Some Will Sell Their Soul For Profit

                                                                                                                                                                     

“Some Will Sell Their Soul For Profit”

It has been debated by many as to how much it takes to sell one’s soul in removing the Confederate monuments in the local cities.  The company that removed the Monument from Conyers and then McDonough is Roper and Sons out of Covington, GA.  They took money that was freely given by those that call themselves elected officials, to remove essentially grave markers for those troops who died in battles far from home.  Those monuments were placed in the towns by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to remember those who did not come home and their bodies were not recovered.   They were removed at the bidding of those racist officials who are doing it for political gain and folly.  Those who are doing the work think of themselves as just a family trying to do a job, but they are following the unlitigated greed that has caused so much angst and furor among many of the citizens.  They see only a way to get rich off the deaths of those ancestors who fought and died for their homes and families.  There is no excuse for what is occurring with the removal of those monuments.   Here is a good symbolic reference to what has occurred.  The commissioners are no different than the Roman ruler of Judea Pontius Pilate.  And the people who are removing the monuments are akin to Judas who sold out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.  Yes, pure old fashioned treachery.  Always remember those who did this to the dead.

The Staff

The Double Standard

 "The Double Standard"
It looks like Henry County, GA has a huge problem with how they are treating one section of society in their county.  Just a few weeks ago the Board of Commissioners did not allow the SCV group to have black powder gunfire or cannon fire for the re-enactment at Nash Farm.  This has been allowed until the change in leadership in the county to a not so diverse group of people.   On Monday, April 29th there will be some filming done in Stockbridge for an HBO series.  There will be simulated gunfire in the filming and the people doing the filming let them know that everything will be fine and that it is not real.  But still, it is gunfire that would have been the same case at Nash Farm.  Those who are in the SCV should think about seriously suing the county over this issue.  This is nothing but pure reverse discrimination and a right in your face attitude about it.   If one group cannot use simulated gunfire then the no one else should be able to do it.

Henry County Watchdog Group.

When Politicians Become Bought and Sold

"When Politicians Become Bought and Sold"

There is a problem that has been building in Stockbridge for some time now.  There has been a lot of smoke screens to try and hide what has been occurring.  Power plays, money under the table, and puppet strings have been in play.  The city is wanting to have an over lay project for the area of Hwy 138 from North Henry Blvd to Daniel Drive about a quarter of a mile.  The area west of Daniel Drive to near the I-75 interchange is in Clayton County who is also in this mix.  The story unfolds into a situation that is not unlike Chicago or Detroit with the political structure.

The following from the Henry Herald Newspaper lays out what Mr. Alexander has to say on the subject.

“My goal is to establish the highest standards in metro Atlanta. Currently the level of Highway 138 is unacceptable at this time,” said Councilman Elton Alexander, who has been a vocal proponent of enhancing the corridor. “Our standards have not been high enough, which is why we’ve attracted some of the quality that we have now. This whole goal is to establish the highest code regulations with goals to bring high-quality developments and businesses.”

Existing buildings would not be affected architecturally, but going forward, new businesses would have to adhere to the overlay requirements once adopted.

Stakeholder meetings regarding Highway 138 Overlay guidelines will be held at the Ted Strickland Community Center, 130 Martin Luther King Sr. Heritage Trail. The meetings are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 8, Aug. 29 and Sept. 19. Public hearings will be held in the on the second floor of Stockbridge City Hall, 4640 N. Henry Blvd. The hearings will be held Aug. 15, Sept. 5 and Sept. 26 beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The Collaborative Firm LLC, of East Point, will be leading the effort for the Highway 138 Overlay design guidelines at a cost of $35,000. 

The Collaborative Firm LLC is the following:

Business Name: THE COLLABORATIVE FIRM, LLC Control Number: 0257284

Business Type: Domestic Limited Liability Company Business Status: Active/Compliance

Business Purpose:  

Principal Office Address: 1514 E CLEVELAMD AVE. STE 82, EAST POINT, GA, 30344, USA Date of Formation / Registration Date: 11/18/2002

State of Formation: Georgia Last Annual Registration Year: 2017

REGISTERED AGENT INFORMATION

Registered Agent Name: MICHAEL HIGHTOWER

Physical Address: 1514 E CLEVELAND AVE. STE 82, Fulton, EAST POINT, GA, 30344, USA

Now here is where things start to get interesting involving Councilman Alexander and Mr. Hightower.  On February 8, 2016 Alexander honored Mr. Hightower with a proclamation.  

