From You
Sep 4, 2002
Letters
HEIDI & BUSINESS
In regard to Pete McCommons' Pub Notes [Aug. 28], something that we have not made much noise about thus far in the Mayoral campaign is my business experience - yes! I have some. I worked as a bookkeeper for both large and small businesses for several years prior to becoming a teacher. My father was an accountant so, I'm quite well-versed in matters of money - budgets, payroll, accounts receivable and payable, etc.
Additionally, and more recently, our small business (Davison Management Systems, Inc. - see the Sec. of State's Corporate listings where I have been officially listed as the President and/or CEO for many years and a corporate officer for more than 12 years) was the primary source of our household income for almost 10 years. I have been a "1099" sub-contractor off-and-on for about eight of the last 12 years. So, I am most familiar with the challenges and struggles of owning and operating a small business.
While it is true that I have not been active in business for the most recent three-four years, it is a documented fact that I have business experience.
Please don't think I'm "picking nits" or taking exception to your fine articles. The failure to promote this aspect of my experience is all ours. I just thought I should (finally) let you know about it.
Heidi Davison
Athens
LIKES SWEAT
A runoff election, which will decide who is to be our next Superior Court Judge, is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2002. This election will take place in both Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties.
The runoff election is between David Sweat, the top vote-getter, and Michael Coleman, who came in second.
I am writing to ask you to vote for David Sweat. There is simply no question that David is by far the better candidate. He is an intelligent and experienced trial lawyer who has been practicing for 23 years. David understands what it means for a judge to be fair and impartial. He also recognizes the importance of treating people with the utmost courtesy and respect. He clearly has the proper judicial temperament for this very important position.
The turnout in a runoff election has historically been very low. It is therefore especially important that you take the time to vote on September 10.
Please vote for David Sweat for Superior Court judge on Sept. 10, 2002.
Kenneth Kalivoda
Athens
LIKES COLEMAN
I think your comments "Hitler and the hippie" in comparing Magistrate Judge Mike Coleman with David Sweat are in bad taste, inappropriate and inconsistent with the facts (Flagpole, August 28, 2002).
I have not been in Mike Coleman's courtroom every day for 13 odd years and I doubt you have either. In fact, I can't think of any "Pub Note" you have written reporting any court proceeding in his courtroom, or any other report in Flagpole regarding his courtroom, although there may have been some. But I'll bet you would have been much better off if Mike Coleman had been judge some 30 years ago in 1972 when you and Scott McLarty and all the students were charged with criminal trespass at UGA. (Pub Notes, Flagpole Magazine, 2/11/98).
Let me provide two examples. We once rented a mobile home to a black lady with a young daughter. She signed a lease for about a year and paid about a $400 deposit. She had the utilities turned on and was provided possession. On the day she was to move in she refused to pay the rent and wanted all her money back. I tried to explain to her that the deposit was used to pay for costs of rent and re-renting the trailer and she was responsible for rent every month until it was rented to a new tenant. This was in the winter so she was also responsible for costs of utilities necessary to keep the pipes from freezing. She screamed and demanded her money back and would not listen to me. With my wife on the phone she even threatened to burn the trailer down if we would not refund her money. We were not intimidated by her screams or her race and did not refund her money.
In cases like this we usually use up the deposit and let the rest go. However, she filed a claim in Magistrate's court and demanded all her money back. She even appeared at a hearing herself without a lawyer. We also appeared at the hearing with a lawyer whom we had to pay. Since it took about six months to rerent the trailer, she ran up a bill of about $2,500.00.
Judge Coleman let her "speak her piece" and listened to us. He then did give her a polite lecture on contract law and behavior and awarded us a judgment for the money. However, he did not sanction her for her patent violation of the Georgia law against terroristic threats. I felt he was wrong in failing to charge her with a criminal violation for these illegal acts. Furthermore, we had to give up our $2,500 judgment, not because of anything Judge Coleman did, but due to the tyrannical legal system, which permitted her to obtain "free legal services" at a higher level, and cost us more money and time suing us in Superior Court, while we would have to spend thousands of dollars defending ourselves and obviously never receive a penny in return. This is true tyranny, Pete, not the comments of Judge Coleman to irresponsible citizens like this who have never been taught much about right and wrong.
