Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for July 23, 2015

On July 23, 1864, Union and Confederate forces in and around Atlanta gathered the dead and worked to save the wounded. Union artillery began bombarding Atlanta. On July 23, 2014, Republicans did the same in the aftermath of the Primary Runoff Elections the previous day. Democratic artillery advertising would soon fill the air.

Former President Ulysses S. Grant died on July 23, 1885.

The Cleveland Metropolitan Park District was established on July 23, 1917 and currently has a set of beautiful parks winding through the city. If you’re going to be in Cleveland for the 2016 Republican National Convention, take some time to tour the city, including the parks. When I visit my mother and grandmother in Cleveland, I regularly see deer in the parks in Shaker Heights, and outside my grandmother’s retirement home. We’re thirty years past the “mistake on the Lake“ era, and you’ll be missing out if you don’t get to learn about the city.

I’m planning on attending the 2016 Convention and may set up an event or two for my fellow Republicans who are there from Georgia. Stay tuned.

John Smoltz started his first game as a major league pitcher on July 23, 1988, as the Braves took a win over the New York Mets.

Georgia Politics

Flags at Liberty Plaza fly at half-staff yesterday

The flags at Georgia’s State Capitol will remain at half-staff in honor of Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Skip Wells of Marietta and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith of Rossville through sunset on July 30.

Today, Lance Corporal Wells returns to Marietta.

“Lance Cpl. Skip Wells will be escorted via motorcade from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport at 1 p.m. and continue north along Interstate 75 towards Kennesaw.  The Marietta Police Department will shut down a portion of the Canton Road Connector Bridge over Interstate 75, so that the City and citizens can gather on the roadway to pay their respects to Lance Corporal Wells and the other United States Marines and Navy Sailor who were killed in Chattanooga in the line of duty.”

“Please join the City at 1 p.m. to pay our respects to Lance Cpl. Wells and his family as they travel along Interstate 75 by bringing your American flags and your thoughts and prayers for the family and friends of those who lost their lives.

“Citizens may access parking for this event by travelling I-75 southbound to exit 267A (Highway 5 North, Canton Road) and exit to the right at the over pass construction parking lot.”

Atlanta becomes ground zero for Republican politics early next month as most of the top tier Presidential candidates make appearances at the RedState Gathering.

Next month businessman and presidential hopeful Donald Trump plans to make a campaign stop in Atlanta.

The controversial Republican candidate will be at the Intercontinental Hotel in Buckhead for the “Redstate Gathering” on August 7 and 8.

Trump will join Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry and Carly Fiorina.

Yesterday, Governor Nathan Deal and Georgia State Senator Mike Dugan honored the memory of Captain Herb Emory, longtime Atlanta radio personality, and presented his widow with small versions of the sign naming the I-85/Georgia 400 Flyover Ramp after him.

https://youtu.be/eYSGQ1ALVRI

WSB-TV has more on the ceremony,

An emotional ceremony took place at the state capitol Wednesday in memory of WSB’s Capt. Herb Emory, who died last April of a massive heart attack.

One of the busiest interchanges in metro Atlanta, the Georgia 400 and Interstate 85 flyover ramp, is now named in his honor.

“I can’t tell you what a tremendous honor this is, that the people of Atlanta would think so much of Herb,” said Karen Emory, Capt. Herb’s widow.

Herb was also remembered for his huge heart and his dedication to the community.

“Herb was a giver, he loved people.  He loved children, he loved animals.  That’s how he lived his life, trying to help those people in whatever capacity he could,” [Mrs.] Emory said.

Emory told Geary she hopes people will remember and smile when they drive over the ramp that opened on what would be Capt. Herb’s final birthday.

Capt. Herb celebrated his birthday at the ramp’s dedication ceremony. He died 10 days later while saving a driver from a car wreck.

The Georgia Public Service Commission approved a 46 megawatt solar installation to supply Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany, part of the USMC’s clean energy goals.

