Vote Jeff Sexton

Lowering Taxes And Defending Our Rights

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:24:13 +0000

Below is the text of the statement I issued at the press conference tonight:

“What you really believe, you live. The rest is just talk.” –former Southern Baptist Convention President Dr. James Merritt

For the past year and a half, I have lived open government and finding ways to enhance the quality of life of the citizens of Leesburg without spending tax dollars. I have taken it upon myself to use my own private resources to video tape the meetings of the Leesburg City Council and Lee County Commission and post them on YouTube, rather than asking the City and County to purchase costly equipment and hire costly staff to perform the same function. I have recommended to the County Commission that rather than spend $25,000 on a reverse 911 system, we could use the power of the free website Twitter to perform largely the same function and not have to spend the $25,000. This would fulfill the desire of the City and County in alerting the public of an emergency, but without enhancing the tax burden.

Furthermore I, like my fellow citizens, have had to watch helplessly as within the past year the City Council has raised our water and trash rates in the midst of the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression. At least one of those votes was recorded in the videos that are now on my website, SextonForLeesburg.com.

I love this City, and I love its people. It is for that reason that I announce the following solemn oaths:

1) I will protect and defend our Constitution, of both the United States and our great State of Georgia, with every ounce of fight I can muster. This includes the rights of free press and addressing of grievances to our government, along with every other right therein. I signed that oath as a teacher several years ago, and I’ve meant every word of it my entire life.

2) I will preserve, protect, and promote our rights to know what our government is doing. I signed the Sunlight Foundation’s “Open Government” pledge in April, which states “Government transparency is critical to creating a better democracy, and of highest importance in how I cast my vote. I pledge, through my sustained engagement, to hold public officials accountable for being open and transparent.” I had already been living that oath for more than a year, and was recognized by the State House of Representatives for that work at around the same time this pledge was released.

3) I will never vote to raise our water or trash rates, or any other tax, fee, or any other creative name used to hide a tax increase. I will also work to lower the tax burden on all citizens by implementing free, efficient methods to achieve our goals and by partnering with the private sector, including the Lee County Chamber of Commerce, our local churches, and private citizens and institutions to enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Leesburg.

One thing in particular I am already working to do is to partner with KaBoom, a private organization similar to Habitat for Humanity that builds playgrounds, to reclaim Leesburg Central Park from the reputation it currently has. I already have experience doing this in Winter Park, FL, – just outside Orlando – in college, and I know we can do the same here. To that end, I have already requested permission from the Lee County Board of Commissioners, who owns the property, to begin this work, and I have also already publicly recommended that Lee County Sheriff Reggie Rachals task some of his jail work crews to maintaining the trails in Central Park so as to limit taxpayer expense in having Public Works or the Recreation Department do it. My request of the Board and the Sheriff, as well as my recommendation to use the free alternative to the $25,000 reverse 911 system, can be seen by all citizens in the video of the July 13, 2010 video of the meeting of the Lee County Board of Commissioners available on youtube.com/swgapolitics

Thank you.

Jeff Sexton on WFXL’s Good Day, Aug 30

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:34:28 +0000

Because Someone Brought a Video Camera…

admin — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:06:22 +0000

… we have a record of one of the greatest speeches ever delivered. It was done 47 years ago today, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The Rest Is Just Talk

admin — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:36:12 +0000

I follow Cross Pointe Church on Facebook. For those that are unaware, this is where former Southern Baptist Convention President James Merritt currently pastors. Dr. Merritt is one I once heard as a guest preacher in the church I grew up in long ago, and I listen to his sermons every week via Cross Pointe’s website and iTunes.

Many of the church’s facebook updates are various quotes from him, and one of them is the base of this post:

“What we believe, we live. The rest is just talk.” – James Merritt

I believe in open government. I believe in government being responsible and responsive to its citizens. And as Dr. Merritt says, I live it. I have gone to every single Leesburg City Council meeting over the last year except for the April meeting, when I was on vacation, and I have video taped every Council meeting in 2010 except for the April meeting and the August meeting, when my camera had technical difficulties. As I sit here typing this, I am preparing the video from this past Tuesday night’s Lee County Commission meeting for upload to YouTube.

