Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for May 23, 2019

Serial bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were shot to death near Sailes, Louisiana by a group of LA and Texas state police on May 23, 1934.

On May 23, 1954, the NAACP petitioned the Fulton County Board of Education to desegregate after the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

Former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter won the Virginia Caucus on May 23, 1976, gaining 24 delegates. On May 25, 1976, Carter won the Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky Primary Elections for President.

On May 23, 1990, the NFL announced that Atlanta would host the 1994 Super Bowl.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Kemp‘s Georgians First Commission visited Valdosta, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

Representatives of Gov. Brian Kemp’s Georgians First Commission stopped by Valdosta this week to hear from local business leaders about what can be done to improve small businesses in South Georgia.

Scott Hilton, director of implementation for Georgians First Commission, gave a presentation showing the importance of small businesses. The Kemp administration has tasked the commission with reviewing regulations and modifying procedures to streamline government, remove inefficiencies and cut red tape.

“The reason the governor wants us to get out and about across the state is to hear from as many folks as possible and to really listen to those questions, concerns, ideas that you have that could make our state better,” Hilton said. “What runs this state is small business.”

During the presentation, business and government leaders brought up concerns regarding college students leaving the community immediately after high school, poor access to capital for minority-owned businesses and a lack of good employees for businesses to pull from.

University of Georgia economists criticized a proposed new trade deal with Mexico and Canada, according to the Athens Banner Herald.

University of Georgia economists say the Trump administration’s proposed trade agreement with Canada and Mexico could be disastrous for south Georgia fruit and vegetable growers and some rural Georgia counties.

In a few counties, losses “will likely reach economic damage rarely seen since the Great Depression,” according to the policy brief by Jeffrey Dorfman, Julian Worley and Sharon Kane of the UGA Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

The proposed U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement between the three countries that took effect in 1994.

Bacon County could see a 22.9 percent drop in county income over time, while Clinch County could see a 40.3 percent drop and Echols County 46 percent, according to the UGA economists.

Other counties could see income drops from 2 to 5 percent, “equivalent to what is commonly experienced during an economic recession. Those include Appling (4.5 percent income loss), Brooks County (3.7 percent), Decatur (2.8 percent) and Colquitt counties (2 percent).

“While this is damaging to our growers, it’s devastating to a lot of these rural counties,” Hall said.

State House Speaker David Ralston continued his tour of local newspapers with state legislators who support him, speaking with the Dalton Daily Citizen.

[State Rep. Steve] Tarvin was one of a number of lawmakers from northwest Georgia who accompanied Ralston on Tuesday for a meeting with staff members of the Daily Citizen-News, and all said they support the speaker and say the allegations against him are false.State Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, who chairs the powerful Senate Rules Committee, said he continues to back the speaker.

“He broke no law, and he’s a great leader,” Mullis said.

Mullis said the public tends to assume that the General Assembly is made up of attorneys but in reality, there are only eight among the Senate’s 56 members.

He noted that the Senate’s lawyer-legislators supported a measure earlier this year that tightened up Georgia’s legislative leave law, even though the changes also affect them. That bill, which was sponsored by attorneys in both chambers, cleared the Senate with a unanimous vote and the House by an overwhelming majority and was signed into law earlier this month by Kemp.

“I think we all agreed that lawyers have a different perspective with their job and usually they lose money by being in the General Assembly because they’re paid by the hour,” Mullis said.

In Savannah, protesters marched in opposition to the “heartbeat bill,” according to the Savannah Morning News.

Protesters marched from Johnson Square to Chippewa Square on Tuesday to protest the Georgia’s ‘heartbeat’ law, which was signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on May 7. The march was one of hundreds across the country in protest of recent restrictive abortion bills signed into law by multiple states in the past weeks.

Planned Parenthood will begin digital advertising against Republican United States Senators in states including Georgia, according to RollCall.

Planned Parenthood is working in states like Georgia, Missouri, Alabama and Ohio, and building on a digital ad campaign that will begin airing next week targeting vulnerable U.S. senators running next year.

“This is only the beginning. Planned Parenthood is going to harness this energy with all of our partners here to lead the charge to fight back,” said [Planned Parenthood President Leana] Wen. “We are mobilizing our activities in our top targeted states and laying these extreme bills at the feet of governors, state legislators and other anti-abortion politicians.”

“With regard to the states in 2020, I think we’re going to see a lot of gains in Georgia, Ohio for sure. We’ll pick up a couple seats in Missouri, I’ll anticipate,” she said.

Stacey Matthews writes critically of Stacey Abrams’s claims to have won the 2018 Gubernatorial election.

Since her defeat back in November, Abrams has repeatedly undermined the election process in the state of Georgia to much fanfare, applause, amens, nods and winks from the same media and pundit classes who roundly excoriated presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2016 for not committing to accepting the election results if he wasn’t declared the winner.

Abrams isn’t the only one saying her election was “stolen.” Other Democrats — in addition to O’Rourke — who have said this in so many words include Sen. Cory Booker (NJ), who is also a presidential candidate, Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH), and Hillary Clinton.