Commission officials say the approval follows a Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Navy and Georgia Power Co. with the aim of furthering the Marine Corps’ renewable energy, climate action and energy security goals. This will be the fifth solar facility to be constructed at a Georgia military base as a result of the partnership between the PSC, Georgia Power and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Contracts for solar facilities at Fort Gordon, Fort Stewart, Fort Benning and the Kings’ Bay Naval Submarine Base have already been approved. Georgia Power will construct all of these projects, and as with the other self-build projects, the Marine Corps project will be completed by the end of 2016 and have a 35 year life, officials with the commission said.

“With the closing of Plant Mitchell, this project gives us the opportunity to provide jobs and economic development with a clean renewable energy source while at the same time contribute to national energy security,” said Commissioner Doug Everett of Albany, who represents the Southwest Georgia area on the commission. “We hope these projects at our Georgia military bases will also offset any future plans for base closures.”

“The Commission is proud to be able to play a role in improving national security, increasing energy independence, and supporting our Georgia bases,” said Commission Chairman Chuck Eaton.

The Wall Street Journal has recognized Gov. Deal’s leadership on criminal justice reform and places Georgia’s reforms in context nationally.

The U.S. is jailing people faster than the public can pay for them. From 24,640 in 1980, the federal inmate population has increased eightfold to 208,000. The Bureau of Prisons estimates it costs taxpayers $30,620 a year for each prisoner.

States face similar challenges, and some are already taking the lead by setting up drug courts for nonviolent offenders serious about getting treatment, or reducing mandatory minimum sentences for low-level offenses. Republicans at the forefront include former Texas Governor Rick Perry and Governors Chris Christie (a former federal prosecutor) in New Jersey and Nathan Deal in Georgia.

The measures Mr. Deal has pushed include giving judges more leeway in sentencing for low-level offenders and allowing charter schools into prison to help inmates get a high school diploma. Mr. Deal appreciates that most prisoners will be released eventually, so society has a big stake in ensuring they have help to find a job and avoid falling into a life that will send them back to prison.

He’s managed to reduce the prison population while keeping crime low, and he’s not alone. A Pew Charitable Trust study reports that from 2008 to 2013 the 10 states that instituted prison reforms and cut their incarceration rates the most saw a greater drop in crime rates than the 10 states that increased their prison populations most.

Bob Hamrick’s decision Tuesday to retire from the council and not seek reelection this fall clears the way for yet one more new member in Gainesville’s top leadership posts.

Councilwoman Myrtle Figueras, despite some temptation to seek another term this fall, has also said she plans to step aside.

And with City Manager Kip Padgett leaving earlier this month, and the pending retirement of City Attorney James “Bubba” Palmour, a skake-up like no other seen in years is afoot.

“It’s going to be new,” said Mayor Danny Dunagan. “It’s going to be a learning curve for all of us. When you have that big a turnover that quick, it’s going to have an impact.”

Gainesville resident Zack Thompson has announced that he will run for the Ward 2 seat Hamrick represents.

Councilwoman Ruth Bruner, meanwhile, will seek re-election this fall.

DeKalb County and Brookhaven

Four new associate judges have been named to handle the caseload of the new DeKalb County State Court Traffic Division, according to CrossRoads News.

The associate judges for the new DeKalb State Court Traffic Division are state Sen. Ron Ramsey, Brian K. Ross, Kiesha Storey and Shondeana Crews Morris.

Gov. Nathan Deal picked the four from a list of 10 today.

Ramsey, who represents Senate District 43, is also chief legal officer of the DeKalb School District.

Ross, a senior assistant district attorney with the Clayton Judicial Circuit, is a Lithonia resident and the husband of U.S. District Court Judge Eleanor Ross.

Storey is a DeKalb deputy chief assistant solicitor-general.

Morris is currently a deputy ADA at the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.

DeKalb County Commissioner Nancy Jester writes about why she voted against the 2015 mid-year budget on her website.

I voted against the 2015 Mid-Year DeKalb County Budget.