"Proclamation--Recognizing South Metro Development Outlook Conference 2016 Mayor Pro Tem Anthony S. Ford read the Proclamation presented to Michael Hightower, President of the South Metro Development Outlook Conference 2016 and was joined by the initiator, Councilman Alexander."

December 26, 2016 party for African American elected officials that Michael Hightower has aided at the Collaborative Firm in East Point.  Mr. Alexander and other Henry County elected officials attend.

  

Here is more background on Mr. Hightower for you to discern.  In 2000, he was caught up in a corruption scandal that rocked Atlanta and Fulton County governments.  He resigned his seat on the Fulton County Commission and pleaded guilty to accepting $25,000 in bribes for his vote to help a businessman win government contracts. His admitted lapse in judgment resulted in a conviction for public corruption, a sentence of six months of prison time and another six months of home confinement, 420 hours of community service and three years of supervised release.

 

The issue at hand here is there an ethical problem, moral problem and a conflict of interest with what is happening between the City of Stockbridge and Councilman Alexander having the Collaborative Firm to do an overlay for Hwy 138?   This type of activity has been going on in the city for some time now and it looks like there is a power play in the works involving Mr. Hightower helping to fund south metro African American political figures so they can gain office and then have his company do work for them.  And with him being a consulting firm he can also have different people appointed into positions where he can benefit as well.   We often hear from Mr. Alexander about the good ole boy system, but what does he call this?  This is the type of activity that got Mayor Campbell in trouble in Atlanta.  The citizens of Stockbridge and Henry County need to take a hard look at what is happening under their nose.   Look at district 2 and 5 on the county commission.  They were at that party in East Point in December 2016.  That picture of them there tells the story.  The people of Clayton County have the same problem.  Take a look at your chairman of the commission and some of the elected representatives including a state senator whose district covers a part of Henry and DeKalb Counties.  Look closely at who these people really are and who they are indebted to. When the investigations into all this begin it will look like 2000 all over again.

With information courtesy of archives : The Atlanta Journal Constitution, 2000, Creative Loafing 2000,  City of Stockbridge Minutes 2016, The Henry Herald 2017, Athens-Banner 2004, WSB TV Reports 2000, and the Secretary of State 2017.

The Staff

Attachments area

Henry County Police Services Needs a Helicopter

Henry County Police Services Needs a Helicopter

With the population being well over 200,000 today, Henry County could use a Police Helicopter instead of depending on other counties to fill their need. DeKalb, Clayton and Fulton Counties have been called upon in the past to help Henry County with search helicopters. This would be a good idea for the citizens to ask the best since they are paying a premium in taxes. It would also be a great idea to cut down on response time from having to request a copter from another jurisdiction. Ask this questions of those running for office this year and let's see what answers you may receive.

Edward Setter McDonough, GA.

Nicholas' Law Passes!!!

Nicholas' Law Passes.

After a lot of hard work Jessica Patton got Nicholas Law passed and will be law in Georgia. This law will allow Aunts and Uncles to petition the Courts for reasonable visitation to their Nieces and Nephews so they can be apart of their lives. Please click the link below to read the Henry Times Article about this important new law in the State of Georgia. 
And please click link below to the Nicholas law face book page to thank Jessica Patton for all her hard work in getting this important law put on the books. 

Thank you Jessica!!!

   http://www.henrycountytimes.com/html/dynamic/mainnews.html

   https://www.facebook.com/Nicholas-Law-288158674714097/?fref=ts

The People of Stockbridge May be Behind the Eight Ball

The People of Stockbridge May be Behind the Eight Ball

The Henry County Board of Commissioners on December 1, 2015 voted to impose an additional $743,000 to the city of Stockbridge for police services on the $500,000 now being paid that has been on hold since December 2014.  The county said it would be paid in quarterly installments beginning April 1 according to the paper.  Also, the tickets written in the city will go before a city judge, but the county will take 40% of all the fines generated.  And the county shall levy, assess and collect ad valorem taxes within the city limits at the same millage rate as are levied, assessed and collected in the unincorporated areas of the county for police services.  The city will have to agree to this arrangement before it is final.  The county knows the city cannot afford its own police force at this time and is taking advantage of the situation.

