October 4, 2011

 JACK BERNARD & THE REDISTRICTING MAP PART 1

THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU JUST CAN’T MAKE UP

Comm. Bernard is well known for his late night emails blasting someone or something.  We are sending you a copy of one his latest emails.  TWG has placed some comments after the email.  You might agree if you are the dreaded “rural area” or you might not if you are in the “affluent Turtle Cove area.”  Yellow highlights are done by TWG.  All other highlights were sent with the email from Jack Bernard.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Jack Bernard

To: recipient

Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2011 2:32 PM

Subject: Redistricting, heaven or hell?

 

TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION AND REDISTRICTING

 

The good news: the BOC approved a map that puts the Piedmont, Smithboro, and Hillsboro in the same rural district, separate from Turtle Cove!! The vote was 3-2, with Patrick, Bernard and Cox all voting for the new map. This is exactly what the residents of this rural area have been  asking for (justifiably) over the last 10 years.

The bad news is that the Board of Education approved map is basically the same as the current map, with Turtle Cove comprising the majority of voters in District-3, where Piedmont, Hillsboro and Smithboro are located. That is just not fair to these voters, as I have stated many times over the past 7 years.

Rep. Holmes has asked that we meet to resolve differences and approve one map. These two maps are attached. As you can see, Option 7 (the BOC map) has the rural areas of the county together in District 4, with Turtle Cove in District 3. The BOE option has the Piedmont, Smithboro and Hillsboro area combined with Turtle Cove in District 3, diluting the voting power of these rural residents and insuring that there will not be a rural resident representing them.

Will the BOE play politics and permit this deplorable situation to continue by splitting the rural vote? Or will it vote to do the right thing and have the rural area put into one rural district?

Voters in the Piedmont, Hillsboro and Smithboro have long wondered why we could not put them all in the same district. The answer: there is no reason to dilute the voting power of these taxpayers, except raw politics.

Just look at the attached maps. As Commissioner Patrick stated, the BOC adopted map just looks better! Under the BOE map, my proposed horseshoe, gerrymandered district encompasses about half the county, from Smithboro to Turtle Cove. 

I can see Butts County from my back door. Dr. Barton (on the BOE for this District) lives a mile or so from the Putnam County border!  We can’t have a rational District 3 that includes both of us when we are 20 miles apart; it can only be justified if the intent is to play politics.

Please send your comments to me regarding these maps and whether or not we should continue the traditional practice of diluting the voting strength of rural voters.


 Jack Bernard



 

Why have the “rural” people been asking for a separate district from Turtle Cove?  Because as Jack indicates in this email, they have no representation and have not had representation for 7 years.  Why?  Because Jack only wants to represent the “affluent” Turtle Cove area; not the non-affluent “rural” area of his district.  The ONE AND ONLY AREA that he is ever doing anything for is Turtle Cove.  He does not represent his entire district. If anyone ever wonders why people who live outside of Turtle Cove feel at odds with them it is because of the comments and actions of Jack Bernard.  Everyone else is a second class citizen to him.

 

Who is playing politics?  Not the School Board, but Jack Bernard.   How many times has he been to Atlanta to redraw the map with Turtle Cove in its own district?  Is that because Jack is afraid he can’t win again if there is more than just Turtle Cove in his district?  He seems to be sure he is going to win by saying that if he still has the current district it will “insure that there will not be a rural resident representing them.”  Someone from the rural area just may run and beat Mr. Bernard.

 

Even funnier is the fact that it is OK for Comm. Mary Patrick to have the gerrymandered, horseshoe district with all the rural folks according to Jack Bernard.  Just as long as he doesn’t have to represent those red headed step children, he is happy. 

 

2012 is an election year.  Make sure you are registered to vote.  It is time to start asking good people to run for office.  We need to rid this county of self-serving politicians.