Georgia Political News for May 4, 2012

It’s puppy season in local shelters, with these three being available for adoption Monday from Walton Animal Control Services.

Gwinnett County Animal Shelter currently houses twelve puppies, who are available for adoption today, and another half-dozen who are larger but still described as babies.

While puppy season sounds like the awesomest time of the year, it causes several problems. First is that inevitably, some shelter puppies will be euthanized despite many shelters and rescue groups making heroic efforts to save them. Second, the large number of puppies places more adult dogs at risk of euthanasia as adults are less adoptable. Third, the influx of dogs and puppies may strain the financial and spacial resources of local shelters, leading to accelerated euthanasia.

The best thing you can do to help is to adopt or foster a dog through a licensed, reputable rescue group or shelter. Donations are also very helpful.

Gwinnett County Political Knife Fight

The lawsuit by former Gwinnett County Chairman Charles Bannister against Sheriff Butch Conway appears to be drawing in developer Wayne Mason and its impact may reverberate through Gwinnett politics this year. From the AJC:

In a federal lawsuit filed this week against Sheriff Butch Conway claiming the arrest was politically motivated, Bannister also says Conway and his wife, State Court Judge Carla Brown, steered a county contract to a probation company partly owned by Mason.

Moreover, in the suit he claims he was approached by Mason shortly after taking office in 2005. The suit says Mason “made it clear, explicitly, that if Bannister would use his position as commission chairman to Mason’s advantage, Bannister would be made wealthy.”

Such incendiary claims, leveled in a lawsuit aimed at someone else, did not sit well with Mason.

“Those allegations are a complete falsehood from an individual who left public office to avoid prosecution for perjury before a special grand jury,” Mason e-mailed when asked for a response by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Conway and Brown deny they tried to aid Mason, and the sheriff insists Bannister’s arrest was a mistake, not an attempt to embarrass him or drive him from office.

“There’s some allegations in there that just come from outer space,” said Conway, who is up for reelection this summer. “They threw in the kitchen sink.”

Not only is Conway up for reelection this summer, he has also endorsed Wayne Mason’s niece in the election for an open seat on the Gwinnett County Superior Court.

[Disclaimer, I work for another candidate in the Superior Court race.]

Georgia Democratic Party Fights Back

After Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Mike Berlon was forced to respond to reports by GeorgiaUnfiltered about the lengthy criminal record of the DPG’s Political Director, he decided to double down on stupid by lengthening the news lifecycle of this story by threatening legal action by the Political Director’s crack criminal defense litigation team.

Today, the Democratic Chairman will hold a press conference at which he’s likely to shoot himself in the foot yet again.

Yesterday, Andre Walker, who first wrote of the DPG Political Director’s numerous arrests and follows up with more of that soap opera today, was on WGST with Rob Johnson. I was also on with Rob and made four points about what this tells us about Democratic politics in Georgia.

Governor Deal signs charter schools legislation

Yesterday, Governor Nathan Deal signed HB 797, the Charter School Amendment enabling legislation, at Cherokee Charter Academy. The bill will put on November’s General Election ballot a question about whether the state should be able to approve and fund charter schools without the approval of local school officials. In a Press Release, Deal said:

“By observing high-performing charter schools throughout Georgia, it’s clear these institutions promote competition, innovation and creativity while encouraging strong parental involvement. We must empower citizens with public school options and true local flexibility if we want to improve student achievement.”

“Georgia’s parents want more options, and it is my duty as governor to see that they have them. These schools help students trapped in underperforming schools and aid communities that want to invest in new and imaginative ways of learning for their children.”

“Approving this amendment will restore the process for creating state-charted schools that existed before the state Supreme Court struck down the state’s system for granting charters. I am confident Georgia voters will take advantage of the opportunity this fall to support charter schools in our state.”

At the bill signing ceremony, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools presented Deal with the Champion for Charters Award for supporting high-quality public charter schools. Annually, the Champions for Charters awards recognize public officials for leading a major public charter issue or initiative, serving as a highly visible public charter school advocate, and consistently supporting charters as a high-quality public school choice option.