Horace McNeely, Stockbridge resident

Forms Of Government 101

Here are the various forms of governments and the different sub political parties thereof to mull over. Thought it would be educational and not too hard to understand.
Liberals believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need. Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve problems.

Conservatives believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Believe the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals. Conservative policies generally emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems.

Independents are those who vote for candidates, measures, etc., in accordance with his or her own judgment and without regard to the endorsement of, or the positions taken by, any party. They want to be not dependent or contingent upon something else for existence, operation, etc.

Socialists are those who support the political philosophy of socialism, which is a governmental system that advocates community ownership and control of all lands and businesses rather than individual ownership. As opposed to a capitalist, a socialist advocates a society based on cooperation rather than competition .
Libertarians believe in free thought and freedom from government inclusion in personal lives. The core doctrine of libertarianism begins with the recognition that people have certain natural rights and that deprivation of these rights is immoral. Among these natural rights are the right to personal autonomy and property rights, and the right to the utilization of previously unused resources. These two basic assumptions form the foundation of all libertarian ideals.
Communism is a socioeconomic system structured upon the common ownership of the means of production and characterized by the absence of social classes, money, and the state; as well as a social, political and economic ideology and movement that aims to establish this social order.

Fascism is a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.

Authoritarianism is a leadership style in which a leader dictates policies and procedures, decides what goals are to be achieved, and directs and controls all activities without any meaningful participation by the subordinates.

Monarchy is a government or state headed by a monarch: called absolute when there is no limitation on the monarch's power, constitutional when there is such limitation.

Moderates are those in politics who are opposed to radical or extreme views or measures. They align themselves in the middle.

Progressives favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are, especially in political matters.

The encourage making progress toward better conditions; employing or advocating more enlightened or liberal ideas, new or experimental methods, etc.

Anarchy a state of society without government or law and political and social disorder due to the absence of governmental control.
Republic a state or nation in which the supreme power rests in all the citizens entitled to vote (the electorate) and is exercised by representatives elected, directly or indirectly, by them and responsible to them.

The above Republic is supposed to be our form of government. But as you look at all the forms of government preceding this one you will find that many of them are integrated into our form of government. Thought this would be a good thing to let folks look over. Have a nice afternoon.
Dr. Mike Moon.

Here is another part of Black History Month that has a tragic ending

Here is another part of Black History Month that has a tragic ending.

Not all of Black History has been a shining glory and much of it has been treated with sinister hands.  This is the condensed story of Mr. Jerry Banks, a black man wrongfully accused of a murder of two white people in 1974.  And his ending is not a happy one.
Jerry Banks lived on Banks Road between Rock Quarry Road and Flippen Road.  The road being named for his family.  On November 7, 1974, Jerry Banks went out hunting with his dog and found two dead bodies those of Marvin King 38 band director at Jonesboro High School and Melanie Ann Hartsfield 19 who attended Clayton Jr. College and was one of King’s former students.  Mr. Banks found their bodies on a lonely dirt road in a very rural part of Henry County.  Each had been shot with a shotgun.  Their bodies had been dragged about a hundred feed from where the shooting occurred into the weeds and covered with a blanket.  Marvin King’s car was then driven off and abandoned in a field three miles away.  Melanie Hartsfield’s car was found at Mays Corner in the Food Giant shopping center.

Jerry Banks happened upon the bodies and was scared right then and went up to Rock Quarry Road and flagged down a motorist to get them to call the police. Almost, exactly one month after the murders Jerry Banks was arrested for the crime.  Basically because he was a black man and a perfect person in the eyes of the police to have committed the crime.  Banks went on trial in January and on January 31, 1975 just four days after the trial started he was found guilty of the crimes and sentenced to die in the electric chair.  His  inept lawyer saw that his client was charged by not putting on a proper defense.  He would later be disbarred for poor practices as an attorney at law.

Jerry Banks sat on death row for some three years as another team went to appeal the sentence and it was still upheld.  So, a group went in and took the case to the Georgia Court of Appeals who over turned the previous convictions because the police had concealed evidence.  He was retried and found guilty again and sentenced for the deaths of King and Hartsfield.  In 1980, Banks had a new group of pro-bono lawyers who took the case to the Georgia Supreme Court and introduced some more new evidence that was not allowed in the original trial. The Court over turned the sentence and released Jerry Banks.  The Henry County District Attorney said he would go for another trial until presented with some more findings and he dropped the idea.

