Democratic National Committee Google Ad

The following google ad from the Democratic National Committee was found on an Egyptian Blog. They are preaching to the entire world. Wake up America.To see where the link leads go here

Skip To Content

Skip To Navigation

Organizing for America, the successor organization to Obama for America, is building on the movement that elected President Obama by empowering communities across the country to bring about our agenda of change. Help us create a sustainable and independent clean energy economy, provide all American children the first rate education they deserve, and finally guarantee high-quality, affordable health care to every American man, woman, and child. Sign up today to get involved with OFA efforts in your community.

The best way to get involved in Organizing for America is to join our email list. We'll let you know about local events, and send you all the information you'll need to organize around President Obama's agenda in your neighborhood. Email: Zip:

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service

Aiken Republican Party Rally for Joe Wilson

Donna and I attended the Joe Wilson Rally today and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Approximately 100 to 150 loyal Republicans showed up to pay their respects and listen to Joe as he explained the EMPOWERING PATIENTS FIRST ACT ( H.R. 3400) which is a health care solution proposed by the Republican Study Committee. The act rests on six fundamental health care principles- accessibility, affordability, choice, innovation,quality and portability.Most of all it believes in individuals and the power of free people to make independent decisions not Washington. To learn more about Congressman Wilson's view go here.

                                                                

A small group of protestors also attended but for the most part quietly displayed their signs.

 

An impressive array of local TV representatives from ABC, CBS and NBC were also present and I turned the tables on them with the following photo.I promised I would post it.

                            

Ivan Castro Continues to Inspire

Ivan Castro was in Augusta a few years ago being treated for his egregious wounds. He is still on active duty and a remarkable man. The following article appeared in an Annapolis newspaper.

Army officer blinded in Iraq inspires mids

By JENNIFER HLAD Staff Writer

Published 09/18/09

TOP: Gin Kai — Courtesy of the Naval Academy

 BOTTOM: Ivan Castro, a blind Army special forces officer, jogs with  midshipmen. 

 

Capt. Castro spoke Wednesday to the Brigade of Midshipmen during the Forrestal lecture at the Naval Academy. Castro lost his right eye and the vision in his left eye after a mortar attack in Iraq in 2006. He passed on a message of perseverance to the mids. When Capt. Ivan Castro learned his vision was gone, he started to second-guess his doctors. He hoped for a miracle, that he would wake up one morning and be able to see.

Then he started to think about his future, he told the Brigade of Midshipmen Wednesday night.
The special operations soldier couldn't stand up on his own, he had lost 50 pounds of muscle and gained 70 pounds of fat since two 82-mm mortar rounds exploded near him in Iraq in 2006. But as he lay in a bed at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, he heard some nurses talking about the Marine Corps Marathon and decided he wanted to do it, he said.
Three years after he lost one eye and the vision in the other, he has run the Army 10-miler three times, hiked the 14,270-foot Grays Peak in Colorado, completed two half marathons, seven full marathons, a 50-mile race and a triathlon, Castro told the midshipmen gathered in the Naval Academy's Alumni Hall for his speech, which was part of the Forrestal Lecture Series.
Now Castro, the only blind special operations officer in the Army, is a student at the Maneuver Captain's Career Course at Fort Benning, Ga.
"What gets me fired up is all life has to offer," he said. "Live every day to the fullest."
Castro enlisted in the Army in 1988 and, after earning his degree, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in December 2004. He told the midshipmen about his experiences as a soldier and as a leader, saying they are in the perfect place to determine their leadership style and build the foundation they will need as officers.
"We are a nation at war, and you guys joined at a time of war," he said. "That makes me proud."
Castro served in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm as well as the current Iraq war. He also has served in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and South America. Before he was injured, "all I wanted to do was deploy," he said.Now, Castro figures that by doing a desk job, he can allow someone else to go out and do the missions he wishes he could still do.
"I believe I can still contribute to the force," he said.
Still, Castro stressed he wouldn't have been able to do it without the support of his command, his friends and family, particularly his wife, Evelyn Galvis.
"I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for my wife," he said.
Vice Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler, Naval Academy superintendent, said the message Castro delivered was the same one he and the commandant try to send to the midshipmen, but it may carry more weight coming from Castro.
"We try to make this special, a little different than their day-to-day classes," Fowler said. "We want this to be engaging."
The midshipmen were required to attend the lecture, but their reactions throughout the speech showed they remained engaged. He spoke for about 30 minutes, then opened the floor for questions. When he finished speaking, the brigade gave him a standing ovation, then cheered when he put on a Navy jacket.
As they prepared to sing "Blue and Gold," Castro stopped them.
"I heard that at the end of this song, you say something, and you were told not to say it because I am here," he said. "Stay true to what you believe. … I want to hear it."
The midshipmen obliged, shouting a hearty "Beat Army!" to end the evening.
"I think it was pretty amazing," Midshipman 1st Class Nathan Tocco of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., said after the speech. "It is inspiring to know that even if something like that happens to you, you can still overcome."

