Fausett, Satterfield, Armstrong take oath of office
News December 30, 2018
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – Probate Court Judge Jennifer Burt administered the oath of office and the loyalty oath to three of Dawson County’s elected officials Thursday.
Burt has been the county’s probate judge for nearly a quarter of a century.
“I’m looking forward to what 2019 has to offer,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of great things coming up for the New Year. We have a great group of commissioners and one great one (Jimmy Hamby) who will be leaving us. We’re going to miss him. He’s done a wonderful job.”
Tim Satterfield is the new member of the Board of Commissioners. He is certainly no stranger to Dawson County. Tim was elected following a stellar 41-year career as firefighter and in emergency services. He was accompanied by his mother Reba Satterfield. Who held the Bible that he placed his hand on while being sworn in.
District 1 Commissioner Sharon Fausett took the oath of office for the second time and she was accompanied by her grandson Blake Fausett. “This is why I do what I do,” Fausett said, speaking of her grandson.
District 3 School Board member Karen Armstrong was also sworn in for her second term.
School Board Chairman Will Wade was scheduled to be sworn in Thursday, but he and his family were out of town for the holidays, so he was administered the oath of office earlier.
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
State Rep. Kevin Tanner easily wins re-election
Election 2018 May 23, 2018
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – There were no surprises in Tuesday’s general primary election in Dawson County. District 9 State Rep. Kevin Tanner (R-Dawson) easily beat back a challenge from Forsyth County’s Mark Hajduk, winning 80.88 percent of the votes (1,929) to Hajduk’s 456 votes.
Tanner’s victory was widely anticipated. He is the highly respected former Dawson County Manager, as well as a former firefighter and chief deputy for the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office. He also had a sizable geographic advantage because 90 percent of the voting population resides in Dawson County.
County Commissioner Sharon Fausett
Former Deputy Fire Chief Tim Satterfield and District 3 County Commissioner Sharon Fausett can now take a deep breath and wait to take the oath of office in January. Neither Satterfield, who will replace Jimmy Hamby on the Board of Commissioners, nor Fausett had a primary challenger.
At-large Board of Education member William S. Wade will also return to that post. Wade was unopposed.
District 3 Board of Education member Karen Armstrong defeated her primary challenger, Joe Stapp, winning 1,825 votes to 786.
School Board member Karen Armstrong
House Speaker David Ralston defeated Margaret Williamson 5,750 to 2,009 in the race for Georgia House District 7.
District 51 State Senator Steve Gooch did not have a primary opponent.
In the up ballot, statewide elections that drew most of the voters to the polls, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp will face a runoff. In a five-candidate field, Cagle won by a slight margin over Kemp by receiving 39 percent of the votes (227,170 total votes) to Kemp’s 26 percent or 150,051 total votes.
The winner of that race will face Democrat Stacey Abrams in the November General election. Abrams easily defeated her rival Stacey Evans, winning 76 percent of the vote statewide.
There will also be a runoff in the Lieutenant Governor’s race where David Shafer fell just shy of a clear win. Shafer pulled in a majority of the votes, 256,230, but it was not enough to avoid a runoff with Geoff Duncan in July. Duncan received 27 percent of the votes (140,741).
The winner of that runoff will face Democrat Sarah Riggs Amico in November. Amico pulled in 56 percent of the votes (245,325) defeating opponent Triana James who received 44 percent.
Campaigns have not ended for Brad Raffensperger or David Belle Isle as they will also face off in a November runoff for secretary of state. Raffensperger received 35 percent of the votes (178,502), moving him into top position. Belle Isle received 29 percent or 145,915 total votes.
Democrat John Barrow will face the winner of that runoff in November. Barrow was able to make a clean win with 52 percent over challengers Dee Dawkins-Haigler and Rakeim Hadley.
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that attracts more than 300,000 page views and 3.5 million impressions per month in Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYNTV attracts approximately 15,000 viewers per week and reaches between 15,000 to 60,000 per week on our Facebook page. For the most effective, least expensive local advertising, call 706-276-6397 or email us at [email protected]
Early voting begins today for May 22 primary
News April 30, 2018
Karen Armstrong
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Today marks the beginning of the three-week early voting period for Georgia’s May 22 primary. Voters in many counties can vote for governor, U.S. Congress and the state legislature.
In Dawson County, polls will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. until May 18. There will also be one Saturday voting day May 12 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Voters can choose from five Republican candidates for governor or two Democrats. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, state Senator Michael Williams, former state Senator Hunter Hill and Clay Tippins are the Republican candidates.
