Sunday, September 7, 2008
Voting Change going to public
The following article appeared in todays Augusta Chronicle and you can go online by clicking on the title above to read it, Please note that some Precincts are not voting in their usual location. The full list appears at the bottom of this article. As I have said before I prefer the present system but please vote your prefernce in the election on Tuesday.We are grateful to the Augusta Chronicle for publishing this informative article.
Voting change going to public
By Michelle Guffey
South Carolina Bureau
Sunday, September 07, 20081
AIKEN --- About 18,000 voters in the city of Aiken will have a chance Tuesday to determine whether the city should discard the two-party election system in favor of nonpartisan elections.
"The goal for those who would like to see this happen is there would be potentially more candidates that could run for election," City Manager Roger LeDuc said.
Local party leaders don't see it that way and are united in their opposition to changing the system.
"I haven't heard a good reason why we should change the system we have," said John Brecht, the chairman of the Aiken County Democratic Party. "I am very suspicious of the motivation behind it."
Dennis Saylor, the county's GOP chairman, agrees.
"I firmly believe it is a bad idea," he said. "I believe the city pushed it through for a vote, and I agree that the people should have a say, but I believe they had a choice to start with."
Stuart Bedenbaugh, the county's voter registration and elections director, said he isn't expecting strong turnout Tuesday.
The city's election system mirrors the national system, in which primaries are held and party winners face off in a general election. If voters change the system, no one running for city office would be required to declare a party affiliation, eliminating the need for primaries.
"There are some people who don't feel they are Republican or Democrat and may not run because of that," Mr. LeDuc said, and it's difficult for someone wanting to run as an independent to get on the ballot.
Independent candidates must collect signatures from 5 percent of the registered voters in their district. With a nonpartisan system, candidates wouldn't need to obtain signatures.
Mr. LeDuc said Aiken is one of only six cities in the state that still hold partisan elections.
Mr. Brecht said that isn't a good enough reason to change the system.
The referendum is an attempt at "corporatization of city government," he said.
Reach Michelle Guffey at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or michelle.guffey@augustachronicle.com.
POLLING PLACES BY PRECINCT
AIKEN 1: City Auditorium
AIKEN 2: American Legion Post 212
AIKEN 3: Aiken High annex
AIKEN 4: Smith Hazel Recreation Center
AIKEN 5: Smith Hall, St. Mary's Help of Christian Church
AIKEN 6: Odell Weeks Center
COLLEGE ACRES 13: South Aiken Church of God
GRANITEVILLE 16: Leavelle McCampbell Middle School
MILLBROOK 20: Aiken Elementary School
MONTMORENCI 22: Montmorenci Fire Department
SIX POINTS 35: Kalmia Mall
SIX POINTS 46: Pinecrest School
AIKEN 47: Odell Weeks Center
LEVELS 52: Kennedy Middle School
HOLLOW CREEK 53: Knights of Columbus
GEM LAKES 60: Town Creek Baptist Church
HITCHCOCK 66: St. Paul's Lutheran Church
ANDERSON POND 69: Eden Gardens
SANDSTONE 70: Knights of Columbus
LEVELS 72: Levels Baptist Church
Voting change going to public
By Michelle Guffey
South Carolina Bureau
Sunday, September 07, 20081
AIKEN --- About 18,000 voters in the city of Aiken will have a chance Tuesday to determine whether the city should discard the two-party election system in favor of nonpartisan elections.
"The goal for those who would like to see this happen is there would be potentially more candidates that could run for election," City Manager Roger LeDuc said.
Local party leaders don't see it that way and are united in their opposition to changing the system.
"I haven't heard a good reason why we should change the system we have," said John Brecht, the chairman of the Aiken County Democratic Party. "I am very suspicious of the motivation behind it."
Dennis Saylor, the county's GOP chairman, agrees.
"I firmly believe it is a bad idea," he said. "I believe the city pushed it through for a vote, and I agree that the people should have a say, but I believe they had a choice to start with."