Because I have gone to all of these meetings and have lived what I preach in regards to open, responsive government, I know that the issues the Council faces do not change from month to month, that many issues – such as storm water, the sign ordinance, zoning, and the new sewage treatment facility – are discussed month after month after month. But this is hard to know when you show up to one meeting in nearly 40 years, and that 3 months AFTER you’ve announced your candidacy for the body.

In addition to video recording meetings so that citizens can know what their local government is doing, and my knowledge of the issues actually facing Council from having been at the meetings, I also have a chance to present what my fellow citizens are telling me they are having problems with. Last November, I was able to speak to Council about a storm water issue a citizen who lives in Indian Oaks was having, and I have defended two local businesses in front of Council – the Leesburg Barber Shop and Leesburg’s newest business, San Joe’s Mexican Restaurant.

I live to help our local government become more open and responsive to its citizens, and I live to work to enhance Leesburg’s quality of life so that we can leave Leesburg better than we found it for our kids and grandkids.

What you believe, you live. The rest is just talk.

Sexton For Leesburg Press Conference – Major Announcement

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:05:49 +0000

The Sexton for Leesburg campaign will hold a press conference on Tues, Aug 31, 2010 at 6pm in front of Leesburg City Hall for a major announcement from the campaign.

All local media has been invited, and we also invite the public. Jeff will be calling voters beforehand, and going door to door after the event asking each and every voter in Leesburg for their vote.

Again:

Sexton For Leesburg Major Announcement
Tues, Aug 31
6pm
Leesburg City Hall

Please vote Jeff Sexton for Leesburg City Council on Sept 21, 2010!

On The Issues

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:30:25 +0000

Responsive Government: I believe your government should listen to you, and that it should pro-actively present information about itself to you. This is why I have been speaking of the City of Leesburg getting a website for quite some time, and I have been actively working towards this since May 2010. Since January 2010, I have personally video taped and placed on youtube every meeting except April, when I was on vacation, and August, when my camera had technical problems. That is also why I have a wide variety of methods to contact me on this site, including Facebook, Twitter, email, IM, my phone number which is text capable, and my physical address (all on the Contact page).

Enhancing the Quality of Life: Some say we should “maintain” the quality of life of our great City. I say that simply maintaining it is not enough. We must pro-actively work to enhance the quality of life in our City in whatever ways we can. To that end, I want to encourage private groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, the churches, and the civic organizations such as the recently formed Kiwanis Club to hold various festivals, parades, block parties, and events throughout the year. In recent years, we have seen new festivals such as the Under the Oaks Art Festival and racess such as the Leesburg in the Long Run 5K race come about, and I’d like this trend to continue. I participated in the Rivers Alive cleanup of the Muckalee Creek just outside of town this summer, and I’d like to see other volunteer-based clean up events occur throughout the year, including trying to recruit someone to start a Leesburg/Lee County affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, if possible.

Traffic: Leesburg is a city with a population of roughly 3,000 people, yet because all Lee County Schools are currently located inside the City of Leesburg, our population during the school day roughly quadruples. This causes quite a bit of traffic strain on our streets, and has led to at least one wreck on opening day of the 2010-2011 school year. There are some things that can be done about this, however. One is the completion of the Leesburg Bypass. I was at the meeting nearly a year ago when the State Director of Transportation Planning, Mr. Todd Long, was here in Leesburg and this project was detailed to him as one of Lee County’s highest priorities, and I intend to do everything I can as a Councilman to see that it is done quickly and efficiently. Another area of improvement is the recently completed redesign of Robert B Lee Dr to add additional turn lanes, and I was there for many of those meetings as well. However, one major thing that can be done to improve traffic in Leesburg is to encourage the School Board to start building new schools outside of Leesburg. One of the first Lee County issues I ever looked at was a location for a hypothetical second high school, and I stand by my conclusion from then – more than a year ago – that one possibly ideal location would be the intersection of Lovers Lane and Forrester Rd, near the new Publix.