Political Cartoon

As a soon to be retired "politician" I could not resist posting the following cartoon. Enjoy!

City Council Update from Dick Dewar

SPECIAL NOTE – On Thursday, Sep 24 I attended the SCDOT Public Information Meeting at Town Creek Baptist Church to review the planned improvements for Silver Bluff Road. It was well done and in accordance with the wishes of residents and City staff. A glaring deficiency, however, was the omission of a traffic signal at Town Creek Road. While our representatives to the Augusta Regional Transportation Commission will discuss this at future meetings, it is important that your voice be heard. If you support installation of a traffic signal please write to:

Mr. Kevin Gantt
SC Department of Transportation
Post Office Box 191
Columbia, SC 29202-0791

You should clearly state your desire for a traffic signal at Silver Bluff Road and Town Creek Road and support your request with any details you feel are important. Written comments will be accepted until October 9, 2009.

TRAFFIC ADVISORY - The annual St. Mary’s Chocolate Festival will be held Saturday, October 3, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ADPS Director Peter Frommer has approved their request to close Fairfield Street between Park and Richland Avenues from 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. that day.

ELECTION RESULTS: Based on the recent primary election, the City will not be required to hold a General Election in November. However, current Council members will serve in their positions until the second meeting in November which is Monday, November 23. At that meeting the election results will be ratified by the current City Council and the individuals who won the recent election would be sworn in and begin serving the new four year term.

SECOND READING FOR ANNEXATION REQUESTS – At tonight’s meeting City Council will be asked to annex (voluntary) the following properties:

a. 131 Vivion Drive
b. 503 Douglas Drive
c. 111 Collier Street


SECOND READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO REZONE PROPERTY AT 422 SOUTH BOUNDARY FROM RS-15 TO RSS – This ordinance, if passed, will allow the owners, by right on the 2.38 acre property. Currently under RS-15 zoning, the property could allow by right five additional single family dwellings. By rezoning the property, it will continue as a single family dwelling on property and allow horses. This property is adjacent to Hitchcock Woods.

SECOND READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE ZONING ORDINANCE REGARDING BED AND BREAKFAST/MEETING FACILITIES – This change has been requested by Stephen Mueller who operates the Rose Hill Bed and Breakfast facility. It would allow amplified music until 10:30 P.M.; the ability to serve meals from 7:30 A.M. to 11:00 P.M.; allow concerts every other week; and allow New year’s Eve events to extend until 12:30 A.M. on New Years Day with amplified music. The change would apply to all bed and breakfast facilities meeting certain criteria. At our last meeting, it seemed that Council would approve this request except for extending the time for amplified music from 10: P.M. to 10:30 P.M. There were some objections to extending the time, but the issue is still open for further discussion.

FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO ANNEX PROPERTY ON LYNWOOD DRIVE – The owners of property at 134 Lynwood Drive are requesting annexation through their back property line to receive city services. They are interested in our solid waste services and other benefits of being in the city. The .41 acre property is compatible with our RS-15 zoning, and the Planning Commission unanimously recommended annexation of this property.

FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO REZONE PROPERTY AT 217 GREGG AVENUE: The Seventh Day Adventist Church currently occupies a 1.93 acre site at 217 Gregg Avenue under the RS-15 zone. The subject property is currently occupied by the church which is permitted through a special exception approval in the RS-15 zone. When it was annexed in 2002 there was already a church present on the site, and therefore it became a legal use. Under the RS-15 zone it can continue as a church or up to four-single family dwellings on 100 foot-wide lots of 1,500 square feet each. They would like a zoning change to Limited Professional which may not be compatible with the surrounding areas. A question came before the Planning Commission to determine if this was spot zoning, and the answer was yes. The LP zone prohibits retail trade and its primary intent is to serve as a transition between more intense commercial use and existing residential property. The surrounding area is residential with single-family homes on three sides and multi-family homes on the fourth side. The Planning Commission at their September 15, 2009, meeting voted unanimously to recommend denial of the rezoning on Gregg Avenue because it is spot zoning and inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan.

FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO APPROVE THE USE OF LANCASTER STREET FOR AIKEN GOLF CLUB PARKING: At the July 7, 2009, Design Review Board meeting, an application was received from the Aiken Golf Club to use a portion of Lancaster Street south of Highland Park Drive for parking. This area has been used for parking over the last several decades, and they would like to create a better defined parking area. The new area will have a crushed gravel base with granite screens on top and a retaining wall will be built to minimize any fill around the existing trees. The Design Review Board unanimously approved the work in the right of way off of Highland Park Drive and Lancaster Street. Larry Morris recently met with consultants for the Aiken Golf Club to receive the necessary details concerning drainage for this newly created area. He states in his memo that the drainage will be spread across the course to maximize infiltration of the additional stormwater runoff. After reviewing these plans it is his recommendation that Council approve this new parking lot design.

AGENDA FOR SEPTEMBER 28, 2009 CITY COUNCIL MEETING http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=1107&cntnt01returnid=277.

Two Million Patriots Rally in Washington

Received the following email today with a link to some of the best photos of the Washington rally that I have seen. I have posted a few of them but go to the link to see them all.

http://www.lookingattheleft.com/2009/09/conservative-woodstock-rocks-the-capital/  

"Mary Beth and I attended the march on Washington, D.C. on 9/12/09

It was positively awsome!  Close to 2 million people making history in America.

Enjoy,

Pete "

 

 

Interesting Debate on Tea Party Express

The following was aired on CNN. It is a bit long but it is worth your time. If you want to learn more go here.

Retirement Ceremony at Fort MacDill

Donna and I spent the past week in Florida with our daughter Becky and her family. She is retiring from the U.S.Air Force after 25 years of reserve and active duty. The Special Operations Commander Admiral Eric Olson officiated at the retirement ceremony and we were honored to be there. We are very proud of her and all the incredible men and women who serve our country.

                                                   

                                                           God Bless America.

The U.S. Special Operations Commander Admiral Eric Olson and Colonel Becky at the ceremony.

Click here to view these pictures larger

City Council Update from Dick Dewar

SPECIAL NOTE – On Thursday, September 24, 2009 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Town Creek Baptist Church located at 250 Town Creek Road, there will be drop-in meeting with displays for viewing proposed improvements to Silver Bluff Road from Indian Creek Train to Richardsons Lake Road. The meeting is conducted by South Carolina Department of Transportation and will reflect their plans to improve traffic flow by adding turn lanes and installing signal devices.

AUGUSTA REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION (ARTS) STUDY FY2010-2013 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM – The draft Transportation Improvement Program published by ARTS is available for review at the Aiken County Planning and Development Department at Kalmia Mall or by going to the web site at http://www.augustaga.gov/index.asp?nid=680. This is the document that reflects the status of transportation projects that affect the City of Aiken and surrounding areas.

ELECTION RESULTS – Congratulations to Reggie Ebner who was elected to replace Dick Smith for District 4. Congratulations also to incumbent Don Wells who won re-election and to Steve Homoki who was elected to replace Jane Vaughters. We should be especially grateful to Allen Brodie, Kent Cubbage, and Liz Stewart for giving voters a choice of candidates. Each of the candidates worked extraordinarily hard to campaign and they all did so running a clean campaign. Aiken voters should be proud of their efforts.

NORTHSIDE TRANSPORTATION STUDY - Council requested that we study anticipated road projects for our Northside. We have selected Wilbur Smith Associates to assist with our study of the area North of the City limits to just North of Interstate 20. As part of our Northside Comprehensive Plan, a Northside Transportation study will be completed. This plan will identify and prioritize existing road improvements as well as new road construction.

PARK DEDICATION. The Governor Aiken Neighborhood Park will be dedicated Sunday, September 27 at 6:00 p.m. Plans are being made for a jazz concert to follow this dedication ceremony.


