The Jackson Herald filed suit in Jackson County Superior Court Wednesday morning asking that all future meetings of the Pendergrass City Council be held according to the law. In addition, the newspaper asked the court to order the city to make available documents requested in August under the state’s open records law that have not been forthcoming.
“This is not an action we wanted to take,” said Herald editor Mike Buffington. “But it’s clear that the mayor and other city officials do not intend to follow the law regarding open meetings or open records. The Mayor said as much last week when he said he’d do ‘what the hell I want to do’ regarding Pendergrass’ government. In light of such open defiance of the law, we have no choice but to pursue a legal remedy in the courts.”
The suit is filed against the city and against the mayor and individual city council members.
The Herald is represented by the Mike Bowers' lawfirm of Balch & Bingham of Atlanta.
For the complete story, see the Sept. 9 issue of The Jackson Herald.
Thank you for your assistance with this matter
AYK
But in Pendergrass, Ga one of my drivers did and he had mufflers on the truck and has had the truck for 8 years and has driver thru Pendergrass, Ga to and from work over the past 5 years and no one ever said a word about it. I sit in my office hear behind the QT warehouse and hear the dump trucks go up and down 129 and raddled the windows in my office and I have yet to see Pendergrass stop them for load muffler or even worse no muffler at all. Also they do not seem to care that the motorcycles that run up and down 129 have no mufflers cause I have seen them pass the Pendergrass PD and they did not stop them. For someone to work for a dept that is as crooked as Pendergrass makes the as wrong as the so called superiors because they knew that what they were doing was wrong and now one was holding a gun on them to make them do what they did. The only reason they even work for Pendergrass is because they are not qualified to work at a reputable dept. (Broader patrol is begging for help if you qualify for the job and you will not have to put up with the type of underhanded superiors like in Pendergrass, Ga) You know putting his life on the line for others is what he signed up for and if he likes it and he does his job in a respectful manner than I applaud him and hope he is always safe in his job. But I drove a truck for over 30 years and even saved a life or two and that is not what I signed up for but I did it because it was the write thing to do not because I was getting paid to do it. But you know what just one dumb ass truck driver makes it hard on all of us who try to do the right thing. And the same goes for the police. You know not ever law that is broke needs to be written a ticket some time tell someone that their window tint is to dark or mufflers are to loud will get the items fixed but when you use this to fund a city that that is wrong and I bet you could count on one hand how many people that did not get a ticket in Pendergrass when stopped just because they officer was not concerned with making money for the town. Police officers are brave people and I am glad we have the most of them but there are a lot that we need to get out of uniform. Next time you see your son ask him if he drive the speed limit in his police car and if not than what gives him the wright to speed if he is going to write me up for the same thing.(And before you puff up I am not talking about when he is on a call or making a stop).
& MR. BUFFINGTON IS BASHING PENDERGRASS AND THE TOLBERTS.
FIRST OF ALL YES I'VE HAD TICKETS FROM PENDERGRASS BUT
UPON GOING TO COURT, THEY ARE THE ONLY COURT SYSTEM THAT
WOULD ALLOW A CITIZEN TO HAVE CORRECTED THE PROBLEM,OR
HAVE AN OFFICER GO OUT AND CHECK THE VEHICLE. TO PROVE
THE OFFICER WAS WRONG FOR WRITING THE TICKET TO BEGIN WITH.
SCOTT TOLBERT GAVE ALL CITIZENS A CHANCE TO PROVE THE
OFFICER WAS WRONG BEFORE THE WERE FINED.. NO OTHER COURT
SYSTEM GIVES CITIZENS BENEFIT OF DOUGHT, YOU JUST GET THE FINE .. SO THANKYOU TOLBERTS FOR BEING TRUE I DONT FEEL YOU'VE DONE ANYMORE WRONG THAN ANY OTHER OF THE SMALL TOWNS
HAVE DONE JUST BEEN ALITTLE MORE FAIR..
First of all,
WHAT DOES "ONE OF MY DRIVERS GOT A TICKET" HAVE TO DO WITH OPEN MEETINGS AND OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS!?!?
Secondly,
What's your point? That no one should receive a ticket for their exhaust just because you haven't received one since high school? And I'm CERTAIN that Garner stops motorcycles mostly for that very reason...as a matter of fact, I have a friend that got one!
Heres the bottom line...
If you got a ticket:
1)Did you do it?
-If so, pay it and don't do it again if you didn't like paying for it. And if you do it again, you should expect what's coming.
- If you did not do it, (and being mad just because you got a ticket, or that you didn't know it was illegal does not mean that you didn't do it) Take it to court, win, and then move on.
If you aren't the one that got the ticket...then why are we even talking about it...
My point is that there is something much larger here which has to do with city officials not obeying the law as it demands and we are being side-tracked by those who want to get on here and complain because they were stopped an given a ticket.
That's exactly what Russell and Tolbert want. They would rather everyone get on here and bash Garner and Rogers for doing their jobs than for us all to be hot on their heels.
It dosen't matter where you are. The Police enforce the laws and their pens write just as well in Savannah as they do in Jackson County. If you don't want a ticket then don't break the law. And if you don't like the law(s) then do something about it by contacting your state representative and have the law abolished or changed.
Now can we please get back to the topic at hand which if I am correct is about how it has come to lawsuits in Pendergrass to force compliance?
P.S. what qualifications would you consider an officer have in order to work in law enforcement?
1- "They shall not enforce any laws which you personally deem to be as not socially acceptable?"
I'd LOVE to HEAR back from you.
The reason is the police department in Pendergrass was formed to both provide revenue and enforcement of the Tolberts little feudal system. The ticket writing is just another symptom of the problem. And yes all the cops that work there are pimples on the ass of society. And yes I have I loud muffler. I even know exactly what the GA statute says in case the bafoons stop me.