Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023–12:32 p.m.

-Adam Carey, Rome News-Tribune-

Floyd County commissioners unanimously approved the rezoning request for a housing development on Eden Valley Road on Tuesday night at their regular meeting.

The property, which is a former golf course, will be a subdivision containing 81 single-family, two-story homes with three or four bedrooms each.

Commissioners also approved a request to rezone a property on Fosters Mill Road that will be the site of a Dollar General Store, with the developer agreeing to upgrade the exterior in keeping with the more rustic nature of the location.

The board also agreed to a request by the owners of a property on Cave Spring Road for a special-use permit to install a paintball facility. However, commissioners rejected the plans to add more RV parking spots until it can be determined how many septic systems can be installed to serve them.

Subjects ranging from tyranny to pedophilia and drugs were mentioned during the county’s public participation session Tuesday

Several people spoke out Tuesday evening against the arrest of a former bank president at the previous Floyd County Commission meeting on Jan. 10.

The speakers told county commissioners they felt the arrest of Mark Kenneth Swanson was a violation of his rights. Swanson was charged with misdemeanor disrupting a public meeting after refusing to give up the podium when his time expired. Swanson ignored repeated warnings, saying “my time is not up.”

The county commission, like many government entities, allows a specific amount of time for public comment during meetings. In this case, there is three minutes allotted for each speaker.

One speaker, Angela Rubino, wearing a tin-foil hat, questioned the integrity of the commissioners, saying they had embarrassed themselves by having Swanson arrested.

Another, Rome resident, Norma Reboredo, alternated between speaking and yelling in general terms about the issue.

If this Republic goes, everybody goes,” Reboredo said. “I will die for this country.”

She then continued to speak of pedophilia and drug dealers, at one point asking why the assembled police officers didn’t arrest them.

Another speaker said that Swanson’s theatrics were nothing new in politics. She cited civil unrest during other periods of time and stated that forcing an issue by breaking decorum is nothing new.

Lastly, Cyndy Douan of Rome stated that the optics of Swanson’s arrest reflected poorly on the commissioners.

None of the speakers exceeded the three minutes allowed.

This story is possible because of a news-sharing agreement with the Rome News-Tribune. More information can be found at northwestgeorgianews.com.