On the morning of November 25, 1863, the Battle of Missionary Ridge was engaged in northwest Georgia and Tennessee and lasted all day, resulting in the retreat by General Bragg’s (Confederate) Army of Tennessee, which retreated to Dalton, Ga.
On November 25, 1885, Atlanta and Fulton County voters passed prohibition of alcoholic beverages by a margin of 225 votes out of about 7000 cast.
Senate District 18
We noted last week that Macon lawyer John F. Kennedy announced a challenge to State Senator Cecil Staton. An eagle-eyed reader noted that Dr. Spencer Price announced his candidacy for the same seat a month-and-a-half earlier, but I must have missed it in the lead-up to the November 2013 elections.
If Price’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he also ran against Staton last year, in what would become a colorful race involving online allegations of financial problems against Price, and an ethics complaint filed against Sen. Staton. Staton won the 2012 campaign against Price by less than a percentage point, or 203 votes out of 20,851 cast.
Expect a spirited three-way race this year.
Congressional Committee Hearing today in Gainesville
“I have never supported the government takeover of healthcare imagined by the Affordable Care Act,” said Woodall. “Large federal initiatives are often marked by misleading reports and gross mismanagement, and unfortunately ObamaCare is no exception. Most important to me, though, is how this law is affecting families at home in Georgia. Too often, Washington simply talks. This hearing is focused on listening, and as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased Chairman Issa shares my interest in hearing what the residents of Georgia have to say. I hope that some families have been helped by ObamaCare. I am certain that millions have been hurt. I hope that both Congress and the President will listen to what the participants in this hearing have to say, and that we will be able to work together to quickly repeal and replace those areas of concern.”
The Usual Suspects to hold press conference today
Cobb Citizens for Governmental Transparency, an ad hocracy including the Atlanta Tea Party and the Sierra Club will hold two press conferences today; at 10:30 a.m. on the steps of the Cobb County government building in downtown Marietta and again at 3:30 p.m. at the Mountain View Regional Library at 3320 Sandy Plains Road in Marietta. The group will ask for a delay in the vote scheduled for tomorrow by the Cobb County Commission on the financing of the proposed new Braves stadium.
John Barge defends overseas junkets
State School Superintendent John Barge defends the use of nearly $21,000 in education funds for trips abroad by the gubernatorial candidate and his staff.
Barge said the trips have had tangible results — nearly 400 Georgia students have traveled to France and Germany over the past three years and about 650 students from Europe and Asia have come here to study. The pathways program has been implemented, with Georgia students choosing a career track they can follow throughout high school.
Barge said international experiences will help Georgia students be more competitive in an increasingly global job market.
“If our children are to be prepared for a global marketplace, we need to get them as experienced for that as we can,” Barge said.
Nancy Jester, the former DeKalb County School Board member who is running to succeed Barge as superintendent, said he should travel to locations closer to home.
“The taxpayers of Georgia would be better served if Dr. Barge and his staff took trips to Tennessee and Texas,” she said. “He should inquire about how those states have managed to produce graduation rates almost 20 points higher than Georgia’s while spending less per pupil.”
Tom Willis, who is managing the re-election campaign of Gov. Nathan Deal, said, “Voters will get the chance to give their opinions on whether Superintendent Barge’s international trips are a better use of tax dollars than students and classrooms.”
Glynn County fights over Commission Chair elections
Glynn County Commission Chair Mary Hunt, who is elected as a District Commissioner, and was then elected Chair for a one-year term by her fellow Commissioners, has proposed making the Chairmanship a longer term to be elected countywide. Some Republicans have taken issue with the idea.
Much of the opposition to her proposal arose out of concern that the county would have to ante up a hefty paycheck to a full-time, elected chairman, but Hunt said the job will neither be full time nor get more pay.
After finding very little support among her fellow commissioners and the general public, Hunt said she removed those provisions.
She said the change would “give the power back to the people” and that it would assure a continuity of leadership. Currently, the commissioners select a chairman to a one-year term.
An elected four-year chairman would serve the county much as a mayor serves a city, she said.
Jeff Kilgore, an accountant and political activist, spoke against Hunt’s proposal at the forum and remains opposed to it.
“What in God’s name is supposed to be the benefit of this?” he said. “She has never explained that, and her plan has evolved to the point that now she’s saying the job description will not change and the duties will not change. I think that it makes less sense now than it ever has.”
Stay tuned for more controversy.
Savannah port bill in conference committee
The bill that would authorize Georgia to move forward with funding the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project and address the controversy over water withdrawals from Lake Lanier is in a House-Senate Conference Committee to reconcile the different versions passed by each chamber.
It is “a critical victory for Georgia as we race to get ready for the much larger ships that will soon sail through an enlarged Panama Canal,” Gov. Nathan Deal said.
“I am grateful to the members of the Georgia delegation in the House and Senate for their role in developing this landmark legislation and fostering Georgia’s economic growth. Georgians have waited on this day for a long time. The hurdles ahead of us are much shorter than those that are now behind us,” Deal said
The bill, which allocates $8.2 billion for dams, harbors, river navigation and other water projects for the coming decade, has drawn huge bipartisan support.
The Senate passed its version, the Water Resources Development Act, in May by an 83-14 vote. The House passed its version, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act, in October by a 417-3 vote.
One major sticking point for Georgia was the hands-off stance on water disputes.
“As governor of Georgia, which has negotiated in good faith on interstate water discussions, I strongly endorse the ‘sense of Congress’ on how to handle interstate water disputes,” Deal said.
“These decisions belong in state capitols, not in Washington and not in court.”
U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, has said: “The federal government has no business dictating the terms or putting language into this bill that would affect the water wars.”
Florida filed a legal action Oct. 1 in the U.S. Supreme Court alleging Georgia’s “overconsumption” of water in the ACF harmed Apalachicola Bay, battering its seafood industry.
“The only ‘unmitigated consumption’ going on around here is Florida’s waste of our tax dollars on a frivolous lawsuit,” Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said at the time.
Conferees — a bipartisan group that doesn’t include any members from Georgia — held their first meeting Wednesday.
Condolences on the death of Dr. Tom Cooper
State Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Cobb) was widowed last week upon the death of her husband, Dr. Tom Cooper. Dr. Cooper served in the United States Air Force, on the Cobb County Board of Education and founded the “Doctor of the Day” program that provides an on-site physician at the State Capitol during the legislative session. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Historic Oakland Foundation [248 Oakland Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312] or the Wounded Warrior Project [Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675].
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