Top Stories

1. LOST and found
2. Another elected official indicted
3.He’s on a boat! and in the race for SD 14
4. Cobb DA’s Office going to the dogs
5. #SenateRace

Supreme Court LOST decision leads to negotiations

The Georgia Supreme Court recently held in Turner County v. City of Ashburn that arbitration over the distribution of funds from a Local Option Sales Tax violates the separation of powers clause in the Georgia Constitution by inserting the judiciary into a legislative function of local governments.

Since that decision, local governments have been negotiating feverishly to reach accords for the distribution of LOST funds going forward. The Georgia Department of Revenue and the Office of Attorney General Sam Olens had notified the 34 counties affected and their municipalities to submit their new agreements by yesterday.

Peach County reached what a Macon Telegraph writer likens to a Continuing Resolution to govern the split of LOST revenues through December 2014.

With an expiration date of Dec. 31, 2014, the new distribution is: Peach County will receive 59.3 percent (down from 60 percent) of the sales tax proceeds; Fort Valley will receive 31.14 percent (down from 31.5 percent); Byron will receive 8.4 percent (down from 8.5 percent); Warner Robins will receive .99 percent; and Perry will receive .17 percent.

Association County Commissioners of Georgia spokesman Clint Mueller said Byron and Warner Robins must now sign the agreement.

Though some counties like Peach have opted to include an expiration date by which a new agreement must be negotiated, Mueller said the Department of Revenue won’t enforce that self-imposed deadline. Renegotiations are only required every 10 years.

“It’ll be up to them to come and renegotiate it at a different time,” Mueller said, adding that state law allows mutual renegotiations between mandatory agreements.

Last month in Fulton County, Atlanta and College Park were holdouts in a new distribution that nets north Fulton municipalities millions of extra tax revenue from the existing LOST. Last night, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed signed the agreement.

Reed and College Park Mayor Jack Longino signed the deal Thursday, ahead of a state-imposed deadline. Had they not signed and given Fulton County a unanimous agreement, collection of the county’s 1 cent per dollar sales tax could have been at risk, state attorneys had warned.

The last-minute agreement comes after the Georgia Supreme Court struck down last week a provision in state law designed to force governments to work together on a plan for sharing the money or else have a Superior Court judge do it for them.

That effectively nullified deals counties reached under that provision and sent Fulton and 16 other counties scrambling to submit a new LOST plan to state revenue officials by the end of Thursday — the last day any government could challenge the Supreme Court decision. State revenue officials ordered counties to finalize a plan by that deadline. While Fulton’s deal was not decided in court under arbitration, Atlanta officials had planned to argue for a larger share of the revenue before a judge in November.

A statement from Reed’s administration said the city signed on to the deal because “the uncertainty created by the recent Supreme Court decision could cause even greater harm to the city, should the Georgia Department of Revenue determine that no tax should be collected. Further, the mayor is confident that Atlanta’s growing economy will mitigate any reduction in Atlanta’s share of the LOST proceeds.”

Yet another public official indicted in Georgia

Yesterday, in discussing Senator Josh McKoon’s proposed constitutional amendment that would give the Attorney General an additional tool in fighting public corruption, I wrote, “County Commissioners, local city council members, and others at the local level are regularly indicted and convicted or plead guilty to malfeasance in office.”

In order to provide a nice example, a federal grand jury indicted Clarkston City Councilwoman Joan Swaney on charges that she wrote herself checks from the Clarkston Community Center bank account and forged the signature of the Executive Director.

Congressional fundraising

GA-1	Raised 3d Q	Spent 3d Q	Cash on hand
Buddy Carter ®	$157,300	$60,300	$312,400
Darwin Carter ®	no filings	no filings	no filings
Jeff Chapman ®	$78,000	$20,800	$88,400
Dr. Bob Johnson ®	$108,000	$31,200	$183,400
GA-10	Raised 3d Q	Spent 3d Q	Cash on hand
Mike Collins ®	$54,300	$36,100	$114,800
Gary Gerrard ®	$32,300	$26,100	$47,500
Jody Hice ®	$92,800	$67,900	$90,900
Donna Sheldon ®	$83,200	$129,400	$129,300
Stephen Simpson ®	$42,800	$32,000	$52,900
Brian Slowinski ®	no filings	no filings	no filings
GA-11	Raised 3d Q	Spent 3d Q	Cash on hand
Bob Barr ®	$165,600	$211,200	$101,100
Susan Davis ®	no filings	no filings	no filings
Allan Levene ®	no filings	no filings	no filings
Ed Lindsey ®	$75,900	$78,500	$161,700
Barry Loudermilk ®	$78,900	$76,900	$64,100
Larry Mrozinski ®	$14,267	$10,585	$3,683
Tricia Pridemore ®	$103,500	$46,900	$188,500
GA-12	Raised 3d Q	Spent 3d Q	Cash on hand
John Barrow (D)	$274,400	$77,900	$1,026,000
Rick Allen ®	$124,800	$145,600	$92,100
John Stone ®	$46,200	$20,800	$43,400

Laughridge likely stays in Senate District 14 race

Administrative Law Judge Michael Malihi determined that Matt Laughridge meets the residency requirement to run for Senate District 14 and recommends that Secretary of State Brian Kemp decide likewise.

