11/21/2010 "Rush into Change"

One of these days, we hope soon, children will learn to read and students will study for projects in a new North Hall library.

Where that library will be, and what new detours will be taken to get there, are anyone's guess at this point.

11/11/2010 "Hall Commissioner: Clermont will get library"

Commissioner Ashley Bell and Commissioners-elect Scott Gibbs and Craig Lutz announced late Thursday they will vote in January to give the North Hall library back to the town of Clermont.

Following the Hall County Board of Commissioners meeting, Bell said the three have notified staff they will hold an emergency meeting Jan. 6 to reverse the vote taken by the commission Thursday to approve a $9.73 million contract for the construction of the combination park, community center and library on Nopone Road.

11/2/2010 "Lutz wins South Hall Commission seat"

Former Flowery Branch City Councilman Craig Lutz is now a member of the Hall County Board of Commissioners.

He won election Tuesday to the District 1, or South Hall, seat by defeating Democratic challenger Paul Wayne Godfrey by a vote of 13,263 to 2,531.

10/24/2010 "Hall County commission hopefuls already at work"

Though Election Day hasn't come yet, Hall County Board of Commissioners hopefuls already are preparing for business come January.

South Hall Republican Craig Lutz, who challenges Democrat Paul Wayne Godfrey for the District 1 seat, has formed a bond with Commissioner Ashley Bell and presumptive Commissioner-elect Scott Gibbs over changes they would like to see in county government.

10/19/2010 "Race for Hall commission seat gets heated"

Craig Lutz, Republican candidate for Hall County Board of Commissioners Post 1, answered questions about his campaign contributions and military record during a debate Monday at Gainesville State College in Oakwood.

9/21/2010 "Hall's closed meeting vote may be illegal"

The Hall County Board of Commissioners may have broken Georgia’s open meeting laws by voting behind closed doors on payments to the Glades Reservoir property owners, minutes from the closed session show.

9/14/2010 "Candidates challenge Hall Boards closed discussion"

Commission hopefuls Scott Gibbs and Craig Lutz are challenging the Hall County Board of Commissioners' move to authorize $3 million in sales tax dollars toward the Glades Reservoir project.

In a letter sent to County Administrator Charley Nix, Gibbs and Lutz questioned the validity of a commission decision in executive session and requested the matter be taken up publicly.

9/12/2010 "Glades Reservoir backers stress its importance"

Water experts working on the Glades Reservoir project answered tough questions from the public and the Hall County Board of Commissioners as they expressed the importance of the reservoir at a special workshop Tuesday morning.

Tommy Craig, an attorney specializing in reservoir permitting, gave a presentation on the history and current status of the proposed 850-acre, 80-million-gallon per day reservoir in North Hall.

9/21/2010 "Hall's Closed Meeting Vote may be Illegal"

The Hall County Board of Commissioners may have broken Georgia’s open meeting laws by voting behind closed doors on payments to the Glades Reservoir property owners, minutes from the closed session show.

Minutes obtained by The Times show commissioners voted in a closed session to pay $3 million to owners of the Glades Farm property, where the reservoir will be built, to reimburse them for money they spent to obtain a federal permit.

9/14/2010 "Candidates challenge Hall board's closed discussion'

Commission hopefuls Scott Gibbs and Craig Lutz are challenging the Hall County Board of Commissioners' move to authorize $3 million in sales tax dollars toward the Glades Reservoir project.

In a letter sent to County Administrator Charley Nix, Gibbs and Lutz questioned the validity of a commission decision in executive session and requested the matter be taken up publicly.

8/16/2010 "Party, issues define South Hall commission race'"

After two elections, the ballot is finally set for the big show in November.

Republican Craig Lutz will face Democrat Paul Wayne Godfrey in the contest to become the District 1 commissioner and represent South Hall County.

8/10/2010 "Lutz beats Banks, faces Godfrey in November"

Craig Lutz beat incumbent commissioner Bobby Banks in Tuesday's runoff for the District 1 Republican nomination on the Hall County Board of Commissioners.

The underdog candidate won with 53 percent of the vote, and will face Democratic challenger Paul Wayne Godfrey in the Nov. 2 election.

8/8/2010 "Banks, Lutz in runoff for South Hall post on board'"

On Tuesday, voters will have a second chance to pick their Republican nominee for the District 1 seat on the Hall County Board of Commissioners.

Incumbent Bobby Banks and Craig Lutz will compete one-on-one after third candidate Kimbo Senter was eliminated in the July 20 primary.

8/2/2010 "Former candidate backs Banks in commission race'"

Former candidate Kimbo Senter has thrown his support behind Bobby Banks in the runoff to select the next South Hall representative on the Hall County Board of Commissioners.

Senter finished third place behind fellow Republicans Banks and Craig Lutz in the July 20 primary.

7/30/2010 "Early voting for primary runoff begins today'"

Hall County citizens can cast ballots again as early voting for the general primary runoff election begins today.

Regular voting takes place Aug. 10, but voters can come to the polls in advance until Aug. 6.

7/23/2010 "Letter from County is a 'Smoking Gun'"

Clermont officials claim a letter written by the Hall County Board of Commissioners to Gov. Sonny Perdue last year is evidence the county went back on a promise to build a sales tax-funded library in Clermont.

An attorney for the county, however, said commissioners were not legally obligated to build the library in Clermont under SPLOST law and were free to change their minds.

7/22/2010 "Banks lies to the Governor?"

An October 12th, 2009 commission letter to Governor Sonny Perdue requesting funding for the project identifies the library site in Clermont and is signed by Chairman Tom Oliver and Commissioners Bobby Banks, Steve Gailey, Billy Powell and Ashley Bell.

7/22/2010 "Banks and Lutz look forward to election"

It's down to two men as Bobby Banks and Craig Lutz try to get their messages out as they head into a runoff to become the Republican nominee for District 1 commissioner.

The two men were the top vote getters in Tuesday's primary election, beating Kimbo Senter for a chance to represent South Hall on the Hall County Board of Commissioners.

7/20/2010 "Banks, Lutz headed to runoff for Hall commission post
"

Bobby Banks faces an Aug. 10 runoff to preserve his District 1 seat on the Hall County Board of Commissioners against former Flowery Branch City Councilman Craig Lutz.

The two emerged with the most votes in Tuesday's primary that involved a third Republican, Robert "Kimbo" Senter.

7/15/2010 "Lutz Fulfils Campaign Promise"

The council accepted a $2,500 check from former Councilman Craig Lutz to help defray the cost of a special election to replace him.

Lutz is seeking the Republican nomination Tuesday for the Post 1 seat on the Hall County Board of Commissioners. He faces fellow challenger Robert “Kim” Senter and incumbent Bobby Banks.

7/6/2010 "Three Hall County Candidates Skip Political Forum"

Three of the five Hall County commission candidates invited to a forum put on by the Hall County Republican Party were no-shows Saturday, but the program went on as scheduled.

District 1 Commission candidate Craig Lutz and District 3 candidate Jones Cottrell used their allotted 10 minutes to speak on their qualifications and goals if elected to serve the South Hall and North Hall districts, respectively.

7/6/2010 "GOP Debate Features One Candidate"

The Hall County Republican Party hosted a debate Tuesday evening for South Hall county commission candidates that ended up as a question and answer session with candidate Craig Lutz.