Stockbridge VS City Of Eagles Landing

As we begin to write the following information we want to let everyone know that we are neither for or against Stockbridge or the idea of a new city of Eagles Landing.  This is an informative post.  For some time now there has been a lot of back and forth about the idea of a new city of Eagles Landing being created and Stockbridge is fighting it's creation saying they will be taking part of their city to do so.  Let's go back in history and talk a few facts:

1. The idea of a city being where Eagles Landing is today is nothing new.  It was proposed back in the late 1960's as a city to be called Henry City.  

2.  Later a developer came and created the community of Eagles Landing which was far removed from the City of Stockbridge.  The city limits at the time only went to the rock quarry.

3.  The former mayor the late Rudy Kelley lived in Stockbridge.  They wanted a home in the Windsong Plantation which they got, but in order for him to remain mayor, they had to annex part of that subdivision along with a strip of land down Rock Quarry Rd to it.  Then, they decided to move into the gated part of Eagles Landing and again had a certain area annexed so he could remain mayor.  It was all politics.

4.  It has been mentioned that the people of Stockbridge have never paid property taxes for the city.  That is not true.  The people the city paid city taxes until the State dismantled their police department and the fire department was turned over to the county.  They stopped city property taxes at that time.

5.  The city began talking about having a police department once again, but the only way to have said department will mean they will have to have a property tax to maintain it.  That is a logistical fact.

6.  Stockbridge over the years has allowed developers to come to them to have subdivisions built around the area and thus they would do creative annexations to let them in the city under less than adequate means of construction and smaller lots.  The recent annexation of the property on the west side of I-75 and south of Jodeco Road has been a questionable annexation.

7.  According to the bills before the General Assembly, if there is a City of Eagles Landing formed they will allow Stockbridge to annex other properties and add more people to their city.  There has been made mention that if they form a city of Eagles Landing that it would take over 50% of Stockbridge away and this is simply not true.

8.  The people in the Eagles Landing area are the more affluent and well to do citizens who have the means to take care of themselves.  Similar scenario of the small towns created north of Atlanta by the more affluent which has worked well since their creation.

9.  It has been said that Stockbridge cannot stand on it's own without Eagles Landing, but that shouldn't be the case.  They should not depend on one community to sustain their city.  Stockbridge was a city for a very long time before Eagles Landing was ever built.  They can do just fine if they do the right things in the city.

10.  According to the statistics,  if there is a new city of Eagles Landing created it will be populated with mostly minorities just like the city of Stockbridge.  So, the issue of race should be a moot point.  But of course like everything else this day and time it has raced it's ugly head in this matter as well.

11. Henry County continues to grow and is becoming a hot bed for many different things and another city being added will not make much difference.  There are infrastructure issues that Stockbridge and Henry County need to face and do something about now.  The problem is that when most of the infrastructure projects are due to be built or completed they are obsolete.  Henry County has been a county growing so rapidly, yet are playing catch-up on all the infrastructure issues.  And currently they are failing.  And putting buses on two lane roads are not going to help matters.

12. If they do create a city of Eagles Landing, hopefully the two cities can learn to be friendly to one another.  They don't need to be bitter rivalries because we have already seen too much of that.

In conclusion, there have been a lot of mistakes made along the way in this process that need to be fixed.  There has been a lot bad press and a lot of misinformation flowing about the whole matter.  But when people want to be deannexed and move into another town that means they should have that right with a vote of those involved in that section.  And real politicians learn to compromise to do what is best for the citizens and not what they want for themselves.

The Staff 

State of the Union Address

The Democrats in Washington, D.C. showed their true self at the State of the Union Address.  As President Trump spoke and talked about various issues most of them were very disrespectful to the President and the people of the United States.  They would not stand up for border security, the American flag, fighting opioid abuse, the national anthem, bonuses for working Americans, the idea of low black unemployment, merit-based immigration, Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, 2.4 million jobs created, in God we trust, and many of them were seen on video playing candy crush on their phones.  There is an old saying in our nation that we get what we pay for and in their cases, they need to be fired.  They have no respect for our men and women in the military, our police and firefighters, and our hard-working Americans who go to work daily to feed their families.  These leeches are there to get a paycheck and to cause trouble back home across this land.  They have shown to the people of this nation that they are nothing more than bottom feeders who need to go and find something else to do instead of making things worse for those who are trying to make America stronger, safer and better.

