This Tuesday, July 20th, voters from around the state will participate in primary elections. Primaries are the political equivalent of a baseball or football playoff, serving as competitions that determine which candidates from a particular party will move forward to the final vote in November.

There are no Walker County or LaFayette officials up for a vote this year, but several state and federal positions (including Governor, Agricultural Commissioner, and US Representative) are being contested. State Senator Jeff Mullis, who is supposed to represent the interests of both in the Georgia Senate, is running for reelection against two Republican opponents. Mullis has been State Senator for the 53rd district, which covers Chattooga, Dade, Walker, and most of Catoosa, since 2001. He has amassed a considerable amount of power within the state legislature in the last ten years and also wields a lot of unofficial influence over activities at the local level, making Tuesday’s election crucial.

In light of that, here are a series of facts and comments about Senator Mullis. Please read these before you vote on Tuesday.

America’s economy has entered a long period of decline, a recession so deep it’s brought comparison to the Great Depression of the 1920’s. We haven’t seen bread lines wrapped around the block (although The Care Mission is slammed each day it’s open) but many families – especially families in Walker County – have been hit especially hard by this situation. Things for many will only grow worse as BlueBird closes next month; another 350 jobs gone forever.

Government leaders from the White House down have stepped in to do whatever they can (or at least promise whatever they can) to ease the suffering of America’s families. Walker County’s sole commissioner has also chimed in, promising in a recent interview to do whatever necessary to help find new jobs and ease the suffering of BlueBird workers and other unemployed county residents.

“I want the people of Walker County to know that I am committed to leaving no stone unturned when it comes to attracting new opportunities to support the livelihood of our county.”

That quote, taken from the Messenger’s story about BlueBird closing, should have capitalized the word “county” and made it a proper name, because Heiskell didn’t mean the county residents, she meant the County itself, as in the Walker County Government. And Tuesday her plans to help the County were made evident with an announcement of impending property tax increases for county residents: “Residents should understand that any discussion of a property tax increase comes out of a growing necessity and not by choice .. I understand fully the difficulty that many residents are having trying to make ends meet these days.”

Today (Saturday) at 10 AM be sure to participate in a concert/fundraiser for The Care Mission. A group of volunteers (working on their own) will be selling hotdogs and, apparently, breakfast as local songwriters and musicians perform for your pleasure. This will be held at Joe Stock Park, next to the remodeled aluminum-siding-roof Police Station in LaFayette.

If you aren’t sure what a The Care Mission is or why it needs your support, read the “Charitable Questions” post from back in May. This is an event for raising funds to keep the lights on; donations of clothing, food, or household items should be taken directly to The Care Mission.

Also, we’re proud to announce the available of Linwood University shirts and coffee mugs on the LU CafePress store. This week only, all profits from CafePress items will go to support The Care Mission. (Our markup is only $1 an item, CafePress keeps the rest.)

If you need this explained, please click here.

Several weeks ago we profiled a piece of land in Noble being rezoned for development into an industrial park. The 400+ acres were purchased by the county for some $4 million with stated intentions to attract new industrial facilities (and jobs) into the area. Specific plans were not known at the time, but last week Commissioner Heiskell revealed one thing she’s working on for the site:

From WQCH, 06/30/2010:

AT LAST WEEK’S COMMISSIONER’S MEETING, BEBE HEISKELL SAID SHE HAS HER EYE ON A SPOT WITHIN THAT 500 ACRE TRACT FOR A FUTURE MEMORIAL. THE STATE LEGISLATURE APPROPRIATED 45-THOUSAND DOLLARS TO BUILD A MEMORIAL SITE FOR FAMILIES WHOSE LOVED-ONES WERE SENT TO THE TRI-STATE CREMATORY. HUNDREDS OF BODIES WERE RECOVERED FROM THAT PROPERTY, UN-CREMATED… SOME BODIES WERE NEVER IDENTIFIED… AND MANY FAMILIES RECEIVED CONCRETE DUST INSTEAD OF ACTUAL CREMATED REMAINS. THE COMMISSIONER SAID THERE IS A “QUIET SPOT” ON THE PROPERTY THAT WOULD BE PERFECT FOR THE MEMORIAL.

Now that Walker County owns the land, the first matter of business is apparently setting up a memorial to Brent Marsh’s victims in “a quiet spot” within the industrial park – some eight years and two months after state funding for such a memorial was first approved.