Five final points on this eve of Primary 2010
1) Why is this primary so important?
-Republican voters in Floyd, Bartow, Gordon and Polk counties will be deciding some key races in the primary because of a lack of opposition in the Nov. 3 election. -Some incumbents even won new terms without opposition. That might not be such a good thing as we saw in the 2008 election and again this year with the investigation of state Rep. Barbara Massey Reece, a Menlo Democrat, regarding election concerns. That is not a presumption of guilt; it is a statement of fact showing a potential issue an opponent could have tapped.
2) The local races to watch are:
-County school board, Teresa Lumsden vs. Terry Williamson. This is a replay of the race 12 years ago only both are now Republicans; Williamson earlier ran as a Democrat.
-County commission, Eddie Lumsden vs. Larry Maxey. Eddie Lumsden is credited with helping reshape the local Republican Party so if Maxey unseats him, look for more changes within the party.
-House District 14: Mostly the eastern side of Floyd County votes in this one as well as a big chunk of Bartow. With Barry Loudermilk running for Preston Smith's Senate seat, this one is wide open, drawing three Republicans and two Democrats. Look for a runoff on the GOP side.
3) And what about Facebook without faces, thus promoting local races?
-Apparently the e-mail spread quickly, especially among the GOP, to get candidates already on Facebook to switch from using their mug shots and instead adding a campaign signage. It got so heavy the other night that we temporarily deleted any "sign" Facebook from our Hometown Headlines' and personal "friends" lists. A media organization must be viewed as impartial. Having a Facebook page filled with campaign signs violates that. Plus it's a passive form of free advertising. Thanks but no thanks.
4) Be ready to vote again on Aug. 10.
-You can pretty much assume the governor's race will need another round of balloting. And the campaigning will only get nastier.
-Several statewide races will as well, including attorney general. Rome's Preston Smith is in that one.
-Locally, the District 14 House race (Republican side) likely will need a runoff to untangle the Nov. 3 candidate.
5) And the wild cards in all of this?
There are two:
-The tea party movement, both in local and statewide races. We've seen candidates such as Tom Graves, now an "incumbent" congressman running to keep his seat, certainly drink the tea to paraphrase another cliche. This story about the tea party's potential impact on Campaign 2010, in last week's Jacksonville Times-Union, certainly made the rounds. And look what Sarah Palin's blessing has done for the Handel campaign. (Click)
-The incumbency non-issue. All along, we've heard how voters were fed up with "same ol', same ol'." Rubbish. We have two sitting state legislators automatically earning new terms. Two Floyd County commissioners. One Floyd County School Board member. And U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey.
Primary radio coverage:
-Bartow: WBHF 1450 AM begins election night coverage at 7:30 p.m. with courthouse updates, results and analysis. Hear the webcast at Bartow Headlines.
-Floyd: WRGA 1470 AM will have live coverage. Webcast
-Floyd: WLAQ 1410 AM will have cut-ins during the Braves' game. Webcast.
-Gordon: WEBS 1030 AM plans continuous coverage starting at 7 p.m. Webcast
-Polk: Tune to WGAA 1330 AM. Click
Tillman Clocktower Road Race crosses twin milestones in 2010:
25 years of helping Rome; 5 years of honoring a beloved friend.
This photo from the 2009 Gary Tillman Memorial Clocktower 5K Road Race helps show just how popular the race has become throughout North Georgia. For more images from the 2009 edition, click Rome Runners Club.
By Natalie Simms
nsimmshh@att.net
There's a bit of nostalgia with the Aug. 21 running of what has become North Georgia's premiere five-kilometer race and health walk.
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Clocktower 5K Road Race, an event that has become vital to our community. It also is the fifth anniversary since it was renamed the Gary Tillman Memorial Clocktower 5K Road Race in memory of the Rome businessman and avid runner who was killed in a small plane crash in December 2005.
"It is the longest, continuing race in our area," says Gail Johnson, race director. "And through the years, it has benefitted several great organizations including the Children's Miracle Network, Three Rivers Swim Club, American Red Cross and now the Exchange Club's Family Resource Center."