The other example relates to an eviction of a tenant in another county. We followed all the rules and put his possessions out on the side of the road as provided by the law. The tenant then dumped items that he considered "possessions" back on our property. When we removed them and discarded them, he sued us in Athens-Clarke County Magistrate's court. When the hearing was scheduled, he missed it even though we were there with an attorney "on the clock" (in other words we were paying him hundreds of dollars an hour). The tenant failed to show up and we were awarded a default judgment by Judge Coleman. After we left, the tenant showed up, late. Judge Coleman vacated the judgment and scheduled a new hearing. So we had to attend a hearing twice and pay the lawyer both times! We won the case but I felt Judge Coleman had gone too far in indulging this "jerk" who had violated all the rules anyway.
But I am going to vote for Mike Coleman on September 10, 2002 because I have observed him to be eminently fair to all concerned, and he will not be intimidated even if he is your friend. Many of these citizens he must deal with in his court need a good lecture and "kick in the ass," and if he does that, good. Perhaps they will be more responsible citizens as a result and not endanger your or your loved ones' lives or mine as a result.
David Sweat appears to be a good person, too, but most of his experience is in Federal Court, often on discrimination cases by U. GA against faculty and employees, but rarely written up in the newspaper, far removed from the lowly problems of Athens that you and I and most other people must deal with on a daily basis.
However, I do intend to vote for Heidi Davison even though I likely disagree with her on most issues, because Mayor Eldridge has not answered a single of the hundreds of letters sent to him over the years and because he does not have the courage to take unpopular stands against moneywaste. I also intend to vote for David Lynn in District 5 where I live.
Winfield J. Abbe
Athens
LIKES CHASTEEN
As you know, anyone can verbalize his or her position on important issues. I will try to stay with major issues and votes that are a matter of record.
Definition of family (two unrelated): I took a strong position early in favor of two unrelated. This is arguable the most important neighborhood vote that we have had since unification. Also voted this year to further strengthen this ordinance.
Bloomfield rezone request: I voted to deny that request, in order to help the neighborhood in their efforts to save the single-family character of the Bloomfield area.
Jefferson Road subdivision: I voted against this request, because it was classic sprawl. Lack of sewer lines at this site would dictate that new lines be run to accommodate the request.
Martin Meadows: I voted for this request due to the location having on site all necessary infrastructure, and it was endorsed by most of the environmental and conservation groups in the Athens area. Dr. Walter Cook, Dan Hope, and many other individuals and groups spoke in favor of this request. It was the first conservation subdivision in the area, leaving much of the total project natural and undisturbed.
Ordinances protecting neighborhoods: At every opportunity I have supported these changes to give us greater control of the quality of life in our community. I supported the addition of staff to the Marshall's office to achieve quicker and more efficient compliance of these neighborhood-protecting laws.
Stream buffer (75' buffer): I was the first local elected official to take a strong and open position in favor of the 75' buffer. Tried to convince the Realtors and Homebuilders that this was good for the quality of our water, and the community in general.
I supported all initiatives to acquire additional land for greenspace. Such funding from sources like SPLOST, Rivers 2000, other state and federal grants have been very successful in adding to our inventory of open space. I have tried to be sure that when at all possible that we use this funding to add to the greenway to give us, not only more open space in general, but to add to the protection of our waterways.
Rails to Trails Committee, chaired by Commissioner States McCarter: I have supported this effort from the beginning to help us get more people out of their cars for exercise and alternative means of transportation.
Bike lanes: I have been and remain a leader in adding more bike lanes. I strongly supported the commitment that we made to add bike lanes any time that we undertook a significant upgrade of existing roads. I have put more time and energy into the funding of bike lanes and sidewalks than all the other local elected officials combined. A good example is the $1.5 million allocated to adding bike lanes and sidewalks to the College Station Road. This project will give us a super example of success in getting people out of cars and onto bikes to improve our quality of air. It will also help to convince other commissioners that bike lanes are a good idea, to gain their support of other bike lane projects, such as Prince Ave.
Closing Lumpkin St.: I appreciate the importance of having a good relationship with the University of GA as anyone. However, when presented with their plan to close Lumpkin St., in turn eliminating the direct access to downtown by the people in Five Points, I strongly opposed it.
Economic Development Foundation: Opposed the establishment of this organization due to the loss of the natural checks and balances needed to reflect our community values in the direction of development in general. Also, it put more distance between the people and the decision making process.
Historic Preservation: Recently proposed the use of general fund money to preserve two warehouses owned by the people of Athens. Without this funding the buildings were at risk of damage beyond repair, due to roof deterioration.
