Henry County Commissioner Race Debate/Forum for all candidates running for election in districts 1, 2, and 3 as well as the chairman s race. The debate/forum will take place at the Henry County Performing Arts Center on Thursday, June 14, 2012. Invitations to candidates from both political parties have been mailed. The format will be a debate/forum setting with each district and the chairman races having 30 minute slots to answer questions regarding their platform and or solutions/ideas for Henry County. The events will allow Henry County citizens the opportunity to gain additional insight in each candidate in preparation to the primary election on July 31, 2012.

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It s Not Right! - Property Tax

Assessment Basis 2012 Assessment ~ June Stanley
Have you checked the sales on your street in the last year? I did and was shocked at what I found, which led me to file an appeal on the property tax assessment I received. I live on a street in Henry County that is basically a circle. I pulled the houses on the street that sold in 2011 retrieving the sales price and also the square footage. I obtained the average of both numbers to get the average price per square foot for my area. I then took that average price per square foot and multiplied it to get the square footage of my house to see what it should be valued at. It was much lower than what the county is trying to tax me on, so I appealed their decision giving them all of my research to back my appeal upon. I wasn t pleased with some of their reasons why certain houses could not be included in my basis. Do you know that if a house is in such poor condition on your street and is considered unlivable, it cannot be included in the basis for average home sales? The county tax office is telling Henry County residents that the house next to you that was foreclosed on, folks moved out of and therefore became run down due to neglect, cannot be used in comparisons! That, according to them, does not affect the value of your house? Bull hockie! What age do they live in? Here are some basics if you want to do this research for yourselves. The last date to file an appeal is 6/18/2012. Obtain the appeal form at:
HTTPS://ETAX.DOR.GA.GOV/PTD/ADM/FORMS/PT311A/LG

Appealing your

year s sales), divided the sales price by the square footage to obtain the average price per square foot, and then multiplied that by the square footage of my house to obtain its market value. I was also able to search this web site for the value of my home. Not pleasant news, but gives you an honest idea you probably need to know. I don t know how the rules are established that allowed the tax assessor s office to exclude homes that are unlivable, maybe someone out there does know. But please help me raise enough awareness that this unfairness can be changed!

It's not too late for anyone who is not signed up to vote. It can be done on line easy. Or I have some forms - just fill out and drop in a mailbox. No excuse - GET OUT AND VOTE. Rep. Andy Welch Honored
Here is a portion of the article in the Henry Herald by Jason Smith that speaks about the award received by Andy Welch. The people of Henry County should be proud of this young man for some fine work in District 110. If you see him out, give him a thank you for his work in this area. Way to go Andy. A local lawmaker was honored for his efforts to support city governments in Henry County. State House Rep. Andy Welch (R-McDonough) received a 2012 Champion of Georgia s Cities Award from the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA).

S_APPEAL_OF_ASSESSMENT_REVISED_2010_PT311A.PDF

It is not available at the county office.

I searched the internet for 2011 homes sold on my street name.

HTTP://WWW.TRULIA.COM/HOMES/GEORGIA/STOCKBRIDGE

is one web site you can go to and then search your street name. All home sales are public records which can also be obtained at the tax assessor s office. I simply totaled the home sales price and square footage for the homes that had sold on my street for 2011 (you are only allowed to use the previous

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The award, for state legislators who actively support major GMA initiatives and goals, was presented at the Locust Grove council meeting Monday. I got a little choked up, said Welch, who represents District 110 in the State House of Representatives. I didn t expect the award. It s just my first term. The Georgia Municipal Association recognized Welch for supporting Senate Bill 352. A press release issued Tuesday by the association states the legislation will clarify guidelines for municipal prosecutors, while expanding the jurisdiction of municipal courts to take legal action against individuals caught with drug-related objects.

Cobb County s chairmanship will likely hinge on the popularity of T-SPLOST, as incumbent Tim Lee has embraced the tax hike, and his opponents oppose it. If I were managing the T-SPLOST campaign, or Tim Lee s reelection, I d be very worried now and not be counting on a victory bonus when I draw up my budget for next year.

Campaign Civility
Dr. Mike Moon
The Citizen would like to thank Mr. Don Dunlap and Dr. Mike Moon for approving this reprint

GaPundit.com

Breakdowns of the T-SPLOST online survey

HTTP://GAPUNDIT.COM/2012/06/12/BREAKDO WNS-OF-THE-T-SPLOST-ONLINE-SURVEY/

Don Dunlap brought up a good point on his Facebook wall post. I feel that people should discuss a candidate s viewpoints in a civil way. All candidates have their good and bad points because they are human. It has nothing to do with being a republican, democrat, libertarian or independent; the fact is people are people. For example: Don is supporting BJ Mathis for Chairman of the BoC and I am supporting Tommy Smith. That does not make us mortal enemies because we might be supporting two different folks. Personally I like BJ Mathis, but I just feel we need a change and I like Mr. Smith. I am not going to hang BJ in effigy. I want to see a good clean campaign because it brings out more voters. Another example is Don is supporting Laura Jeffares. I don t even know the lady. I am sure she is a fine person and has her good viewpoints on how to run the 3rd District. I am supporting Gary Barham because I just like his platform and I asked former Mayor of McDonough Richard Craig his opinion on Gary. I trust Mr. Craig s opinion because he has been a friend of the family for over 5 decades now.