The race was started in 1986 by the Rome Jaycees as a fund-raiser for the Clocktower restoration project, hence the name Clocktower Road Race. Jamie Doss was the race director for the first three years.
Running for a cause
"I was an active Rome Jaycee and we were raising money for the first Clocktower restoration," says the veteran city commissioner. "The Rome Jaycees have since faded out here but it was my first exposure to community service. We were a lot of young guys who were not only having fun, but helping a good cause at the same time.
"There was a lot of excitement during the Clocktower renovation and this was one of the key projects for the club," he says. "I believe we raised about $85,000 from selling prints of the Clocktower and other projects we did along with the race to raise money…there was a lot of support for the restoration."
In 1995, the Jaycees approached the Rome Runners Club to assume responsibility of the race. Under its management, the race has blossomed into a premiere race event in North Georgia.
"I give a lot of credit to the Rome Jaycees because the entire club participated and we had lots of help from volunteers," says Doss, right. "The Rome Runners Club has really made it into a great event and puts on a professionally-organized race. It is now the best 5K in North Georgia. Gail and her volunteers do everything first-class. When you do a good job with a race, people will come back and they do…just like the Peachtree Road Race."
Doss says the race course is virtually the same now as it was then with the exception of the starting point.
"We now start on Second Avenue at Barron Stadium but in the first years, we started on the other side of the levee," he says. "And the only reason we don't now is because of the number of participants. We grew so we needed another place because we kept having a bottleneck on the footbridge."
The course starts at Barron Stadium and winds through downtown Rome, passing through the historic Between the Rivers district, down Broad Street, around Myrtle Hill and across the footbridge at Bridgepoint Plaza. The event also includes a two-mile Health Walk that follows a similar route around Clocktower Hill, crossing Broad Street and returning to Barron Stadium via Fifth Avenue.
The Gary Tillman legacy
Doss, an avid runner, has participated in all but two of the events. "Over 25 years, I have never won but I've been runner-up a few times."
The race now has a very emotional tie for Doss since the death of Tillman.
"Gary was a close friend and a former roommate; we shared an apartment before we each got married," he says. "He was one of the first people to mentor me when I first started running in college. He was kind enough to let me tag along with him.
"The race really took a turn for the best when it became a memorial to Gary. He left us at a high point in his life and that first year (when it was renamed), so many came to celebrate Gary's life, including me. It really helped bring a lot of closure."
Aside from the running, the event raises a lot of money for a great cause. For the past five years, the event has benefitted the Family Resource Center for the prevention of child abuse. The center is a non-profit agency providing support and education to families by strengthening parenting and life skills and preventing child abuse and neglect. The center has been serving families in Floyd County since 1991, all at no cost to families.
"We have made over $88,700 over the past five years and we expect to go over $100,000 this year for the Family Resource Center," says Johnson. "Last year, we raised $20,100 and we're on track to exceed that number. I'd like to raise $25,000."
Last year, the resource center helped 557 families, which included 858 adults and 1,240 children. "The center works to provide a safe environment for these families…teaches them to be families," Johnson says.
About the 2010 race
-Organizers expect between 700-750 runners and walkers for this year's event.
-Participants can pre-register by Aug. 14 for $15 for runners and $12 for walkers.
-After Aug. 14, fees go up to $20 for runners and $15 for walkers. All pre-registered runners will receive a T-shirt. To register online go to www.active.com.
-For more information about the race, contact Johnson at gailj1@bellsouth.net or call 706-346-9348.
-Also: www.romerunnersclub.org or www.exchangeclubfrc.org.
-On Facebook: Click Tillman Clocktower
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to Kay Chumbler: Remember those Larry Munson-voiced Greater Rome Bank radio commercials that mentioned that "Crimson Tide gal"? She's now interim president of Greater Rome Bank. Northwest Georgia is home to a number of good community bankers but few are on the same level as that "Crimson Tide gal."
Peak to Georgia Highlands College's 40th 'birthday':
You've seen the banners hanging up and down Broad Street in recent days, saluting Georgia Highlands College as it celebrates 40 years of service to our community. The one-time Floyd Junior College has grown to campuses also in Bartow, Cobb, Paulding and Douglas counties in those four decades and serves nearly 5,000 students.
