“24777” is a baby border collie who was found stray and is available for adoption from the Gwinnett County Animal Shelter.
Georgia soldier killed in action; “Bo” Callaway hospitalized
Pfc. Brandon D. Goodine, 20, of McDonough, Georgia, died on June 7, 2012 of wounds sustained in an IED attack in Maiwand, Afghanistan. Goodine is survived by his wife, daughter, parents and other family.
Howard H. “Bo” Callaway, who became Georgia’s first elected Republican Congressman since Reconstruction in 1964, and whose 1966 run for Governor of Georgia formed the modern Republican party here, was hospitalized yesterday at Emory after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. He was moved to Emory after initially being hospitalized in Columbus.
After winning a plurality of the popular vote for Governor, Callaway, but the Democrat-dominated legislature, which was empowered to choose the Governor after Ellis Arnall’s write-in campaign denied Callaway a majority, installed Lester Maddox, the Democratic nominee. Callaway would later serve as Georgia’s Republican National Committeeman and Southern Coordinator of Nixon’s 1968 campaign. Callaway was appointed Secretary of the Army and managed part of President Ford’s 1972 reelection campaign. He later ran for U.S. Senate from Colorado, Chaired the Colorado Republican Party and Chaired GOPAC.
Earlier this year, Callaway was honored with a resolution of the Georgia House of Representatives.
“Go, Bo!”
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections – Politicians misbehaving edition
I had intended to start releasing data and analysis from our survey on the statewide 2012 Republican Primary Ballot, but have run across so much appalling news from the political trenches that I’m delaying that until tomorrow.
Pam Davidson, who is running in the Republican Primary against incumbent Stan Wise, appears to have a truthiness problem, according to the AJC. Davidson appears to have claimed two degrees from the University of San Francisco that she never earned.
According to a story in the AJC:
A candidate for the state’s Public Service Commission, running on a pro-ethics platform, misrepresented her university education, a review of records by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has found.
Pam Davidson told the AJC in its 2008 voters’ guide that she had received a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational behavior from the University of San Francisco. Separately, documents submitted as sworn testimony to the PSC in 2003 stated Davidson received a master’s degree in public administration from the university. Neither document lists a year that she graduated.
University officials said Davidson attended the school but never earned any degree. Davidson said she had enough credits for a bachelor’s degree, but never received it. She said the sworn testimony in 2003 listing a master’s degree in her background information was a mistake made by a company she was consulting for at the time, which had filed the paperwork.
“I have completed all the coursework for graduation,” Davidson said of her bachelor’s degree. “That is the truth.”
When pressed to elaborate, Davidson said she participated in graduation, but then she and her family then left for Georgia two days later. “Honestly, honestly, honestly, I can’t remember. It was a paperwork thing,” she said.
When she didn’t get her diploma in the mail, she called the university. Davidson said the school “didn’t tell me what the glitch was.” She plans to call the university again Monday.
The university could not offer more details about whether she completed her coursework or address any “glitch”; they only had record of her withdrawal from the school.
Deliberately lying in sworn testimony to the PSC is perjury, but a spokesman said the PSC has never penalized anyone who’s testimony has proven to be false. When submitting written testimony, a witness must swear to its accuracy.
Walter Jones brings us more about Davidson:
Pam Davidson, a challenger in the Republican primary for Public Service Commission, acknowledged Friday that statements about her finances and education were incorrect but calls them minor compared to the behavior of incumbent Stan Wise.
“What I perceive these to be are very, very minor issues in comparison to Stan Wise and the very egregious acts that he commits against the ratepayers and the consumers in this state,” she said.
Davidson, an environmental lobbyist who captured 48 percent of the vote in an attempt to win another PSC seat four years ago, said she has filed an amended personal-disclosure statement with the state ethics commission that correctly reflects her negative net worth and the outstanding debts that triggered liens against her property. One of the liens is for unpaid taxes.
She said she originally did not include those debts, although they are in her name, because her divorce settlement orders her ex-husband to pay them.
Davidson has listed on other materials, such as newspaper campaign profiles, that she holds a bachelors degree from the university. However, school officials say their records show she attended but never graduated.
