Republican Party to open headquarters in Young Harris
News, Politics November 4, 2019
Towns County GOP Chairwoman Betsy Young
FetchYourNews.com attracts over 300,000 page views and 3.5 million impressions per month with a 60,000 Facebook page reach, and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com
If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of our counties of coverage, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
Osborn enters Towns County sheriff’s race
News October 11, 2019
HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Daren “Bear” Osborn officially announced intent to challenge incumbent Sheriff Chris Clinton in the 2020 Towns County sheriff’s race.
“Our community deserves a working sheriff that is dedicated, fair, and will ensure quality law enforcement for Towns County citizens and visitors alike,” Osborn told FYN.
The Towns County native began his career in law enforcement in 1986, and has served as a deputy and criminal investigator with neighboring Union County Sheriff’s Office since 2013.
Osborn said that in order to be a leader, one must first be a servant, and that he strives to offer his experience and service to the citizens of Towns County. Coupled with the community support that he has received over the past several years, Osborn explained that it encouraged his decision to seek office.
Osborn, who previously ran for sheriff in the 2012 general election, presently represents the Macedonia district as a Towns County Republican Party delegate chairman.
“I will be the change you need and the voice you deserve,” Osborn publicly stated.
Osborn is the sole challenger in the Towns County sheriff’s race thus far.
Click for Daren Osborn archives
FetchYourNews.com attracts over 300,000 page views and 3.5 million impressions per month with a 60,000 Facebook page reach, and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com
If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of our counties of coverage, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
Commissioner Bradshaw to seek second-term in 2020
News, Politics September 27, 2019
HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Towns County Sole Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw informed FetchYourNews Friday, Sept. 27, that he plans to seek a second-term as an elected official. Following a meeting held in Bradshaw’s courthouse office, the commissioner stated that there is more that he hopes to accomplish in future years.
“I plan on running for re-election. I hope to serve another term,” Commissioner Bradshaw said. “There’s more that I’d like to see happen. I want to continue on the path of controlled growth, welcome more tourism, further improve public safety, and continue working with all of the departments to better serve the citizens.”
Bradshaw was elected as Towns County’s commissioner in 2016, securing 53.81% of the votes on the Republican ticket in May’s primary, and 65.84% in November’s general election. No challengers have publicly entered the race for the commissioner’s seat at the time of publication.
Click for Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw Archives
Featured Image: Towns County Sole Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw at a courthouse meeting earlier this year.
Fetch Your News is a now news network that covers Towns, Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Rabun, and Murray counties in northern Georgia, as well as Cherokee and Clay counties in western North Carolina. Fetch Your News attracts over 300,000 page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month, and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com with an up to 60,000 Facebook page reach.
If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of our counties of coverage, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
Osborn releases platform as Towns County sheriff’s race begins
News, Politics October 16, 2019
HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Daren “Bear” Osborn, a challenger in the Towns County sheriff’s race, took to social media Oct. 16, sharing his logic for seeking office in the 2020 election. Osborn listed multiple goals and objectives, including advanced training within the law enforcement agency, the importance of cooperation between the sheriff’s office and local emergency departments, school safety improvements, and developing a community-oriented anti-drug coalition for people suffering from substance abuse.
“Towns County deserves a working sheriff, one who will actively serve the community in uniform, and I hope to fulfill that position,” Osborn told FYN. The Republican candidate added that he intends to be a “visible” sheriff, and plans to continue his involvement in the community if elected.
While Osborn did not mention incumbent Sheriff Chris Clinton, the sheriff’s candidate expressed platform-related concerns in the past. Osborn gained publicity earlier this year in connection to a highly-controversial fatal accident that many, including Osborn, believe could have been prevented by the Towns County Sheriff’s Office through proper training.
Daren “Bear” Osborn
FYN later reported that Towns County Sheriff’s Office deputies declined participation in two training seminars held within the county: ARIDE training – an acronym for Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement – which was offered in Hiawassee, and school security training held in Young Harris. Sheriff Clinton was extended an invitation to speak at the security event, hosted by Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, yet he did not make an appearance at the state course. Osborn previously labeled the “missed opportunities” as such.