“If she had a fair election, she already would have won,” Clinton said about a week after the election last year. “Stacey Abrams should be governor, leading that state right now,” Clinton would later assert in a March speech in Selma, Alabama.

“Trump’s refusal to concede the election if he loses proves he is a petty man uninterested in our national stability,” said the Democratic minority leader of Georgia’s House of Representatives.

That Democrat was Stacey Abrams.

Michael Barone also takes issues with claims by Abrams in the Washington Examiner.

The “big lie” is back in style. Wikipedia tells us that the term was invented by Adolf Hitler to describe what other did — though he was the biggest liar of all. “The broad masses of a nation,” he wrote in Mein Kampf, “more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie.”

Exhibit A: The increasingly common claims that Democrats Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum “won” last fall’s elections for governor in Georgia and Florida. Actually, both of them lost by 50%-49% margins.

Abrams admits this, but insists that “so many people were disenfranchised and disengaged … that I feel comfortable now saying, ‘I won.’” “Without voter suppression,” presidential candidate Kamala Harris told the Detroit NAACP, “Stacey Abrams would be the governor of Georgia, Andrew Gillum is the governor of Florida.”

This is nonsense. Voter turnout was up 54% in Georgia and 38% in Florida over 2014 levels. And the “voter suppression” that people are complaining about was standard procedure, required by longstanding federal and state laws.

From Atlanta to Adelaide, from the Steele dossier to the Brexit opponents, the big lie is being deployed in the service of delegitimizing the results of elections. But as one observer said, refusing to “respect the results” of an election is “threatening our democracy.” That was Hillary Clinton, tweeting on Oct. 21, 2016.

Savannah is considering restrictions on new convenience stores that sell alcohol and coin-operated gaming machines, according to the Savannah Morning News.

If approved, no new convenience stores that sell alcohol will be allowed in the Alcohol Density Overlay District. In addition, businesses throughout the city with gaming machines will face new restrictions.

City staff is recommending revisions to the Alcohol Density Overlay District ordinance to limit any new convenience stores that sell alcohol in the overlay district area. Council will discuss the plans at its regular meeting June 6.

“Residents didn’t want any more,” [Savannah director of planning and urban design Bridget] Lidy said, referring to convenience stores. “The residents are passionate about it.”

The intent behind not allowing any new convenience stores that sell alcohol through the Alcohol Density Overlay District is to “curtail or prevent littering, loitering, aggressive panhandling, noise and increased traffic,” according to the ordinance. It’s also noted that the problems in areas of dense alcohol sales can contribute to lower property values and quality of life for residents.

Highlights of the changes for coin-operated amusement machines include requiring an annual city registration for any business with machines, an annual business tax certificate, fines, signage, and inspections.

Judge Martha Christian heard arguments in a lawsuit against Hall County, the board of commissioners and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, according to the AJC.

Wednesday marked the second major hearing in the lawsuit first filed in January 2017, which the attorneys said originally involved about 70 current employees and about 30 that retired after July 1, 2008. The majority are first responders. Roughly 100 people gathered in the Hall County courtroom Wednesday, many being active and former county employees.

“The bait and switch is, ‘Hey, you’re going to make a lot more money under the defined contribution plan. But, of course, you’re not going to be using our money.’ You’re going to be using your own, and only if you can afford to contribute to the defined contribution plan,” Buckley said.

The change regarding the county pension plan happened in 1998, when the plaintiffs’ attorney Michael Kramer claimed the county “froze plaintiffs’ accrued pension benefits and failed to make the required annual employer contributions to plaintiffs’ individual retirement accounts.”

The result, according to the plaintiffs, is much reduced pension payouts and employees delaying retirement, afraid they won’t be able to afford it.

Two parks on Lake Lanier will remain closed this weekend, according to the Gainesville Times.

West Bank Park and Sawnee Campground in Cumming will be closed over Memorial Day weekend, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

West Bank Park has been closed due to heavy rains and floods earlier this spring. Its reopening date has not been announced yet.

Sawnee Campground has been closed due to limited staffing and volunteers. The campground will reopen June 13.

In Gwinnett County, opponents of a proposed waster transfer station near Tribble Mill Park will hold a public meeting, according to the AJC.

The community meeting will be held from 7 until 8 p.m. at Graystone Church-Ozora, which is located at 1551 Ozora Road in unincorporated Loganville. Opponents of the proposed station are planning to discuss what the rezoning request for the transfer station means and how they can go about fighting it.

Gwinnett County Planning Commission Chairman Chuck Warbington said the residents’ opposition to the proposal has not gone unheard.

“Substantial community opposition has already voiced many concerns to me related to this case,” he said. “The planning commission will ensure public input is considered as we complete our due diligence regarding this case.”

The applicants pushing the proposal, Darron Britt and Buddy Ray Johnson, want to rezone the 51.62-acre property on the 800 block of Ozora Road from residential to industrial. The site is large enough that it is considered a development of regional impact and therefore must be reviewed by the Atlanta Regional Commission as well as county planning staff.

