October 2008
Dear District 8 residents:
I hope this newsletter finds you well. Please feel free to share it with friends and neighbors in
District 8 or beyond. If this has been forwarded to you and you would like to be placed on my email distribution list for both this newsletter and periodic updates on matters affecting particular neighborhoods in District 8, please send me an email at andyherodathens@yahoo.com and I will be pleased to add you.
Drought Update: According to the State Meteorologist, the Athens area still experienced a rainfall shortfall during the past 30 days, as we received 61% of our normal expected precipitation. We have received 68% of our normal rainfall during the past six (6) months, and only 73% of our expected rainfall for the past twelve (12) months – this represents a shortfall of
12.8 inches.
Athens Transit Hearings: Athens Transit will host two public hearings each on Oct. 15 and 29 to take comments as it begins the process of revising its five-year transit development plan to ensure that the system continues to meet the community’s needs. The hearings are an opportunity for citizens to comment upon routes, schedules, and transit amenities. They will be held from 3-4:30 p.m. and 6-7:30 p.m. on these dates at the ACC Library on Baxter Street.
Charter Communications: Following a change in state law, Charter Communications has applied for a statewide franchise to deliver cable services in Georgia beginning July 30, 2008.
Under this new law, the statewide franchise is automatically granted after 45-days, which occurred on September 15, 2008. As a result of these actions, ACC no longer has a local franchise agreement with Charter. The state law does, however, protect ACC’s franchise fees and the ACC government will continue to receive 5% of the gross receipts generated by Charter within ACC. ACC’s PEG (Public, Education, and Government) channels and fees are also protected through July 1, 2012. Consequently, the only major difference that most citizens will see for the immediate future is that citizen complaints will now be handled by the Governor’s
Office of Consumer Affairs (404-651-8600 or 800-869-1123), rather than locally. Consequently, if you have any complaints about Charter, please contact that office. ACC’s Public Information
Office (PIO) will be providing information on this matter to citizens via ACTV – Channel 7, www.athensclarkecounty.com, and the local media. As a result of this change, PIO has dropped www.acccable.com from its roster.
Judge Robin Shearer Appointed New Juvenile Court Judge: Judge Robin Shearer has been appointed by the judges of the Western Judicial Circuit to succeed Judge James McDonald as
Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Courts of the Western Judicial Circuit (which covers ACC and
Oconee counties). Judge McDonald recently retired after serving on the court for 23 years. The
Juvenile Court generally has jurisdiction over matters involving the abuse or neglect of children under the age of 18, and of delinquency and traffic cases involving children under the age of 17.

Something for the kids (in all of us)?
On October 4, from 10am to 1pm, Southeast Clarke
Park will present “Touch a Truck Day.” This event will give families and children a chance to get up close and personal to large machinery and equipment. The event will feature a variety of vehicles and heavy equipment from several ACC government departments, including the fire department, solid waste department, and the Clarke County Sheriff's Department. A number of other organizations are expected to bring trucks, including Athens Regional Medical Center, St.
Mary’s Healthcare System, and UGA.
District 10 Super-Commissioner withdraws from race: District 10 Commissioner Elton
Dodson has recently announced that he will withdraw from the D10 Commission race to spend more time with his family. You may be unaware, but each citizen of ACC is represented by two commissioners – a “regular” district Commissioner and a “superdistrict” Commissioner. I am your District 8 “regular” Commissioner and Elton has been your District 10 “superdistrict”
Commissioner for the past four years. District 10 covers ACC Commission districts 5, 6, 7, and
8. I have enjoyed working with Elton to serve you. Elton’s withdrawal means that there remains now only a single candidate for this seat. Consequently, Mike Hamby will become your D10
Commissioner on November 4. I look forward to working with Mike over the next four years to continue serving the citizens of the 8 th
District and the wider community.
Matters Political: A number of debate fora involving candidates for various public offices will take place in October. Sponsored by the Federation of Neighborhoods and the L.E.A.D. Athens
Alumni Association, two fora are scheduled for Oct. 9 and Oct. 16 at Master’s Hall in UGA’s
Georgia Center for Continuing Education. They will be broadcast live by radio station WUGA,
91.7 or 97.9 on the FM dial. The fora will run from 7-9 p.m. and will be preceded by a one-hour
“meet-and-greet” in the foyer outside the hall at which candidates can talk with citizens and distribute campaign material. The Oct. 9 forum will be for candidates for Georgia State Senate and Athens-Clarke County Commission. The Oct. 16 forum is for candidates for Clarke County
Sheriff and Clarke County School Board. The following candidates have agreed to participate:
State Senate District 46: Bill Cowsert and Sherry Jackson
State Senate District 47: Ralph Hudgens and Tim Riley
A-CC Commission District 6: Red Petrovs and Ed Robinson
A-CC Commission District 10: Mike Hamby
Clarke County Sheriff: Ira Edwards and Kenneth Brown
Clarke County School Board District 2: Vernon Payne and J. T. Jones
Clarke County School Board District 6: Charles Worthy and Jim Geiser
Clarke County School Board District 8: Chinami Goodie and David Huff
The Green Acres/ Crestwood and Cedar Creek neighborhood associations are also sponsoring a debate at 7:15pm on Oct. 6 at Cedar Shoals High School. Participants will be candidates for the
District 8 school board, together with District 10 Commission candidate Mike Hamby.
I would appreciate your vote: Although I am running for re-election unopposed, I would nevertheless appreciate your vote on November 4 th . Thank you!
Finally, a thought for the month: “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” (Albert
Einstein, 1879-1955).