See the QUIZ tab for the quiz this week.
Thanks for the Anonymous Letters - Keep them Coming!
We are a bi-partisan group of three Republicans and three Democrats. We don't see much difference between the two parties, who seem to want to tightly control candidates. We find elected officials to be fiscally irresponsible and lacking in transparency. We hope to serve Oconee residents and make a positive difference in budgeting, reducing debt, and enhancing transparency of decisions and finances.
Please pull a Republican ballot in the May Primary and vote for these non incumbents:
Pam Hendrix (Chair, BOC), Victoria Cruz (BOC) and Stephen Aleshire (BOE)
Our non incumbent democrats will be on the ballot in November:
Suzannah Heimel (BOC), Laura King (Clerk of Court), and Sheri Ward Long (BOE)
We are not accepting monetary donations. Thank you for considering us in May and November!
Candidate - Board of Commission Chair
Pam Hendrix (for BOC Chair)
My name is Pamela Lohr Hendrix, and I am hoping to represent Oconee residents as Chair of the Board of Commissioners.
I pledge to Oconee County voters:
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I will NOT take a full-time salary as your Chair of the Board of Commissioners.
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Explanation: Oconee County now employs a full-time County Administrator at a salary of $144,999.92 per year; yet the current Chairman continues to draw an annual full-time salary of $130,607.16. Upon the employment of a full-time County Administrator, the Chair and members of the Board should assume a more advisory and oversight role. The compensation of the Chair and Board members should be brought more in line with neighboring counties and other boards in the county such as the Board of Education.
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Detailed financials will be provided at the monthly Board meetings as well as online.
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Explanation: All organizations to which I belong provide a monthly financial report giving detailed information regarding monthly income and expenses and account balances of the organization. The Oconee Board of Education attaches detailed financial information to its Minutes each month. The Oconee County Board of Commissioners provides no financial information at their monthly meetings nor online. Citizens’ only recourse is to file an open records request. As your Chairman, I will increase financial transparency of our County.
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ALL residents and businesses will be treated the same.
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Explanation: We need to be very careful about giving tax abatements and subsidies to large business entities such as Caterpillar, Costco and Presbyterian Homes. Every subsidy simply shifts the tax burden to homeowners and small business owners in Oconee County. Rather we need to emphasize Oconee County’s positive attributes such as good schools, quality of life and an educated work force. Businesses will come to Oconee County; we do not need to bribe them with tax abatements and subsidies to get them to do so.
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I have lived in Oconee County for 15 years and grew up in nearby Morgan County. I am an attorney by profession, specializing in Elder Law and probate issues. I have two adult sons who graduated from Oconee High School.
Service and Organizations I served on the Library Board, the Board of Tax Equalization, and the Board of Elections. I have been active in the Republican Party and have served as Treasurer. I have been President of the Watkinsville Garden Club, Regent of the Reverend John Andrew Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and on the Board of Ashford Memorial Methodist Church.
I want to hear from you! Please email me at pamelalohrhendrix@yahoo.com with your ideas and suggestions or call me at 706-474-0637. You can also find me on Facebook at “Pamela Lohr Hendrix” or find me on Instagram at “pamelalohrhendrix”. My home address for personal mail is 1151 Thornwood Dr., Watkinsville, GA, 30677. I appreciate the anonymous letter I have already received. Let’s make our government work for its residents!
Candidate - Board of Commissioner Post 4
Victoria Cruz (for BOC)
Hello! My is Victoria Cruz and I would be honored to represent Oconee residents on the Board of Commissioners. Here are issues I feel are important:
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Fiscal responsibility and transparency are essential. Taxpayers have a right to know why they are being taxed and how the money is being spent. Nothing short of full transparency is acceptable.
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Civic engagement and citizen empowerment are necessary for successful communities. Citizens who don’t pay attention to what their elected officials are doing will often just vote for the incumbent, thinking that he/she must know what he/she is doing. The result is elected officials who stay in office for decades, then pick their successors from the ranks of the faithful in office below them.
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Citizens have the right to fair and honest elections. All 159 Georgia counties are required by law to use the same unsecure electronic voting system, which connects to the internet by modem or cellular network, and which were designed to be hackable in many ways. Our voter rolls are bloated with invalid registrations; if some are discovered and removed, they are quickly added back, suggesting that a central entity is controlling this, not the counties.