Risk of a power plant locating in Athens. It was stated by one of my opponents and the Flagpole Magazine that I brought these people here. As I am sure you know, this is the opposite of what I did. After three different companies (Texas Energy, Duke Energy and Enron) came to this community through the Chamber of Commerce, a committee was formed for the purpose of protecting this community's interest and to be a watchdog through this process. At my initiative, I brought to the table three of the most experienced people in Athens regarding the protection of our environment (Laurie Fowler, Beth Gavrilles and Melanie Ruhlman). With their help we were able to formulate the relative questions regarding the harmful effects on the quality of air, water and the impact on river flow.
Thank you for your interest in reviewing some of the issues that are very important to me, and the people of Athens.
Tom Chasteen
Athens
SICKENING SALARIES
Upon receiving a hospital bill, who amongst us, has not been sickened? Stories of $20 aspirins are commonplace. Now, thanks to County Commissioner John Barrow's fiduciary diligence in penetrating behind our public hospital's veil of secrecy, we are provided with a possible clue into why the aspirin costs $20. The Athens Regional Hospital, although organized as a 501(c)(3) charity, pays its President over $750,000 a year and his Chief Financial Officer $500,000.
Why am I surprised and outraged to find out that every organism works to its own advantage? Multi-million dollar salaries are commonplace among CEO's of private corporations. Well, the reason for my dis-ease is that I thought that public officers were answerable to the public. Hence, I was very disturbed by the stonewalling which Commissioner Barrow received from the hospital on his requests for budget information. As a teacher in a public educational system, I knowingly went into teaching and worked for a modest salary. And so do other public employees. For example, in Clarke County, which subsidizes and guarantees the bonds of the Hospital, our Mayor makes $47,000 yearly, the County Commissioners $15K, the Superior Court Judge $85K, the County Manager $127K, the School Superintendent $127K, the Police Chief $90K. Nationally, the President of the United States' salary is $200,000.
The quasi-public Hospital Authority will reply that its salaries are the result of a study done by Ernst and Young's executive compensation specialists. Well, to my mind, too many recent days have brought revelations about accounting shenanigans carried out by Big Five accounting firms. Our hospital's top six employees are paid more than a million dollars a year more than those in comparable and larger area hospitals.
Also, Commissioner Barrow has pointed out the troubling nature of the murky "guarantees" behind the hospital's bonds backed by us, the taxpayers of Clarke County. Concerning executives' salaries at the Hospital, I am sick.
Robert D. Clements
Athens
In regard to Pete McCommons' Pub Notes [Aug. 28], something that we have not made much noise about thus far in the Mayoral campaign is my business experience - yes! I have some. I worked as a bookkeeper for both large and small businesses for several years prior to becoming a teacher. My father was an accountant so, I'm quite well-versed in matters of money - budgets, payroll, accounts receivable and payable, etc.
Additionally, and more recently, our small business (Davison Management Systems, Inc. - see the Sec. of State's Corporate listings where I have been officially listed as the President and/or CEO for many years and a corporate officer for more than 12 years) was the primary source of our household income for almost 10 years. I have been a "1099" sub-contractor off-and-on for about eight of the last 12 years. So, I am most familiar with the challenges and struggles of owning and operating a small business.
While it is true that I have not been active in business for the most recent three-four years, it is a documented fact that I have business experience.
Please don't think I'm "picking nits" or taking exception to your fine articles. The failure to promote this aspect of my experience is all ours. I just thought I should (finally) let you know about it.
Heidi Davison
Athens
A runoff election, which will decide who is to be our next Superior Court Judge, is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2002. This election will take place in both Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties.
The runoff election is between David Sweat, the top vote-getter, and Michael Coleman, who came in second.
I am writing to ask you to vote for David Sweat. There is simply no question that David is by far the better candidate. He is an intelligent and experienced trial lawyer who has been practicing for 23 years. David understands what it means for a judge to be fair and impartial. He also recognizes the importance of treating people with the utmost courtesy and respect. He clearly has the proper judicial temperament for this very important position.
The turnout in a runoff election has historically been very low. It is therefore especially important that you take the time to vote on September 10.
Please vote for David Sweat for Superior Court judge on Sept. 10, 2002.
Kenneth Kalivoda
Athens
I think your comments "Hitler and the hippie" in comparing Magistrate Judge Mike Coleman with David Sweat are in bad taste, inappropriate and inconsistent with the facts (Flagpole, August 28, 2002).