On December 22, 1980, Jerry Banks was a free man.  He had been imprisoned for a double murder for over six years, three of those on death row in the state penitentiary. Jerry Banks joyously returned home and was reunited with his wife and three children.  He soon discovered though that his wife had fallen in love with another man and wanted a divorce.  After all that had happened to him Jerry Banks couldn’t handle this jolting news.  He was suffering  terrific headaches; he was mentally and emotionally crushed; and he was afraid of losing custody of his children.  So, on March 29, 1981, Jerry Banks pulled out a pistol and shot his wife and then himself.  He died instantly, but his wife lingered for a month in a coma before passing away.  Jerry Banks last written words were, “They had taken all that I had, all that I held dear to me.”

Since, that time no one has ever been convicted of the crime of killing Marvin King and Melanie Ann Hartsfield.  That murder is still unsolved.  A black man’s life was ruined by this murder also.  Mr. Charles Sargent has written a very indepth account of the events surrounding the murder of Marvin King and Melanie Anne Hartsfield and the subsequent death of two more Jerry Banks and his wife in “The Sins of Henry County.”   This was a terrible tragedy for a black family here in Henry County.  This is a story for Black History Month that many don’t like to hear, but it needs telling.
 

Commissioners To Hurt Henry County

Hello at the Henry County Community News Blog,
I am writing today about something that is in the Henry Herald Newspaper about the commissioners and their plans to hurt Henry County.  Moving here five years ago was thought to be a good idea, but we are having second thoughts.  These people are not using common sense and letting their egos rule their thoughts.  They want to give the county manager who is not an elected official too much power, they also want to give the powers to themselves as well and it will cause problems just as it did in Wilmington, N.C.
Here are their ideas for his duties: Included in the proposed resolution to the legislative delegation is for the commissioners to have the authority to appoint, hire and fire the county manager, county clerk and county attorney, as well as delegate their duties and responsibilities. The county manager would have to power to supervise all county departments and personnel (with the exception of the county attorney, county clerk and executive assistant), administer personnel policies and ordinances adopted by the board, and have the power to hire, fire, suspend and discipline county employees (with the exception of the county attorney, county clerk and executive assistant), according to the proposal.
They would be taking key responsibilities from the chairman of the BOC and giving it to themselves in a coup.  In N.C., the people were to vote on this type of legislation before it became law and they didn’t get the chance and took it to court and won.  Thus costing the not only the taxpayers money, but those involved their jobs.  My husband and I see the same thing happening here and the people should say something before it is too late.

Ida McClure

The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following a link on this site.  Any article sent by citizens are their own property.

An Open Letter to the Citizens of Henry County

An Open Letter to the Citizens of Henry County
On January 1, 2013, I had the honor of beginning a four-year term to serve you as Chairman of the Henry County Board of Commissioners.  I took an oath to uphold the laws of the land. I take this oath seriously. Honor and duty in service are core principles that guide me every day.
I learned duty and honor as an Eagle Scout.  I was proud to serve in the military. I retired from the FAA as an Air Traffic Controller after 32 years of service. I had the privilege of serving my friends and neighbors as Mayor of Hampton for 24 years.
I was proud to serve as Executive Assistant to the Henry County Board of Commissioners for 7 years. While in that position I was asked to serve in many different capacities including Purchasing Director, Human Resources Director, Code Enforcement Director and Director of Animal Control. These positions gave me great insight into the day to day workings of county government.
Needless to say, I was ready to hit the ground running on day one of serving you as Chairman of this great County.
By County Charter, the Chairman is the Chief Executive Officer of the County.  This has been the case since 1991 when the citizens of this County voted by referendum to amend the Charter to create this position and the duties that go along with it.  The duties of Chairman are different from the duties of district commissioners. By Charter, the Chairman as CEO "may delegate administrative duties" to a County Manager. Every Chairman since 1992 has been allowed to function in their elected position, until now.
Since taking office, I have chosen to exercise my right to vote. The Charter states the Chairman "shall be a full voting member" of the Board. I believe that citizens have a right to know where their Chairman stands. There are district commissioners who do not want me to exercise this right
I take issue with the public accusation made by the District 5 Commissioner against me at the December 16th Board meeting.  He and the other Commissioners seem to think that I want to fire all of the Department Heads in the county.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  As I have said repeatedly, I believe that our employees are our best asset. I am committed to ensuring that we have policies in place that protect employees and the public.  The Board and I have disagreed on several personnel issues.

