Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for October 24, 2019

On October 24, 1733, the Georgia trustees ordered a ship to Rotterdam to pick up a group of Lutherans expelled from Salzburg, Austria, and then send the Salzburgers to Georgia.

On October 24, 1775, Lord John Murray Dunmore, British Governor of Virginia, ordered the British fleet to attack Norfolk, VA.

On October 24, 1790, the Rev. John Wesley wrote the last entry in his journal, which he began keeping on October 14, 1735.

The first American “Unknown Soldier” was chosen on October 24, 1921 in Chalons-sur-Marne, France.

Bearing the inscription “An Unknown American who gave his life in the World War,” the chosen casket traveled to Paris and then to Le Havre, France, where it would board the cruiser Olympia for the voyage across the Atlantic. Once back in the United States, the Unknown Soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.

The Charter of the United Nations took effect on October 24, 1945.

On October 24, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower pledged the United States’ support for the South Vietnam government led by President Ngo Dinh Diem.

On October 24, 1976, Newsweek released a poll showing Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter leading President Gerald Ford in 24 states, with a combined 308 electoral voters.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Brian Kemp, in Decatur County, discussed continuing efforts to help rural communities, according to WTXL.

The governor made an important stop Wednesday in Decatur County to meet with those farmers and discuss their needs. He is making a promise to farmers that he will continue to push for more resources in rural southwest Georgia.

Hurricane Michael cost these farmers millions of dollars in damage.

Governor Kemp says he plans to push lawmakers to realize the potential that rural Georgia has.

“We’ve got to be positive about rural Georgia. We got a lot of opportunity. We got a lot of resources,” said Kemp. “We’ve got great farmers growing great crops.”

Because the governor believes better days are coming, he says he’s trying to raise awareness.

“We’re trying to raise awareness not only to people down here but people around the state, people around the U.S. and people around the world that we can do great things in the rural parts of our state,” said Gov. Kemp.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture estimates farm damages due to Michael to be as high as $2.8 billion.

Donald Trump, Jr. will headline a Georgia fundraiser for Congressman Doug Collins (R-Gainesville), according to the AJC.

An aide to Collins expects the north Georgia fundraiser to raise about $300,000, giving him a financial boost that could be transferred to a Senate campaign if he’s appointed to the job by Gov. Brian Kemp.

The visit comes weeks before President Donald Trump is set to arrive in Georgia for a Nov. 8 fundraiser and a potential political event aimed at energizing black Republican voters.

Georgia’s Democratic Presidential debate will feature an all-female panel of moderators, according to the AJC.

The four moderators of the Nov. 20 event co-hosted by MSNBC and The Washington Post are: Rachel Maddow, Andrea Mitchell, Kristen Welker and Ashley Parker.

With more stringent requirements, the debate seems set to feature a smaller lineup of candidates than the 12 who qualified for last week’s showdown in Ohio.

What’s still unknown is the location and venue of the debate. Party leaders say it’s expected to be held in metro Atlanta, but the exact site has yet to be announced.

11Alive looks at presidential candidate donations from Georgia.

President Donald Trump and another five Democratic candidates all raised at least six figures in Georgia between January and June. Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both raised more than $300,000.

Overall, about $1.4 million of Georgia’s $1.5 million has been steered toward the Democratic primary so far (incumbent presidents not facing a serious primary challenge typically don’t start raising a lot of money the year before an election.)

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources released proposed rules for oyster farming, according to the Savannah Morning News.

DNR’s Coastal Resources Division on Tuesday asked the state Board of Natural Resources to consider new rules that would adopt the overarching National Shellfish Sanitation Program Model Ordinance; establish commercial shellfish seed sizes for mariculture; set requirements for shellfish seed health and importation, and set criteria for subtidal water bottom leases and lease terms.

The General Assembly earlier this year passed legislation that sets up a framework for a fledgling oyster farming industry, giving the state Department of Natural Resources final say in when oysters can be harvested and where oyster seed comes from. Neighboring states already farm oysters year-round, but in Georgia, oysters are wild harvested only. The law also provides for a lottery to allot leases to qualified farmers.

“This is an opportunity for rural development in McIntosh and Bryan,” [One Hundred Miles Executive Director Megan] Desrosiers said. “Local food is one of the hottest markets and we don’t have local oysters in Georgia. It’s an opportunity not only to have an oyster market in Georgia but also to highlight the pristine environment we’ve worked to protect.”

If approved by the board, the new rule would additionally create a process for certifying shellfish hatcheries and nurseries in Georgia. Board approval would also bring the department into compliance with House Bill 501, passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on May 6, 2019. The law goes into effect March 1, 2020.

The new state voting system was used for a mock election at the Georgia National State Fair, according to the Albany Herald.

