C-Tran Public Hearing on Wednesday
Doesn’t Senator Emanuel Jones have enough to deal with in the counties he represents without getting into Clayton’s business?
Jones (who represents parts of Decatur and Henry counties) along with Georgia’s Legislative Black Caucus are holding a public meeting this Wednesday, Feb. 10, from 3:30 PM to 5 PM in Room 216 of the Capitol building (206 Washington St., S.W., Atlanta) to discuss keeping C-Tran running.
“The shutdown of C-TRAN would have regional consequences, and would likely send federal dollars that could be used for regional transportation projects here, to states such as North Carolina and Florida,” says Jones via the Clayton News-Daily. Too late, since those states already received a huge chunk of the transportation stimulus pie. According to WSBTV, Florida and North Carolina received millions for their high speed rail projects. Thanks to the Georgia DOT, all we’ll get is a measly $750,000 to pay for three (more) feasibility studies and nada to help fund a rail …
NACA helps keep homeowners in Clayton
Very slowly but surely, the economy is turning around, according to President Obama. Nevertheless, Georgians are still losing jobs and subsequently, their homes. Although the number has dropped, Clayton county alone logged 673 foreclosures in January, according to the AJC.
The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, better known as NACA, has helped thousands of Georgians hold onto their homes by getting adjustable rates changed to fixed, and interest rates lowered substantially. They will even help get high interest fixed rates lowered, and all services are FREE.
First you MUST attend a NACA “home save” workshop, where you receive basic information about the program and have a chance to ask questions. Next, you fill out a lengthy application complete with all financial information, and set up a consultation.
This process is not a quick fix, unless your house is about to be sold on the courthouse steps. As a matter of fact, one organizer explained how it took his NACA …
Would you help clean up Clayton?
I remember attending a BOC meeting where a resident complained about trash on her neighborhood streets. After inquiring as to how the county would fix the problem, a commissioner then asked what SHE was doing to keep her neighborhood clean.
I, along with that resident, were initially taken aback by this response. But in retrospect, that commissioner made a good point. We as residents must get more involved with keeping our neighborhoods clean because unfortunately, the county can’t do it all.
Local businesses need be held responsible as well. While Clayton has its fair share of unmaintained, vacant properties, there are existing businesses that neglect their property, and it shows. For example, neither Tara Boulevard or SH 85 present welcoming sights to see upon entry into this county for various reasons.
Another eyesore is the overgrown grass in the medians and graffiti on buildings throughout Clayton. These are issues that the Georgia State Department of Transportation can …
When’s the last time you attended a BOC meeting?
Back in 2007, our then Board of Commissioners changed the public meeting time from 9:00 A.M. (when many residents began their work day) to evenings at 7:00 P.M. in an effort to give us a chance to be heard. That time change also allowed those commissioners who work full-time to attend BOC meetings in their entirety.
Out of ten metro Atlanta counties, only four (DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett and Rockdale) still hold BOC public meetings during normal business hours. Cobb and Henry offer alternate morning …
Continue reading When’s the last time you attended a BOC meeting? »
C-Tran riders leaving Clayton?
While many residents lamented the former police chief’s fate over the holidays, our Board of Commissioners were able to quietly fail to act on a resolution extending bus service.
At $1.50 per ride C-Tran is definitely the cheapest, but not the only form of public transportation available in Clayton county. Riders can still carpool, vanpool or ride the Xpress bus. So if you really enjoy living here there are alternatives, albeit more inconvenient and expensive ones. Hopefully affordable options are being explored for handicap and elderly riders after C-Tran’s demise.
I don’t subscribe to the “public transportation causes crime” theory. Those I know who have broken the law never claimed to use the bus or train as a means of escape. But since many riders have publicly stated that C-Tran isn’t worth a fare increase and federal funding is gone, where’s the money supposed to come from? There aren’t many Clayton residents who will agree to a tax increase for any reason, especially to …
Clayton good in 2009; better in 2010?