Stuart Bedenbaugh, the county's voter registration and elections director, said he isn't expecting strong turnout Tuesday.
The city's election system mirrors the national system, in which primaries are held and party winners face off in a general election. If voters change the system, no one running for city office would be required to declare a party affiliation, eliminating the need for primaries.
"There are some people who don't feel they are Republican or Democrat and may not run because of that," Mr. LeDuc said, and it's difficult for someone wanting to run as an independent to get on the ballot.
Independent candidates must collect signatures from 5 percent of the registered voters in their district. With a nonpartisan system, candidates wouldn't need to obtain signatures.
Mr. LeDuc said Aiken is one of only six cities in the state that still hold partisan elections.
Mr. Brecht said that isn't a good enough reason to change the system.
The referendum is an attempt at "corporatization of city government," he said.
Reach Michelle Guffey at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or michelle.guffey@augustachronicle.com.
POLLING PLACES BY PRECINCT
AIKEN 1: City Auditorium
AIKEN 2: American Legion Post 212
AIKEN 3: Aiken High annex
AIKEN 4: Smith Hazel Recreation Center
AIKEN 5: Smith Hall, St. Mary's Help of Christian Church
AIKEN 6: Odell Weeks Center
COLLEGE ACRES 13: South Aiken Church of God
GRANITEVILLE 16: Leavelle McCampbell Middle School
MILLBROOK 20: Aiken Elementary School
MONTMORENCI 22: Montmorenci Fire Department
SIX POINTS 35: Kalmia Mall
SIX POINTS 46: Pinecrest School
AIKEN 47: Odell Weeks Center
LEVELS 52: Kennedy Middle School
HOLLOW CREEK 53: Knights of Columbus
GEM LAKES 60: Town Creek Baptist Church
HITCHCOCK 66: St. Paul's Lutheran Church
ANDERSON POND 69: Eden Gardens
SANDSTONE 70: Knights of Columbus
LEVELS 72: Levels Baptist Church
Saturday, September 6, 2008
September 8 City Council Meeting
CITY COUNCIL MEETS ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 - We return to our regularly scheduled meetings on Monday. Corporal Chris Carter from the Department of Public Safety will be recognized as the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. This is the second consecutive year that Corporal Carter has been so recognized. Corporal Carter is involved in many ways in the enforcement and education of driving under the influence in our community. We will also present a Character Award to Zac Holford, an Aiken native and son of Dr. and Mrs. Douglas Holford, who demonstrated patience, diligence, determination, compassion, and generosity for his efforts to complete a bicycle ride across the country to raise money to help those with leukemia or lymphoma. Zac left Hunting Island on May 1 and reached the Pacific Ocean in Seaside Oregon on July 27. This far, he has raised $13,000 toward his goal of $15,000.
DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC SIGNALS – In August, City Staff met with officials from the South Carolina Department of Transportation concerning plans for the renovation of the downtown traffic signal system. The nine intersections from York to Pendleton on Richland and Park Avenue need major renovation. This summer Highway Department officials conducted traffic counts for each of these intersections to determine the proper timing and necessary equipment changes. This fall the contractor will begin installing new equipment at each of the locations including new pedestrian signals at all nine intersections. The wiring between the signals will be inspected and reinstalled if necessary. By spring the signals should be interconnected and timed to meet the optimum needs of the vehicular traffic traveling through these areas. By installing wire sensors at each of the legs of the intersection, the minor streets should stay red unless activated during off-peak hour periods. We should see a major improvement with these changes at each of these locations and look forward to the work being completed in the next few months.
BUSINESS LICENSES – July of each year begins the renewal process of our business licenses for all those inside or outside the city but doing business inside the city. Through the month of July, the city has received over $55,000 for contractors who have their business inside the city and nearly $225,000 from contractors located outside the city limits. In addition we received almost $10,000 in new business license fees for owners of rental units inside the city mostly owned by individuals living outside the city. A comparison of this year’s revenue versus last year indicates we have received over $200,000 more than the previous year through July.