It is evident that some of the elected leaders and bureaucrats in DeKalb government have little recognition for what constitutes competent service delivery and prudent financial management. The mid-year budget continues bloating government, does nothing to reduce to size of the bureaucracy, and raises the millage rate for the General Fund even though property assessments have greatly increased. Clearly, DeKalb is going in the wrong direction.

In addition to the already bloated proposal, the administration sent the Board of Commissioners a budget with even higher levels of spending, less than 24 hours before our vote.

I cannot support a bloated budget, poor basic service delivery, increased millage rates, and last minute un-vetted budget additions. All of these factors have led DeKalb to the poor status it holds today. I will continue to speak out and vote against these practices and habits. I hope that you will join me and let your voice be heard.

Jester also addressed recent stories about ethical questions raised about DeKalb County’s procurement system.

It is time to shine the light of transparency on the procurement irregularities that were highlighted in the AJC story and disclose any other contracts or agreements that DeKalb has with APD solutions or Mr. Irons. I am requesting that the CEO and his administration, review their files and make public any and all documentation regarding bids, contracts, meetings, and communications with APD Solutions and Mr. Irons.

I want to be clear – the money involved in this growing scandal belongs to the taxpayers of DeKalb County. Your tax dollars must not be used as a slush fund that doles out contracts to well connected friends and their companies. Bidding, contracts, and oversight deserve professional and diligent scrutiny so that your tax dollars yield the most return for their investment. It is unconscionable that a taxpayer funded employee would allow your money to be spent so carelessly and with so little to show for the expense. Sadly, in addition to taxpayers, those vulnerable communities that this grant money was meant to help, are victims. They were cheated out of investments that should have been made to their community instead of lining the pockets of the powerful and politically connected.

The budget proposal Jester opposed also removed $500,000 to pay for a probe of public corruption.

The commission voted 4-3 Tuesday on a budget that removes $500,000 sought by Interim CEO Lee May to help pay for an independent inquiry led by former Georgia Attorney General Mike Bowers, along with $208,000 requested by DeKalb District Attorney Robert James to hire four employees in his Public Integrity Unit in the last four months of the year.

Their investigations will continue despite the lack of funding, and commissioners said they will consider appropriating money in the future if those expenses can be justified.

Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, who took office Monday, has said the “cloud of investigations” by several agencies — the FBI, the Board of Ethics, the District Attorney’s Office and Bowers — should be brought to a close.

“I feel it’s a little overkill. You can only investigate so much,” Johnson said last week after winning a runoff election. “It’s been over three years now, and so for us to move forward, these investigations must come to a conclusion.”

The denial of funding for investigations raises suspicions about the commission’s priorities, said Dan DeWoskin, the president of the DeKalb Bar Association.

“This is a house on fire. DeKalb County is plagued with the mistrust of its constituents,” DeWoskin said. “There’s got to be accountability.”

Commissioners Larry Johnson, Mereda Davis Johnson, Sharon Barnes Sutton and Stan Watson voted for the county’s $1.33 billion mid-year budget. Commissioners Gannon, Nancy Jester and Jeff Rader voted against it.

Because DeKalb.

The Office of Attorney General Sam Olens sent a letter to the City of Brookhaven after the Brookhaven Post filed a complaint alleging open records violations. The letter cited three violations of the Open Records Act.

The Attorney General’s letter also confirms Brookhaven Officials violated the Georgia Open Records Act by failing to produce documents pursuant to our request and urges the City to release any other documents in its possession that are related to this issue. We’ve asked the City to produce those.

City Officials have admitted the improper Executive Session discussions included how the City could conceal the issue. They have also said the decision to unlawfully redact and release false statements was not former City Attorney Tom Kurrie acting on his own without their knowledge.

Mayor Williams told The Post that she agreed a crime had been committed in the City’s mishandling of this issue. We asked Williams, why then, is the City was not doing their own criminal investigation into violations of State Law. Mayor Williams said, “Why don’t you do it”, indicating the City has no intention of investigating any criminal activity.

The Office of the Attorney General reserves the right to civilly and criminally prosecute such matters where it deems doing so is appropriate. On Monday, The Post filed paperwork formally requesting the Attorney General exercise that right.