- Alcohol at Gaither's
I remember in the year 2000 when a buddy of mine worked as the caretaker of Gaither's Plantation & finding out that the county would not allow any type of alcohol on the premises. I distinctly remember scoffing when informed about it. "Bad move," I thought to myself...
Fast forward 19 years & they finally got it right. They being the Newton Co. Board of Commissioners. Well, better late than never, I suppose. Governmental bureaucratic inertia is a thing, folks. It's akin to those six dreadful words that represent the mantra of government: "we've always done it this way."
And I've got to give credit where it's due here. The Chairman of the Board of Newton, Mr. Marcello Banes, was a driving force on this, as was the Steering Committee he helped to set up. Well done, people.
Though if you read the Citizen's piece, you'll see that Nancy Shulz had to inject a little big government, nanny statism in there, but...we'll take what we can get. Also notice that JC had to JC.
Look for Gaither's to really become a real hot commodity when it comes to weddings & special events with those very competitive rates.
- Term Limits in the Home City
For those of you who have been following this story, you know that the Covington Council voted 6-0 to approve a change to the city's charter that would enact term limits for the first time in our history. But as you may have seen if you read Councilman Josh McKelvey's Letter to the Editor in this publication, a snag has been hit as Pamela Dickerson, HD 113 Rep, has stated her intent not to support this change.
Based on my understanding, having to get the full local delegation (state house & senate members representing a particular county) to approve any charter change is not actually codified, it's just how it's always been done. Personally, I think it goes against the legal concept of "Home Rule" especially in light of a unanimous vote by the city's governing authority.
Ultimately this charter change can be made WITHOUT full approval of the local delegation, and I have no doubt about it. Whether or not they do remains to be seen. Term limits make some folks nervous. Those folks? Politicians, of all levels. As of a couple of years ago, only 7 cities in Georgia have enacted term limits.
Dickerson has purportedly said her big problem is that we already have a term limit mechanism - the ballot box. Well, friends, in the context of famed Israeli physicist & management guru Eliyahu Goldratt's Theory of Constraints, any system is only as strong as its weakest link. In terms of our system - Society & Governance - our weakest links are quite weak indeed. We need term limits - at ALL levels of government.
- Odds & Ends
Not a whole lot to report here, folks; well, actually there is, but it'll have to wait for another time.
Hope all is well.
Your Friend & Semi-esteemed Editor,
MB McCart