About Us

Welcome to LumpkinSunshine.com, the place for knowledgeable discussion of local issues.  We encourage you to try out all our features including a printable calendar listing local political meetings.

Publisher Emily Lewy created LumpkinSunshine.com and the Sunshine Observer early in 2005 soon after the first 5-member BoC took office.  A joint meeting of the Lumpkin County BOC and the Dahlonega City Council was held in executive session to discuss how to finance debt on reservoir property jointly owned by the city and county.  This was not an allowable exception to Georgia’s open meetings, “Sunshine Law.”  Following  The Dahlonega Nugget editorials condemning that meeting, there was talk of taking the Legals away from our local paper.

Recognizing the importance of providing uncensored information to the public where there is only one local newspaper, Emily began this online effort.  Emily and her husband, Gerald, often attend meetings that reporters don’t even get to.

Emily says, “We have government of the people, by the people and for the people only when the people know what is going on.  Our goal is to have more people attend meetings, become well-informed and speak out.”

How to Use This Site

You can join the discussion about local issues by adding your comments to articles published at the site. To post your comments, you must first register for a free member account. You will receive an email to confirm your account, so enter registration info carefully.

After you log in, you will see the comment form at the bottom of every article. The opportunity for comment on an article closes 21 days after publication. You can comment on the article or you can “comment on a comment” by clicking the appropriate link by the comment to which you want to respond.