For example:

The County has an obligation to ensure that your tax dollars are being properly used. When I learned that certain police officers were engaged in sexual misconduct while on-duty and at times, inside County vehicles, I demanded that action be taken. When I learned that some of this misconduct involved the most vulnerable in society and female subordinates, and that upper police management was not taking sufficient action to rid the department of this behavior, I called for a change in leadership in the police department. The Board refused to take action.


I believe it is wrong for a county employee to violate county policy and State law by transporting an infant in the front seat of a county car, on county time.  The lack of judgment is worsened by the fact that the employee lied about the incident until there was a mention of a video tape footage from a local convenience store she attended. I brought this to the attention of the Board.  The Board refused to take action.

I believe that it is unfair to fire a county employee for using a curse word in a meeting with her bosses when one of the bosses had used the same word himself. This was brought this to the attention of the Board.  Once again, the Board refused to take action.

I believe that firing a Department Head and eliminating a Department under the guise of saving money without having any calculations to save money and be more efficient is wrong.

I believe it is illegal when the Department Head who is being fired was the victim of harassment at the workplace by another Department Head.  An independent outside investigation found the incidents of harassment true and the perpetrator Department Head received 40 hours off without pay.  However, now she is fired and he still has his job and additional allegations of harassment within the workplace by other co-workers have been filed. I brought this to the attention of the Board. The Board continues to refuse to act.

I have stood alone in voicing opposition to these matters. I offer no apology.  I take my oath to faithfully uphold the laws seriously. I will continue to serve the citizens to the best of my abilities and in accordance with the responsibilities set forth in the Charter that was approved by you the people, not politicians.

I was elected upon the campaign promises of changing the way we do business in Henry County.  My mission has been to conduct county business in the light of day for all to see, to treat our employees fairly, and to make sure that the county operates in a fiscally conservative manner.

The Commissioners continue to complain and say that I am not a team player. The District 2 Commissioner even met with me early on to say that the Commissioners did not like my leadership style.  When I inquired about the specific complaint he stated that if the majority of the Commissioners agree on a matter that I should be with them and vote along with them.  We are not elected to come to a consensus. Elected officials develop the best solutions when they each bring their perspectives and constituent concerns to the table. We will not always change each other’s mind. However, we will vote and move in the direction of the majority vote.

I certainly understand the art of compromise as it is something that all of us do every day.  I would not have been elected to public office for over 30 years without understanding how and when to give and take.  However, there are some issues upon which I am simply not willing to compromise.   And for that I make no apology.

Thank you.
Chairman Tommy Smith

Commission Chairman Files Suit Against Commissioners

Hello there at the Henry County Community News Blog.  I have some information to share that is of importance to the people of Henry County.  As of Friday last Henry County Board of Commissioners Chairman Tommy Smith filed with Henry County Superior Court a request for an injunction for relief against the five current Commissioners on the Board.  Chairman Smith is asking for the court to allow him the authority that was given by the Georgia General Assembly.  The voters gave the Chairman certain powers to run the job in 1990.  Chairman Smith has tried for two years now to be the CEO of the County Government.  It seems that this Board and previous Boards have been unconstitutionally allowing the county manager to be the CEO the same powers granted to the Chairman by referendum in 1990.  This process goes all the way back to 1974.  Apparently, the Board members of  1992 took it upon themselves to make a change because they didn’t like what the General
 Assembly had done by creating an Ordinance giving the powers to the Manager.  This was done in an unconstitutional manner and could be considered illegal.  Thus, Chairman Smith is seeking to rectify the problem through the Superior Court of Henry County.  This is a problem that should never have arose within the government of Henry County because the Board in 1992 went against a legal vote by the citizens in 1990.  Every Board since that time has had a chance to fix the problem created in 1992, but have chosen to leave it alone.  The job of the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners also rises to the level of CEO of the county and to not allow that right and power to the Chairman should be grounds for a Chairman to seek help through the Court System of Henry County, Georgia.

A Concerned Citizen of Henry County, Georgia

The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following a link on this site.  Any article sent by citizens are their own property.