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Vol. 107, Issue No. 293, October 19, 2012

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Facing an election challenge, longtimeState Attorney Willie Meggs defended hisrecord Thursday against sharp criticismfrom opponent Pete Williams.

During an endorsement interview for theSecond Judicial Circuit race with the Talla-hassee Democrat editorial board, Williams,

a formerstatewideprosecutor,went on the offensive, accus-ing Meggs of making poorprosecution decisions, bully-ing defense attorneys and be-ing out of touch with his ownoffice.

“The office really needs tobe reinvigorated and have achange in philosophy. It’s notabout winning; it’s about whatis right,”Williams said. “Thereis a growing perception that itdepends on who you are andwho you know as to what kindof justice you get.”

Meggs, running for hiseighth term, countered bypraisingthehardworkof thosein his office and pointing to hisefforts during his last 28 yearsas prosecutor to help keep thecommunity clean and safe.

“Our office is running veryefficiently now and I hope wecan continue to dowhat we aredoing,” said the 69-year-oldMeggs. “I think I’ve done agreat deal to take some stands

that have helped make this a great place tolive.Wedo not have the strip joints and all ofthose things thatothercitieshaveandI thinkthat’s in largepartbecauseof theactionsI’vetaken and the stands that I’ve taken.”

ButWilliams, 60, saidMeggs’ approach toprosecuting crimes has been misguided.While somecriminalsneed tobeprosecuted,Williams said others “can be saved.” Youngpeople, inparticular,hesaid,arefacingover-zealousprosecutionunderMeggsand theof-fice’s entire approach to juveniles should bereevaluated. He also questioned Meggs’ de-cision tonotprosecutesomecases, including

| STATE ATTORNEY |

Meggs,Williamsdifferon focusIncumbent criticized forchoice in prosecutions;Meggs touts office efficiency

By Jennifer PortmanDemocrat senior writer

Meggs

Williams

See ATTORNEY » 2A

INSIDESoutherlandand Lawsonagree todisagree,Page 7A

LIVE ON TALLAHASSEE.COMListen in as the Tallahassee DemocratEditorial Board interviewscandidates today.

Live at 1 p.m.: CircuitCourt judge – Josefina M.Tamayo and Barbara Hobbs

Live at 3 p.m.: State Senate,District 3 – Bill Montford (D) and JohnShaw (R)

COMINGSUNDAYWatch for the2012 Election Guide TALLAHASSEE CITY COMMISSION SEAT 1 ›› Page 5

LEON COUNTY COMMISSION AT-LARGE SEAT ›› Page 7

ELECTION 2012 LEON COUNTYEarly votingOct. 27-Nov. 3

Election DayNov. 6

Florida and its29 electoral votesare again key to thepresidential electionSWING STATE

SUNSHINE

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012

On trash days, city and countycurbs are lined with garbage and re-cycling bins but few residents cananswer: Where does my trash gofrom here?

It depends onwhat’s being tossed.Dozens of curious residents spent

Thursday evening hearingmore andposing questions about Leon Coun-ty’s $8-million solid-waste operationduring a citizen engagement event.They learned curbside collection fortrash, recyclables and yard debris isjust thebeginningof a long, involvedprocess.

SuzannaThomasdumpeditemsatthe Solid Waste Facility on Apalach-ee Parkway after remodeling herhome, but never toured the grounds.She got her chance during theevent’s bus tour. Thomas broughther daughterHannah Pudvah, 9, andson, Matthew Pudvah, 6, along be-cause shewanted to impart a life les-son.

“I’m a big advocate for recy-cling,”Thomassaid. “Hannahisreal-ly into the earth. Their era right nowis peace, love and happiness. I justwanted to educate them on why weneed to recycle.”

Hannah, sitting within earshot ofher mom, nodded in agreement.

“I like it because you get to makenew stuff out of (trash),” said Han-nah, adding she makes sure to recy-cleat school, too. “OnceImadeawal-let out of a milk carton.”

During the bus tour, those alongfor the ride learned tires collected atthe site are used for fuel andmateri-als for playgrounds, along with thefacility’s environmental features. To

some residents’ surprise, each per-son in Leon County produces about7.5 pounds of trash per day, saidNorm Thomas, the county’s solidwaste director.

Last year, the county collectedenough trash to fill Doak CampbellStadium eight times.

Trash goes from the curb to thecounty’s transfer station, and thenext stop is a landfill in JacksonCounty. Bulky items, such as sofas,chairs and appliances, are picked upand sent to Marpan Recycling offWoodville Highway. The county haseight facilities where residents canbring trash and other items.

The Apalachee Parkway facility,operatedby34employees, is also thesite for recycling paint and makingmulch out of yard waste that’s then

made available to the public.The county chose its solid-waste

operation as its fifth citizen series asaway to eliminate themysteryaboutwhathappensbeyondthecurb,alongwitheducatingpeopleonthewidear-ray of potential recyclables.

“We want folks to know kind ofwhere their money goes when theyhave to pay taxes or fees. We wantthem to know what we are doing forthe environment and protection ofhuman health,” Thomas said.