GAGOP debuts new website

Yesterday, the Georgia Republican Party debuted a new website designed by Stoneridge Group, including a new logo.

Overall, I like the website very well and consider it a considerable improvement over the old site. There was nothing wrong with the old site per se, but it had accumulated enough layers of information that it became a little bit overly busy.

From an email by Chairman John Padgett:

The Georgia Republican Party is proud to announce the launch of their new website, www.GAGOP.org.  This user-friendly website was created by The Stoneridge Group of Alpharetta, GA and incorporates the Party’s 2013-2014 theme, “Choose Freedom”, into the design.

“During my campaign for Chairman, I promised to modernize the Georgia Republican Party and incorporate state-of-the-art technology to enhance our online presence,” said Georgia Republican Party Chairman John Padgett.  “As the online hub for the Georgia Republican Party, our new website will help to better brand the GAGOP and take our conservative message to voters throughout Georgia.”

“Today’s website launch is a huge step in the right direction for the GAGOP and I look forward to continuing in these efforts as we grow the Party in the weeks, months, and years ahead.”

In addition to the “Choose Freedom” web video that was released last month, the Party’s new website contains contact information for all Republican Senators, Congressmen, State House and State Senate members, as well as Constitutional Officers.  District and County Party information is readily available as well as contact information for GAGOP Officers and staff.

Conservative voters in Georgia are encouraged to visit the GAGOP’s new website, www.GAGOP.org, and sign-up for e-updates from the Chairman and Party staff.

In case you haven’t seen the web video to which they refer, here it is:

Georgia Tech science whizzes investigate animal urination

A group of Georgia Tech physicists went to Zoo Atlanta and recorded animals urinating. They then calculated that most mammals will urinate for the same average amount of time. Your tax dollars at work.

regardless of size, most mammals urinate for about the same amount of time (21 seconds), despite large differences in bladder volume, a phenomenon they term the “Law of Urination”. They explain this law using physics, and illustrate their explanation with an amazing video that is absolutely a must-see.

I haven’t watched the video. Not gonna watch the video.

Cobb District Attorney’s Office going to the dogs

The Cobb County District Attorney’s Office is forming a group that will focus on prosecuting crimes against animals, according to the Fulton Daily Report.

Assistant District Attorneys Sherwin Figueroa and Theresa Schiefer say the effort to crack down on animal abuse can benefit humans too.

In an interview, the pair said animal abuse often happens in connection with domestic violence and crimes against children and the elderly. Animal cruelty also is a common first symptom of violence in people whose criminal behavior escalates.

“While we’re looking to protect these animals, we’re also looking to educate people on that link,” said Schiefer.

They already have four cases. Three are connected to other cases involving child abuse and domestic violence, and one case is against a man they say intentionally threw a Yorkshire terrier off a motel balcony.

I’m awarding +5 points to be divided among Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds and Assistant District Attorneys Sherwin Figueroa and Theresa Schiefer.

Massage Parlor meeting

No, not a meeting at a massage parlor, but a group of citizens opposing the proliferation of thinly-disguised brothels massage parlors in Johns Creek. Via email:

Citizens in Johns Creek are working with the city to restrict and eliminate this scourge on our community. We are holding a meeting on Sunday night to introduce the issue, review the progress we have made in the past 6 months and to present future plans. After that we will hear from our candidates for Mayor and City Council about the issue…this one subject only. We have invited our contacts in the media to attend.

Please join us if you are in Johns Creek, especially. But all are welcome and encouraged to learn how this is affecting your own city.

What: Citizen Forum
When: Sunday, October 20, 6:45-8:15 p.m.
Where: Perimeter Church—Mid-Town Auditorium, 9500 Medlock Bridge Parkway, Johns Creek, 30097 (Use the “Office” entrance on the north side of the church under the porte-cochere)
Sponsor: Concerned Citizens of Johns Creek

Please take a stand with us against these fronts for illegal businesses which are damaging all involved, reducing our quality of life and impacting our city’s reputation.

#SenateRace

Newly-elected New Jersey Senator Cory Booker made “Run with Cory” events part of his winning campaign in the Sewer Garden State.

Throughout his campaign, Booker turned group runs into a way to connect with voters. He held more than a dozen “Run With Cory” events during the three-month-long campaign.
“We never knew it would be such a big hit,” Booker (seen clapping above) told Runner’s World Newswire.

Run With Cory participants ranged from serious runners and curious passersby to the mayors of Atlantic City and Camden. Booker mingled before, during and after the runs, sometimes supplying yogurt or ice cream.
The nighttime runs were not especially fast, or far. Booker described a “very slow pace” of about 10 minutes per mile. Distances on neighborhood streets ranged from about a mile to a mile and a half.
Yet what the runs lacked in speed or endurance, they made up for in furthering enthusiasm for Booker and his candidacy.