Valley to the marketing behind 'politifacts' and 'bullfighters': While we applaud the increased focus old media (newspapers, television) gives the 2010 election, we ask this question: Since when did the mission change? For decades, the news media has been charged with being the watchdog of government. So now we have an avalanche of breast-beating for doing the job they should have been doing all along? Talk about bull... fighters.
Valley to the majority of registered voters in Northwest Georgia:
As we enter Primary Day 2010, the predictions from local elections supervisors are bleak: turnout of 20 to 30 percent. We share the dismay of many local voters; this campaign season certainly has had more valleys than peaks. But we, the voters, also have a job to do. We can't change government by spewing on Facebook or forums or in the grocery store parking lots. Make time to vote Tuesday; make a difference.
1) Why is this primary so important?
-Republican voters in Floyd, Bartow, Gordon and Polk counties will be deciding some key races in the primary because of a lack of opposition in the Nov. 3 election. -Some incumbents even won new terms without opposition. That might not be such a good thing as we saw in the 2008 election and again this year with the investigation of state Rep. Barbara Massey Reece, a Menlo Democrat, regarding election concerns. That is not a presumption of guilt; it is a statement of fact showing a potential issue an opponent could have tapped.
2) The local races to watch are:
-County school board, Teresa Lumsden vs. Terry Williamson. This is a replay of the race 12 years ago only both are now Republicans; Williamson earlier ran as a Democrat.
-County commission, Eddie Lumsden vs. Larry Maxey. Eddie Lumsden is credited with helping reshape the local Republican Party so if Maxey unseats him, look for more changes within the party.
-House District 14: Mostly the eastern side of Floyd County votes in this one as well as a big chunk of Bartow. With Barry Loudermilk running for Preston Smith's Senate seat, this one is wide open, drawing three Republicans and two Democrats. Look for a runoff on the GOP side.
3) And what about Facebook without faces, thus promoting local races?
-Apparently the e-mail spread quickly, especially among the GOP, to get candidates already on Facebook to switch from using their mug shots and instead adding a campaign signage. It got so heavy the other night that we temporarily deleted any "sign" Facebook from our Hometown Headlines' and personal "friends" lists. A media organization must be viewed as impartial. Having a Facebook page filled with campaign signs violates that. Plus it's a passive form of free advertising. Thanks but no thanks.
4) Be ready to vote again on Aug. 10.
-You can pretty much assume the governor's race will need another round of balloting. And the campaigning will only get nastier.
-Several statewide races will as well, including attorney general. Rome's Preston Smith is in that one.
-Locally, the District 14 House race (Republican side) likely will need a runoff to untangle the Nov. 3 candidate.
5) And the wild cards in all of this?
There are two:
-The tea party movement, both in local and statewide races. We've seen candidates such as Tom Graves, now an "incumbent" congressman running to keep his seat, certainly drink the tea to paraphrase another cliche. This story about the tea party's potential impact on Campaign 2010, in last week's Jacksonville Times-Union, certainly made the rounds. And look what Sarah Palin's blessing has done for the Handel campaign. (Click)
-The incumbency non-issue. All along, we've heard how voters were fed up with "same ol', same ol'." Rubbish. We have two sitting state legislators automatically earning new terms. Two Floyd County commissioners. One Floyd County School Board member. And U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey.
Primary radio coverage:
-Bartow: WBHF 1450 AM begins election night coverage at 7:30 p.m. with courthouse updates, results and analysis. Hear the webcast at Bartow Headlines.
-Floyd: WRGA 1470 AM will have live coverage. Webcast
-Floyd: WLAQ 1410 AM will have cut-ins during the Braves' game. Webcast.
-Gordon: WEBS 1030 AM plans continuous coverage starting at 7 p.m. Webcast
-Polk: Tune to WGAA 1330 AM. Click
Tillman Clocktower Road Race crosses twin milestones in 2010:
25 years of helping Rome; 5 years of honoring a beloved friend.
This photo from the 2009 Gary Tillman Memorial Clocktower 5K Road Race helps show just how popular the race has become throughout North Georgia. For more images from the 2009 edition, click Rome Runners Club.