One key to our transportation needs is a strong relationship with the movers and shakers in Atlanta, particularly in the Georgia General Assembly. This helps us secure much needed state funding, without which projects such as the Leesburg Overpass and even the Robert B Lee Dr improvements would simply not be possible without raising taxes. I am proud to say that I have been endorsed by State Senator John Douglas, an Albany native who recently ran for the Republican Party’s nomination for Public Service Commission and carried Lee County just two weeks ago in the runoff election. I also have been recognized by the Georgia House of Representatives for my work in open government. Some of those signing onto the resolution were recent Labor Commissioner Candidate State Rep Melvin Everson and recent PSC candidate State Rep Jeff May, as well as State Reps Steve Davis (R-McDonough), Sean Jerguson (R-Holly Springs), Ralph Long (D-Atlanta), and Mike Glanton (D-Ellenwood). With the Census this year and Reapportionment coming up next year, it is more important than ever that our next City Councilman have a good relationship with as many legislators as possible, as South Georgia in general and Southwest Georgia in particular stand to lose quite a bit of representation to the Atlanta area. As the above sampling shows, there is a wide variety of legislators that know me and recognize the work I’ve already done.

Taxes: I believe we as citizens of Leesburg, Lee County, Georgia, and the United States are already taxed far too much – and I’ve actively worked to lower them in the State and County by trying to recommend various ways to save money, such as the County using a free notification system rather than a $25,000 system. I believe that any new spending proposals need to be carefully scrutinized to ensure that they are truly needed, and if possible I’d like to see a corresponding cut in another area to balance the spending. Furthermore, I want to work to ensure that government operates as efficiently as possible and eliminate wasteful spending.

If I have not addressed an issue of concern to you here, please contact me and let me know your concern. I will then respond back to you personally as well as update this page.

Thank you, and I hope to have your vote on September 21, 2010!

Jeff Sexton Recognized By Georgia House of Representatives

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:36:42 +0000

Earlier this year, I had the honor of being honored by the Georgia House of Representatives for my work in promoting open government in Georgia. Specifically, HR 1894, introduced by State Rep Steve Davis, R-McDonough, states (emphases mine):

A RESOLUTION

Commending Georgia’s political bloggers for their unique role in promoting openness and transparency in state government and inviting them to be recognized by the House of Representatives; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, political blogs offer a vehicle for Georgians to assert their constitutional right of free speech and free press; and

WHEREAS, political blogs promote an interest in government and the political process; and

WHEREAS, political blogs are extremely vital to the public discourse as they provide attention to the lesser known issues facing the state; and

WHEREAS, elected officials frequent political blogs to communicate with concerned citizens about the work they are doing on their behalf; and

WHEREAS, through their advocacy on certain issues, political blogs have steered the debate in the halls of government; and

WHEREAS, the growth of political blogs in Georgia fosters democracy and holds the state’s elected officials accountable; and

WHEREAS, political blogs like Drifting Through The Grift, Georgia Liberal, Georgia Politics Unfiltered, Jason Pye.com, Peach Pundit, and SWGA Politics regularly keep the citizens of this state briefed on the inner-workings of state government.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that this body commends Georgia’s political bloggers for their unique role in promoting openness and transparency in state government.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives declares April 1, 2010, to be “Blogger Day At The Capitol.”

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Dustin Baker, Erick Erickson, Jason Pye, Jeff Sexton, Andre Walker, and James Williams are invited to be recognized by the House of Representatives on a date and at a time designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Dustin Baker, Erick Erickson, Jason Pye, Jeff Sexton, Andre Walker, and James Williams.

Why Should Public Information Be Online?

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:43:00 +0000

Note: This post was originally written on April 1, 2010 – nearly a month before former Councilman Steve Kitchens resigned, opening up this Special Election I now ask for your support in on Sept 21, 2010.

In light of “Blogger Day At The Capitol” today, I wanted to discuss my thoughts related to Sunlight Foundation‘s latest campaign, Public = Online: Government In Real Time.

First, what I call the “Blogger Pledge”, which I have already signed:

Government transparency is critical to creating a better democracy, and of highest importance in how I cast my vote. I pledge, through my sustained engagement, to hold public officials accountable for being open and transparent.

Also, here’s a short (roughly 2 min) video from Sunlight on “Why Should Public Information Be Online?”:

To me, transparency is absolutely critical. Unless citizens know what their government is doing and how it is doing it, they cannot make informed decisions about who they choose to lead that government. It is why I work so hard at what I do with videoing the local governments over me (City of Leesburg and Lee County), it is why I track the General Assembly as closely as possible, and it is why I work to promote Sunlight’s work at the national level as much as I can.

I know from being a teacher that you can never force a person to learn. The best you can do is to present the data to them in as clear a way as you can and hope that they take the initiative to learn it. But you MUST present the data to them.