Friday, she said she had completed all of the coursework for the degree and attended the graduation ceremonies.
Like in her 2008 campaign, Davidson is making personal integrity the central issue. In both, she vowed not to accept political contributions from employees of regulated utilities.
“When we talk about ethical fitness, I would have to say that I’m far more ethically fit than my opponent who is basically bought by the utilities,” she said.
It’s that last part that correctly states the problem that Davidson faces; once your truthiness is questioned by voters, and here, Davidson’s credibility is certainly in question, none of the claims you make about your opponent are credible. Stan Wise is likely to win reelection by a wide margin.
Loganville’s Christine Lusk, incumbent member of the Walton County Board of Education District 3, reported that 25 political signs were stolen. Welcome to politics!
“We unquestionably do not think our opponent is involved in this matter. It is very likely the work of wayward teens,” Lusk said in a statement issued Tuesday. “I am afraid to place more sign out while my signs are being stolen due to the expensive cost.”
Diane Turner, who is running against Lusk, also condemned the thefts.
“It’s appalling people are stealing signs,” Turner said. “I certainly don’t condone it. These signs cost us money. I did talk to (Lusk) and assured her it is not me or anyone associated with my campaign. If I see anyone doing this, I will be happy to report them. This is terrible.”
Campaign signs also figured prominently in an episode of Maury in which two Richmond County women fought over one woman refusing to date the other.
Police were called to a fight between two women after one began hitting the other with a “Vote for Roundtree” campaign sign Thursday evening.
Latricia Turner, 34, and Deidre Briscoe, 32, were arguing on Fairington Drive around 10 p.m. when Briscoe began hitting Turner. She retaliated by taking off her shoe and hitting Briscoe in the head.
Police said Briscoe then grabbed a “Vote for Roundtree” sign and began hitting Turner in the head and back with it.
That same candidate, Richard Roundtree, is being challenged in court over allegations that he owes back taxes.
The section states that no one who is a tax “defaulter” may run for or hold office. The law provides an exception for someone who is in a payment plan to satisfy a tax debt.
Roundtree called the hearing “an unfortunate formality,” but not a serious threat to his candidacy.
“That is not accurate. We are in compliance,” he said of the complaint’s allegations. Although he didn’t address tax issues directly, Roundtree said he has submitted documents that show he has met the standards.
Due to their potential as weapons, campaign signs will not be permitted in the hearing.
Georgia candidates who qualified between May 23d and May 25th were required to file Personal Financial Disclosures last week. In South Carolina, our crazy lovable neighbors were busy booting candidates from the ballot who failed to file their disclosures on paper when they qualified, even if they filed electronically.
Nearly three dozen more candidates have been disqualified from the South Carolina primaries next week after the most recent Supreme Court ruling in the controversy, according to election officials.
But those newly decertified names will still be on ballots for next Tuesday’s voting, so signs in polling places will say which votes won’t be counted.
Nearly 200 candidates were dropped from ballots last month after the justices ruled that financial and candidacy paperwork must be submitted together.
Georgia “Ethics” gadlfy George Anderson of Rome, held a press conference to complain that Snellville Mayor Pro Tem Tom Witts owes back taxes. Witts replied that the taxes are owed because he took an early disbursement from his retirement fund to keep his business afloat so that his eight employees wouldn’t lose their jobs and that he has been on a payment plan on which he is current. This is a normal part of Snellville politics, unfortunately.
Cobb County Superior Court Clerk candidate Rebecca Keaton’s spot on the ballot is being challenged because she failed to file the name of her deupty clerk candidate at the time she filed her qualification papers. The qualification of perennial candidate Joan Davis is also being challenged.
Announced candidates for the Gwinnett County Commission term beginning in January to succeed former Commissioner Shirley Fanning-Lasseter will also run in the special election to fill Fanning-Lasseter’s term ending December 31st. Laurie McClain and Jace Brooks will meet in the July 31st Republican Primary, and may meet in the November Special Election held the same day at the General Election, in which the Primary winner will be unopposed. Confused?