I have not been in Mike Coleman's courtroom every day for 13 odd years and I doubt you have either. In fact, I can't think of any "Pub Note" you have written reporting any court proceeding in his courtroom, or any other report in Flagpole regarding his courtroom, although there may have been some. But I'll bet you would have been much better off if Mike Coleman had been judge some 30 years ago in 1972 when you and Scott McLarty and all the students were charged with criminal trespass at UGA. (Pub Notes, Flagpole Magazine, 2/11/98).
Let me provide two examples. We once rented a mobile home to a black lady with a young daughter. She signed a lease for about a year and paid about a $400 deposit. She had the utilities turned on and was provided possession. On the day she was to move in she refused to pay the rent and wanted all her money back. I tried to explain to her that the deposit was used to pay for costs of rent and re-renting the trailer and she was responsible for rent every month until it was rented to a new tenant. This was in the winter so she was also responsible for costs of utilities necessary to keep the pipes from freezing. She screamed and demanded her money back and would not listen to me. With my wife on the phone she even threatened to burn the trailer down if we would not refund her money. We were not intimidated by her screams or her race and did not refund her money.
In cases like this we usually use up the deposit and let the rest go. However, she filed a claim in Magistrate's court and demanded all her money back. She even appeared at a hearing herself without a lawyer. We also appeared at the hearing with a lawyer whom we had to pay. Since it took about six months to rerent the trailer, she ran up a bill of about $2,500.00.
Judge Coleman let her "speak her piece" and listened to us. He then did give her a polite lecture on contract law and behavior and awarded us a judgment for the money. However, he did not sanction her for her patent violation of the Georgia law against terroristic threats. I felt he was wrong in failing to charge her with a criminal violation for these illegal acts. Furthermore, we had to give up our $2,500 judgment, not because of anything Judge Coleman did, but due to the tyrannical legal system, which permitted her to obtain "free legal services" at a higher level, and cost us more money and time suing us in Superior Court, while we would have to spend thousands of dollars defending ourselves and obviously never receive a penny in return. This is true tyranny, Pete, not the comments of Judge Coleman to irresponsible citizens like this who have never been taught much about right and wrong.
The other example relates to an eviction of a tenant in another county. We followed all the rules and put his possessions out on the side of the road as provided by the law. The tenant then dumped items that he considered "possessions" back on our property. When we removed them and discarded them, he sued us in Athens-Clarke County Magistrate's court. When the hearing was scheduled, he missed it even though we were there with an attorney "on the clock" (in other words we were paying him hundreds of dollars an hour). The tenant failed to show up and we were awarded a default judgment by Judge Coleman. After we left, the tenant showed up, late. Judge Coleman vacated the judgment and scheduled a new hearing. So we had to attend a hearing twice and pay the lawyer both times! We won the case but I felt Judge Coleman had gone too far in indulging this "jerk" who had violated all the rules anyway.
But I am going to vote for Mike Coleman on September 10, 2002 because I have observed him to be eminently fair to all concerned, and he will not be intimidated even if he is your friend. Many of these citizens he must deal with in his court need a good lecture and "kick in the ass," and if he does that, good. Perhaps they will be more responsible citizens as a result and not endanger your or your loved ones' lives or mine as a result.
David Sweat appears to be a good person, too, but most of his experience is in Federal Court, often on discrimination cases by U. GA against faculty and employees, but rarely written up in the newspaper, far removed from the lowly problems of Athens that you and I and most other people must deal with on a daily basis.
However, I do intend to vote for Heidi Davison even though I likely disagree with her on most issues, because Mayor Eldridge has not answered a single of the hundreds of letters sent to him over the years and because he does not have the courage to take unpopular stands against moneywaste. I also intend to vote for David Lynn in District 5 where I live.
Winfield J. Abbe
Athens
As you know, anyone can verbalize his or her position on important issues. I will try to stay with major issues and votes that are a matter of record.
Definition of family (two unrelated): I took a strong position early in favor of two unrelated. This is arguable the most important neighborhood vote that we have had since unification. Also voted this year to further strengthen this ordinance.
Bloomfield rezone request: I voted to deny that request, in order to help the neighborhood in their efforts to save the single-family character of the Bloomfield area.
Jefferson Road subdivision: I voted against this request, because it was classic sprawl. Lack of sewer lines at this site would dictate that new lines be run to accommodate the request.
Martin Meadows: I voted for this request due to the location having on site all necessary infrastructure, and it was endorsed by most of the environmental and conservation groups in the Athens area. Dr. Walter Cook, Dan Hope, and many other individuals and groups spoke in favor of this request. It was the first conservation subdivision in the area, leaving much of the total project natural and undisturbed.