The event also gave residents achance to play in trash, sort of.

Each table of attendees repre-sented a mock hauling company. In

County talks trashCitizens learn about solid-waste operation and benefits of recycling

Gary Gentry holds up a pizza box while Robert Mills places a piece of lumber on the table during a trash sorting competitionat a Citizen Engagement Series event hosted by Leon County at the Solid Waste Management Facility.MICHAEL SCHWARZ/SPECIAL

TO THE DEMOCRAT

By TaMarynWatersDemocrat staff writer@tamarynwaters on Twitter.com

Machinery tops a plastic-lined landfillat the Leon County Solid WasteManagement Facility on Thursday.MICHAEL SCHWARZ/SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT

HERE’S SOME QUICK STATSFROM THE 2012 FISCALYEAR:

173,000 tons of trash went tothe Leon County landfill during the 2012fiscal year.

17,000 tons of yard debris wascollected at Apalachee Solid Waste Facil-ity.

18,000 gallons of paint, about75 percent, was recycled by the facility.

40,345 tons of waste is recycledby Marpan Recycling at its facility onWoodville Highway.

10,000 tons of cardboard wasrecycled at the The Apalachee SolidWaste Facility.

Source: Leon County Solid Waste Operations

See TRASH » 2A

11th annual Walk to Remember brings community togetherto help in healing after pregnancy and infant loss

PAGE 2A

REMEMBRANCE

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Tallahassee Democrat 10/19/2012 Page : A02

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October 19, 2012 12:46 pm / Powered by TECNAVIA

2A » FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2012 » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » NEWS

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The Democrat recyclespaper products

FLORIDA LOTTERYCASH 3 (noon): 10/18 -4-7-4;10/17 -4-6-6CASH 3 (night): 10/18 -5-7-0;10/17 -4-2-6PLAY 4 (noon): 10/18 -3-1-3-7; 10/17 -7-8-0-7PLAY 4 (night): 10/18 -0-7-2-0; 10/17 -1-8-1-9FANTASY 5: 10/18 -16-22-23-25-31; 10/17 -2-9-11-29-35LOTTO: 10/17 -2-9-16-18-34-46; 10/13 -4-11-36-37-45-51MEGAMONEY: 10/16 -15-23-32-33 —12; 10/12 -22-23-26-28 — 3POWERBALL: 10/17 -1-7-10-23-42 — 35; 10/13 -2-5-25-26-49 —18

GEORGIA LOTTERYCASH 3 (noon): 10/18 -4-1-6;10/17 -4-6-4CASH 3 (night): 10/18 -8-6-5;10/17 -2-9-5PLAY 4 (noon): 10/18 -5-9-3-7; 10/17 -4-9-6-1PLAY 4 (night): 10/18 -n/a;10/17 -4-8-3-3GEORGIA 5 (noon): 10/18-0-6-2-3-3; 10/17 -6-7-1-0-3GEORGIA 5 (night): 10/18-4-3-3-3-3; 10/17 -5-9-8-6-9FANTASY 5: 10/18 -n/a; 10/17-03-11-19-21-33DECADES OF DOLLARS:10/15 -7-11-35-36-37-39MEGAMILLIONS: 10/16-13-37-40-46-52 — 29/4;10/12 -6-10-24-26-42 —15/4

For lottery information, call (850) 487-7777. Note: Someresults may not have been available at press start.

Lottery results

The Leon County Sales Tax Extension Committee hasnot yet approved the economic development per-centage that will eventually be decided by the 18-member committee sometime next year. An article inThursday’s Democrat had incorrect information.To report a correction, please contact HelenSchwarz at 599-2229 or fax 599-2295.

Corrections

What’s hot, what’s new and what’s coming up onTallahassee’s website

Legacy: Obituary 25,217

Felony arrest 10/17 23,344

Felony arrest 10/10 2,650

Pizza Wars winners 2,215

Gallery: Pizza Wars 2,026

Tallahassee.com

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a traffic crash involvingformer Wakulla CountySheriff David Harvey.

“Right now we aren’tdoing a good job of sepa-rating who is a danger tothis community and whois not,” Williams said.

Meggssaid the twobig-gest issues facing thecommunity are an in-crease in gangs anddrugs. His office, he said,is focusing on crack co-caine dealers and habit-ual, serious offenders. Di-version programs areused when appropriate,he said.

The role of prosecutor,Meggs said, is not to “fixpeople.”

“The role of the prose-cutor is to protect the in-nocent and convict theguilty,” he said.

Williams, however,said too many meritlesscases have been broughtto trial under Meggs, and

charged the circuit’s juryconviction rate wasamong the worst in thestate. Meggs refuted thatclaim with official statejudicial statistics thatshowed the office’s con-viction rate during histenure has been on parwith the state average orslightly better.

“We are right in themiddle of the pack,”Meggssaid. “Mr.Williamsismaking a blatant wrongstatement that isnot accu-rate or correct at all.”