John Middleton McKenzie

An Old Friend Passed Away

The following is about an old friend who passed away recently.  He was remembered by many as being a former mayor of McDonough, but he was much more than that.  He was Mr. Richard Craig who was born on July 1, 1934 and died on January 18, 2018.    Richard was the son of John Hugh Craig, Sr. and Mildred Cowan Craig.    He came from a large family that is well known throughout the area.  His late siblings were Hugh Craig, Jr., Lamar Craig, Robert Craig, Herbert Craig, Larry Craig, and Martha Craig Bolien Watts.   His loving wife Nancy survives him as well as many children.  He is also survived by his brothers Bobby Craig, Mike Craig and Sammy Craig.  I remember Richard talking about his being in the US Army.  He played a key role in the sports, and political area of the county over the years.  He was on the Henry County School Board for ten years.  He loved to play in sports such as baseball at Craig Field on McGarity Road.  He served as councilman of the City of McDonough before serving as mayor.  He was currently on the Henry County Elections Board.  He was a charter member of the Henry County Moose Lodge, past president of the Henry County Kiwanis Club.  He was president of the Henry County High School Booster Club and president of the Henry County Recreation Board.  He was inducted into the Henry County Sports Hall of Fame and the ASA Georgia Umpires and Coaches Hall of Fame. Richard Craig Field is at Alexander Park as well as Richard Craig Park off of Zack Hinton Pkwy.  I remember him coming to eat at the Little Diner on Hood Street in McDonough with my parents Emmett and Elaine Moon.  He worked for Southern Bell at that time out of the building on Griffin Street in McDonough.  He was very helpful to us when my dad had to have open heart surgery in 1974.  I can still see him talking at the Craig Brothers Phillips 66 station in town, which is the welcome center today, with his brothers Herbert and Larry.  We would all usually in up at the Country Kitchen Catfish Restaurant at Barnesville, GA on Saturday nights.  Great memories from my youth. Richard was a forward-thinking man who knew the possibilities of what can be for an area.  McDonough and Henry County lost a true friend when Richard passed away.

Dr. Michael Moon

Democrats Prefer Illegals Over True Americans

On January 19th-20th at midnight 2018, the United States legal citizens found out that the Democrats in Washington, D.C. want to put the interest of those living in our nation illegally ahead of those who are citizens.  They want to put those illegals ahead of the military Veterans who served this nation with valor.  That is a slap in the face to them.  They want to put them ahead of our elderly citizens who built this nation which is another slap in the face.  And they want to put those illegals ahead of our children who need medical care for diseases that cannot be helped and this is a deplorable slap in the face.  These Democrats want to play hardball with a President who knows all about that game.  They are also teetering on violating their constitutional oath to uphold said constitution and the American people.  Those who would condemn our lawful citizens in this nation should be put out of office and banished from our midst.  The Democrats want to play games with the lives of American Citizens over those who came here illegally and are sucking away the funds needed to help our people who are here legally.  We have veterans and others living under bridges in America, some of them freezing to death because they have nowhere else to live and many of them could be helped if the illegals were not taking the funds away from them.  The American Citizens need to wake up and see that those in Washington that love these illegals and there are some Republicans as well who find that they would prefer them over those born and raised here as US citizens.  They need to be put out of any leadership capacity because they don't know what they are doing except feeding there own ego.  Egomaniacs are destroying this nation daily.  All the way from small-town America to Washington, D.C.   They are trying to create a war in our nation that will be a war like no other.  It will pit those US citizens fighting for their homes against the rabble from other nations who would rather see us dead anyway.  They want to blame this on the President, but the blame lies squarely on the heads of those Democrats led by Chuck Schumer who have the unmitigated gall to put an illegal alien in front of a United States citizen and Veteran.  The veterans of our nation will not forget this.   But this has been the sad case in many empires of the world.  Rome let in too many people from the outside and were destroyed from within.  The people of this nation can see now that the leadership in Washington, D.C. under the guise of "we support our citizens" is nothing but a lie.  They take from the Social Security Fund that is the money that belongs to the hard-working US citizens and give it to these illegals.  They take tax money that is taxing the citizens to death to give to these illegals.  Remember what is really going on here and take a good look at those involved and you will see a monster the likes no one ever thought possible.  We were told years ago that we would be taken without firing a shot and that is very close to happening if the people who love their nation don't do something about it.

The Staff

People That Have No Clue

I have received two E-Mail’s from a friend that knows my work background. The E-Mail is a list of comments from someone that is well known in the County, but is acting like a fool. Again, they are fussing about the way they had to wait in the rain to get into the stadium to watch the UGA football game on Jan. 8, 2018. This person is very ignorant of what it takes to protect the President of the United States Of America. As I said on a Facebook post that day the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI owned the Stadium and the surrounding area.

The Stadium is a logistical nightmare to secure in order to protect the President. This person was also upset that he had to stand in the rain. Well, let me tell you something there were agents that had been in the rain for over twelve hours without complaint doing a very hard and dangerous job. It takes a very special person to put themselves in harms way to protect a protectee and we all should show more respect and honor to them. They work long hard hours with very little gratitude from the general public, I know this first hand.

By the time this is posted the E-Mail’s would have been forwarded to one of my old co-workers for review and investigation. The Motto of the Secret Service "Worthy of Trust and Confidence."  The Motto of the Federal Bureau of Investigation “ Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity,” Keep up the great work guys!!!

Alfred Britt

Men's Senior Softball League!!!

There is a group of men wishing to start a Henry County Men's Senior Softball League.  This would be a good opportunity to get those who are able out and enjoying a good sport.  This is something sorely needed for those senior men who want something like this to do and are still physically able to enjoy the game. It would give those men a chance to fellowship with others and enjoy the competition with other teams.  If you would like to be a part contact Johnny Wiggins at 770-634-6198.  

The Staff

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

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