Furthermore, Towns County Sheriff Chris Clinton drew negative publicity in 2018, following what many in the community considered a botched Towns County Schools active shooter drill. Dozens of first responders from Hiawassee Police Department, Towns County Fire and Rescue, Towns County Emergency Medical Services, and Towns County Emergency Management Agency expressed disapproval – based on exclusion from participation in the campus drill – describing Clinton’s approach as a habitual, “lone ranger” tactic. “This is not the way training should be done,” Osborn remarked last year on social media. “You have to work together as a team or the mission will not be accomplished.” Towns County first responders, including department heads, continue to note a general lack of communication and poor cooperation from Sheriff Clinton with local emergency agencies, an issue that Osborn promised to remedy if elected.
Osborn listed the following goals and objectives as his campaign platform:
– Be a full-time “Working Sheriff” in a Class A uniform.
– Drive a marked patrol vehicle to be highly visible to the public.
– Develop a community oriented anti-drug coalition for people suffering from substance abuse. Good people can get addicted. We want to save these people.
– Establish a strong relationship with our Homeowner Associations, encouraging neighborhood watch programs. Provide security check lists for homeowners and security checks.
– Re-establish strong working relationships with all surrounding law enforcement agencies, as well as the fire department, EMS, and 911 center.
– Establish regularly scheduled training with outside law enforcement agencies and public safety, such as SWAT training, active shooter, and felony warrant service.
– Provide additional training for all deputies for job specific assignments, patrol investigations, courthouse, and school resource officers.
– Implement a minimum annual training level which exceeds the current Georgia mandated training of 20 hours per year.
– Deputies will receive training from POST (Peace Officer Standards & Training) certified instructors, NOT online webinars!
– Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for all deputies – to help those suffering from mental health issues which law enforcement commonly encounters.
– Host regional law enforcement training for all agencies.
– Work with school officials to ensure the safety of our children and staff, as well as visitors to our schools.
– Work with commissioner to establish and fund an animal control deputy.
A second challenger, Kenneth “Ode” Henderson, entered the Towns County sheriff’s race Oct. 15.
Article archives can be found by clicking the highlighted links above.
Bipartisan support apparent as Osborn launches sheriff’s campaign
Opinion October 13, 2019
EDITORIAL – Daren “Bear” Osborn officially launched his campaign Oct. 11, challenging Towns County Sheriff Chris Clinton in the 2020 sheriff’s election, and immediate support for the opposition candidate is proving widespread. The social media response to the veteran law enforcement officer’s announcement has revealed an outpouring of mixed approval from known Republican and Democratic constituents.
Daren “Bear” Osborn
Over the weekend, several hundred supporters from both sides of the political aisle favorably reacted, commented, and eagerly shared the news of Osborn’s entry into the now-contested election through social media. Remarks ranging from simple “congratulations” to overt endorsements calling for a change in leadership have surfaced in response to the publicized announcement. When asked by FYN about the outreach of bipartisan support, Osborn said that he devoted himself to a “person to person” approach prior to Friday’s formal declaration of candidacy. “You get more honest results that way,” Osborn confided.
Osborn, who challenged Clinton via the Democratic ticket in the 2012 general election, intends to campaign and run as a Republican candidate in the May 2020 primary. Osborn explained that while he has always identified as a conservative, the views of the present-day Democratic Party have shifted significantly from his moral stance, prompting his political affiliation transition. The sheriff’s candidate was chosen as a Towns County Republican Party district delegate for the Macedonia precinct in March 2019.
Osborn’s platform, in part, includes plans to serve Towns County as a working sheriff. “Our community deserves a working sheriff that is dedicated, fair, and will ensure quality law enforcement for Towns County citizens and visitors alike,” Osborn stated on Friday.
Osborn – a Towns County native who has served in law enforcement for 33 years – has been employed as a sheriff’s deputy and criminal investigator in neighboring Union County since 2013.
Osborn is the sole challenger in the Towns County sheriff’s race at this time. According to the Towns County Board of Elections, the earliest date to qualify for candidacy is March 2, 2020.
Related Archive:
FetchYourNews.com attracts over 300,000 page views and 3.5 million impressions per month with a 60,000 Facebook page reach, and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com
If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of our counties of coverage, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
Towns County GOP to kick off 2020 campaign cycle with Trump watch party
News, Politics June 18, 2019
HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Towns County Republican Party is gearing up for the 2020 election cycle by hosting a presidential watch party this evening, Tuesday, June 18, at the residence of Towns County GOP Chairwoman Betsy Young. President Donald Trump is expected to announce his intent to pursue a second term as America’s commander-in-chief during a televised launch rally at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL.