By Natalie Simms
nsimmshh@att.net
There's a bit of nostalgia with the Aug. 21 running of what has become North Georgia's premiere five-kilometer race and health walk.
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Clocktower 5K Road Race, an event that has become vital to our community. It also is the fifth anniversary since it was renamed the Gary Tillman Memorial Clocktower 5K Road Race in memory of the Rome businessman and avid runner who was killed in a small plane crash in December 2005.
"It is the longest, continuing race in our area," says Gail Johnson, race director. "And through the years, it has benefitted several great organizations including the Children's Miracle Network, Three Rivers Swim Club, American Red Cross and now the Exchange Club's Family Resource Center."
The race was started in 1986 by the Rome Jaycees as a fund-raiser for the Clocktower restoration project, hence the name Clocktower Road Race. Jamie Doss was the race director for the first three years.
Running for a cause
"I was an active Rome Jaycee and we were raising money for the first Clocktower restoration," says the veteran city commissioner. "The Rome Jaycees have since faded out here but it was my first exposure to community service. We were a lot of young guys who were not only having fun, but helping a good cause at the same time.
"There was a lot of excitement during the Clocktower renovation and this was one of the key projects for the club," he says. "I believe we raised about $85,000 from selling prints of the Clocktower and other projects we did along with the race to raise money…there was a lot of support for the restoration."
In 1995, the Jaycees approached the Rome Runners Club to assume responsibility of the race. Under its management, the race has blossomed into a premiere race event in North Georgia.
"I give a lot of credit to the Rome Jaycees because the entire club participated and we had lots of help from volunteers," says Doss, right. "The Rome Runners Club has really made it into a great event and puts on a professionally-organized race. It is now the best 5K in North Georgia. Gail and her volunteers do everything first-class. When you do a good job with a race, people will come back and they do…just like the Peachtree Road Race."
Doss says the race course is virtually the same now as it was then with the exception of the starting point.
"We now start on Second Avenue at Barron Stadium but in the first years, we started on the other side of the levee," he says. "And the only reason we don't now is because of the number of participants. We grew so we needed another place because we kept having a bottleneck on the footbridge."
The course starts at Barron Stadium and winds through downtown Rome, passing through the historic Between the Rivers district, down Broad Street, around Myrtle Hill and across the footbridge at Bridgepoint Plaza. The event also includes a two-mile Health Walk that follows a similar route around Clocktower Hill, crossing Broad Street and returning to Barron Stadium via Fifth Avenue.
The Gary Tillman legacy
Doss, an avid runner, has participated in all but two of the events. "Over 25 years, I have never won but I've been runner-up a few times."
The race now has a very emotional tie for Doss since the death of Tillman.
"Gary was a close friend and a former roommate; we shared an apartment before we each got married," he says. "He was one of the first people to mentor me when I first started running in college. He was kind enough to let me tag along with him.
"The race really took a turn for the best when it became a memorial to Gary. He left us at a high point in his life and that first year (when it was renamed), so many came to celebrate Gary's life, including me. It really helped bring a lot of closure."
Aside from the running, the event raises a lot of money for a great cause. For the past five years, the event has benefitted the Family Resource Center for the prevention of child abuse. The center is a non-profit agency providing support and education to families by strengthening parenting and life skills and preventing child abuse and neglect. The center has been serving families in Floyd County since 1991, all at no cost to families.
"We have made over $88,700 over the past five years and we expect to go over $100,000 this year for the Family Resource Center," says Johnson. "Last year, we raised $20,100 and we're on track to exceed that number. I'd like to raise $25,000."
Last year, the resource center helped 557 families, which included 858 adults and 1,240 children. "The center works to provide a safe environment for these families…teaches them to be families," Johnson says.
About the 2010 race
-Organizers expect between 700-750 runners and walkers for this year's event.
-Participants can pre-register by Aug. 14 for $15 for runners and $12 for walkers.
-After Aug. 14, fees go up to $20 for runners and $15 for walkers. All pre-registered runners will receive a T-shirt. To register online go to www.active.com.
-For more information about the race, contact Johnson at gailj1@bellsouth.net or call 706-346-9348.
