Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for August 19, 2016

James Oglethorpe and the Creek Indians signed the Treaty of Coweta Town, delineating geographic areas open to British settlement, on August 21, 1739.

On August 20, 1781, General George Washington sent Continental troops from New York toward Yorktown, Virginia to engage British troops under Gen. Cornwallis.

USS Constitution earned the nickname “Old Ironsides” in battle against the British ship Guerriere off the coast of Nova Scotia on August 19, 1812. Launched in 1797, Constitution is today the oldest commissioned vessel in the United States Navy. Live oak from St. Simons Island were cut and milled for timber used in the constructions of Constitution. From a 1977 New York Times article:

The Constitution won her way into Americans’ hearts in 1812, when she defeated the British Guerriere off Nova Scotia in an exchange of broadsides. The spirit of the Constitution crew was noted by the Guerriere’s commander, James Dacres, who boarded the Constitution to present his sword in surrender.

”I will not take your sword, Sir,” the captain of the Constitution, Isaac Hull, replied. ”But I will trouble you for your hat.”

In the battle, a sailor — whether British or American is disputed by historians — is said to have cried out, ”Huzzah, her sides are made of iron!” as he watched an English cannonball bounce off the side of the Constitution. It was the birth of her nickname.

Part of the ship’s secret lay in the wood used in the design by Joshua Humphreys. He picked live oak, from St. Simons Island, Ga. The wood has proved so strong and resistant to rot that the original hull is intact, said Anne Grimes Rand, curator of the Constitution Museum in Charlestown, Mass.

On August 21, 1831, Nat Turner led the largest slave rebellion in American history; Turner was later hanged in Jerusalem, VA.

The first of the Lincoln-Douglass series of seven debates was held in Ottawa, Illinois, on August 21, 1858, pitting Democrat Stephen Douglass against Republican Abraham for the United States Senate seat held by Douglass. Expansion of slavery in the United States was the topic for the debates.

On August 20, 1906, Gov. Joseph Terrell signed legislation to build a statue of Georgia founding father James Oglethorpe in Savannah and a bill to build a statue of former Confederate General and Georgia Governor John B. Gordon at the State Capitol.

On August 21, 1907, Georgia Governor Hoke Smith signed legislation to place a Constitutional Amendment designed to disenfranchise African-Americans by requiring passage of a literacy test to vote. A number of exceptions allowed local officials to exempt white voters whom they wished to allow to vote; one exemption was for anyone descended from a U.S. or Confederate wartime veteran – the so-called “grandfather clause.”

On the same day, Gov. Smith also signed legislation prohibiting fishing on Sunday, subject to misdemeanor prosecution.

The Georgia Department of Insurance was created on August 19, 1912 when Governor Joseph Brown signed legislation regulating companies selling policies in the states.

Governor Nathaniel Harris signed the first state law requiring school attendance for children 8-14 years of age on August 19, 1916; on the same day, Harris also signed legislation authorizing women to practice law in Georgia.

The Georgia Department of Archives and History was created by legislation signed by Georgia Governor Hugh Dorsey on August 20, 1918.

On August 20, 1920, the American Professional Football Association, which would later be renamed the National Football League, was formed in Akron, Ohio. Today, the Professional Football Hall of Fame is about an hour away in Canton, Ohio.

“Georgia” was designated the official state song on August 19, 1922 with Gov. Thomas Hardwick’s signature on a joint resolution passed by the General Assembly; in 1979, “Georgia On My Mind,” replaced it.

On August 20, 1923, Georgia Governor Clifford Walker signed legislation requiring state schools teach the United States and Georgia Constitutions and students pass an exam on the documents before being allowed to graduate.

Adolf Hitler became President of Germany on August 19, 1934.

On August 21, 1935, Benny Goodman and his orchestra began a seven-night stand at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, beginning the Swing Era.

The United States Central Intelligence Agency supported a coup in Iran that restored the Shah of Iran on August 19, 1953.

Happy 55th birthday to Hawaii, which became the 50th State on August 21, 1959; they’ve undoubtedly been receiving AARP literature in the mail for ten years.

On August 20, 1965, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones was released in the UK.

The 1968 Democratic National Convention began in Chicago on August 21, 1968.

The name of Julian Bond of Georgia, then-27 and too young to serve, was placed in nomination for Vice President during the 1968 DNC.

On August 20, 1974, President Gerald Ford nominated Nelson Rockefeller as Vice President of the United States.

On August 19, 1976, President Gerald R. Ford was nominated for President by the Republican National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. Ford received 1,157 (52.6%) delegates to 1,087 for Ronald Reagan (47.4%). Georgia’s 48 delegates voted for Reagan on the first ballot.

On August 19, 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O’Connor as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. On the same day, Dr. Betty Siegel became the first female President of a state college or university in Georgia when she was named President of Kennesaw College on August 19, 1981; under her leadership, it became Kennesaw State University in 1996. Siegel served until 2006. Kennesaw State was recently named the 4th best college for food in the nation.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Georgia DOT had its 100th Birthday Party and was serenaded by an all-star political choir that included former Governors Sonny Perdue and Roy Barnes.

Georgia’s transportation chief is optimistic about Cobb County’s coming I-75 toll lanes and SunTrust Park traffic conditions. Russell McMurry, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation, weighed in on the topics during a 100th anniversary celebration for GDOT held at Vinings Bank on Thursday.

The $834 million, 30-mile toll lanes will be transformational in relieving traffic congestion, McMurry said, by giving drivers the option of using the lanes during the busiest times of the day. Express bus service will also be able to use the lanes, another benefit of the project.