The problem with government is that, by and large, it DOESN’T present the data to its “students”. It expects the students to actively seek the data themselves, and some, such as bloggers and other activists, will. But the vast majority of the populace will not, and therefore will not have the necessary data to make an informed decision even if they WANTED to make such a decision.

Now, we all know that voters will vote for particular candidates for all kinds of reasons, including whether they think the candidate looks good, they like the sound of his voice, etc. Things that mean absolutely nothing. Government can’t do anything about that, just as a teacher cannot do anything about the student who chooses not to learn. But what Government CAN do, and SHOULD do, is at least present the information.

At the local level, at a bare minimum Agendas and Minutes of all board meetings, even appointed boards, should be available online, and Agendas should be available online no less than three days before a regularly scheduled meeting or 12 hours before a special called meeting.

I would also like video of each of these meetings, and this can be done relatively cheaply and easily. I personally use a HD disc-based camcorder combined with AVS software ($60 for a lifetime unlimited license for ALL of their programs, at least a few of which are useful even to the “normal” computer user), along with youtube (obviously). The total (one time) cost of this setup is roughly $500-$600, depending on the exact camera you get, and the total active time cost per meeting is roughly an hour. There is also quite a bit of inactive time, where the person working on the video can be doing other things, and this is about 30 min or so per 10 min clip in my experience. (Roughly 15 min for the clip to save, another 15 min to upload to youtube.)

It is only with these videos that we truly know what actually happens at Board meetings, and therefore it is only with these videos that voters ultimately can decide for themselves exactly who to hold responsible. Local press coverage – even on TV – will only show selected quotes from the meetings, by their very medium they can’t show or tell you everything that transpired at them. For example, even though the Lee County Board of Commissioners approved a change to the Lee County Dangerous Animal ordinance at their March 23 meeting to make it significantly weaker, Commissioner Muggridge was very outspoken against this change, and he and Commissioner Johnson were the only two that voted against the change. Albany Herald coverage had 4 sentences of the roughly 10.5 minute debate, while WFXL coverage made it the focal point of their coverage of the meeting (though without any quotes, and with a 1.5 min video report) and WALB had a grand total of seven paragraphs on the roughly hour and ten minute long meeting.

Only SWGAPolitics.com has the ENTIRE meeting available for your viewing pleasure.

I noted those coverage levels simply to give an idea of why it is so important that government be proactive in putting these meeting videos online. As good as the professional media can be, due to its very medium it will NEVER be able to give a full and accurate picture of exactly what happened at these meetings.

People MUST be able to see these meetings in their entirety for themselves, and it makes absolutely NO sense in this modern world for people to have to physically attend these meetings themselves.

Week of Aug 10 Update

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 09:51:14 +0000

Last week, Council did the right thing. You will now have the opportunity to vote in November to allow liquor sales by the drink within the City of Leesburg. I’d like to publicly thank current Council members Debra Long, Judy Powell, Sidney Johnson, and Richard Bush for voting for both measures that came up. One was the initial motion to allow the liquor vote, and the second was a motion to make the City of Leesburg alcohol ordinance a duplicate of the County’s current alcohol ordinance. Councilman Bob Wilson voted in favor of the first one, saying citizens had the right to choose this for themselves, but then voted against the second one, despite his earlier comments about voters’ right to choose.

This meeting marked my 11th Council meeting, and I have learned quite a bit from attending each of these meetings. I know the variety of issues the City is facing at the Council level, and I’ve also worked to bring to their attention issues that could help improve our quality of life and draw more businesses into the City. I’ve put the work into making it a point to attend these meetings, and since January when I first had the ability, I’ve made it a point to video them so that you can at least see what happens there for yourself. (Sadly, I missed recording last week’s meeting due to not being able to find my camera’s charger that day. I subsequently found it over the weekend.)

Last Friday, I bought yard signs and have begun distributing them across the City and surrounding areas. They are already attracting attention and name recognition, which will be crucial in this Special Election. I also have campaign magnets ready for distribution to remind people exactly which day to vote – September 21, 2010.

If you would like to help with the campaign, please contact me via any of the methods on the Contact page. I have an excellent opportunity for volunteers to make a huge difference in this campaign, and I need your support!