AIKEN PARKS, RECREATION, AND TOURISM RAIN-OUT LINK AND FACEBOOK. As part of providing information through new communication channels, APRT has established a Facebook account with this link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Aiken-SC/City-of-Aiken-Parks-Recreation-and-Tourism/57666442425?ref=ts. In addition the link to see if any APRT-sponsored event is rained out is: http://www.rainedout.com/. This is another excellent case of the City using technology to communicate with residents.

TRAFFIC ADVISORY - The annual St. Mary’s Chocolate Festival will be held Saturday, October 3, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ADPS Director Peter Frommer has approved their request to close Fairfield Street between Park and Richland Avenues from 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. that day.

LIFE MAGAZINE’S HIDDEN AMERICA. Aiken has received special mention in its 2009 publication Hidden America. In the South Carolina section, Aiken is cited as “a small-to-medium-size[d] antebellum city of handsome architecture and aristocratic bearing.” Willcox Inn is mentioned – along with some of its more famous guests – along with the various equestrian activities taking place here

RECOGNITION OF CAL RIPKEN 11 YEAR OLD STATE CHAMPS - The City of Aiken's 11 Year All Star Team recently competed in the South Carolina State Championship. They won this tournament and advanced to the Southeastern Regional Tournament which was held in Aiken. If you had made it to any of the games you would have seen very exciting and great play at the tournament with Aiken finishing second. The team was managed by Richard Abney with assistance from Chris Varnadore and Steve Smithers. Their record at the state tournament was 3 and 0 and at the Southeast Regional Tournament 4 and 2. The team players consisted of Matthew Abney, Mason Collins, Keaton Allison, Jimmy Carver, Tyler Fairchild, Owen Griffith, Eric Hogue, Cameron Meares, Trey Poleweski, Dalton Poole, Joey Smithers, and Will Varnadore. We congratulate them on winning the State Tournament and look forward to additional success with this program.

MUNICIPAL CUP AWARD - Last month at the Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC) Annual Conference, the City of Aiken received the Municipal Cup for innovation in development of our Police Athletic League (PAL) program. It's coordinated by a volunteer board and directed by department coordinator Lalita Ashley. This program started with Neighborhood Diamonds, a baseball program which provided an outlet for youth who never had an opportunity to participate in a baseball program. From this, leagues were developed for children to have an opportunity to participate in organized basketball, baseball, cheerleading, track and field, golf, chess and youth leadership programs. Currently at anytime approximately 100 youth are involved in some program throughout the year. This creates a positive relationship amongst one another, the department, the community, families and others. Our goal is to deter child obesity, allow them to model other productive citizens, to promote positive and appropriate role models and encourage educational efforts, performance and attendance. This program has been extremely successful through the assistance of our Public Safety employees as well as citizens throughout our community who have volunteered their time and talent. Due to the community volunteers and Public Safety Department, this program has become a success for the entire community, and we received the Municipal Cup Award on Saturday, August 8, 2009. At tonight's meeting the MASC will present to the Mayor and our Public Safety Department the Municipal Cup recognizing our PAL program.

ANNEXATION REQUESTS – At tonight’s meeting City Council will be asked to annex (voluntary) the following properties:

a. 131 Vivion Drive
b. 503 Douglas Drive
c. 111 Collier Street

These are all first readings on an ordinance to annex the subject properties.

FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO REZONE PROPERTY AT 422 SOUTH BOUNDARY FROM RS-15 TO RSS – This ordinance, if passed, will allow the owners, by right on the 2.38 acre property. Currently under RS-15 zoning, the property could allow by right five additional single family dwellings. By rezoning the property, it will continue as a single family dwelling on property and allow horses. This property is adjacent to Hitchcock Woods.

DEED OF DEDICATION FOR SOUTH MEADOWS PHASE VI – Council will be asked to accept the deed of dedication for the water and sewer lines in Section VI of South Meadows.

FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE ZONING ORDINANCE REGARDING BED AND BREAKFAST/MEETING FACILITIES – This change has been requested by Stephen Mueller who operates the Rose Hill Bed and Breakfast facility. It would allow amplified music until 10:30 P.M.; the ability to serve meals from 7:30 A.M. to 11:00 P.M.; allow concerts every other week; and allow New year’s Eve events to extend until 12:30 A.M. on New Years Day with amplified music. The change would apply to all bed and breakfast facilities meeting certain criteria.