Ordinances protecting neighborhoods: At every opportunity I have supported these changes to give us greater control of the quality of life in our community. I supported the addition of staff to the Marshall's office to achieve quicker and more efficient compliance of these neighborhood-protecting laws.
Stream buffer (75' buffer): I was the first local elected official to take a strong and open position in favor of the 75' buffer. Tried to convince the Realtors and Homebuilders that this was good for the quality of our water, and the community in general.
I supported all initiatives to acquire additional land for greenspace. Such funding from sources like SPLOST, Rivers 2000, other state and federal grants have been very successful in adding to our inventory of open space. I have tried to be sure that when at all possible that we use this funding to add to the greenway to give us, not only more open space in general, but to add to the protection of our waterways.
Rails to Trails Committee, chaired by Commissioner States McCarter: I have supported this effort from the beginning to help us get more people out of their cars for exercise and alternative means of transportation.
Bike lanes: I have been and remain a leader in adding more bike lanes. I strongly supported the commitment that we made to add bike lanes any time that we undertook a significant upgrade of existing roads. I have put more time and energy into the funding of bike lanes and sidewalks than all the other local elected officials combined. A good example is the $1.5 million allocated to adding bike lanes and sidewalks to the College Station Road. This project will give us a super example of success in getting people out of cars and onto bikes to improve our quality of air. It will also help to convince other commissioners that bike lanes are a good idea, to gain their support of other bike lane projects, such as Prince Ave.
Closing Lumpkin St.: I appreciate the importance of having a good relationship with the University of GA as anyone. However, when presented with their plan to close Lumpkin St., in turn eliminating the direct access to downtown by the people in Five Points, I strongly opposed it.
Economic Development Foundation: Opposed the establishment of this organization due to the loss of the natural checks and balances needed to reflect our community values in the direction of development in general. Also, it put more distance between the people and the decision making process.
Historic Preservation: Recently proposed the use of general fund money to preserve two warehouses owned by the people of Athens. Without this funding the buildings were at risk of damage beyond repair, due to roof deterioration.
Risk of a power plant locating in Athens. It was stated by one of my opponents and the Flagpole Magazine that I brought these people here. As I am sure you know, this is the opposite of what I did. After three different companies (Texas Energy, Duke Energy and Enron) came to this community through the Chamber of Commerce, a committee was formed for the purpose of protecting this community's interest and to be a watchdog through this process. At my initiative, I brought to the table three of the most experienced people in Athens regarding the protection of our environment (Laurie Fowler, Beth Gavrilles and Melanie Ruhlman). With their help we were able to formulate the relative questions regarding the harmful effects on the quality of air, water and the impact on river flow.
Thank you for your interest in reviewing some of the issues that are very important to me, and the people of Athens.
Tom Chasteen
Athens
SICKENING SALARIES
Upon receiving a hospital bill, who amongst us, has not been sickened? Stories of $20 aspirins are commonplace. Now, thanks to County Commissioner John Barrow's fiduciary diligence in penetrating behind our public hospital's veil of secrecy, we are provided with a possible clue into why the aspirin costs $20. The Athens Regional Hospital, although organized as a 501(c)(3) charity, pays its President over $750,000 a year and his Chief Financial Officer $500,000.
Why am I surprised and outraged to find out that every organism works to its own advantage? Multi-million dollar salaries are commonplace among CEO's of private corporations. Well, the reason for my dis-ease is that I thought that public officers were answerable to the public. Hence, I was very disturbed by the stonewalling which Commissioner Barrow received from the hospital on his requests for budget information. As a teacher in a public educational system, I knowingly went into teaching and worked for a modest salary. And so do other public employees. For example, in Clarke County, which subsidizes and guarantees the bonds of the Hospital, our Mayor makes $47,000 yearly, the County Commissioners $15K, the Superior Court Judge $85K, the County Manager $127K, the School Superintendent $127K, the Police Chief $90K. Nationally, the President of the United States' salary is $200,000.
The quasi-public Hospital Authority will reply that its salaries are the result of a study done by Ernst and Young's executive compensation specialists. Well, to my mind, too many recent days have brought revelations about accounting shenanigans carried out by Big Five accounting firms. Our hospital's top six employees are paid more than a million dollars a year more than those in comparable and larger area hospitals.
Also, Commissioner Barrow has pointed out the troubling nature of the murky "guarantees" behind the hospital's bonds backed by us, the taxpayers of Clarke County. Concerning executives' salaries at the Hospital, I am sick.
Robert D. Clements
Athens
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