Understanding Local Government

Harry Hayes, a Georgia local government expert, told a journalism class at the University of Georgia that local government is important to its citizens.

“It’s something that most people look at as kind of being pretty boring until they realize how closely it effects you on a day to day basis” Hayes said.

Harry Hayes presenting to a UGA Journalism Class

Hayes has many years of experience working in local government management and in outreach work for local governments with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at UGA. He said he often has to explain to citizens and government bodies how different local governments are organized.

He said there were lots of variations in local government that make it both frustrating in interesting for him.

When he tried to characterize local government set-ups mentioned many exceptions to the rules.

He outlined several options for county and city government organization, but then said that Athens-Clarke County was 1 of about 38 counties in the nation, which had a consolidated structure where one government acted for both the city and the county.

Hayes said exceptions like this were important for citizens to understand so they know how their local government functions.

UGA Students Discuss Valentine's Day

In an interview during class change at the University of Georgia some students said that Valentine’s Day was a silly holiday with a serious sentiment.

Kameel Mir, Sophomore at UGA

Kameel Mir, a sophomore at the UGA, had no particular plans for the day. 

Mir said that if she had a special someone to celebrate with she would just want to spend time with him.

She said “Everyday should be one where lovers tell each other how much they love each other. You know? It shouldn’t be a special occasion.”

Henry Adams, Sophomore at UGA

Henry Adams, another sophomore at UGA, said he would be making cookies with his other single friends. 

Like Mir, Adams said that if he had someone special he would celebrate the day simply by spending some time with her.

Adams said he would want to personalize the holiday as much as possible, “Hallmark cards? No, I make my own cards.”

He said the occasion should be special and focus on the two of them, not just a holiday that’s special to the entire nation.

Former Commissioner Sticks to his Guns

Chuck Horton, former Oconee County Commissioner, said in his interview with a Journalism class at the University of Georgia that standing up for what he believed was an important and difficult part of his career.

 “I think people that are close to you remember the stands you take,” said Horton.

Chuck Horton, former Oconee County Commissioner,
speaks to a journalism class.

He said it was a hard time for him and his wife when he worked on the Board of Education, prior to his time as Commissioner, when he was the only member who voted against a proposal to ban certain books in the school libraries. However, he also listed this as one of his biggest accomplishments.

He took a stand again when he gave up his position as Commissioner in 2012 to run for Chairmen of the Oconee County Commission against incumbent Melvin Davis.  Horton said he took the challenge because “if you have somebody who says in a public meeting that he will withhold information from the other commissioners” it’s time for change. While he was unsuccessful in his campaign he said he did not regret his decision.

Stephanie Gross Explains Community Sharing on Patch

Stephanie Gross, editor of the Oconee Patch, is building an online tool where residents can read and share news, events, and community insights.

Gross showing some of Patch's
features to a journalism class.

She perks up and the excitement builds in her shoulders as she explains to a class of journalism students that, as the site operates 24 hours a day, she has to be ready to go work on breaking news coverage at 2 a.m.

Gross is driven by her genuine care for Oconee County and her reporting is strong because of it.

Patch is a good fit for her passion. This news organization, owned by AOL and headquartered in New York City, runs websites all over the country where people in the area can connect.

Gross said to the class that, while it is a news website with local reporting, “it’s really more of a community site” where people’s blogs are published, user photos are added to news stories, events are posted, and the cheapest gas prices are updated.

It’s clear from Patch’s homepage that Gross incorporates social media and multimedia in her news coverage to make it more relevant to users.  

While she couldn’t reveal all the details, she did say that Patch had far outperformed its goals. With all the user-involvement allowing her to tailor the coverage it’s no surprise the site is doing so well.

Check out the Oconee Patch at http://oconee.patch.com/ or the Athens Patch at http://athens.patch.com/