State Representatives Stacey Abrams and Stacey Evans are the Democrats campaining for the state’s top office.
There are two local races for Dawson County voters to weigh in on. District 9 state Rep. Kevin Tanner (R-Dawsonville), who is seeking his fourth term in the state legislature, is being challenged by Mark Hajduk (R-Cumming).
There is also an important race for Dawson County Board of Education where incumbent Chairperson Karen Armstrong is being challenged by Joe Stapp.
Joe Stapp
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach.If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
Friday is last day for candidates to qualify
Election 2018 March 8, 2018
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — UPDATE It was a quiet day at the Dawson County Elections Office Thursday. No one showed up to add their name to the list of qualifiers for the May 22 General Primary. The deadline for anyone who would like to toss their hat into the ring is noon Friday.
There are several races being contested on the Dawson County Board of Commissioners and Board of Education and there is an important race for Georgia House of Representatives in District 9, where incumbent Kevin Tanner, of Dawsonville, and Mark Hajduk, of Cumming, have qualified.
District 1 County Commissioner Sharon Fausett qualified Wednesday.
Sharon Fausett (I)
In the District 3 Board of Commissioners race, former Dawson County Deputy Fire Chief Tim Satterfield will campaign against Scott Allen.
Tim Satterfield
Scott Allen
In the District 3 Board of Education race, Joe Stapp and incumbent Karen Armstrong have qualified. Incumbent Will Wade has qualified to run for the at-large seat.
Joe Stapp
Karen Armstrong (I)
Will Wade
The May General Primary will be held May 22, 2018, with a voter registration deadline of April 23.
Qualifying will continue through this week, ending March 9 at noon. All persons wishing to participate as a candidate in the 2018 election will need to qualify by this time.
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
County races taking shape on second day of qualifying
Election 2018 March 6, 2018
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — It is qualifying week for the May 22 General Primary in Georgia. There are several races being contested on the Dawson County Board of Commissioners and Board of Education. There is also an important race for Georgia House of Representatives in District 9, where incumbent Kevin Tanner, of Dawsonville, and Mark Hajduk, of Cumming, have qualified.
As of Tuesday, the only candidate who has qualified for the county commission race in District 1 is incumbent Sharon Fausett.
Sharon Fausett (I)
In the District 3 Board of Commissioners race, former Dawson County Deputy Fire Chief Tim Satterfield will compete against Scott Allen.
Tim Satterfield
Scott Allen
In the District 3 Board of Education race, Joe Stapp and Karen Armstrong have qualified. On Tuesday, Will Wade qualified to run for the at-large seat.
Joe Stapp
Karen Armstrong
Will Wade (I)
The May General Primary will be held May 22, 2018, with a voter registration deadline of April 23.
Qualifying will continue through this week, ending March 9 at noon. All persons wishing to participate as a candidate in the 2018 election will need to qualify by this time.
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
State lawmakers Gooch, Williams and Raffensperger are featured speakers at Dawson Co. GOP meeting
News April 18, 2018
Sen. Steve Gooch
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — State Senator Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega) was the featured speaker at the Dawson County Republican Party meeting Tuesday at The Bowen Center for the Arts.
The event drew many office holders and political candidates like gubernatorial candidate Sen. Mike Williams (R-Cumming), State Rep. Brad Raffensperger (R-Johns Creek), chairwoman of the Dawson County Board of Education and candidate for Secretary of State Karen Armstrong, , and her opponent Joe Stapp.
Dawsonville Mayor Mike Eason, former County Commission Chairman Mike Berg, County Commissioner Sharon Fausett and Tim Satterfield, who will replace Jimmy Hamby on the Board of Commissioners in January, were also in attendance.
Gooch said, “This was one of the most successful sessions in the eight years I’ve been in the General Assembly. We passed the first income tax cut in Georgia history.” The tax was cut by one-quarter of a percent this year and will be cut by one-half percent next year.
Sen. Mike Williams
He cited fully funding Quality Based Education (QBE) for the first time since it was passed in 1985, the distracted driving bill that makes it illegal for a driver to touch their cell phone and increased funding for school safety as accomplishments during the recent session of the General Assembly.
Williams was the first elected official in Georgia to publicly endorse Donald Trump for president. Like Trump, Williams is primarily self-funding his campaign. “We’re relying on the people who know me best to donate five, 10 or 20 dollars to help carry us across the finish line,” he said. “That is important because when I reach the governor’s office, who am I going to be beholden to? It’s not the big lobbyists. It’s the people of Georgia.”