FIRST READING ON AN ORDINANCE TO REZONE PROPERTY AT 1506 TWO NOTCH ROAD – The owner of the property is asking that it be rezoned from RS-15 (residential) to LP (limited professional). A similar request in 2005 was rejected by the Planning Commission and the City Council.

APPROVAL OF STATE MAINTAINED STREET PAVING LIST – Each year Public Works inspects and rates all of our City and State Streets for potential paving. This item is a list of State maintained streets, in order of priority that the City is proposing to be paved in the next funding cycle. This list of streets in on page 162 of the Agenda packet for this meeting. I will post the link at the end of this email.

DIRECTION FOR PROPOSED HIGHWAY OVERLAY DISTRICT – For several months the city Planning Commission and Design Review Board have been meeting to create a Highway Overlay District. This effort is to provide design guidelines for new commercial and office buildings along the major corridors in the City of Aiken. It stems from City Council's recent decisions concerning the facades approved for Walgreens and Waffle House. During their discussions they solicited comments from the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has reviewed the regulations and is in agreement with the design guidelines. However, they would like to delay proceeding with these guidelines for approximately one year until the business economy improves. Before the Planning Commission sends out over a thousand letters to the various owners of property along these corridors, they are seeking guidance from City Council on whether or not to move forward at this point in time or to wait until the economy improves, approximately one year from now. Board would proceed with the hearings and the Highway Overlay District this fall and an ordinance would be presented to Council in the next 30 to 60 days. If Council decides not to wait, the Chairman of the Planning Commission and the Design Review Board would proceed with the hearings and the Highway Overlay District this fall and an ordinance would be presented to Council in the next 30 to 60 days.

ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2008-2009 - Each year all the departments prepare a summary of their previous year's activities highlighting the results of the various goals and objectives. This Annual Report includes a tremendous amount of information which you can use over the next year as we discuss various issues and projects. Each of the departments put a lot of work into this report, and it provides a great recap of the many accomplishments in the City of Aiken along with statistical data covering several years. This report should be posted on the City web site (www.aiken.net).

Request for Approval to Display Banners for 175th Celebration - Within a few months the City will start their 175th Celebration. The committee has decided to install banners on many of the downtown intersection poles and would like City Council's approval. These would be displayed along side the Character banners. The 175th banners will be on display throughout the year and would be taken down after the final event in December, 2010. The 175th Committee and the Women's Club of Aiken both endorse the banners being a part of Celebrate Aiken.

AGENDA FOR SEPTEMBER 14, 2009 CITY COUNCIL MEETING
http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=1104&cntnt01returnid=277.

UPDATE ON PRIMARY ELECTION SEPTEMBER 8TH

It came as no surprise that the Aiken Board of Realtors endorsed all three Chamber of Commerce oriented candidates but it was something of a surprise that the Aiken Standard only endorsed two of them. 

During the 2005 primary election when Jane Vaughters and Don Wells were elected the financial disclosure forms for all four candidates were published in the Aiken Standard. Though the reports did not cover the full campaign period they were useful in identifying the main supporters of each candidate. The Aiken Standard did not publish the reports this time so I went on line and looked at all of them. Predictably Don Wells received approximately 80% of his support from business and other special interests groups including developers, realtors and executive board members of the Aiken Corporation. Liz Stewart received approximately 60% from the same interests. Allen Brodie has no contributors thus far and appears to be self-financed. 

The other candidates in the race have not raised nearly enough to run their campaigns and have been forced to use personal funds. If you would like to view the forms of all the candidates click on the following link:

http://www.sc.gov/PublicReporting/IndividualCandidate/SearchCandidate.aspx

Please consider a contribution to Reggie Ebner, Steve Homoki and Kent Cubbage. We need independent minded individuals on the City Council and candidates should not have to use their personal resources in order to represent all of the citizens of Aiken.