For Leesburg,

Jeff

City Council Meeting TONIGHT – San Joe’s On Agenda

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:47:05 +0000

The Leesburg City Council will meet in City Hall at 6pm tonight. At least one of the candidates in the special election next month will be there – me. I know that John Leach is also scheduled to be there, as he will be requesting a liquor by the drink license for San Joe’s, as they will be his new tenant at the former Krystal’s location at US 19 and Robert B Lee.

Here is the video from last month’s meeting, where the current Council tried to give the owner of San Joe’s the runaround about what was needed to get the license.

The first story was that a citizen of Leesburg had to request it. When I raised my hand and said I would request it on the spot, the story was changed to say that a petition was needed. After further investigation on my part after the meeting, I found OCGA 3-4-90 and -92, which are below. Even though the law does not require a single citizen request this, Mr. Leach is scheduled to attend the Council meeting tonight and do largely what I did last month – request this ordinance be passed and the issue put to the voters.

§ 3-4-90. Authorization by counties or municipalities of issuance of licenses for sale of distilled spirits by the drink generally; procedure

(a) Each county or municipality may authorize, through proper resolution or ordinance, the issuance of licenses to sell distilled spirits by the drink for consumption only on the premises where sold; except as provided in Code Section 3-9-11 for in-room service by hotels, retail consumption dealers shall not buy or sell in packages of 50 milliliters.

(b) (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a county or municipality shall adopt such resolutions or ordinances only after the authority to do so has been authorized as provided in either Code Section 3-4-91 or 3-4-92.

(2) (A) The governing authority of every county having a population of not less than 50,000 nor more than 53,000 according to the United States decennial census of 1990 or any future such census and the governing authority of every municipality within every such county, through proper resolution or ordinance, may authorize the issuance of licenses to sell alcoholic beverages by the drink for consumption only on the premises where sold. Every such governing authority shall have full power and authority to adopt all reasonable rules and regulations governing the qualifications and criteria for the issuance of any such licenses and shall further have the power and authority to promulgate reasonable rules and regulations governing the conduct of any licensee provided for in this subparagraph, including, but not limited to, the regulation of hours of business, types of employees, and other matters which may fall within the police powers of such counties and municipalities. Those persons who are duly licensed as wholesalers under this title shall be authorized to sell distilled spirits at wholesale prices to any person or persons licensed as provided in this subparagraph; and the person or persons licensed under this subparagraph shall be authorized to purchase distilled spirits from a licensed wholesaler at wholesale prices.

(B) No resolution or ordinance adopted pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall become effective until the governing authority of the county or municipality submits to the qualified electors of the county or municipality the question of whether the ordinance or resolution shall be approved or rejected. If in the election a majority of the electors voting on the question vote for approval, the ordinance or resolution shall become effective at such time as is provided for in the resolution or ordinance; otherwise, it shall be of no force and effect.

And here is 3-4-92:

§ 3-4-92. Procedure for authorization of sale in counties and municipalities in which package sales are not lawful; procedure for nullifying prior approval and authorization of sales by the drink

(a) In every county and municipality in which package sales of distilled spirits are not lawful, sales of distilled spirits as provided in this article may be authorized after approval as provided in this Code section.

(b) (1) (A) In the event the governing authority of any municipality or county coming under the provisions of this Code section desires to exercise the powers authorized by Code Section 3-4-90, the governing authority through the appropriate election superintendent shall conduct a referendum election for the purpose of determining whether or not these powers shall be exercised. Any such governing authority shall notify the election superintendent of the county or the municipality, as the case may be, of the referendum by forwarding to the superintendent a copy of a resolution of such governing authority calling for such a referendum election. It shall be the duty of such election superintendent to issue the call and set the date for an election in accordance with Code Section 21-2-540 for the purpose of submitting the question of whether or not the governing authority of the county or municipality shall be authorized to issue licenses to sell distilled spirits for beverage purposes by the drink, such sales to be for consumption only on the premises. Notice of the call for the referendum shall be published by the superintendent in the legal organ of the county or, in the case of a municipality, in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality. The election superintendent shall also cause the date and purpose of the referendum to be published in the official organ of the county or, in the case of a municipality, in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality once a week for two weeks immediately preceding the date of the election. The ballot shall have printed thereon the following:

“[ ] YES Shall the governing authority of be authorized to
issue licenses to sell
[ ] NO distilled spirits for beverage purposes by the drink,
such sales to be for consumption only on the premises?”