Voters in a straw poll conducted at the Georgia National State Fair are feeling peachy about the new voting machines they used in the mock contest.

Peaches came out the winner in voting on the favorite Georgia Grown food, followed by pecans, peanuts and blueberries. If nuts and berry supporters were dejected by the results, they could have found comfort in knowing the election was secure, according to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Raffensperger, Georgia’s chief election official, noted that the new voting technology’s paper ballots provide an audit trail to ensure election tallies are accurate in case the second-place candidate – or crop – requests a recount. Georgia conducts recounts when requested by candidates coming within 1/2-percent of the winner.

More than 3,700 ballots were cast by fairgoers who came by the Department of Agriculture’s Georgia Grown pavilion where the touchscreen voting was on display. Peaches topped the balloting for favorite Georgia Grown food with 1,399 votes. Coming in next were pecans with 973, peanuts with 703 and blueberries in fourth place with 639.

As people at the fair learned, they can check the printout for their mistakes before casting the ballot. Reaction from those trying the machines was overwhelmingly positive.

As a pilot, the new system is being used in an actual election for municipal contests in six counties, Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Decatur, Lowndes and Paulding. In a seventh county, Cobb, voters are using hand-marked ballots that will be counted by scanners that are part of the Dominion technology.

Gwinnett County may need additional time to finalize service delivery agreements with its cities, according to the AJC.

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday night to ask the state for more time to negotiate the new service delivery strategy, or SDS, which lays out how each of the local governments charge taxpayers for things like police, fire service and road maintenance.

“The cities and the county have made excellent progress toward finalizing the new agreement, thanks in large part to the good relationships we have developed with each other,” [Gwinnett Commission Chair Charlotte] Nash said.

State Rep. Billy Mitchell (D-Stone Mtn) will introduce legislation to allow college athletes to be paid, according to the Albany Herald.

Mitchell said the bill is modeled after California’s “Fair Pay to Play Act,” which recently became law in the Golden State.

“With this legislation, Georgia hereby joins a rapidly growing number of states that have filed similar legislation, or are in the process of doing so, including Florida, New York, South Carolina and Minnesota,” Mitchell said.

“Not only is this an idea whose time has come, but Georgia schools would be at a decisive disadvantage when it comes to recruiting with other states that join California in implementing this act, if we fail to do the same.”

The California law, signed in September, bars the NCAA from punishing an athlete for monetizing their name and image, but Mitchell’s announcement made no mention of taking that step.

While no mention of barring the NCAA from taking action against an athlete was mentioned by Mitchell, a press release from the Georgia House of Representatives Press Office said the bill would bar public and private colleges in Georgia from punishing an athlete for receiving compensation for the use of their name, image and likeness.

An interchange at I-20 has been named after former State Senator Bill Jackson, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Former state senator Bill Jackson was surprised by the crowd that gathered near exit 183 off Interstate 20 on Wednesday morning. A host of state and local dignitaries joined Jackson and his family for naming of the interchange in his honor.

One caught Jackson by complete surprise – former Gov. Nathan Deal who spoke about his time with Jackson and his dedication to the Augusta area. He also noted that the senator’s name would be seen by thousands who take exit 183 as the Appling and Harlem areas continue to grow.

“There’s going to be a lot of people who see this sign and they need to be reminded that there was somebody who stood up and represented this area very, very well,” Deal said.

Jackson said he hopes he is remembered as a common man who lived in a common home, but believed in people and loved his neighbors.

“If nothing else happens, I hope that I can live a long life and I can continue to be proud – not of me, but you for what you made happen,” he said.

The Dalton Public Works Committee approved a citizen petition to circulate for speed cushions, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen.

Members of the City of Dalton’s Public Works Committee have given the go-ahead for residents of a section of Fredrick Street to gather signatures on a petition to place speed cushions on the street.

Assistant Public Works Director Andrew Parker briefed committee members — City Council members Tyree Goodlett and Denise Wood, City Administrator Jason Parker and Public Works Department Director Benny Dunn — on a study performed on Fredrick Street between Underwood Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard after a resident of that area requested the department look at installing speed cushions there.

Committee members agreed it was close enough to let residents circulate a petition. If 75 percent of the residents of that section of Fredrick Street sign the petition, it will come back before the Public Works Committee for a final recommendation. The City Council would have the final vote on whether to approve the cushions.

Lowndes County Commissioners approved a new policy to allow some private roads to become public roads, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

The Private Roads Resolution will allow for individuals and entities owning private roads to hand over ownership to the county if they choose. This could help update some roads and potentially pave some currently unpaved private roads, said Paige Dukes, Lowndes County clerk and public information officer.

Candidates for Mayor of Smyrna met voters in a public forum, according to the AJC.

Albany City Commissioners approved a $5.5 million dollar street resurfacing program, according to the Albany Herald.