“Assuming the details of the qualifying date and the fees makes sense, it is my intention to qualify for the special election,” McClain said last week. “This county is so thirsty for leaders with integrity, I think it is imperative that someone like myself fills that seat as soon as possible.”
In Thursday’s Political Notebook, former Suwanee Councilman Jace Brooks said he would also be up for the special election. But since Brooks and McClain will square off in the GOP primary on July 31, Brooks added that if the special election qualifying is after the primary and he doesn’t win it, he will bow out of the special election.
Steve Ramey, who is challenging Senator Don Balfour in the Republican Primary, sees Travis Bowden’s call on the Senate Committee on Assignments to remove Balfour as Rules Chairman and raises him a call to Balfour to resign from the Senate.
“The state of Georgia is in crisis when it comes to the ethics of many elected politicians currently holding office. As Republicans, we must adhere to the strong ethical standards set forth in our party’s platform,” Steve Ramey, a tea party leader, said of his opponent in July’s election. “As a citizen of District 9, I have pointed out the problems facings our district with regard to Sen. Balfour’s questionable practices for some time, and now with the findings against Balfour released by the Senate Ethics Committee, it is definitely time for a change. I call on Sen. Balfour to do the right thing for the citizens of District 9 and for the Republican Party, and resign as state senator. Our citizens and our party deserve better.”
Last week, candidate Travis Bowden called on Senate leadership to remove Balfour as the body’s Rules Committee chairman, after officials found case in complaints that Balfour had received per diem reimbursements on days he was not in the state.
“Georgians have, rightfully so, lost faith in their government and trust in their elected officials,” Ramey added. “Republicans must lead in the effort to reform the ethical standards and rules governing all elected officials in Georgia on the local and state levels. I am proud to have signed on to the ethics pledge set forth by the Georgia Alliance for Ethics Reform, and as state senator I promise to be a sponsor of strong and comprehensive ethics reform in our state. I encourage all candidates to sign the pledge and all concerned citizens to contact their senators and representatives and tell them to sign on and commit to comprehensive ethics reform with a cap on lobbyists gifts.”
The Augusta Chronicle has run down the voting history of candidates for local office and is calling out candidates who have failed to vote recently.
Three Augusta-area legislators, two Augusta Circuit Superior Court judges and a Superior Court judge hopeful were among the 41 politicians analyzed, with (in order) Jesse Stone, Barbara Sims, Lee Anderson, Michael Annis, Danny Craig and Willie Saunders coming in at 100 percent.
“I can’t imagine not voting in an election,” said Craig, a Superior Court judge and former district attorney who the records showed voted in all his 34 opportunities. “Unquestionably the highest duty a citizen owes is to participate in the election process, and the second-highest duty is to be willing to serve on a jury.”
Among those who didn’t participate fully in the election process were the five men seeking to replace retiring Richmond County Sheriff Ronnie Strength, a couple of whom had some of the lowest voting percentages in the analysis.
The Gainesville Times has done the same for local candidates in Hall County.
They ask you for your vote, but they may not always do so themselves.
Records provided for candidates seeking the support of Hall County voters show that while most voted in at least half of the elections since 1996, not all did.
And when you’re a candidate, failing to vote may mean the same from the voters’ point of view.
Charles Bullock, a political scientist at the University of Georgia, said candidates who need voters to show up at the polls may seem less credible when they did not fulfill that duty in the past.
But it also may make them seem uninformed, Bullock said.
“Voters may also consider that a candidate who has often sat out elections does not have a deep interest in politics,” Bullock said. “That may also prompt a judgment that the candidate’s knowledge about issues is shallow.”
I see a trend in news coverage here.
Camden County Sheriff candidate Bill Smith, who held the office prior to losing his reelection to now-incumbent Tommy Gregory, has mastered the art of political double-talk:
Smith, who told the Tribune & Georgian in March he would agree to be interviewed after the qualifying period, declined this week to meet with a reporter.
Smith has maintained that he will have an “open door” policy as sheriff, though the Tribune & Georgian is still seeking answers to questions that arose four years ago.