(B) All persons desiring to vote in favor shall vote “Yes,” and those persons opposed shall vote “No.” If more than one-half of the votes cast are in favor of issuing licenses to sell distilled spirits for beverage purposes by the drink, such sale to be for consumption only on the premises, then the governing authority shall in accordance with this Code section issue such licenses; otherwise, no license shall be issued. It shall be the duty of the election superintendent to hold and conduct such election under the provisions of Chapter 2 of Title 21, the “Georgia Election Code.” It shall be the superintendent’s further duty to canvass the returns and declare and certify the results of the election to the Secretary of State. The expense of the election shall be borne by the county or the municipality conducting the election.

(C) Following the expiration of two years after any election is held which results in the disapproval of sales as provided in this article, another election on this question shall be held if the governing authority, as provided in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, forwards a resolution to the election superintendent calling for such a referendum.

(D) Nullification of a referendum approving such sales held pursuant to this paragraph shall be accomplished only as provided in subsection (c) of this Code section.

(2) (A) In the event the governing authority of any municipality or county coming under the provisions of this Code section does not adopt a resolution directing the election superintendent to issue a call for the referendum provided for in paragraph (1) of this subsection, then, upon a written petition containing the signatures of 35 percent of the registered and qualified voters of any municipality or county described in subsection (a) of this Code section being filed with the appropriate election superintendent, such election superintendent, upon validation of the petition, shall be required to call and hold a referendum election for the purpose of submitting to the qualified voters of the municipality or the county, as the case may be, the question of whether or not the governing authority shall be authorized to issue licenses to sell distilled spirits for beverage purposes by the drink, such sales to be for consumption only on the premises. A petition shall not be amended, supplemented, or returned after presentation to the appropriate authority. “Validation” shall, for the purposes of this Code section, be the procedure in which the election superintendent determines whether each signature on the petition is the name of a registered and qualified voter. For the purposes of this Code section, the required number of signatures of registered voters of a political subdivision shall be computed based on the number of voters qualified to vote at the general election immediately preceding the presentation of the petition. Actual signers of the petition shall be registered and qualified to vote in the referendum election sought by the petition. Upon determining that the petition contains a sufficient number of valid signatures, the superintendent shall issue the call and set the date of the referendum election in accordance with Code Section 21-2-540. Notice of the call for the referendum shall be published by the superintendent in the legal organ of the county or, in the case of a municipality, in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality. The election superintendent shall also cause the date and purpose of the referendum to be published in the official organ of the county or, in the case of a municipality, in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality, once a week for two weeks immediately preceding the date of the election. The ballot shall have printed thereon the following:

“[ ] YES Shall the governing authority of be authorized to
issue licenses to sell
[ ] NO distilled spirits for beverage purposes by the drink,
such sales to be for consumption only on the premises?”

(B) All persons desiring to vote in favor shall vote “Yes,” and those persons opposed shall vote “No.” If more than one-half of the votes cast on such a question are in favor of issuing licenses to sell distilled spirits for beverage purposes by the drink, such sales to be for consumption only on the premises, then the governing authority shall in accordance with this Code section issue such licenses; otherwise no license shall be issued. It shall be the duty of the election superintendent to hold and conduct such election under the same rules that govern special elections as provided in Chapter 2 of Title 21, the “Georgia Election Code.” It shall further be the superintendent’s duty to canvass the returns and declare and certify the results of the election to the Secretary of State. The expense for the election shall be borne by the county or the municipality conducting the election.

(C) Following the expiration of two years after any election is held which results in the disapproval of sales as provided in this article, another election on this question shall be held if another petition, as provided in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of this subsection, is filed with the appropriate election superintendent.

In other words, the question of liquor sales by the drink absolutely has to be placed before the voters of Leesburg. The question is, how?

There are two options here: The Council can do it on their own – no citizen has to request it – or there can be a petition drive which gets 35% of the registered voters in the district to sign a petition saying they want to vote on this issue. Per Lee County Elections Supervisor Veronica Johnson, that 35% number is more than 500 people in Leesburg.

San Joe’s is a very popular restaurant known to draw people from all around the area to wherever it is located. That means more tax money into the City of Leesburg bank accounts if it comes here, and in this cash-strapped time, we need all the money we can get or else we face the possibility of tax increases, which NO ONE wants.

I hope the Council does the right thing tonight and puts this issue to the voters, but if they do not, we will work the petition.