TAKE 5 CAR WASH WASHED UP SHORTER. POLITICS: ON WINNERS, LOSERS, WHAT’S NEXT
One less car wash in Rome: Those “car wash commenters” on social media have been less than social about the flurry of campuses filled with tunnels of “love” and free vacuums opening in Rome and Cartersville.
They currently have one less pit stop to talk about in West Rome — but not for long.
Specifically, that is Take 5 Car Wash off Shorter Avenue near Big Lots. Gates are across the entrances and one of the signs plainly displays “permanently closed” with a QR code to scan for other locations. That should lead you to other former
Goo-goo Express locations in Armuchee and off North Broad Street.
The closing is a surprise as the West Rome site recently was rebranded from Goo-goo to Take 5. But that has been one of the issues with the location. It started as Hurricane Bay and then became a Zippy and eventually took on Goo-goo’s handle.
The Shorter closing comes as Tidal Wave Auto Spa is expected soon near the former Ryan’s just past the Redmond/shorter intersection across from
Sam’s Club. A Tidal Wave also is planned adjacent to the East Rome Walmart.
The company has more than 50 locations open or on the way in Georgia alone — but the website doesn’t list either Rome spot as “coming soon” as opposed to what’s due in West Athens, Snellville, Thomson and other spots.
POPCORN & POLITICS
Let’s take a final assessment of the real winners and losers from election night — as well as what’s next:
Biggest surprise: That the extra-penny sales tax passed, given all the noise about property tax assessments. Runner-up: The Gap — as in the 739-vote gap between Ward 3’s top candidate, Wayne Robinson, and No. 3 winner, Bill Collins. Runner-up No. 2: The 648-vote gap between Harry Brock and Mark Cochran. Looks like that “pick two, not three” push worked — almost.
Losers: Rome and Floyd County. So 12-plus percent of those registered to vote bothered to do so despite absentee ballots, three weeks of advance voting and 12 hours of in-person balloting on Nov. 7. Which means we can tune out the traditional whining from the other 88% who couldn’t put down their cellphones long enough to vote — at least for the next four years. See you in 2027.
Winner: Mark Cochran. This could be a modern “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” Premise: First-term commissioner comes under fire with bogus ethics charges in an attempt to discourage him from seeking a second term. Dubbed “the swing vote,” Cochran instead mounts an expensive defense, qualifies to run again at the last minute and wins a second term, stunning colleagues who wanted him out. Our question: Were the trumped up “charges” really worth $150,000 in lawyer bills on both sides? Welcome to four more years, Mr. Cochran.
Losers: A Better Rome Inc. Aside from an initial flood of signs and some “get off my lawn” social media posts, it was ineffective. Most if not all of the “Gang of Four” supported by the Roswell folks would have won anyway. If anything, the outside influence raised new doubts. And why the interest in Rome politics from them and those well-financed Georgia’s Realtors? We’ve had enough outside incursions into local matters, thank you.
Winner: Wayne Robinson. He orchestrated perhaps the perfect campaign, from his shotgun start seconds after he qualified to the final minutes of the Ward 3 race. Robinson is his own man, no matter the party label, and could be the wild card the commission needs.
Losers: The voters. A lack of education — and a lot of misinformation as well as outright lies — about what was on the ballot (don’t blame us, we had it in the newspaper over and over and over again) had some voters thinking a Rome Middle School proposal was on the SPLOST ballot. Throw that in on top of the extended political shenanigans, from many of the same folks referenced above, turned what is normally a mild election cycle into something akin to the national level of dirt slinging. And we’d like to point out that the extra-penny sales tax was strategically placed in a year dominated by city elections — Rome residents usually support grabbing those extra pennies more than county residents. Tuesday’s reports again confirm that.
Winner: Bonny Askew. He leaves the commission this time with perhaps his greatest accomplishment — all the implications from the so-called “BS Meeting.” During an early summer caucus session, a defiant Askew called out fellow commissioners over their “private” stance vs. public vote-mongering regarding settlement talks of the Cochran ethics farce. Askew’s stance showcased the heart of the divided commission. Askew’s truthfulness earns him the commission MVP of 2023 — and the community’s appreciation.
What’s next — the new mayor: The final votes were barely announced when we heard the first comments about who will run for mayor in January. The names we hear: Craig Mcdaniel and Jim Bojo. But the real names to watch: Wayne Robinson and Harry Brock. Neither fits the supportive, empty suit narrative we’re used to with some commissioners.
BUSINESS, INC.
Home sales flat in October — but not prices: Here’s an interesting supply-and-demand note.
Last month, nearly 40 permits were issued for single-family home construction in Rome-floyd County. That doesn’t count the ongoing flood of apartments and townhomes.
Also last month, home sales in Floyd County were mostly unchanged vs. September and when compared to 12 months earlier. October saw 88 sales closed, up one from September and three more than the same month in 2022.
But the thing to watch is the median sales price. The homes sold last month averaged more than $252,000 each, up nearly $50,000 from October 2022 and $12,600 higher than September of this year.
Bartow home sales slowed a bit but not the prices. The monthly average was $325,000, around $30,000 higher than October 2022 and up $2,500 from two months ago.
PEAKS & VALLEYS The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to 50th anniversary of Berry’s MBA program: Since founded by Dr. Sam Spector and others in 1973, more than 600 students have earned MBAS at Berry College. That includes dozens of local business and healthcare notables and other coworkers in town. Around 70 guests returned to Berry to mark the anniversary last weekend, including Spector’s family and John Pillsbury, one of the first students to graduate from the program as well as the community’s top ambassador.
Valley to politics at the pump: The day before Tuesday’s vote, we got a spam text about $4-per-gallon gas prices. Funny thing was, we just paid $2.67 a gallon an hour earlier. Hours after the election, the governor extended an “emergency order” easing the state gas tax break until after Thanksgiving. That’s a 31-cent-a-gallon savings. The media release, as always, was rife with political slams and included the “Hallelujah Chorus” from the fake elector lieutenant governor and Speaker of the House. It is time to give those “hard-working” speech writers a break — and the state, too.