The AJC notes that Cherokee Charter Academy, where the signing was held, was turned down for charter status by the local school system three times. That story also highlights the extent to which charter schools have become a major political issue in Cherokee County Republican politics:

The leader of the Cherokee County Republican Party’s Charter School Committee, Danny Dukes, said Thursday he’s considering running for school board chairman.

Last year the local Republican Party demanded that the four board members, including Chapman and Read, who rejected Cherokee Charter Academy, resign from the party.

The leader of the delegation, George State Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), said Thursday he didn’t understand how the board members could be opposed to that most American, and Republican, of ideas — putting it up to a public vote.

“It’s a conservative idea to give parents a choice,” said Rogers. “It’s up to the people to let their voices be heard, and that’s all this legislation did. I don’t understand why, as Republicans, they are opposed to that.”

Carol Taylor, president of Cherokee People Advocating for the New for Transparent Funding of our Schools, said Rogers’ comments ducked the issue. “We’re not opposed to choice, or charter schools,” she said. “This is about funding. The state doesn’t have the money and they can’t tell us where it’s coming from.”

Other Republican elected officials in attendance included Congressman Tom Price (R), State Reps. Charlice Byrd (R-Woodstock), Sean Jerguson (R-Holly Springs), and Calvin Hill (R-Hickory Flat) and local elected Board of Education members Michael Geist and Kim Cochran, and Post 1 school board candidate Kelly Marlow.

According to the Cherokee Tribune, Deal is confident the measure will pass in the fall; the Governor said, “We believe that if we empower citizens of this state and give them those kinds of opportunities, they will respond.”

Ethics

Somebody asked me yesterday why I’m defending Don Balfour against allegations before the Senate Ethics Committee. I’m not defending Balfour, because I don’t know what happened, and neither do you. I am, however, defending a process that was set up as part of Senate Rules and has been in place for years. I have written a short post to that effect here.

Yesterday, Tea Party Patriots emailed a call to action to their Georgia list, asking their members to

1. Call Gov. Deal and ask him not to veto the “Sunset Bill” also known as the Georgia Government Accountability Act as he has stated today he would. Ask him to sign this important bill into law. Phone:404-656-1776 Fax: 404-657-7332

2. Call members of the Senate Committee on Assignments and ask them to remove State Senator Don Balfour as Senate Rules Chairman.

Accordingly, phones started ringing in the Capitol, described by one member as “ringing off the hook.”

That request that the Committee on Assignments remove Balfour as Rules Chair presents members with a dilemma. They don’t want to be seen by voters as validating alleged bad behavior, but removing committee chairs who have had complaints filed before a resolution of the complaint is a slippery slope that no one wants to start down.

Events

Tomorrow morning, the Gwinnett County GOP will host its monthly breakfast at 550 Trackside in Lawrenceville beginning at 7:45 AM for breakfast and networking. Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens and Congressman Tom Price will be speaking.

Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens will speak to the Cobb Republican Party breakfast tomorrow at 8 AM at the Cobb GOP headquarters located at 799 Roswell Street in Marietta.

Governor Nathan Deal will address the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, May 22d at 7:30 AM at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek.

The Georgia Republican Foundation is hosting a Legislative Session Wrap-up breakfast on Monday, May 7th at 7:30 AM at The Georgian Club at 100 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1700, Atlanta 30339. Speakers include Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, Senate President Pro Tem. Tommie Williams, Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, House Majority Leader Larry O’Neal, House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey, and House Majority Caucus Chairman Donna Sheldon. They had asked for an R.s.v.p. by Wednesday, but if you call Mika at 404-257-5559 x239 or email her at Mika [at] gagop [dot] org, she may be able to find you an open seat.

On May 23d at 8 AM at the Georgia Club in Cobb County, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation will host a breakfast with Reason Foundation transportation policy analyst Baruch Feigenbaum, who will unveil a study of Georgia transportation and the T-SPLOST.