Raffensperger is a structural engineer and licensed general contractor. “I own two manufacturing plants in Georgia, and I have worked on construction projects all over the United States,” he said. “I have seen first hand how some states make it easy to do business and some states make it hard. As your next secretary of state, my job is to make it easy to do business in the state of Georgia.”
State Rep. Brad Raffensperger
Raffensperger, a former Johns Creek city councilman, said he is the only person running for secretary of state who has a 100 percent voting record from the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
“Look back on my legislative and city council voting record and you will find I’ve always tried to protect the small business owner, taxpayers, life and the second amendment,” Raffensperger stated.
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach.If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
From left, Tim Satterfield, Mike Berg, Sen. Mike Williams and Sen. Steve Gooch.
School board approves non-resident students on split vote
News March 13, 2018
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – A divided Dawson County School Board approved a policy Monday that allows non-resident students from grades kindergarten through fifth grade to attend Dawson County Schools if they pay $1,200 tuition.
School Board members Elaine Wilson and Roger Slaton voted against the policy. Will Wade and Doris Cook voted in favor of it. Chairwoman Karen Armstrong cast the deciding “yes” vote.
In opposing the policy, Wilson said, “l have heard some concern from the community about this because we did bring it up once before and did not pass it. Now we’re bringing it up again. In my heart of hearts, I don’t feel right voting for it. I was elected to serve the people of Dawson County not some other counties. The money we generate in Dawson County should go to Dawson County students.”
The board unanimously approved:
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Dawson Board of Education Selects Officers for 2017
News January 12, 2017
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — The Dawson County Board of Education met Tuesday and elected Doris Cook as Chairperson for 2017 and Karen Armstrong Vice Chairperson.
The Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals (GAESP) Educational Patron Award went to Paige Danuser, a retired educator who works as a volunteer at Black’s Mill Elementary School and the GAESP School Bell Award went to the Student Council members at Black’s Mill Elementary.
Under the consent agenda the Board approved:
Field trips to the Dawson County High School Technical School Association to the State Leadership Conference in Athens, the DCHS Chamber Singers for a performance at Dollywood and the DCHS Thespians to the Thespian Theatre Conference in Columbus;
A CCRPI report prepared by Director of Teaching and Learning Nicole LeCave that showed all elementary schools scored above the state average, Riverview Elementary School scored 91.7, a 22 point improvement since 2013, both middle schools and the high school ranked in the Top 5 in the RESA District;
The Financial Report for the period ending Dec. 2016 that showed a general fund balance of $44,199 543 less expenditures of $38,270,758 for a balance of $5,928,785.
The December eSPLOST report that showed collections well ahead of projections. Projected collections were $4,400,000 while actual collections are $4,768,886.
Per Diem for Board members;
2017 meeting schedule;
Position Guide for Chief Operations Officer;
Position Guide for Warehouse Courier;
Hall County YMCA to Provide After School Care
News June 19, 2017
Supt. Dr. Damon Gibbs
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – In an early-morning meeting today, the Dawson County Board of Education voted unanimously to allow Superintendent Dr. Damon Gibbs to sign an agreement with the Hall County YMCA to provide after school care for Dawson County students for the 2017-18 school year.
Commissioners approved per diem for school board members Doris Cook, Karen Armstrong, Elaine Wilson, Roger Slaton and William Wade who attended various events and provided services on behalf of Dawson County Schools.
They also approved an overnight trip for Dawson County High School basketball and football cheerleaders to the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Ga. where they will stay in a UWG dormitory. The cost per student is $300.
Board of Education to Vote on Hiring a Florida-based Communications Co.
News March 13, 2017
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — The Dawson County Board of Education is expected to vote on spending $4,500 a month to contract with a Florida-based communications company at Monday’s Board meeting. The meeting will be held in the Board of Education Building, 28 Main Street starting at 6 p.m.
If approved, the Board will enter into a six-month agreement with Voss & Associates at a total cost of $27,000 in an effort to improve communications and business partnerships and increase stakeholder engagement.
According to the county website website, Voss & Associates provides services and products exclusively for education and has formed a partnership with the Georgia School Boards Association and Georgia School Superintendents Association to provide economical solutions for districts.
The Board will also vote on the appointment of Roger Slaton as delegate and Karen Armstrong as alternate to represent Dawson County Board of Education at the Delegate Assembly in Savannah on June 9, 2017.
Also on the agenda is a request to approve a milling machine that is no longer being used to be declared surplus and transferred to another Georgia school district. Muscogee County has expressed interest in the machine and the state has approved the transfer