Although Clayton county was in the midst of a transition period on many levels last year, 2010 shows promise.
After cleaning our political house in 2008, voters appear to have made some good choices as we now have a well-functioning Board of Education, sheriff’s department, solicitor general and district attorney’s office.
Clayton County Public Schools regained accreditation just in time for graduation, and the last of the old BOE regime was replaced with new superintendent Edmond Heatley. Representative Michael Glanton is also working to bring statewide and national attention to the county’s first elementary level school of the arts to be housed at Jonesboro’s Jackson Elementary.
The Clayton County Water Authority continues to collect “water smart” accolades.
As per former Police Chief Jeff Turner, crime is down over seven percent and the homicide rate is down fifty percent, which is always welcome news. Solicitation of donations was banned on all county roads and highways.
Should Chief Turner Stay or Go?
After giving Chairman Eldrin Bell carte blanche over the Clayton County Police Department, our Board of Commissioners rescinded that order and opted to possibly reassign Police Chief Jeff Turner.
A Power Point presentation complete with pictures, was used to display the mismanagement allegations against Turner, listed in the Clayton News-Daily. A summary follows:
- Sept. 10, 2007: a Clayton County officer was arrested for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity using a CCPD laptop computer.
- Dec. 7, 2007: a Clayton County officer was terminated after admitting he had engaged the services of prostitutes both on and off duty. The audit claims that in October 2007, “allegations were lodged” against the same officer for allegedly having sex with a female suspect prior to transporting her to jail.
- May 2008: a female detective lodged a compliant of sexual harassment “to her immediate supervisor” and subsequently filed a sexual harassment suit against the county.
- Oct. …
This and that in Clayton …
While both issues below are things I wanted to discuss this week, I couldn’t pick just one, as they are both important topics (among many other things) going on in Clayton lately.
In response to a possible second school uniform protest by high school students, I was happy that Superintendent Edmond Heatley opted to dole out detentions in lieu of suspensions. It makes more sense because there’s always a faction who don’t care about missing a day, but who wants to stay late after school?
Further, directly involving parents by having them retrieve their detained child(ren) will hopefully force them to pay attention to what their kids are doing (or not doing). Yes I know school uniforms will not solve all of the problems in Clayton County Public Schools, but they sure can’t hurt.
In addition, I recently attended the joint meeting between Clayton’s legislative delegation and our Board of Commissioners. The turnout was abysmal (as was the weather that day) – there may have been five …
Chairman takes reins over CCPD
Recently our Board of Commissioners voted that Chairman Eldrin Bell should manage the Clayton County Police Department, causing it to be the only one that will not report to county Chief of Staff Alex Cohilas.
As per the Clayton News-Daily, this resolution “. . . gives the chairman the ability to make all decisions concerning operation and management of the police department, as well as the unilateral ability to hire and fire the police chief”.
Although this move was opposed by Bell (as well as Commissioner Michael Edmondson), it kind of makes sense since the CCPD could take advantage of the Chairman’s experience (as Atlanta’s police commissioner) supposedly without usurping Chief Jeff Turner’s authority. Perhaps some issues could get resolved faster by dealing directly with Bell instead of waiting to be brought before the full BOC.
But aside from his claim that this move violates state law, Bell doesn’t believe he has the resources to manage the CCPD properly anyway. And what …
Every little bit helps!
During these tough economic times when many have scaled back or eliminated gift giving entirely, it’s easy to forget there are children in need of basic items and necessities we take for granted.
The Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children has assisted families during the holidays since 2004. Their drive furnished Christmas gifts to 200 kids in relative and foster care last year. Boasting 200 volunteers, our CASA program is the largest in Georgia, serving 91% of Clayton’s children in DFCS custody.
Are you buying Christmas gifts this year?
Loading …“Sadly, a lot of the children request basic necessities, such as undergarments, socks, and pajamas. In most cases, the person sponsoring a child (usually $100/child minimum) will purchase some of these items in addition to the items on the wish lists, ensuring that the child has a mixture of gifts to not only …
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