This may be more of a timing issue than a reflection of increased business tax revenue. To be sure some of the $10,000 in fees from owners of business rental units inside the city is new. When City Council instituted the rental registration program earlier this year, we discovered that many owners of rental units had not been paying business tax as required. It was disappointing that the city had not identified this issue for several years. Our total expected revenue from Professional and Occupational Business Licenses for this budget year is $2.36 million so this represents a small amount of total business tax revenue.
MAINTENANCE GUARANTEES – We will have the second reading of an ordinance to amend the Land Development Regulations regarding maintenance guarantees. Land development regulations require the developer to post a Maintenance Guarantee prior to the final plat approval. Last year City Council increased the terms of the Maintenance Guarantee from one to two years which provides funding should the infrastructure not hold up. The proposed amendments recommend instead of having separate Performance and Maintenance Guarantees, that the developer would submit one guarantee prior to plat approval that would cover both. Currently the regulations allow bonds and tri-party agreements to be used and the amendment would require a letter of Credit or cash to guarantee the performance and maintenance of the infrastructure. The amount of guarantee would be 125% of the cost of the uncompleted improvement which is an increase from the current 110%. The development community would like this increase to be no higher than 120%. The time period for the guarantee could be four years. However, after two years if the infrastructure is complete, the amount of the guarantee could be reduced by 80%. The remaining 20% of the guarantee would be held for another two years as a Maintenance Guarantee. All improvements not completed shall be considered when estimating the cost of the performance portion of the guarantee. Responsibility for acceptance, reduction and release of the guarantee would shift from the Planning Director to the Department of Public Works and Engineering.
APPOINTMENT TO BOARDS AND COMMISIONS – At Monday’s meeting, I will re-appoint Don Barnes to the General Aviation Commission and Mary Ella Brown to the Community Development Board. I am very grateful to have such dedicated volunteers willing to serve.
NON-PARTISAN ELECTIONS – Remember to vote on Tuesday, September 9 to choose whether Aiken will change from partisan to non-partisan elections. There was an excellent opinion piece in the Aiken Standard from Dr. Bob Botsch from USAC explaining the pros and cons of this issue. For some reason, the Aiken Standard has chosen not to post it on its very inconsistent and poorly maintained web site. You can go to the Aiken Journal web site (http://www.aikenjournal.org/) to read a recent letter to the editor on the subject.
DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC SIGNALS – In August, City Staff met with officials from the South Carolina Department of Transportation concerning plans for the renovation of the downtown traffic signal system. The nine intersections from York to Pendleton on Richland and Park Avenue need major renovation. This summer Highway Department officials conducted traffic counts for each of these intersections to determine the proper timing and necessary equipment changes. This fall the contractor will begin installing new equipment at each of the locations including new pedestrian signals at all nine intersections. The wiring between the signals will be inspected and reinstalled if necessary. By spring the signals should be interconnected and timed to meet the optimum needs of the vehicular traffic traveling through these areas. By installing wire sensors at each of the legs of the intersection, the minor streets should stay red unless activated during off-peak hour periods. We should see a major improvement with these changes at each of these locations and look forward to the work being completed in the next few months.
BUSINESS LICENSES – July of each year begins the renewal process of our business licenses for all those inside or outside the city but doing business inside the city. Through the month of July, the city has received over $55,000 for contractors who have their business inside the city and nearly $225,000 from contractors located outside the city limits. In addition we received almost $10,000 in new business license fees for owners of rental units inside the city mostly owned by individuals living outside the city. A comparison of this year’s revenue versus last year indicates we have received over $200,000 more than the previous year through July.
This may be more of a timing issue than a reflection of increased business tax revenue. To be sure some of the $10,000 in fees from owners of business rental units inside the city is new. When City Council instituted the rental registration program earlier this year, we discovered that many owners of rental units had not been paying business tax as required. It was disappointing that the city had not identified this issue for several years. Our total expected revenue from Professional and Occupational Business Licenses for this budget year is $2.36 million so this represents a small amount of total business tax revenue.