Incumbent Alapaha Circuit District Attorney Cathy Helms is complaining on Facebook that her opponent is conducting a “push poll” testing negative messages against Helms.
If you have received a “survey call” in recent days about the District Attorney’s race, don’t be surprised by some of the outrageous allegations made in the so-called survey. This negative “push poll” is simply another means of spreading my opponent’s unfounded political attacks. His supporters will apparently resort to anything to continue these attacks on me and my office’s record. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns, and thanks again for all your support!
A refresher: the difference between a “push poll” and a legitimate poll testing negative messages is the sample size, as the sample size of a push poll approaches the population size.
The “Bobo boondoggle,” in which Cherokee taxpayers are footing the bill to make payments on a loan to a private recycling company, became an issue in the debate between candidates for Commission District 2.
Woodstock attorney Channing Ruskell said he is one of many “angry citizens” incensed by the Bobo Boondoggle and its “tremendous burden on the county,” which he said was a legacy that will bear his opponent’s name for years to come. He challenged Hubbard as to why the commission couldn’t give details of their discussions regarding the recycling plant.
“When you have meetings of the commissioners, these have to be open to the public meetings,” he said. “They are fiduciaries of the county, they are fiduciaries to this authority (the Resource and Recovery Development Authority); they cannot meet in secret and carry on a private business…”
Hubbard said discussing the issue in executive session is “perfectly legal” and once a resolution is made, it would be brought out in public session.
The county has sought to evict the recycling company, which is now under bankruptcy protection.
David Waters, who is running against incumbent Cherokee County Sheriff Roger Garrison in the Republican primary, dinged Garrison for rising crime rates in the county.
“Cherokee County has experienced a 28 percent increase in crime over 2008, 2009 and 2010 … In 2010, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office reported to the GBI 690 cases of burglary. That is 57.5 burglaries per month. The district attorney’s office reported for 2010, 111 cases presented to the DA’s office for prosecution … You the citizens can clearly see the solvability rate of burglaries investigated by the sheriff’s office is in fact low … As your sheriff, I will stop the wasteful spending of our tax dollars. With the economy at its worst, I will reorganize the sheriff’s office to be more effective and efficient reducing the budget and keeping tax dollars in your pocket not for politicians.”
Waters was the first to bring up a recent incident in which a teen, Andrew Messina, was shot and killed by a SWAT Team sniper in Towne Lake. He recognized the Messina family who was in attendance. Several teenagers wearing handmade T-shirts that read, “I am Andrew” also were in attendance.
Garrison said Waters did not have the experience to be the sheriff of Cherokee County because he “spent the last 10 years running an animal control unit in Forsyth County.” Garrison also called the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office “troubled” and “in shambles.”
“He’s going to tell you he’s held a number of positions throughout the agency,” Garrison said of Waters. “He’s held them, but he hasn’t been able to hold on to them. He has no budgetary experience in that process …”
A debate between candidates in the 9th Congressional District descended into what has been described as “mud-slinging.” Observers everywhere nowhere were shocked.
Congressional Candidate Wright McLeod (DR-12) doubled-down on his claim that his vote in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary was for Bill Richardson rather than Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, despite evidence that nobody voted for Richardson in McLeod’s voting precinct.
A group called PANTS, said Chip Rogers’s are on the ground, calling on Rogers to resign after allegations that he was involved in a pay-per-call sports handicapping operation.
“We reject the explanations offered by Mr. Rogers in defense of his activities as ridiculous,” Carol Taylor said. Taylor is one of the group’s founders. “He has displayed extraordinarily poor judgment, compounded by a refusal to accept responsibility for his actions. His conduct does not reflect the wholesome values of our community.”
The same weekend, legislation sponsored and passed by Rogers was lauded by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who now serves as chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education and co-chair of Digital Learning Now!
“Thanks to the committed leadership of Sen. Chip Rogers and support of Gov. Nathan Deal and House and Senate members, more students in the Peach state have the opportunity to achieve their God-given potential,” Bush said. “The reforms that are now law, empower more students to receive the customized education digital learning can provide, more families a choice and a voice in their child’s education and puts Georgia on a path to harness the power of technology for their teachers and in their classrooms.”