Williams also chargedthat defense attorneysfeel bullied by Meggs,who say he retaliatesagainst them by piling oncharges when they de-fend their clients.

Meggs’ called the as-sertion “ludicrous.”

“I don’t think we in-timidate any defense at-torneys. They know therules as well as we do,” hesaid.

Williams further criti-cized a lack of racial di-versity in the state attor-ney’s office and said thatMeggs is blind to the im-pact of his policies onyoung people and theblack community.

Meggs countered thathe has black attorneys intop positions on staff andworks hard to recruit mi-norities,but theyarediffi-cult to retain because ofthe office’s relative lowpay. If he is re-elected, hehopes to increase salaries

for attorneys who havegone without a pay raisefor five years.

“I want our city to beknown as a place to raiseour families, raise ourchildren, little leaguebaseball, moms and applepie,” Meggs said duringhis closing remarks. “Ilovemy job. I get upexcit-ed every morning to go towork and make a differ-ence.”

Williams, who got thefinal word before theboard, conceded: “He hasdone some good things.But it’s timeforafreshap-proach. Thirty-two yearswould be too much.”

Continued » 1A

Attorney ONLINEView the meeting video at tallahassee.com/stateatty

For some parents, themost important part ofThursday night was hear-ing their child’s nameread aloud.

To these parents, sim-ply hearing that is signifi-cant, as the time theyspent with their child wastoo short.

Families who have suf-fered the loss of a youngchild gathered at St.Paul’s United MethodistChurch during the 11th an-nual Walk to Remember.The event, held in recog-nition of National Preg-nancy and Infant LossAwareness Day, is dedi-cated to the Tallahasseearea’s grieving familiesand their departed chil-dren.

“We bring the families

together and they knowthey’renotalone,andtheycan gain comfort fromknowing that there areothers that are workingthrough the difficult is-sues,” saidAnnDavis, Ex-ecutive Director of theCapital Area HealthyStart Coalition (CAHSC),which planned the event.Additional sponsors werethe TMH Foundation, theTallahassee MemorialWomen and Children’sServices, the TallahasseeRotary Club and the Cap-ital Rotary Club.

The gathering fea-tured a dinner along witha non-denominational ser-vice anda candlelight vig-il. Families were also af-forded the opportunity toadd their child’s name tothe remembrance quilt.

Randy Brent and hiswife, Sharia, lost theirdaughter, Serena Grace,

one day before her one-month birthday due tomedical complications in2008.

“It’s been an uphill bat-tle for us coping and try-ing to rebuild our emo-tions,” said Randy Brent.“This event allows us toconnect with other par-ents that may have expe-rienced the same tragedyand gives us the chance tohear their story and shareours as well.”

“We wanted to shareour story with others be-cause we know how pre-cious she is to us,” saidSharia of her daughter.

County CommissionerAkin Akinyemi and hiswife, Elvira, lost a daugh-ter, Vanessa, in 1998 to aheart defect. The event

was a chance for parentslike the Akinyemis togather as a communityand help each other heal,said the commissioner.

“This is really impor-tant to us,” said ElviraAkinyemi. “We’re readyto share our story and tosharewith thecommunitywho’vealso lostchildren.”

JessicaExline,ofTalla-hassee, lost two babies tomiscarriagein one year.WalktoRemembermakesher feel not alone, shesaid.

“You go through hard-ships inyour life for a rea-son andmaybe the reasonthat I’ve gone throughwhat I have is to help oth-er people that go throughthe same situation,” saidExline.

Three attendees at Walk to Remember share photos of their babies. The 11th annual Walk to Remember was heldThursday night at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in recognition of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss AwarenessDay.MIKE EWEN/DEMOCRAT

Precious memories11th annual Walk to Remember honors families who’ve suffered loss of a childBy Sean RossmanDemocrat staff writer@seanrossman on Twitter

ONLINE» See more photos from Thursday night’s Walk toRemember at Tallahassee.com/Remembrance

10 minutes, teams werechallenged to sortthrough30 itemsplaced ina paper bag and decidetheir appropriate destina-tion based on laminatedpictures of various facili-ties.

The interactive gamewas a lively moment .

“There are always im-provements on what wecan recycle,” said AmyHutson, who came be-cause she wanted to knowher recycling options.“You start off very small.

First itwas just aluminumand plastic, and now weare expanding to all thesedifferent things. And I

need to know what theyare.

Margie Davis, an avidrecycler herself, said

more residents need tomake time for learningwhere trash goes, fromstart to finish.

In the end, she said ef-forts will “help make theenvironment cleaner andfresher.”

The state has chal-lenged all counties toreach the lofty goal of re-cycling 75 percent of allsolid waste collected by2020. Leon County’s at 39percent now.

Before leaving theevent, Suzanna Thomassaid she wanted her chil-dren and others to takeaway one message: Trashgoes somewhere. Pleaserecycle.

Continued » 1A

Trash

Methane gas produced by waste materials in the landfill isburned at a flare station at the Leon County landfill onThursday.MICHAEL SCHWARZ/SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT