Democracy in a box: Unusual tie breaker picks mayor pro tem
By Maria Galvez
maria.galvez@gaflnews.com
Jan 12, 2018
VALDOSTA — Councilwoman Sandra Tooley was sworn in as mayor pro tem at the Valdosta City Council meeting Thursday night.
The candidates nominated were City Council members Sandra Tooley and Tim Carroll.
Before the election, Mayor John Gayle announced what would happen in the event of a tie. The council agreed to his suggestion of pulling a name from a box if the election came down to a tie.
The council voted for their candidates with the election split down the middle with four votes for each council member.
Gayle put two slips of paper with the candidates’ names on them, shook the box and pulled the winner’s name out. The tie breaker elected Sandra Tooley as mayor pro tem.
A similar situation occurred in Virginia last week, where an official of the Virginia State Board of Elections pulled the name of David Yancey from a bowl to break a tie during an election for a Virginia House of Delegates seat. According to VA Code 24.2-674, the electoral board shall proceed publicly to determine by lot (lottery) which of the candidates shall be declared elected in the event of a tie.
Tooley was also sworn in as the reelected District 2 city councilwoman. Other City Council members sworn in were Eric Howard for District 4 and Andrew “Andy” Gibbs for District 6, both new to council.
Also on the agenda was consideration of bids for the cured-in-place-pipe lining project. The cost of the repairs is $60,000 with a life expectancy of 30-40 years. The council voted to approve the contract.
Consideration of revisions to the City of Valdosta’s standard specifications for water and sewer construction manual were also included on the agenda. The last time it was updated was 2012 and there have been many updates made since then. Request for approval was made with all council members voting to approve the revisions.
City Council adjourned for 16 minutes to make an executive decision to enter a contract to purchase a property from Ameris Bank. The cost is not to exceed $239,000 and the property will be used to construct its future customer service center.
Maria Galvez is a reporter with the Moultrie Observer. She can be contacted at maria.galvez@gaflnews.com.
Reed Bingham Park lays out 2018 plans
By Maria Galvez
maria.galvez@gaflnews.com
Feb 6, 2018
MOULTRIE, Ga.— Reed Bingham State Park, under the new direction of Park Manager Wayne Fuller, will have a “wild and busy” 2018.
Fuller became park manager in December of 2017 when he transferred in from Panola State Park near Stockbridge, Ga.
Reed Bingham is making plans for major outreach, particularly within the surrounding community.
With events scheduled such as an Easter egg hunt in March, Little River Fest in April and a 5k run later that same month, Reed Bingham is amping up the fun for park visitors, said Fuller.
The Friends of Reed Bingham committee plans major events for the park throughout the year. On the agenda for later this year are a few big ones: the Halloween Carnival, Trunk or Treat and Christmas in the Park.
The Friends of Reed Bingham also head the funding efforts for the state park, however the events are not the park’s only source of income.
2018 will bring about a new playground facility located on the Colquitt County side of the park, across from the beach area along with new recreational equipment.
New classes are added to the growing list including basket weaving and a paddling class for beginners.
Amanda Harper, naturalist, said that the park’s main goal for 2018 is mainly to increase outreach. The park has been promoting its events on its Facebook page, flyers and on its website.
“We are trying to reach out more to locals,” said Harper. “We have people who live 10 minutes down the road who don’t even know about our programs.”
“We’re just trying to reach out to people and let them know that we’re here. This is a great family-friendly place you can come take your boat out at for free, fishing, kayaking…you just have to buy a parking pass,” said Harper. “We want all of our local families to start coming in.”
Harper said the beach area is a big attraction at the park and the new playground across from it will bring even more visitors, she said. And the pavilion at the beach is undergoing maintenance due to bat populations.
The park has launched its Shells and Scales Reptile show, where it introduces the park animals to visiting groups of youngsters. Guided hikes are popular among school groups as well.
Organizations have gotten to see the gopher tortoises and their burrows, which are a threatened species in Georgia, according to Harper. The Gopher Tortoise Trail is a mile long trail in a woodland area.
The park is open all year for camping, hiking and fishing. More information can be found gastateparks.org/ReedBingham or by calling the park office at (229) 896-3551.
Maria Galvez is a reporter with the Moultrie Observer. She can be contacted at maria.galvez@gaflnews.com.
