Party News

More Than 30 Candidates Attended Picnic in the Park May 15

The May 15 Picnic in the Park, sponsored by Fannin County Republican Women, attracted more than 30 local, state and national Republican candidates.

Photos of the March 15 meeting are available on Picasa
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February 13 Valentine Dinner Featured David Ralston

Photos of the February 13 Valentine Dinner are available on Picasa
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The Fannin County Republican Party's annual Valentine Dinner began at 5:30 p.m. February 13 at the Fannin County High School cafeteria.

Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston was the keynote speaker. He was joined by five gubernatorial candidates, five congressional candidates and two candidates for insurance commissioner.

For more information, contact Brian Stanford at 706-838-5299 or Elaine Owen at 706-632-0021.

Fannin County's own David Ralston elected Speaker

David Ralston, a lawyer from Blue Ridge, was elected speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives in January.

"I stand before you today with a great sense of humility and with a sense of resolve and renewal," Ralston said. "We’re at a point that’s both unprecedented and unexpected. We face great challenges. There will, no doubt, be great obstacles thrown in our path."

In his acceptance speech, Ralston urged House members to commit themselves to serving honorably as they take on the difficult challenges state government is facing, including a budget crisis and growing water and transportation needs.

"Georgians need to know now more than ever that their state government belongs to the working families and people of this state, and not the special interests," he said. "We must embrace change because business as usual in this chamber will no longer be tolerated."

Ralston told Democrats that he was willing to work together on all issues. "I am reaching out my hand to you today if you wish to come along and work together for a better Georgia. You will not have a better friend in the office of the speaker of the entire House of Representatives than me," Ralston said.

Ralston was elected to the House in 2002 after previously serving in the state Senate. He represents Fannin, Gilmer and part of Dawson counties.

Also in January, the House elected Rep. Jan Jones, R-Milton, to serve as speaker pro tempore, the second-highest position in the chamber and the highest-ranking woman in the history of the Georgia House.

Congratulations, David, you have made Fannin County proud!

January Meeting Featured Fannin County Sheriff Dane Kirby

Dane Kirby was the featured speaker at the Republican Party’s January meeting.

Sheriff Kirby has been in office one year, and in that year, he has made changes in the department to engender pride and respect, keep our county safe, as well as make sure Fannin County is in compliance in all areas.

Kirby is a proponent of professional appearance so one of the first things he did was to purchase standard uniforms for all officers. "In winter, it's a class A with long sleeves and a tie. In summer, it's short sleeves without the tie," he said.

He increased training hours to three times the 20 hours annually required by law and officers are being trained on firearms and writing reports. All officers now have standard-issue firearms and there are shotguns in all patrol units. Vehicles are equipped with state of the art video recording capabilities so a tape of incidents is available.

During his first year, Kirby also created a court services division to relieve officers of serving civil papers. They travel all over the state serving civil papers and transporting. They are also in charge of courthouse and court room security. "This has increased the efficiency of our office, by allowing our patrol officers to patrol and answer calls without the added responsibility of the courts," he said.

In 2009, seven new vehicles were leased. This year, two more will be leased. Older vehicles included at least one that registered more than 300,000 miles. The two new vehicles will be for the new officers who will be hired this year.

According to Kirby, "This is something that has always been needed. In the past, we have had no shift relief.
If we had an officer out, that left us short. The only options were to have another deputy on overtime cover it or to leave the position empty.”

Technology has played a key role in updating the department and Kirby gives credit to his executive administrative assistant, Melanie Harris.

Harris was also instrumental in establishing a computerized records management system that allows the department to electronically track every document in the office. “Before Melanie took over, every report was handwritten on paper. We didn’t know where to look for them because they were not filed in any order,” Kirby stated.

That presented problems to comply with open records requests. Now, however, Kirby says the sheriff’s department is in compliance on everything.

“We also implemented a searchable database to track stolen property and criminal activity."

In 2009, the sheriff’s department became certified for the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC). Officer training for the system will begin this February. "This will allow us to have computers in our office to enter, track and help locate stolen property, wanted persons and perform criminal and driver history queries. It will not be easy because officers have to take certain steps and operators have to take additional steps,” said Kirby.

Kirby said 1,206 persons were booked into the detention center in 2009. Two detention officers with firearms permits are assigned to the center.

There were 75 incidents of domestic violence, of which 37 resulted in arrest and 1,739 warrants were issued.

In 2010, tasers will be purchased that will enable officers to handle incidents in a more professional, humane way.

Kirby stated he is proud of what he has achieved in 2009 and gave credit to his officers, executive assistant Harris and Ronnie Godwin in the investigation department.

Goals for 2010 include policy review and updates and focusing on ten critical policy areas:

"We are trying to make sure everything is up to date, that it fits our needs and makes us compliant with state and federal law," he said.

“We will continue to be resourceful in making this a safer and better place to call home,” he added.

The Fannin County Republican Party meets at 7 p.m. the third Monday of every month at the Senior Center in Blue Ridge. For more information, call Chairman Ron Bolin at 706-492-7724.

August 17 Meeting Featured Rep. Nathan Deal and SPLOST Info

The Fannin County Republican Party met 7 p.m. Monday, August 17, at the Senior Center in Blue Ridge. Rep. Nathan Deal, candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, was the featured speaker.

Also on the agenda was Fannin County Board of Education Chairman Terry Bramlett, who talked about the September 15 special election and the renewal of the Educational Sales Tax (SPLOST).

Georgia Mountain Health Board with governor candidate Nathan Deal

Fannin County Republican Party is represented in Blue Ridge 4th of July Parade

FCRP Organizes Packages for Soldiers Program

The Fannin County Republican Party is organizing a Packages for Soldiers program to send a taste of the good ol' U.S.A. to our brave soldiers stationed overseas.
DONATIONS are needed as each box collected requires about $9.00 to mail. A collection box is located at the
Fannin County Court House by the Commissioners Office and at the High School’s main office.
If you have any questions, please call Ron Bolin at 706-492-7724 or Elaine Owen at 706-632-0021.

The list of suggested items to send is available in pdf format on the downloads page.

Paid for by the Fannin County Republican Party, 186 Twin Peaks Dr., Mineral Bluff, GA 30559
(706) 492-7724
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee
Ron Bolin, chairman