SNL

It's rare that I actually watch Saturday Night Live these days. It's especially rare that I see it live on Saturday night. This past Saturday was an exception, as I was up reading when it came on. At some point during the show, I thought I must have dozed off as "Zell Miller" suddenly appeared on Weekend Update to discuss the Chambliss-Martin run-off. It is amazing that a Senate race in Georgia is getting so much play. It also makes me think that Team Saxby probably wishes they had taken this race a bit more seriously early on so it wouldn't have come to this.

You can see the clip below; Blake Aued at the Athens paper blogs about the segment here and also discusses the Martin fundraiser in Cobbham last night.

New Oconee Economic Development Web Site

After hearing that Barrow County has unified and rebranded its economic development arm, the Barrow Area Economic Development Authority, I was pleased to see that Oconee has upgraded its own business development and economic development website. Be sure to check out www.businessinoconee.com when you have a chance. This is a strong upgrade over the previous local economic development site. Kudos to local director of economic development Rusty Haygood for getting it done (Rusty also mentioned that there are more upgrades to come to the site)!

City Council Update

Had a relatively short city council meeting tonight. Interestingly, we had 4 new business permits on the docket despite the down economy, including two new small businesses on the main street corridor. One of those stores will offer a variety of green and natural products, including cleaning products, at Town Center.

We are voted to drop the fee for sign permits through the end of the year in an effort to help small businesses limit start up costs -- our own mini-incentive program, I suppose.

In other items, we also discussed potential impacts of LOST revenue drops on the city, but overall the financial picture in Watkinsville is strong. Other items discussed included a new pick up truck the city purchased for the Oconee County fire department, the delay of the Mars Hill Road expansion, and some controversial fire wood selling along VFW Drive. We had a typical crowd there, and no huge issues.

We also had a called meeting on Monday night where we tackled recommended allocations for the city's percentage of potential SPLOST revenues. This will be Watkinsville's first time participating. We are considering allocating these funds -- an estimated total of nearly $3.2 million over six years -- towards sewer lines in the industrial park, sidewalks, road improvements, greenspace acquisition, recreational facilities, and public safety (new vehicles and technology). We are also still taking public feedback on these options, so feel free to weigh in here, send me a note, or send an e-mail to city hall.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

How do we keep sending this guy back to Washington?

For his latest trick, Rep. Broun compares the President-elect to Hitler, once again making our district the butt of national jokes (remember the cow patty?)

Look, most people in the district aren't crazy about the politics of Sen. Obama. I get that. Frankly, I have real questions about his political philosophy and approach. But I think most Americans, at this point, certainly recognize that the majority has spoken and are taking a wait and see attitude.

Update: Rep. Broun has issued a clarifying statement that at least better explains what he was trying to get at; it makes some sense although it is way too long and rambling. Read it here.

Hope

I am hopeful.

I am hopeful President-elect Obama is every bit the leader my democratic friends tell me he will be.

I am hopeful his communication skills herald the arrival of a great leader who will inspire Americans to care, strive, sacrifice, lead and achieve.

I am hopeful that fiscal realities will temper the ambitions of his party to overplay the hand they were dealt last night.

I am hopeful conservatives will temper their vitriol and give him a chance.

I am hopeful we have a transformative figure in the White House.

But most of all, on this day after the election, I am simply hopeful.

Voting

Instead of voting early, Susan and I both waited until the actual election day to vote. Election day is always exciting -- the energy of democracy on display! It is a beautiful Georgia fall day for voting and the energy and excitement were palpable.

Susan, Aaron and I got to the polls at 7 a.m. this morning and there was a line well out the door at the Watkinsville East Precinct (City Hall). While Aaron is too young to vote, I thought I would take him along on the way to day care -- probaby not the best idea but he did fine. It took about 25 minutes to get through, and everything was very well organized. One of the poll workers (who also happened to be one of my favorite teachers from OCIS days, Mrs. Hansen) informed us that over 50% of registered folks had already voted.

Oconee is famous for high turnouts (in the last presidential election, I think we had the second highest turnout in the state) and it looks like things might be headed in that direction again. If this morning's lines are any indication, there is going to massive turnout for this race. It will be interesting to see what impact this has on the city council race between Joe Walter and Luke Bishop. Normally, turnout is pretty low for council seats, but with this many people voting, the numbers could be high and the name recognition that comes with being from an old Oconee family (the Bishops) could help Luke's cause.

How were things where you voted? Long lines? Short lines? Anything else worth reporting?

New Entries in Downtown Dining

Had the pleasure this weekend of trying out two new restaurants in Watkinsville.

On my rainy day off on Friday, I tried out Miss Gail's for lunch. Unfortunately, Gail was almost out of BBQ chicken and had run out of salmon, which several people had come in for specifically (maybe this is the signature entree?). I went with the veggie plate (good fresh tomatoes, middling mashed potatoes, outstanding squash casserole, good green beans) which was pretty good overall -- about what you would expect for a meat and three. There was a good crowd there, and the service was very friendly.

Of course, anyone who has been in Watkinsville for any amount of time can't go to "Miss Gail's" without recalling the previous denizen of the building -- Aunt Gail's. I never ate there and knew it by reputation only. My most vivid memory is actually of Aunt Gail herself coming to Bell's Food Store when I worked daytime hours during summers in high school and college in the early 1990s. I'm kind of ashamed to admit it now, but bag boys and stockers would all "go on break" as soon as she came near the check out line because she always had huge amounts of food and no one wanted to bag those giant industrial-sized cans, bundles of turnips and giant sides of ham hock, etc. Bagging those groceries and then loading them up was an accident waiting to happen in the days of paper bags. I seem to recall her sometimes even asking us to load up her stuff in boxes because she would buy so much (I think this was pre-Sam's Wholesale days). I ran into Aunt Gail recently at the Oconee Farmer's Market and made my confession about avoiding bagging her groceries -- she was non-plussed.

Anyway, back to our story. Miss Gail's is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. Owner Gail Wiley also deserves a big pat on the bag for the attractive landscaping and nice outdoor seating area that has been added on.

A more innovative concept is David Weeks' newest entry in the local dining scene, Shishkabobby's. Located in the former Gautreau's space in Town Center on Main Street, the restaurant has a bit of a Barberitos' feel -- same chips, dip station, trash cans, order set up, etc. This isn't surprising as David is the franchisee of several local Barberitos.

The food we had was pretty good, but I definitely didn't feel like I had enough guidance from the staff to maximize the experience. With a new concept, the order taker needs to be ready to offer some suggestions; I also suggested to David that they put some "favorites" together so people can have some guidance on food and side combinations that work well together.

I wound up ordering a melt but my unfamiliarity with the menu made me regret the mix of toppings I chose. Offerings include wraps, melts, salads with salmon, steak, chicken, and veggies, all grilled on skewers and a variety of fresh sides. An interesting concept that I hope catches on in Watkinsville. The more fast casual places, the better. This is a great place for families to go (our kids loved the spacious dining area and laid back atmosphere), and I hope to return and explore the menu a bit more soon.