Mack “Dutch” Guest IV used his announced Meet and Greet at Wire Park in Watkinsville on Friday evening to mingle with what seemed to be a largely supportive crowd, shake hands, talk to the children, and chat informally.
The Republican candidate, who is seeking to represent Oconee County in state House District 121, wore a white polo shirt with his name stenciled in small letters on its chest and khaki shorts as he strolled the courtyard, casually interacting with people who approached him.
State House Rep. Eric Gisler said his top priority if he is elected to return to the General Assembly in January will be to push legislation that would create nonpartisan, independent redistricting.
Gisler said he thinks there may be some members even in the Republican majority in the House who are “open” to legislation to eliminate gerrymandering.
Oconee County voters will be asked on Nov. 3 to approve renewal of the county’s 1 percent Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) to generate an estimated $72 million, with $17.1 million set aside for property tax relief.
Just more than 13 percent of the expected revenue ($9.4 million) will be divided among the county’s four cities, based on population size, for use for transportation projects inside the cities themselves.
The Oconee Enterprise and Oconee County Observations will host a forum for candidates seeking to represent Oconee County in the U.S. Congress and in the Georgia General Assembly from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 24 at the Community Center in Oconee Veterans Park.
Citizens will pose their questions directly to the candidates, each of whom will have a fixed amount of time to respond.
The Oconee County Planning Commission last week unanimously recommended approval of a modified concept plan for the 22.6-acre commercial development between Virgil Langford Road and SR Loop 10 east of the Oconee Connector to increase the allowed square footage from 174,500 square feet to 250,000 square feet.
The new concept plan for what is called the Research Quarters Commercial Buildings shows 11 buildings, four of which already are constructed and three of which are currently in the permitting stage.
Leaders of Save South Oconee, in their first public meeting last week, gave an upbeat assessment of their efforts to communicate their view that the proposed routes for a truck bypass connecting SR 15 with U.S. 441 would negatively affect the south of the county.
Jason Smith, co-chair of Save South Oconee, said he and his colleagues have reached out to elected officials throughout the county and, with the exception of officials from the city of Watkinsville, those officials have been responsive.
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners is scheduled on Tuesday (July 28) to hold its first public hearing on its proposed property tax rates for 2026, which will produce an increase of $788,134 in new revenue, or a gain of 4.95 percent from last year.
The proposed millage rate for the majority of county properties–those in the unincorporated parts of the county–is slightly lower than it was in 2025.