Towns County GOP Chairwoman Betsy Young
“The GAGOP has asked people all over Georgia to have a celebration and use social media to share it, showing our support for this president,” Chairwoman Young said.
“The Fake News doesn’t report it, but Republican enthusiasm is at an all time high,” President Trump tweeted on the morning of the launch. “Look what is going on in Orlando, Florida, right now! People have never seen anything like it (unless you play a guitar). Going to be wild – See you later!” While the Orlando venue is expected to be filled to capacity with 25,000 supporters, an estimated 100,000 individuals were noted to have requested attendance. ClickOrlando, a Florida-based news source, reported Trump’s supporters began arriving outside of the vast arena 40 hours prior to the start of the event.
The local watch party is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Hiawassee with President Trump taking the Sunshine State stage at 8 p.m. For information on attending the open event, dial Betsy Young at 904-382-1912 or email [email protected]
Clinton receives unfavorable response to campaign announcement
Opinion September 22, 2019
EDITORIAL – Mountain Movers and Shakers announced Towns County Sheriff Chris Clinton will be their featured speaker at the group’s weekly meeting, Sept. 27. The agenda follows the sheriff’s proclamation before the Towns County Republican Party last week, stating intent to seek re-election in 2020.
If the public’s initial response to the elected official’s announcement is any indication of an approval rating, Clinton’s campaign could prove to be a challenge.
“Perhaps (Sheriff Clinton) will fill us in on the events and expected traffic for the next few months,” Mark Wolchko, a spokesman for Mountain Movers and Shakers, predicted in a press release. “Maybe he will enlighten us about the latest CLEA class. Possibly he will let us know about equipment upgrades in the sheriff’s department. Or maybe he will give us the lowdown on the next appearance of The Chris Clinton Band.”
CLEA, an acronym for the Citizen Law Enforcement Academy, consists primarily of “move-in” retirees whom Sheriff Clinton has referred to as personal “lobbyists” in the past. The group additionally serves as charity fund raisers and security staff at local events, such as concerts at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds.
The majority of Mountain Movers and Shakers’ active participants are CLEA alumni.
Sheriff Clinton shined a spotlight on CLEA during his GOP campaign announcement Thursday evening at the Towns County Civic Center.
“How many folks here have been through CLEA? Do you mind raising your hands? Every group I go to in the county, everywhere we go, I got people sitting in the group that’s been through the citizen law enforcement academy,” Clinton said. “These volunteers, by the end of the year, we hit about 2,000 hours, or about what would amount to me having to ask our commissioner for the $51,000, if we were going to do it ourselves, is being done by volunteers because we have men and women who believe in what we’re doing at the sheriff’s office.”
Should Clinton choose to promote his band at Friday’s meeting, however, citizen feedback could prove less than favorable.
Sheriff Clinton performing on town square in July 2018.
Widespread disapproval of The Chris Clinton Band’s schedule was brought to FetchYourNews’ attention in relation to the 2017 “Great American Eclipse,” an event that was anticipated by Clinton to draw thousands of solar enthusiasts to the Towns County area. Sheriff Clinton, who performs with his wife in the now two-man band, opted to host a concert at a local establishment during the highly publicized event. Members of the Towns County Homeowners’ Association – since renamed the Towns County Civic Association – along with numerous first responders, voiced stern criticism toward Clinton’s priorities.
Promotion for the Chris Clinton Band’s 2017 eclipse event.
Scrutiny later emerged in July 2018, following a band performance that corresponded with a deputy missing in action, along with a county inmate, during a wilderness search for alleged human remains near Brasstown Bald.
Public comments concerning the Clintons’ “small business” and the sheriff’s elected performance continue to appear on social media in response to the official’s recent bid for re-election.
Click to read comments and view reactions on original post.
While no contenders for the Office of the Sheriff have entered the race at this time, challengers are expected to announce candidacy in coming weeks.
Sheriff Clinton is scheduled to address Mountain Movers and Shakers this Friday at 8 a.m. at Sundance Grill in Hiawassee.
Meetings are open to the public.
Feature Image: Towns County Sheriff Chris Clinton draws tickets for door prizes at Thursday’s GOP meeting.