-Also: www.romerunnersclub.org or www.exchangeclubfrc.org.
-On Facebook: Click Tillman Clocktower
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to Kay Chumbler: Remember those Larry Munson-voiced Greater Rome Bank radio commercials that mentioned that "Crimson Tide gal"? She's now interim president of Greater Rome Bank. Northwest Georgia is home to a number of good community bankers but few are on the same level as that "Crimson Tide gal."
Peak to Georgia Highlands College's 40th 'birthday':
You've seen the banners hanging up and down Broad Street in recent days, saluting Georgia Highlands College as it celebrates 40 years of service to our community. The one-time Floyd Junior College has grown to campuses also in Bartow, Cobb, Paulding and Douglas counties in those four decades and serves nearly 5,000 students.
Valley to the marketing behind 'politifacts' and 'bullfighters': While we applaud the increased focus old media (newspapers, television) gives the 2010 election, we ask this question: Since when did the mission change? For decades, the news media has been charged with being the watchdog of government. So now we have an avalanche of breast-beating for doing the job they should have been doing all along? Talk about bull... fighters.
Valley to the majority of registered voters in Northwest Georgia:
As we enter Primary Day 2010, the predictions from local elections supervisors are bleak: turnout of 20 to 30 percent. We share the dismay of many local voters; this campaign season certainly has had more valleys than peaks. But we, the voters, also have a job to do. We can't change government by spewing on Facebook or forums or in the grocery store parking lots. Make time to vote Tuesday; make a difference.
The Atlanta paper says copies of the divorce proceedings have been mailed to media outlets in recent days. Smith finished second in the July 20 GOP primary for attorney general and faces first-place vote-getter Sam Olens in the Aug. 10 runoff. 
9/18-19/Saint Mary's School sets Founders' Day Homecoming, Alumni Weekend: 
Your weather -- or is that the misery index?: 
"We took a lot of hits at Paulding and Douglasville when we said we would have to close those campuses if the state forced more budget cuts last year," says Pierce, right. "But that didn't happen. We're doing OK and holding our own. We're continuing to move forward from an enrollment standpoint and increased revenue, so we are strategically positioning ourselves to grow."
-For more than a decade, Lumsden has helped enhance the largest public school system in our community, serving more than 10,000 students. Working with--and not micro-managing--able professionals such as Kelly Henson and now Lynn Plunkett and their staffs, Lumsden has helped craft a school system that is training all levels of students. As the vote count favored her opponent in Tuesday's primary, Lumsden quickly thanked the staff, faculty, parents and students of the Floyd County school system and congratulated Terry Williamson on his victory. That's another class act by someone who's focus has always been on the classroom. Her term expires in December.
Peak to the children's department of the Sara Hightower Regional Library System: Once again, our regional library system has dazzled thousands of area children with a solid summer of reading and entertainment. The "Make a Splash--Read!" touched kids in Floyd and Polk counties. It kept their minds active in a fun, even rewarding way while they enjoyed the summer as well. The summer reading program is an investment not only in our children's futures but our own as well. Congratulations on another job well done by our library system.
-A story earlier this month in the 
"We're very excited that we won the primary and will be representing the Republican party in November. It is very humbling and I'm very grateful for the support around the state and looking forward to becoming the next School Superintendent of Georgia. I absolutely have to start raising some money and I will be hitting the ground running with fund-raisers next week. I will also be keeping up my grassroots efforts… modern technology is wonderful and I will continue to use e-mail and Facebook to reach people. Right now, my campaign is regrouping and planning our strategy to distinguish ourselves from the Democratic opposition." (vs. Democrat Joe Martin)
-Post-primary update from Sen. Preston Smith, in a runoff for the GOP attorney general nomination: "We had a great night and did well considering that we didn't enter the race until late April. We had a lot of momentum statewide and I feel good about the run-off. We've got a lot of momentum and I hope to carry that forward and encourage people to get to polls. We are going to continue to get out to the people and share our message. Really just encourage people to vote because it is even more important now because turnout is usually very low for a run-off." (vs. Sam Olens)
Chris Mauer's JEM Manufacturing is brewing success by mixing chemicals, business know-how. 
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