MAINTENANCE GUARANTEES – We will have the second reading of an ordinance to amend the Land Development Regulations regarding maintenance guarantees. Land development regulations require the developer to post a Maintenance Guarantee prior to the final plat approval. Last year City Council increased the terms of the Maintenance Guarantee from one to two years which provides funding should the infrastructure not hold up. The proposed amendments recommend instead of having separate Performance and Maintenance Guarantees, that the developer would submit one guarantee prior to plat approval that would cover both. Currently the regulations allow bonds and tri-party agreements to be used and the amendment would require a letter of Credit or cash to guarantee the performance and maintenance of the infrastructure. The amount of guarantee would be 125% of the cost of the uncompleted improvement which is an increase from the current 110%. The development community would like this increase to be no higher than 120%. The time period for the guarantee could be four years. However, after two years if the infrastructure is complete, the amount of the guarantee could be reduced by 80%. The remaining 20% of the guarantee would be held for another two years as a Maintenance Guarantee. All improvements not completed shall be considered when estimating the cost of the performance portion of the guarantee. Responsibility for acceptance, reduction and release of the guarantee would shift from the Planning Director to the Department of Public Works and Engineering.
APPOINTMENT TO BOARDS AND COMMISIONS – At Monday’s meeting, I will re-appoint Don Barnes to the General Aviation Commission and Mary Ella Brown to the Community Development Board. I am very grateful to have such dedicated volunteers willing to serve.
NON-PARTISAN ELECTIONS – Remember to vote on Tuesday, September 9 to choose whether Aiken will change from partisan to non-partisan elections. There was an excellent opinion piece in the Aiken Standard from Dr. Bob Botsch from USAC explaining the pros and cons of this issue. For some reason, the Aiken Standard has chosen not to post it on its very inconsistent and poorly maintained web site. You can go to the Aiken Journal web site (http://www.aikenjournal.org/) to read a recent letter to the editor on the subject.
Palin is no Hillary Clinton -- she's better
Outstanding answer to Lowell Greenbaum appeared in the Augusta Chronicle today. Click on the title above and you can read the letter and all the comments.
Palin is no Hillary Clinton -- she's better
Letter to the Editor
Saturday, September 06, 200851
The letter written by Lowell Greenbaum ("Choice of Sarah Palin is truly appalling," Sept. 5) is in fact much more appalling than the nomination of Palin as vice president.
When you compare Sara Palin to Barack Hussein Obama, here's what you find. Palin was a city council member, mayor and now governor of Alaska. Obama was an organizer in the Chicago slums, a state senator and now a U.S. senator. Actually, Palin has more executive experience to be president than Obama.
Palin fought corruption and won. Obama joined corruption in Chicago, getting millions of dollars in grants for his friend Tony Rezko. While Palin would fight terrorism, Obama befriended terrorist William Ayers, who bombed our Capitol and numerous banks in the 1960s. Palin would fight communism, while Obama admits, in his book, that his childhood mentor was a communist named Frank Davis. There is also Obama's adult mentor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who for 20 years has preached racism, bigotry and a hatred of America to Obama and his family.
While Palin has no military service, I defy Mr. Greenbaum to tell us what branch of the service Obama served in. And, when it comes to looking Vladimir Putin in the eye, I'd rather it was the "barracuda" than the "capitulator."
In the final analysis, Mr. Greenbaum is right-- Palin is no Hillary Clinton. She's much better, and as far as Obama is concerned, the only thing he is qualified to run is his mouth.
Peter J. Seaha
Aiken, S.C.
From the Saturday, September 06, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle
Palin is no Hillary Clinton -- she's better
Letter to the Editor
Saturday, September 06, 200851
The letter written by Lowell Greenbaum ("Choice of Sarah Palin is truly appalling," Sept. 5) is in fact much more appalling than the nomination of Palin as vice president.
