Hiawassee’s Powell headed to Democratic National Convention

Hiawassee resident Jim Powell will represent Towns County and the Ninth Congressional District of Georgia at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.

Jim Powell

 Powell was one of four convention delegates elected by Ninth District Democrats when they caucused at Sautee Nacoochee on April 6.  He joins Virginia Webb of Habersham County, Dave Cooper of Rabun County, and Tanjina Islam of Gwinnett County.  The four were selected from 16 candidates.  Each delegate pledges to vote for Joe Biden as the national Democratic Party’s nominee for president.

 Powell has been active in local, state, and national government for several decades.  He previously served on the Towns County Board of Elections and Voter Registration, was a candidate for the Georgia Public Service Commission (the top performing statewide Democratic candidate in the primary, general, and runoff elections), and presently serves as the federal representative to the 16-state Southern States Energy Board (SSEB), appointed by both Presidents Biden and Obama. In this role he serves as the official liaison between the board members and all federal agencies.  

 The SSEB is a non-profit interstate compact created in 1960 whose mission is to enhance economic development and quality of life in the South through innovations in energy and environmental policies, programs, and technologies. 

 He also represents the Biden Administration on the Tennessee Valley Authority Integrated Resource Plan working group as well as on the Carbon Capture and Utilization Permitting Task Force on Federal Lands and the Outer Continental Shelf. 

 Additionally, Powell had a 35-year career with the federal government, retiring in 2007 after serving in the Senior Executive Service at the U.S. Department of Energy.  He began his federal career as an auditor with the Department of the Navy.  Powell served in the U.S. Navy from 1968 to 1972 and is a service-connected disabled Vietnam-era veteran.  

 He is currently a small business owner working as an independent energy efficiency and renewable energy consultant to states, local governments, and industry.

 Powell also was selected as a delegate to the 2020 Democratic convention which ended up being a virtual event because of the covid pandemic.  He was a volunteer member of the Biden-Harris Policy Committee which was part of the presidential transition process.

Powell and his wife Karen have been married 53 years and have two adult sons and three grandchildren. 

Democrats select delegates to National Convention

 Towns County Democrats participated on Saturday, April 6, in selecting delegates to the Democratic National Convention this summer in Chicago.  Democrats from throughout the Ninth Congressional District caucused in Sautee Nacoochee to elect four delegates, including Jim Powell of Hiawassee.  Representing Towns County were, from left, David and Vickie Plunkett of Young Harris, Ninth District Democratic Chair June Krise of White County, Suzanne and Bill Carter of Young Harris, and Laura and Mark Anderson of Hiawassee.

Towns County Democrats register voters at YHC

 

Clockwise from left, Vickie Plunkett, Suzanne Carter, John Bennett, and Charlotte Sleczkowski register new voters at Young Harris College

Election Board Must Follow Law

Aug. 16, 2023 (Not Published)

Dear Editor,

                 The article “Elections Board talks voting machine concerns, ESPLOST” (Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023) omitted a key consideration which is important to understanding why the Towns County Election Board will not use hand-marked paper ballots for in-person voting this November as requested by the Chandlers.

                 Georgia has a uniform election system which requires counties to use state-certified voting machines for federal, state and county elections.  As Board member David Plunkett informed the Chandlers, the Board would be breaking the law if it voted to use hand-marked paper ballots instead of voting machines and there would be consequences for the county from such a vote.

                 When the Athens-Clarke County Election Board voted to use hand-marked paper ballots in 2020, the State responded by threatening to fine the county $5,000 for every day it did not use voting machines and assessed the county $2,500 in costs.  Spaulding County’s Election Board on July 28 voted to use hand-marked paper ballots and was cautioned by the county’s attorney that doing so is illegal and would subject the county to lawsuits from the Secretary of State.  In both these instances the Boards had to back down and follow state law.

                 As a Democrat I am sympathetic to the Chandlers frustration.  Democrats in the General Assembly proposed a hand-marked paper ballot system in 2019 when the current election system was created.  Unfortunately, Republicans controlled the legislature and the governor’s office and rammed through the machine marking system we have now.

                 Mr. Plunkett correctly told the Chandlers they need to make their Representative and Senator aware of their views if they want future elections conducted by hand-marked paper ballots.  It is the General Assembly that makes law and the Governor who signs bills into law.  The Board of Elections has no power to change state law and no choice but to follow it.

 Sincerely,

Towns Democrats participate in RevUp Rally

 These Towns County Democrats from Hiawassee and Young Harris participated in the RevUp Rally hosted Saturday in Blue Ridge by Fannin County Democrats. The group heard from eight members of the Georgia state House who represent metro-Atlanta districts as part of an outreach effort by Georgia House Democrats between rural and urban areas of the state. 

Bennett joins county elections board

 John Bennett of Hiawassee is the newest member of the Towns County Board of Elections and Registration. 

He was sworn into office by Judge David Rogers on May 8 after being selected by the Towns County Democratic Executive Committee to fill the vacancy created by the death of longtime Democratic member Loretta Youngblood. Bennett attended his first board meeting on May 10.

Towns County Democratic Chair Charlotte Sleczkowski thanked Bennett for his willingness to serve in this important public position and praised Youngblood for her many years of faithful service. “We were all saddened by Loretta’s passing and miss her greatly, as do her many friends and family. I know John will continue her proud legacy of dedicated service.”

Bennett is a 23-year Georgia resident. Born in New York City, Bennett, 70, graduated summa cum laude from Long Island University in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in math. He worked as a nuclear medicine technologist after graduation and later as a computer programmer for 40 years before retiring in 2019. 

Married to Kathryn “Kate” Bennett since 1987, John has three children, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild with another due in September. Before moving to Georgia, he previously lived in North Carolina, Florida, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York.

The county Board of Elections and Registration meets monthly. Other board members are Dr. Janet Oliva, chair, Betsy Young, Jeff Pierrot, and David Plunkett.

Judge David Rogers, right, administers the oath of office to John Bennett, the newest member of the Towns County Board of Elections and Registration.

Towns Democrats to hear from Hiawassee mayor

Hiawassee Mayor Liz Ordiales will address the Towns County Democrats at their monthly meeting on Thursday, May 11.

The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Towns County Civic Center, 67 Lakeview Circle in Hiawassee.

Ordiales has been mayor of Hiawassee since the spring of 2017 when she moved from the Hiawassee City Council, where she had served for three years, into the position of mayor pro tem to complete an unexpired term. She was elected outright to the position in November 2018 and re-elected without opposition in November 2022.

With a professional background in sales and management with AT&T, during her time in office Mayor Ordiales has stressed downtown development, business expansion, and technology enhancement for the city. The mayor will provide an update on downtown redevelopment plans and other current programs when she speaks to the Democrats on Thursday.

Ordiales has lived in Towns County for more than 20 years and has been active in the Towns County Fire Corps, Meals on Wheels, and Habitat for Humanity, and her church.

Towns County Democrats meet the second Thursday of each month at 5:30 at the Civic Center.