Olens stopped by the MDJ offices to meet with the editorial board Monday morning and dropped several hints about the identity of Lee's successor, who will be chosen by the three remaining members of the commission - acting Chairman Woody Thompson, Helen Goreham and Bob Ott.
Lee's successor would be chosen immediately by the three if he qualifies to run for chairman in the July 20 special election without first resigning his present seat. The qualification period is April 12-14. However, if he does resign before the qualifying period, the July 20 election would determine who would fill the remainder of his term, which ends Dec. 31, and the commission would have only three members from April 12 until just after July 20.
The departing chairman said that although he was not consulted by the three as to the qualifications of the person they have in mind for Lee's successor, he has been kept in the loop about the person's identity.
"The person I hear they're seriously considering would do a very good job," he said, adding, in response to a series of questions from the board, that the person is well known, is female, is not a Cobb Chamber of Commerce insider, would not run for a full term on the commission and lives, as would be required, in the northeast district.
"This person would do a good job. If it's who through rumor I've heard it will be, that individual will do an excellent job for the county. Tim's constituents would be happy with her.
"Look, what you want in that commissioner is someone who doesn't have a big learning curve on what the county does, and who's fair," he said. "And they have done that, just as I think I have done with the appointment of Woody Thompson to be acting chair. Someone who's very fair and will walk in there and do a very good job until the certification and special election results."
Asked if the person in question had ever served in office, Olens smiled and said, "Nice try," but refused to say more.
Asked if Lee had been involved in the selection process, Olens answered, "I think lately they've shared more than they have before. And it's a good choice, so that resolves the issue."
Olens' speculation that the selectee would not later seek a full term would seem to rule out Waste Management Co. community relations director JoAnne Birrell, one of three candidates for Lee's seat in the November election. The others are architect Stephen Moon and IT company owner Earl Stine.
A REMINDER that a "farewell party" is planned for Olens from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. For information or to RSVP call (770) 528-3305.
THE GEORGIA COMMISSION ON WOMEN has named Babe Atkins Byrne of Cobb as winner of one of its GLOW Awards for this year, as in "Georgia Legacy, Older Women," honoring those who are past the usual age of retirement but are still significantly involved and productive. Byrne, who was nominated by Cobb YWCA head Holly Comer and is married to former Cobb Commission Chairman Bill Byrne, is a past recipient of the Y's Woman of Achievement Award, the Cobb Bar Association's Liberty Bell Award and the Georgia Federation of Republican Women's Republican of the Year Award in 2009.
TASTE OF MARIETTA, Cobb County's premier food festival is using the latest in smartphone technology to promote the festival this year on April 25 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Marietta Square, sponsored by the Marietta Welcome Center and the City of Marietta. A QR code - much like a barcode - is being embedded into all print advertising, brochures and posters. That allows the user to photo the code with the smart phone and it will automatically take them to the Taste of Marietta Web site, www.tasteofmarietta.com. For details call (770) 429-1115 or go to www.tasteofmarietta.com.
EVENTS: The Seventh Annual GB's Stable and Williams Family Barbecue, a widely-attended Smyrna event, will be April 17 at 4 p.m. Bring along your favorite side dish or dessert to 448 Hurt Road SW, Smyrna, 30082. RSVP at (404) 421-1775 or tw5@bellsouth.net. ... The Marietta Golden "K" Kiwanis Club will have its National Day of Prayer Breakfast on May 6 at 8 a.m. at the Senior Center. The speaker will be Dr. James Harper, of Douglasville Presbyterian Church. ... The 26th Annual Cobb County Prayer Breakfast is May 6 at the Cobb Galleria Centre. Keynote speaker will be J.C. Watts, a former U.S. Congressman. The event will have a coffee/social at 6:30 a.m. and the breakfast program from 7 to 9 a.m. ... The 14th Annual Great Locomotive Chase Golf Tournament is at 11 a.m. May 10 at Brookstone Country Club. Sheriff Neil Warren is chairman for the Kennesaw Museum Foundation's 14th annual event, including lunch and dinner. Since its inception, this event has raised over $500,000 for Southern Museum programs. For individual or team sign ups, call (770) 427-2117, ext 3183. Sponsorships are available.
THE KENNESAW MOUNTAIN NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK will host its annual Park Day volunteer activity on April 10 from 9 a.m. to noon. The Civil War Preservation Trust sponsors Park Day yearly to honor the community to help care for local, state and federal Civil War sites. Projects include tree plantings, building picnic tables, and some trail maintenance. Volunteers call (770) 427-4686. They need not bring tools. Visit www.cwpt.org/parkday.
THE RECENT Marietta snow days got some OM's (Old Mariettans) reminiscing of the fun filled days at the old Marietta Country Club. Kathy Kelly recalls kids would walk to "the Club" with their sleds for a day of sledding, then go to a friend's house for hot chocolate. Facebook helped these MHS students of the '70s reconnect and a luncheon was held to reminisce. There will be a reunion June 19 at the Marietta Shrine Club on White Circle for the MHS classes of '70 -'74. Go to www.mhsreuniononline.com.
Who was voted Best Looking Girl at Marietta High in 1957? That's Margaret Whitten Raines, who just celebrated her 71st birthday. She's the widow of Carroll Raines and mother of Mike Raines, Todd Raines and Paige Raines-Gregory.
CLARIFICATION: Saturday's AT item on negotiations for an out parcel the county hopes to buy for the new senior citizens center/county office complex on Powder Springs Road incorrectly identified the fast-food restaurant involved. It's the Arby's, not the chicken place.
GOV. SONNY PERDUE has appointed Barry Cranfill of Marietta to the Georgia Board of Nursing. Cranfill is president and chief executive officer of Sentry Anesthesia Management, LLC, a member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and is past president of the Georgia Association of Nurse Anesthetists.
ATLANTA UNION MISSION will open a new thrift store on April 10 that will serve those in greatest need in the Marietta community and generate funding for programs that transform the lives of individuals facing homelessness in metro Atlanta. Atlanta Union Mission's Thrift Store & More, 1140 Roswell Road in Marietta, offers discounts on and accepts donations of furniture, appliances and electronics in addition to clothing and household items.
MDJ COLUMNIST the Rev. Dr. Nelson Price says Bill Kinney's column last week on Grier's Almanac stirred some memories: "As a boy, the family's barn was the first big building on Highway 51 leaving Louisiana and we got $10 for letting them paint "See Rock City" on the roof. When our college basketball team got on the bus to go to the NAIA National Championship game, Sen. Leblanc, who concocted Hadacol, boarded and gave us a case of Hadacol."
PEOPLE: Graham Brown received the Virginia Wilbanks Kilgore Scholarship at the UGA's College of Family and Consumer Sciences Donor-Scholar Awards Ceremony. Brown, a first-year family financial planning master's student, is son of Jeff and Laura Brown of Marietta.
THIS AND THAT: Marietta High's Symphonic band under David DuBose's direction, earned "Excellent" ratings in state evaluations. It received the highest marks in sight reading, and being one of nine bands earning "Superior" ratings in sight reading in the top 16 bands overall. ... After long preparation, the new dog park at Wildwood Park is open. The fenced area is much larger than Marietta's existing dog park at Lewis Park. The park also has a separate area for small dogs. Wildwood Park is at corner of Barclay Circle and South Cobb Drive, near Life University.
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