“With the planning that’s been done — coordination with Cobb County, coordination with GDOT — there’s a lot more entry points. It’s a different dynamic, a different experience than (what) is experienced today at Turner Field. So it’s a little bit of a different approach to how they manage traffic,” he said.

While the I-75 toll lanes won’t be ready for opening pitch, he said they will provide a good alternative in the most congested times once they open in 2018.

“And the other projects that are underway … the turn lanes, intersection improvements, Spring Road, all these other improvements provide a benefit … around the Cumberland area to be better all the time not just at Braves games,” he said.

Speaking of GDOT, they’ll be closing some lanes on I-85 and I-985 near Buford beginning at 9 PM tonight through 5 AM Saturday.

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Congressional Luncheon on Tuesday, August 23d at the Macon Marriott City Center, 200 Coliseum Drive, Macon, Georgia 31217, beginning at 10:30 AM. This year’s luncheon will feature U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson and veteran political analysts Charlie Cook and Stu Rothenberg, who will discuss all aspects of the 2016 primary and general election, including what they’re seeing on the Presidential and U.S. Senate races around the country.

Fulton County Sheriff Candidate Ben Cowart is taking flak for a video he posted on Facebook that cuts together scenes of John Wayne firing a pistol and cyclists falling off bikes. Someone ran to 11Alive to air their grievance with Cowart.

Cowart released the following statement in response to questions about his Facebook post:

“I apologize if anyone was offended by the Satiric video featuring John Wayne that was posted on my personal Facebook page. Although the video is clearly a satire and meant to be humorous, in no way do I advocate any kind of violence towards anyone, whether they be on foot, bicycle, car, or any other mechanized mode of transportation. We’ve removed the item and look forward to returning our focus on the major issues facing the people of Fulton County including the rising crime rate in South Fulton, low employee morale, and the thousands of warrants yet to be served that keep bad guys on the streets,” said Cowart.

Cowart is up against incumbent candidate Sheriff Theodore “Ted” Jackson, who is campaigning for a third re-election to the office.

I continue to be surprised that (1) people can’t take a joke, and if it’s by their political opponent, they accuse the other person of advocating for whatever was joked about; and (2) that others take such petty grievances seriously. From a campaign perspective, it still would have been preferable to avoid this altogether.

The Columbus area is setting the groundwork to take advantage of the $2 Billion that the film and TV industry spent in Georgia last year.

The forefront of the state’s strategy is fostering the education and training of people for the movie industry in Georgia and setting up as much infrastructure as possible. Some of the progress was on display this week, with Columbus State University students providing assistance with the shooting of a film in Harris County, near Pine Mountain, Ga., as part of the completion of their 18-hour on-set film production certificate.

“We’re looking at bringing another film here in the spring to train additional students who had the first course,” [CSU’s College of Arts Dean Richard] Baxter said.

He explained that there are plans to eventually have a sound stage in Columbus with equipment that can be used by filmmakers. If all works well, investment capital will materialize that will attract productions not only to Georgia, but in Columbus and the surrounding area. Down the road, an associate’s degree in film could be offered at CSU, he said.

“The goal of our program is, by this time next year, to have 50 to 100 certified, trained production workers so that anyone who wants to come to Columbus and film, they’re going to have a workforce already here instead of having to bring people from outside Columbus to work on those movies,” Baxter said. “You won’t have to bring somebody from New York or California or Atlanta here to work on a film.”

Doraville politicians and taxpayers will be helping finance construction at the former GM plant through a tax abatement.

After the site’s owners couldn’t convince the school board to throw its support behind their project, the Doraville Downtown Development Authority voted unanimously Tuesday night to award incentives worth 35 percent of the site’s annual property tax bill for the next 30 years.

The amount of the tax breaks could exceed $82 million if developers succeed in their effort to increase the property’s value to more than $1.5 billion over the next three decades, according to calculations by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Doraville leaders initially wanted to help finance the project through a tax allocation district, which would have preserved the site’s existing tax base and dedicated future increases in tax revenue on infrastructure improvements. But school system officials, whose approval is required, have said they’re reluctant to commit educational resources to a business prospect.

The tax breaks approved Tuesday cut into both the school system’s current and future tax revenue. Development authorities throughout Georgia have the power to grant property tax abatements for business growth.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed may have dropped a hint that City Council member Keisha Lance Bottoms is considering entering the 2017 Mayoral race.

“Scott Taylor for mayor,” Reed said laughing. “…After the next election. I don’t want to upset Ceasar and Keisha.”

By “Ceasar” he meant City Council President Ceasar C. Mitchell — who was sitting in the front row and who has officially declared he is running for mayor having already raised more than a half-million dollars.

By Keisha, he meant Keisha Lance Bottoms, who was also riding high Thursday as the head of the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority who helped broker the Turner Field deal.

She was sitting on stage with the mayor.

A gas pipeline across South Georgia received federal approval, though some locals still oppose construction. Meanwhile, Governor Deal made appointments to the Joint State Commission on Petroleum Pipelines.

Colonial Group Vice President Ryan Chandler and Conservancy President Robert Ramsay are part of the final five appointments to the 13-member committee: Eastman resident Wade Hall, president and CEO of Stuckey Timberland, Inc.; Brian Nipper, the mayor of Odum and president of Nipper Construction Company, Inc.; and Atlanta resident Mike Clanton, vice president of the land department for Georgia Power.

Savannah is considering creating a Municipal Court split from the Chatham County Recorder’s Court.

Savannah Mayor Eddie DeLoach said most of the cities around Savannah have a municipal court and he didn’t think the joint operation was necessarily the best method for Savannah.