A McIntosh County grand jury has delayed proceedings against McIntosh County Clerk of Court Rebecca McFerrin, according to The Brunswick News.

Grand jury action on allegations that suspended McIntosh County Clerk of Court Rebecca McFerrin violated her oath of office has been delayed pending resolution of a petition to remove her from office, District Attorney Tom Durden said.

“We are working toward a resolution,’’ Durden said Wednesday, the day the grand jury met and handed up a number of criminal indictments.

The Northwest Georgia Housing Authority finds too few landlords willing to accept Section 8 vouchers, according to the Rome News Tribune.

Northwest Georgia Housing Authority Executive Director Sandra Hudson told her board that HUD wants a 95% lease rate for housing vouchers allocated to the agency.

The authority is running at an 85% rate as of the end of April.

A lot of the problem involves the lack of landlords who want to participate in the program, Hudson said. The Heritage Pointe Apartments on Redmond Circle are no longer accepting Section 8 vouchers and a number of people who had been living there with federal assistance have had to be relocated.

Attorney Stewart Duggan told the authority a ruling in a Texas case had ruled in favor of landlords, supporting their argument that they were not violating the terms of fair housing laws by not participating in the program.

Parking decks and public attitudes about them are key to downtown parking in Rome, according to the Rome News Tribune.

Mayor Bill Collins said he’s hearing complaints that “people don’t want their wives parking in a deck.” A number of others who spoke at the City Commission meeting Monday echoed his sentiments.

However, Becky Smyth, the Downtown Development parking services manager, said there’s been a concerted effort to address those concerns since the parking plan was adopted in May 2018.

The long-range plan is to convert the on-street spaces downtown to short-term paid slots and encourage the use of the parking decks by making those spaces free.

Lula Mayor Jim Grier is hoping to jump-start a small business group to promote the city’s employers, according to the Gainesville Times.

Noticing the increase of small businesses in Lula, Grier decided that now was the time to promote their growth.

He has seen other merchant associations — like the Gainesville Business Coalition — conduct joint marketing efforts among its members to promote special events in their downtown areas. Grier has also witnessed these groups identify community needs and support charities.

The mayor will launch a networking event at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12 at Lula’s City Hall to catalyze the development of the merchant association. Grier encourages small Lula business owners to attend.

He hopes that the networking event will inspire a natural leader to spearhead the merchant association and recruit members. So far, Grier said several small business owners have expressed interest in forming the group.

“This would really promote the downtown area of Lula as well as the rest of the community,” he said. “We want to make sure everybody that’s a small business owner has a chance to be at the meeting and get involved.”

Habersham County Commission Chairman Stacy Hall came under fire, according to AccessWDUN.

Cornelia attorney Douglas McDonald openly called for the resignation of Habersham County Commission Chairman Stacy Hall during Monday night’s commission meeting.

“Before the commission moves to adopt the meeting’s agenda, I would like to raise a point of order for the record,” Hall said. “During the May 14 called meeting of the Habersham County Commission, the commission entered executive session with the Hospital Authority for the purpose of discussing property acquisition/disposal, per Official Code of Georgia …”

“At the conclusion of the executive session, there was a vote to come out of executive session and a vote on an affidavit certifying that the purpose of the executive session and the discussion within executive session was indeed lawful,” Hall said. “Immediately after the vote on the affidavit, there was a motion, followed by a second, then a full vote to adjourn the full meeting.”

“What should have happened but did not was to open the doors to the meeting room following the conclusion of the executive session and allow anyone still waiting to enter the open session part of the meeting to re-enter,” Hall said. “This was a procedural error by the Chair, and I personally apologize. The minutes will reflect that there was no discussion, no comment, nor any further agenda item considered once the executive session was adjourned.

“Sir, since you have admitted violating the criminal laws of Georgia, since you have admitted that you violated the civil laws of Georgia in regards to the Georgia Open Meetings law, I call upon you to resign your position as county commissioner; that you acknowledge to the governor of Georgia, that you acknowledge to the attorney general of Georgia and to any other law enforcement agencies, including the district attorney of Habersham County, that you have violated the criminal laws of Georgia, the Georgia Sunshine law and the Georgia Open Meetings law; and that you go on and voluntarily pay a $1,000 fine, which is the fine for the criminal violation, and up to $1,000 that a superior court judge can order you to pay for admission of violating the law on May 14 ….” [said McDonald.]

Statesboro City Council voted to annex 33.35 acres at the request of the owner, according to the Statesboro Herald.

Woodstock City Council is considering a partial rollback of property tax rates, according to the Tribune Ledger News.

Woodstock City Council members are considering a partial rollback in the property tax rate for its 2020 budget, which may mean a small tax savings for some property owners.

With the partial rollback, the proposed millage rate is 6.57 mills, down from 6.72 mills.

The city council held a first reading Monday and will have a second reading and vote to adopt the budget June 10.

The city projects a 6-percent increase in the net property tax digest, before appeals and exemptions. With more tax money due to higher property values, the city can “roll back” the rate to end up with the same or more revenue. Later this year the tax digest will be finalized and the city council will officially confirm the millage rate in August.