Tension between former Nelson Mayor David Leister and the City Council led to Leister’s resignation as Mayor and decision to seek appointment as Pickens County Tax Commissioner. Nelson, which lies along the border of Cherokee and Pickens County, changed it’s motto to “Just like Snellville in the mountains.”
In Oconee County, South Carolina, the four candidates for Sheriff include:
a former Secret Service agent accused of trying to kidnap someone,… a second man investigated by state agents….a former deputy who was fired last year after his bosses accused him of lying on his time sheets, or the current chief deputy, who was the No. 2 man at the agency when a former office manager stole more than $500,000 forfeited by drug dealers.
To top it all off, they will all have to conduct write-in campaigns or get back on the ballot in November through collecting signatures. All four were kicked off the ballot Wednesday because of mistakes filing campaign paperwork, just six days before the Republican primary. No Democrats ran for the seat.
The Walton County Board of Commissioners will appoint an interim Commissioner to fill the remaining 2-years of Gerald Atha’s term after Atha resigned to run for Chairman in the Republican Primary against incumbent Kevin Little.
the only requirements are residency in District 5 and basic eligibility to run for the seat — already possible contenders have expressed an interest in vying for the seat.
Plaintiffs who sued over voting districts for Richmond County Board of Education are still reviewing new lines drawn by the federal court in the case.
Laughlin McDonald, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project, who is serving as co-counsel for plaintiffs in the suit, said Hall’s plan did appear to comply with the Voting Rights Act, redistributed population sufficiently to satisfy the one-person, one-vote requirement and paired no incumbents.
But the question remains, and attorneys had not received an answer yet, whether Hall could have drawn the map better, McDonald said Friday.
The plan creates five solidly black commission and school board districts and one “toss-up” district, where blacks are a majority, but not a large one, he said.
McDonald and Wilson said they’d have comments on the map by the deadline Hall set, 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson was honored as Distinguished Alumna of the year by her alma mater, Sweet Briar College in western Virginia.
Voters in the Muscogee County Republican Primary will be asked whether they still like the county tax freeze in a non-binding ballot resolution.
Walter Jones write that a “jungle” primary where all candidates appear on the same ballot regardless of their party could change Georgia elections as it has since being implemented in California.
The idea is that allowing independents and members of both major parties to select the nominees would force candidates to take moderate stances. It would end the zigzag common to most elections where a candidate has to run to the right or the left to win the nomination and then race to the middle for the general election.
Georgia uses the same mechanism in special elections. That’s how the General Assembly wound up with an independent, something unheard of in traditional elections.
“It would change Georgia pretty dramatically,” said Randy Evans, a political advisor on the congressional and national level as well as a former member of Georgia’s State Election Board.
Party stalwarts like Evans, who has chaired recent state GOP conventions, warn that the top-two primary like California’s can be manipulated by a few people, especially when there are many candidates and no runoff for the nomination.
“Personally I think having choices that actually reflect the center right and the center left of the two parties is fine,” he said.
California’s system is almost a nonpartisan election since party rules usually prevent aid to candidates before they’ve secured the nomination.
“It does over time diminish the power of the parties,” said Bill Crane, a veteran political operative and commentator.
Because Georgia voters are clamoring to be more like California. In any case, given the way candidates and their supporters are acting this year, I suggest cage matches. In related news, I now call Walter, “Bad Idea” Jeans Jones. [Link is moderately unsafe for work.]
Ends & Pieces
Michelle Malkin asks who will protect freedom of speech for bloggers who are hounded by frivolous lawsuits and other actions aimed to silence their criticism of liberals. You can join the fight by donating to the Georgia Unfiltered legal defense fund, to defray the legal costs of fellow Georgia Republican blogger Andre Walker, who racked up considerable bills defending his right to post the truth about Georgia Democratic Party Political Director Rashad Richey.
I have an extra ticket to the free forum on alternative vehicles in Buckhead from 10 AM to noon today. Hit reply if you want to join us; first one to email gets the ticket. I’ll be eating lunch at the Bucket Shop Cafe afterwards if you don’t have plans.
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