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Fiscal and Food Security for the Future. Skyrocketing national debt and inflation, open borders and failure to vet illegals, also aided by federally funded partisan NGOs, and the knowledge that foreign countries and wealthy elites are buying up our farmland and food production should worry us all. We need county leaders who acknowledge this and pledge to look for ways to fortify Oconee against potential threats to citizens’ personal safety and access to food and clean water.
My Background: I grew up in a small town in rural upstate New York, the second of seven children. My father was a physician, an immigrant from the Philippines who came to the US for residency training after graduating from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in Manila. His path to US citizenship was rigorous, as it should be. I obtained a B.A in Biology at Cornell University and a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) at the University of the Philippines. My children both graduated from Oconee County High School with honors.
I have lived in Oconee County for 27 years. Like most citizens I believed that the extent of my civic responsibility was to vote in every election for the candidate of my choice, usually members of the Republican Party, though there were years when I believed that the Republican candidate was not aligned with my values and did not deserve my vote. Looking back, I realize that I allowed the mainstream news media to influence my political leanings. That all changed in 2020!
Candidate - Board of Education Post 5
Stephen Aleshire (for BOE)
I am Stephen Aleshire and I hope to represent Oconee residents on the school board. I am a retired physician in the specialty of pathology. I have dual interests in clinical chemistry and hematology. I studied chemical engineering as an undergraduate.
My platform
Financial - The Oconee Board of Education is typical of Community and Corporate Boards that act to approve essentially everything the administration brings before them, especially of financial importance. The current school administration has an annual budget well over $100 million and a large debt burden, including bonds for which Oconee citizens are directly responsible via their propety taxes if ELOST (sales tax) cannot cover payments, and retirement obligations. These debts and ongoing expenses need discussion.
Academics - There needs to be an emphasis on broad academics over rote preparation for standardized tests including SAT tests. High school students need preparation for real world challenges including encouragement to consider and train for technical and trade-based careers. These are well-paying and very engaging, satisfying careers which have been discouraged over the past several decades. This needs to change. Recognition and respect for a student’s physical and emotional development is of paramount importance, and parents need to be involved and informed about their children's progress, beyond mere academic achievement.
Textbooks - There seems to be no significant Board interest in what books are in school libraries or in software study materials that are needed for learning and scholarly pursuits. These are currently deferred to the specialty teachers of record. Board members should be meaningfully involved in these areas of concern. About me: I have lived in Oconee County for about 27 years, and I have been a member of various boards including both professional and nonprofit boards. An unfortunate aspect of many such boards is their similarity in their relationship to the CEO, or in this case, the school superintendent. Budgets and plans (both physical plant and academic) are proffered with little critical input or helpful discussion from the board members. This is unfortunately on display here in Oconee County during board meetings.
Candidate - Superior Court Clerk
Laura King (coming soon)
Hello! My name is Laura King. I am running for Clerk of Superior Court to fairly represent Oconee residents in the court system and protect our property records. My pledge to you is …
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It is important to have redundancy of property records. It is my understanding that the deed records are only in digital format since 2017. We are all aware of the fragility of the Internet and electric grid. Hard copies should be maintained in the event the digital copy is wiped out or compromised.
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I believe in transparent, responsive government. Corruption thrives in chaos and secrecy.
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Government budgets and spending are out of control. Salaries, operating and capital expenditures should be reasonable, in keeping with the means of its citizens. This hit home for me this year when my property taxes increased 16% in one year alone!
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People of all demographics and backgrounds should be treated equally and respectfully in the Clerk’s office.
These are the issues related to this office that I think are most important. My background as CPA and Certified Fraud Examiner will help me accomplish these objectives.
About Me: I have three sons. I grew up mostly in nearby Morgan County and earned a degree from UGA in accounting. I have lived in Oconee County for over ten years. I worked at Price Waterhouse (now PWC) for three years and have taught accounting at Georgia State University – Perimeter College for 28 years. I was mayor of Rutledge, Georgia in 2004/2005.
