New Oconee Superior Court Judge Praises Job And County

Lisa Lott, Superior Court judge for the Western Judicial Circuit, told a gathering of Oconee County Democrats last month that her first months in office have been a wonderful experience.

“It has been great. It has been absolutely great,” Lott said. “It has really been a dream come true.”

Lott’s upbeat and spirited discussion of her nearly 10 months in office turned critical in response to questions, when she said the budget cuts proposed by Gov. Brian Kemp would “devastate our Judicial Circuit” and also said both Clarke and Oconee counties have a serious gang problem.

Lott was speaking at the September meeting of the Oconee County Democrats, and the party will host Michael Thurmond, former Georgia labor commissioner and current chief executive officer of DeKalb County, at its October meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Bogart Library.

Thurmond will talk about his recently reissued book, “A Story Untold: Black Men and Women in Athens History.” Thurmond grew up in Athens-Clarke County and was elected to represent that county in the Georgia General Assembly

The only election on the ballot this fall is in Watkinsville, where turnout on the first day of early voting on Monday was very light. Only 18 persons, or less than 1 percent of the city’s 2,209 registered voters, cast a ballot, according to Fran Leathers, director of Elections and Registration for the county.

For more on the story, with a video of the Democratic Party meeting, please go to Oconee County Observations.