When you compare Sara Palin to Barack Hussein Obama, here's what you find. Palin was a city council member, mayor and now governor of Alaska. Obama was an organizer in the Chicago slums, a state senator and now a U.S. senator. Actually, Palin has more executive experience to be president than Obama.
Palin fought corruption and won. Obama joined corruption in Chicago, getting millions of dollars in grants for his friend Tony Rezko. While Palin would fight terrorism, Obama befriended terrorist William Ayers, who bombed our Capitol and numerous banks in the 1960s. Palin would fight communism, while Obama admits, in his book, that his childhood mentor was a communist named Frank Davis. There is also Obama's adult mentor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who for 20 years has preached racism, bigotry and a hatred of America to Obama and his family.
While Palin has no military service, I defy Mr. Greenbaum to tell us what branch of the service Obama served in. And, when it comes to looking Vladimir Putin in the eye, I'd rather it was the "barracuda" than the "capitulator."
In the final analysis, Mr. Greenbaum is right-- Palin is no Hillary Clinton. She's much better, and as far as Obama is concerned, the only thing he is qualified to run is his mouth.
Peter J. Seaha
Aiken, S.C.
From the Saturday, September 06, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Aiken Election System Referendum September 9
Not very much has been said about the forthcoming referendum but here is a letter from Michelle Bunker that was published in the Aiken Standard today. I do agree with the writer.
" Dear Editor,
Dr. Robert Botsch's article on the upcoming referendum to make City of Aiken elections non-partisan was both timely and informative.After weighing the arguments presented in the article, it appears that the wisest course would be to vote "no"on Tuesday. The impacts of non-partisan elections.ranging from lower voter turnout to limiting candidacies to the well-to-do , would cancel any advantages cited by the advocates of this questionable reform.
Clearly, party primaries help strengthen the quality of candidates presented to voters in the general election. The winners of contested primaries demonstrate their superior ability to appeal to large and committed groups of voters. The winner has, in effect, been vetted by his party as a sound, broadly acceptable candidate.In addition, party identification assists many voters in making decisions, particularly in elections where information is either scarce or there are many competing races. As a Republican, I know that the
candidate with the Republican label will , more often than not - be closer to my views than a candidate with a Democratic label. A Democrat would also find the partisan label to be , more often than not , a
useful shorthand in making decisions.
There are, of course, exceptions to these observations. But in general they hold true, and are important reasons why the upcoming referendum should be defeated by the voters this coming Tuesday."
Sincerely,
Michele Bunker
1458 Moultrie Drive
Aiken, SC 29803
(803) 645-6018
" Dear Editor,
Dr. Robert Botsch's article on the upcoming referendum to make City of Aiken elections non-partisan was both timely and informative.After weighing the arguments presented in the article, it appears that the wisest course would be to vote "no"on Tuesday. The impacts of non-partisan elections.ranging from lower voter turnout to limiting candidacies to the well-to-do , would cancel any advantages cited by the advocates of this questionable reform.
Clearly, party primaries help strengthen the quality of candidates presented to voters in the general election. The winners of contested primaries demonstrate their superior ability to appeal to large and committed groups of voters. The winner has, in effect, been vetted by his party as a sound, broadly acceptable candidate.In addition, party identification assists many voters in making decisions, particularly in elections where information is either scarce or there are many competing races. As a Republican, I know that the
candidate with the Republican label will , more often than not - be closer to my views than a candidate with a Democratic label. A Democrat would also find the partisan label to be , more often than not , a
useful shorthand in making decisions.
There are, of course, exceptions to these observations. But in general they hold true, and are important reasons why the upcoming referendum should be defeated by the voters this coming Tuesday."
Sincerely,
Michele Bunker
1458 Moultrie Drive
Aiken, SC 29803
(803) 645-6018
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
The Alaska Maverick vs. Obama
Sarah Palin will speak tonight at 10:30 PM. In the meantime the following ad says a lot.
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