Letters to the Aiken Standard- During this campaign The Aiken Standard has published many letters reciting the virtues of the candidates and in general the mix was well balanced. The following letters contain interesting information that voters should be aware of but may not have noticed due to the large number of letters that were published today. Sometimes “we can’t see the forest for the trees.” For this reason I repeat them below:

Scott Singer wrote”

“A couple of years back I attended a political forum at the Etheredge center and happened to sit next to Liz Stewart.  While we backed different candidates, Ms. Stewart and I both lamented the fact that Aiken politics seemed to be becoming increasingly and needlessly divisive.   We agreed that this was regrettable and welcomed the opportunity to work together someday to help remedy this situation.

As a result of this conversation and my knowledge of Ms. Stewart's fine reputation as a businesswoman and community activist, I contacted her early on when I decided to run for SC Statehouse last year and asked her to serve on my steering committee.   Ms. Stewart thanked me for the invitation; however, she stated that she was deeply concerned that given her prominent role with the Aiken Chamber of Commerce that any direct involvement in my political campaign might create the appearance of a conflict of interest, and therefore subject the Chamber to undue criticism.  While disappointed, I recognized that given the Chamber's political activism, she might be right and frankly appreciated her sensitivity to this matter.  

Fast forward to today when of course Liz herself is running for City Council while serving as Chair-elect of the Chamber.   Two letters to the editor have addressed the issue as to whether this has, or will create potential conflicts of interest?  The simple and obvious answer is of course it will.  No one can deny that matters frequently come before City Council that directly affect the Chamber and/or its membership.     

The second question is should this preclude her from seeking political office?  Conversely, the answer is no.  However, if she is fortunate to be elected to City Council and ascends to the role of Chamber Chair Ms. Stewart must abstain from voting and participating in decisions involving the Chamber and its membership.  State law as prescribed in the Code of Conduct is clear, "A public official should recuse himself from all matters in which a business with which he is associated has an economic interest.  This includes non-profit agencies and boards on which a public official serves, unless he serves on the agency or board in his official capacity as a council member."  Ref. SEC AO2000-11   

Frankly, I am somewhat surprised Ms. Stewart and the Chamber have apparently chosen to ignore this issue.   In my opinion, the appropriate thing for Ms. Stewart to have done was to take a temporary leave of absence from the Chamber Board pending the outcome of the election.   This would have eliminated any criticism that she is using her Chamber office for political gain or that the Chamber is backing a particular candidate.  Instead, they have needlessly opened themselves up to public criticism and may have done their respective constituencies a disservice by seemingly placing the political aspirations of one of its officers above that of its membership and the public at-large.”

Scott Singer

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maureen Quinn wrote:

“I read your article in which you asked the seven candidates for City Council the question "What City Council Action could have the most immediate positive impact on the City of Aiken." Candidates Allen Brodie and Don Wells similarly suggested a campaign to Shop Aiken First or Buy Aiken First.  Kent Cubbage suggested more generally that we need to find ways to help local businesses weather this economy and prosper.

Candidates Stewart and Price suggested a youth center, candidate Homoki spoke about public safety and Ebner suggested Whiskey road traffic light synchronization. These are all good suggestions but resurrecting the Shop Aiken First campaign certainly sounds like the one that could immediately benefit our local businesses. After all, the "Spend 20 on the 20th" was well received.

Because the 2005 candidates for City Council had purchased much of their campaign material in Columbia, it occurred to me that the current candidate's financial disclosures should be checked to see where they are spending their campaign contributions. I was truly disappointed to learn that three of the candidates felt it necessary to go out of Aiken for some of their needs, despite the fact that political signs and web page design services are available locally. Obviously Allen Brodie and Don Wells didn't follow their own advice.

Liz Stewart didn't suggest the Shop Aiken First, but as the upcoming
President of the Chamber of Commerce, one would think that she would support the Aiken business community by spending all of her funds here. To date, of approximately $5200 in reported expenditures for the pre-election report, she spent $1900 for yard signs and campaign buttons in Orangeburg.  

Candidates Cubbage, Ebner and Homoki have spent their funds in Aiken and longtime incumbent Lessie Price, who is unopposed, has not reported any expenses.”

Maureen Quinn

               PLEASE VOTE ON TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 8TH

City of Aiken Election September 8

The Aiken Standard  of September 2nd has an article concerning the upcoming election, To read the article go here The article anticipates that the turnout will be around 20%. We Americans have a precious right to vote and if only one in five uses it our way of life is threatened. Please vote!