CAMPAIGN TRAIL MUSINGS
We received some very humorous phone calls from various candidates and observers on the campaign trail this week. At least some have not lost their sense of humor.

Roswell Mayor
One caller phoned in with this: “Alert! David Tolleson has just been sighted in Martin’s Landing. He was seen sitting on a fence.”

Another suggested our first debate question Thursday night should be: “Ok, which one of you lives east of the highway?”

A Lori Henry voter: “Tolleson thinks he’s Roswell’s Dalai Lama.”

A Jere Wood supporter: “If Henry is the conservative in this race, then I’m the real Roswell alien.”

A Tolleson supporter: “Wood has reinvented himself more times than a Florida chameleon on steroids at a Seminole tailgate party.”

An undecided voter: “Henry and [campaign manager Stacy] Loftin should start a new reality show: ‘Desperate Housewives Run For Mayor.’”

Georgia Governor
From a rival Democrat: “The Roy Barnes listening tour is a cross between ‘Cool Hand Luke’ and ‘The Nutty Professor’. On the one hand he had ‘a clear failure to communicate.’ On the other, all his students flunked out of his class, and were ‘obviously too dumb’ to teach.”

And another: “Here is how Barnes’ listening tour goes. ‘Hi, I’m Roy Barnes. But enough about me, I want to learn about you. So, what do you think about me?’”

TOWN HALL MEETING MANIA
After fielding a plethora of inquiries this week as to whether or not U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-GA/6) will be holding a “town hall meeting” on health care in North Fulton this summer, we called his district office to find out. We were referred to Price’s communication director, Brendan Buck. After several emails, we ascertained this: “A town hall meeting by Tom Price may be forthcoming but the details of the event have not yet been finalized. If citizens would like to be personally contacted about the meetings, contact Congressman Price’s district office at 770-565-2069.”

We encourage Congressman Price to hold an “open” to all constituents town hall meeting during his break in North Fulton. Many residents may have questions or concerns about the current health care debate. Their voices should be heard and their questions answered. We have always found Price to be exceptionally accessible and transparent, so we can only assume his office will plan a town hall type event soon.

A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

Long time Star House volunteer and community activist Nancy Diamond has officially thrown her hat in the Roswell City Council ring. Diamond will be running against either Dr. Peter Vanstrom or Jim Pollak, both announced candidates who are supporting David Tolleson’s mayoral candidacy.

Diamond is uncommitted in the mayor’s race, and may be poised to pick up support from both Henry and Wood supporters. Another potential candidate, reportedly close to a final decision, is Dr. Betty Price, who serves on Roswell’s Design and Review Board. If Price runs, she would most likely team up with Diamond to form a loosely connected slate in direct opposition to Vanstrom and Pollak.

Either way, Diamond is a very formidable candidate with deep roots in the community. She has the reputation of a tireless volunteer worker, and starts the campaign with a significant support base that neither Vanstrom nor Pollak has. Diamond enters the race as the favorite against either candidate listed above. If Price opts in – and aligns with Diamond – this race may turn into a rout.

DOES RAY MCBERRY NEED A HUG?

Poor Ray McBerry. The nuisance “States Rights” Republican candidate for governor only has $3,000 in his campaign coffers. Now to make matters worse, his far right-wing nut-job candidacy couldn’t even win the endorsement of the far right-wing nut-job blogoshpere site RedState.com at their annual “convention.” Instead, the blogger site endorsed Karen Handel for governor. We missed the event, but we understand that their featured speaker was Texas Governor Rick Perry (R), who called for his state to consider “seceding” from the Union a few months ago. I’m not sure what Perry was thinking, but we tried that once, with disastrous results: General Sherman torched our state to ground, save Savannah.

So Handel got the blogger endorsement, and her campaign sent out a press release, proudly touting it. Rumor has it the Handel campaign tried to sign up all their bloggers as volunteers, but they’re anonymous, so no-go.

As for McBerry, maybe he should join Austin Scott on his 1,000-mile walk through Georgia?  At least he’d save his financially strapped campaign some much needed gas money.