I want to hear from you! I do not have a social media presence, so if you want to reach me you can send me mail at Laura King, PMB #474, 2061 Experiment Station Rd, Ste 301, Watkinsville, GA 30677. or email me at king.laura.cpa@gmail.com . An “Anonymous Tip” has already been passed along to me and thank you (whoever) for this.
I am hopeful that this will be a “clean” race, with no lawfare, character assassinations, insults, “accidents” or injuries.
Thank you in advance for your ideas, recommendations, and support.
Email - king.laura.cpa@gmail.com Phone - 706-318-9889
Candidate - Board of Commissioner Post 1
Suzannah Heimel (for BOC)
My name is Suzannah Heimel. I am happily married with three children: one a recent college graduate and two in high school. I am graduate of the University of Georgia where I studied Interior Design. My family moved to Watkinsville from Lilburn in March of 2020, the day before the lockdowns. I felt relieved to be back in the country, and looked forward to my children having the same experiences I had as a child living 30 minutes from the city. I have spent much of my adult life involved in my community, trying to correct wrongs and make things better for the average Joe. I’ve tried to impress upon my children the importance of this, as well. My work experience includes retail management, sales, and most recently property management of family owned rentals . I like people and enjoy working with them. I am a civic minded person who isn’t interested in fame and can’t be bought with money or promises of material goods.
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Lower Taxes: Taxes go up every year. While we can’t control the prices or desire for this area, we can control the assessed values and the millage rate. We need to work harder at the county level to reduce taxes on our residents.
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Conservative Spending: Our local rulers need to work harder to hold onto our tax dollars and respect the pocketbooks of our taxpayers.
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Thoughtful Rezoning: Zoning is in place for a reason. We need to be respectful of our residents and use prudence in rezoning. While more houses bring more tax dollars we need to remember to ask our citizens what they want in the way of growth and rezoning.
Candidate - Board of Education Post 4
Sheri Ward (Johnson) Long (for BOE)
I am looking forward to representing students, parents, and teachers on the Board of Education. My concerns primarily focus on the welfare of the students.
Bus Routes – some children commute over an hour each way on school buses. This is inexcusable. We need to figure out how to recruit reliable, safe, drivers. Perhaps we need to consider reallocating resources from building projects, technology, etc. to achieve this.
Curriculum – I am hearing many concerns from parents and teachers about curriculum issues, including content of teaching materials, lack of physical textbooks, overreliance on technology, and lack of engagement of students due to these factors. I am learning that some students underachieve or even drop out of high school because they don’t feel like the school, or its curriculum offers anything to help with their future.
Student Hardships – I think the Superintendent and Board of Education need to discuss the resources and procedures for students who encounter severe hardships such as homelessness, food insecurity, death and illness of a parent or sibling. I know firsthand that outreach to students in these difficult times is lacking. I also think the Superintendent and school board need to discuss or report on trends in critical health issues of students – chronic illnesses, neurological issues, physical disabilities, cancer, etc. We also need to know about trends and resources required by students who are not English speaking.
Other Ideas – I am interested in improving the Oconee school system in other areas. Do we need meaningful after school programs for latchkey children, even teenagers? Do we need to bring back programs that provide real world skills – car repair, wood shop, gardening, and home economics? Are we overemphasizing Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment programs over trades? Are lactating teachers adequately accommodated if they are trying to pump breast milk? (I was not.) Teachers need to be encouraged to attend board meetings if they have an issue that needs to be presented, without fear of repercussions. They have a valuable voice and knowledge of relevant issues. Are Chrome Books and other technology helping the educational process, or are they more detrimental?
Budget – I am committed to holding the line on all school budgets. I suspect more can be done with less. Tax increases cause home ownership to be less affordable for families we are known for serving in our schools.
My Background
I grew up in Clarke County and graduated from Clarke Central. I earned a degree in Home Economics from Georgia Southern University. Over the years I’ve held numerous jobs, as a Paraprofessional in the Oconee County school system and in retail.
In college I learned that I had a reading disability, which explained my difficulties in grade school. As such, when I married and had children, I was determined that they would attend the Oconee schools, where I thought they would thrive. My three children graduated from Oconee High School.
Parents entrust their children with schools, and we need to live up to their expectations!