[MB McCart] - TPC Real Politick: McKelvey a Lone Bright Light & Voice of Reason on the Covington Council

Covington East Ward Councilman, Josh McKelvey

As this publication wrote about a few weeks ago, it seems as if there is a certain level of discord & dissonance in the home city. A lot of different folks are unhappy about a lot of different things, and in the case of at least some of these issues - very rightly so.

The TPC readership knows that your semi-esteemed Editor - Yours Truly - is plugged into the local scene of #COV Real Politick as much as anyone, and a lot of those readers know that I'm a particularly big fan of Covington Council East Ward Councilman, Josh McKelvey. I sometimes think that some people think I try to help build him up, and perhaps occasionally this is true, but anyone could read this article at fellow newssite, The Newton Citizen, and see that McKelvey is indeed walking the walk in addition to talking the talk. 

Here is what he had to say on the record regarding the hot-button issue of multifamily zoning:

“We need to look at putting a hold on multifamily, another moratorium like we did before, until we can identify what areas of town can handle it,” he said. “What we’re seeing are a massive amount of applications coming in and if you talk to public safety, they say this can create a key change in the city of Covington. It can bring in a bunch of people, and we’re not ready to handle it with our infrastructure and all that. When I hear that from public safety, I’m like, all right, let’s take a look at this and maybe put the brakes on for just a second. For example, we have 55 and older (apartments) coming in. Maybe we say they would work well over here, but not over there. Maybe we have a conversation about fine tuning our ordinances for multifamily.”

Now, this fella speaks my language! Well done, Mr. Councilman. 

Councilman McKelvey

And according to my sources, there was at least one West Ward representative that would have voted for this as well but apparently no one else would, OED & "Staff" having advised against it & all, making it a moot point as at least three votes would've been needed for it to have a chance. So...

Question. 

Do OED & "Staff" run our city? Do they make all the decisions? Well, gee whiz, I kind of thought that's what the Council was there for. But Covington is not alone is this situation - numerous governing boards, commissions & councils, at all levels of government, continue to cede more & more power & decision making to un-elected bureaucrats & administrators. And frankly, I think that's a problem.

And this is without even touching the subject of how our top-notch Citizen-comprised Planning Commission continues to get ignored over & over again. It'd be one thing if they were incompetent & wrong, but they are not. These folks know what they're doing & are aware of the potential legalities and time & time again make sound & legal-challenge-withstanding decisions just to see "Staff" go against them every, single time & then see the Council side with "Staff" almost every, single time. Like one person told me, "why the hell are we even here...why even hold meetings anymore?"

Fair point...

Dear Readers, I, and many others, think there's a better way of doing things in our beloved home city, and so does East Ward Councilman Josh McKelvey.

With the current dynamics of this governmental entity, the upcoming municipal elections will be all-too-vital to the long-term path to prosperity that this wonderful city & most of her wonderful Citizens are striving for.

And that's a memo & moment from...

- M.B. McCart, TPC Ed. 

As always, we appreciate you reading. Til next time...

Newton Dems Meet; Two Congressional Candidates in Attendance

The Piedmont Chronicles

Your Source for the REAL Story

[State of GA]

[Newton Co.]

(Covington, GA | 3/27/18) -

Newton Dems' Chairman Phil Johnson preparing to begin the meeting

The Newton Co. Democratic Committee held its regular monthly meeting Monday night, the 26th, at  NewRock Academy with several members in attendance. The group had a busy agenda, including covering qualifications of candidates of the local party, most notably the much discussed & highly anticipated 4-man race for the 2nd District of the Board of Commissioners. 

Juan Parks, candidate for GA-4

Also in attendance were two candidates for federal office.

Juan Parks, as nice a guy as you'll likely meet on the campaign trail, is a declared candidate for representative of Georgia's 4th Congressional district. In what is probably an uphill climb to unseat Mr. Guam himself, Hank Johnson, I think Juan has a legitimate shot. He's a military guy, has a strong work ethic, is very personable & knows the issues. Plus, he's pretty similar to yours truly in terms of political philosophy. First off, he's pro-2nd amendment, and he does lean libertarian on some issues. I will gladly vote for him come November if he makes it, and honestly, I'm contemplating pulling a Democratic ballot in a primary for only the 2nd time in my life, basically, solely, because of him. I've been following his Facebook page for a bit now. He's legit, y'all. 

10th Congressional District Democratic Candidate Chalis Montgomery

Chalis Montgomery, candidate for GA 10, is also an impressive candidate. While I may not be as similar to her on the issues as I am with Mr. Parks, I can, however, appreciate the convictions she has in her beliefs, not unlike the way I maybe feel about Auburn fans. She's likely what some might describe as a true progressive. I am, actually, in agreement with her on certain issues. As many of you know, I am a Freedom & Liberty guy, and there IS an intersection of overlapping common ground there. I'll never forget taking one of those presidential tests in 2016 that showed, naturally, Rand Paul as my number one pick, but had Bernie as my second. 

Like Parks, Montgomery is facing an uphill climb, at least as it relates to the general in November & I would be shocked if she doesn't advance in the primary against Richard Winfield. A Bethlehem, GA resident & piano teacher, Ms. Montgomery is a very nice & intelligent woman, and a good candidate. I swapped contact info with her press director & hope to have an interview with her in this space sometime soon. 

Montgomery on the Trail

So now let's talk about that exciting BOC 2 race here in the home county. A crowded field, no doubt, the smart money seems to be on former NCRC member, fellow Newton Ram & middle school coach & teacher Steven Rhodes being a lock for what most certainly will likely be a run-off. Rhodes is good people, and he seems to be racking up a lot of endorsements, including, per the word, the 2nd district incumbent, Lanier Sims. But who else will make the cut? Former commissioner Earnest Simmons might seem to be a pick, but perhaps there is a reason why he is, after all, a former commissioner. Never heard of Demond Mason. I have no clue who he is. And what of Antonio Ross? A member of the Tonto Network claims that Ross is the WTC candidate. I honestly have no idea. But can we all just agree that this fella looks like Rocky & Apollo Creed's trainer/manager, Duke?

And I'm still planning on breaking down the Governor's race on the Democratic side - The Battle of the Two Stacys, as it were. So stay tuned for that. 

Till next time, friends. 

In Liberty, 

MB McCart 

The Die is Cast: One, Brave GA Legislator Stands up to King Deal

The Piedmont Chronicles 

~ est. 2010 ~

 21 March 2015

[State of GA]
[Newton Co]




- Newnan Legislator lashes out at the Governor -


Finally, a member of the Georgia Assembly has found the bravery to publicly state what many of us have known for quite some time. This is what David Stover from Newnan had to say:

“The executive drives every decision under the Gold Dome,” he said. “We worry what will happen if we vote against the governor’s bill or the lieutenant governor’s bill. The answer is quite simply punish those who disagree with these bills...as [quoting Locke] -Locke 'refuted the divine rights of kings,' I’m here today to refute the divine rights of a single authoritarian branch of government.”

Well, well...finally somebody in the Gold Dome has stood up. Our esteemed Governor is not a member of the Assembly and his egregious actions continue to violate the seperation of power clearly enumerated in the Georgia State Constitution. Let's see if anything comes from it. The only way it will is if some of our other State Legislators are willing and able to follow Stover's lead.

`M