T-SPLOST that is in deep trouble with the most conservative part of the electorate. There are no statewide Democrat primaries and two Republican statewide contests. Personhood is on the ballot and Georgia Right to Life and allied groups will be flogging their voters to the polls. The Tea Party appears to be strongly against TSPLOST, but it s hard to say definitively, as the decentralized nature of the movement makes it hard to pin down. But the largest group of Tea Partiers, the Tea Party Patriots, oppose the tax increase. The ballot question on lobbyist gift reform also means a motivated Tea Party electorate.

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I remember back in the 1970 s when my Mother and Father had a diner on Hood Street in McDonough. I remember the 1974 election. The candidates all mostly grew up with one another and did not hate each other and would come on Saturday morning for breakfast with each other, then go out and campaign civilly against one another and then would have supper at the Old Moose Lodge on Hwy 20. Our world is not perfect, it is made up of people who are not perfect, and there will always be obstacles from those who see our world from different views. Think about this: our nation when it was created by the fore fathers did it in a way that it would be ran by those of multiple mindset s giving everyone the chance to voice their opinions whether pro or con. I have always been of the view that, if you cannot take criticism then do not run for a political office because there will be plenty out there. You all have a good day.

Candidate Debate Scheduled for June 14 at Stars and Strikes

Dacula Patch
HTTP://DACULA.PATCH.COM/ARTICLES/ DINNERSTRIKES DEBATE-SCHEDULED-FOR-JUNE-14-AT-STARS-AND-

STARS AND STRIKES will host the 2012 "Your Vote Counts" dinner debate on Thursday, June 14. This event will feature Gwinnett County District 3 commission candidates JERRY OBERHOLTZER, MIKE KOROM, TOMMY HUNTER and MIKE BEAUDREAU. The event will begin with each candidate delivering a speech detailing his objectives if elected. During the debate, videos produced by the candidates will be shown and each candidate will be given the opportunity to ask two questions to another candidate of his choice. General questions and closing statements will complete the debate.

Henry County Elections Schedule

Register. Vote. It's that easy!
HTTP://WWW.STANLEYFORBOE.ORG /NEWS/HENRY_COUNTY_ELECTIO NS_SCHEDULE

Calendar of Elections Below is the schedule for the 2012 elections: July 2, 2012 DEADLINE FOR VOTER REGISTRATION/CHANGE OF ADDRESS FOR GENERAL PRIMARY/NONPARTISAN ELECTION July 9, 2012 ADVANCED (ABSENTEE INPERSON) VOTING BEGINS July 21, 2012 SATURDAY VOTING 9:00 am 4:00 pm July 31, 2012 General Primary/NonPartisan/Special Election. HOURS POLLS ARE OPEN Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. August 21, 2012 DATE OF RUNOFF Date of General Primary/NonPartisan Election/Special Election Runoff. (Twentyfirst day after General Primary/NonPartisan Election/Special Election

Elections have consequences!

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Original Chinese Proverb:

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish . . . and you feed him for a lifetime. From the Jason Hill Campaign: As extensively reported in our local media, THE ROCKDALE WATER RESOURCES AND WATER AUTHORITY HAVE BEEN PLAGUED BY A TREMENDOUS LEVEL OF INFIGHTING. Disagreements and debate are a part of normal governance and public service. However, the ongoing melodrama evidences a dysfunction that is an embarrassment to our Community. The amount of time and money wasted is not acceptable. This public dispute does not help us draw much needed economic development to Rockdale County. All parties to the quarrel serve at the pleasure of the current Chairman. A leader with the true interests of Rockdale County in mind would have long ago stepped forward to ensure that the representatives of our public organizations behave in a manner that brings credit, not embarrassment, to Rockdale County. That is what true leaders are supposed to do: to provide direction, vision and to inspire trust so that public servants transcend differences and accept the responsibility to resolve problems. We have not seen that leadership. Rather we see a void -- into which has poured petty personal and political agendas. The service of petty personal and political agendas have not helped us solve the challenges facing our water system and county government generally. The time has come for a new way of doing business. The time has come for new leadership. Sincerely, Jason Hill
WWW .ELECTJASONHILL.COM

Updated Chinese Proverb:

Give a man a welfare check, a cell phone, cash for his clunker, food stamps, Section 8 housing, Medicaid, 100 weeks of unemployment checks, a 40-ounce malt liquor, needles, drugs, contraceptives, and designer Air Jordan shoes ... and he will vote Democrat for a lifetime.

McDonough Matters
For

May, 2012
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