Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for June 27, 2023

On June 27, 1864, Sherman’s Union forces attacked General Johnston’s Confederates at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain.

One year later, the Military Department of Georgia was created to oversee Reconstruction in the state.

The Gone with the Wind scene that includes the line, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” was filmed on June 27, 1939, along with an alternate that used the line, “Frankly, my dear, I just don’t care.”

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

The United States Supreme Court ruled that states may play a limited role in reviewing redistricting plans for federal elections, according to the Associated Press via the Valdosta Daily Times.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that North Carolina’s top court did not overstep its bounds in striking down a congressional districting plan as excessively partisan under state law.

The justices by a 6-3 vote rejected the broadest view of a case that could have transformed elections for Congress and president.

North Carolina Republicans had asked the court to leave state legislatures virtually unchecked by their state courts when dealing with federal elections.

But Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court that “state courts retain the authority to apply state constitutional restraints when legislatures act under the power conferred upon them by the Elections Clause. But federal courts must not abandon their own duty to exercise judicial review.”

The justices heard arguments in December in an appeal by the state’s Republican leaders in the legislature. Their efforts to draw congressional districts heavily in their favor were blocked by a Democratic majority on the state Supreme Court because the GOP map violated the state constitution.

The question for the justices was whether the U.S. Constitution’s provision giving state legislatures the power to make the rules about the “times, places and manner” of congressional elections cuts state courts out of the process.

In North Carolina, a new round of redistricting is expected to go forward and produce a map with more Republican districts.

Georgia will receive $1.3 billion dollars in federal funding for broadband deployment, according to the Macon Telegraph.

Georgia will receive $1.3 billion out of a $42 billion nationwide federal investment in broadband expansion, the largest in U.S. history, the Biden administration announced Monday.

The funding, which comes from the bipartisan infrastructure spending bill Congress passed in 2021, will expand broadband and strengthen access to affordable, high-speed internet across the state, particularly for the estimated 15% of Georgians who currently lack reliable broadband access.

“This is great news for our state,” said U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who hosted Jessica Rosenworcel, chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), last year at a public forum in Jackson County on the need for broadband expansion. “This federal investment means life will get easier for hundreds of thousands of Georgians and provides the tools and infrastructure our communities need to be competitive in the 21st century.”

The Feds also will give $22.3 million dollars to Georgia State University to fund electric buses, according to the Center Square.

According to the Federal Transit Administration, the roughly 18 new buses will replace the system’s older diesel buses as Panther Express converts its vehicles to an all-electric fleet. The funding will also go toward buying charging equipment.

The money is part of roughly $1.7 billion in funding included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. As part of the fiscal 2023 tranche of federal money for local projects, the feds said they are allocating federal tax dollars for 130 awards in 46 states and territories.

The Gwinnett County Department of Transportation will receive a $20 million federal grant to replace the Gwinnett Place Transit Center, according to the AJC.

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, announced the grant Tuesday with U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

The award is a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant from the United States Department of Transportation. In a news release, McBath said she requested U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg approve the funding.

“This community deserves strong federal investments like this RAISE grant,” McBath said. “I want to congratulate Gwinnett County for yet another significant award to invest in the progress of our transportation and infrastructure systems. This $20 million award from the RAISE program will be essential in shaping the future of transit in Gwinnett County.”

The Gwinnett Place Transit Center is one of the county’s busiest bus hubs and its expansion has been in the works for years. Current plans call for a modern two-story building near Interstate 85 at Pleasant Hill Road.

“This grant marks a significant milestone in our community’s transit needs, and I look forward to witnessing the positive impact this investment will have on our residents and the overall development of Gwinnett County,” Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson said in the news release.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Pooler) wants to prevent NOAA from implementing new rules to slow ships and protect whales, according to The Brunswick News.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-1, is defending a bill he introduced Friday that would prohibit a federal agency from requiring more vessels to adhere to a low speed when approaching the East Coast during certain months of the year.

House Bill 4323 calls for prohibiting the issuance of an interim or final rule that amends, updates, modifies or replaces the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule until mitigation protocols are fully developed and deployed.

The bill takes aim at a NOAA proposal to expand the existing 10 knot speed limit rule to include all vessels 35 feet in length and longer. The speed limit cap, roughly 11.5 miles per hour, currently applies to only vessels 65 feet in length and longer.

The amendment also would expand the regulated area, as well as the length of time it would remain in effect, which would be six months off Georgia’s 100 miles of coastline.

“We all want to protect the right whale from extinction, but this is the wrong way to do it,” Carter said. “Before implementing a sweeping rule that will kneecap small businesses up and down the East Coast, including 27,000 in Georgia alone, we must use all of the technological advancements at our disposal so that right whales and business owners can thrive together.”

From WTOC:

Carter’s proposal comes less than three weeks after a House subcommittee heard testimony from supporters and opponents of the expanded speed restrictions.

Scientists say being struck by vessels and entanglement in fishing gear are the two biggest threats to right whales, which are dying faster than they are reproducing.

“Even one human-caused mortality puts the species at risk of extinction,” Jessica Redfern, a conservation scientist at the New England Aquarium, told the U.S. House subcommittee at a June 6 hearing.

Georgia’s Secretary of State continues his tour of “safe spaces” Rotary clubs, according to The Brunswick News.

“And we just want you to know, we think we’re going to have record turnout next year, in 2024,” he said. “We understand, and I think you understand, that our country is polarized, and because it’s polarized, it’s just really encouraging people to get out on both sides of the aisle.

“But we can give you 100 percent confidence that the election will be secure and it will be accurate,” [he] declared.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture has reinstated its Law Enforcement Division, according to the Capitol Beat News Service.

Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper has appointed 29-year law enforcement and emergency management veteran Harlan Proveaux to head the newly reconstituted division. Proveaux will serve the agency’s Law Enforcement & Emergency Management Division as both director and inspector general.

The restored law enforcement division in Harper’s department will assist local, state, and federal agencies with a wide range of investigations from animal cruelty to labor and drug trafficking and agro-terrorism, while also working to improve safety and security at the state farmers markets across Georgia.

The emergency management aspect of the division will work to respond more rapidly and effectively to animal diseases and natural disasters.

The Georgia State Ethics Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission okayed rules changes to legalize some new campaign expense categories, according to the AJC.

One barrier to Georgians running for office and serving in the General Assembly is caregiving: the time and expense that goes into taking care of children or other family members.

Rep. Stacey Evans, D-Atlanta, and Rep. Beth Camp, R-Concord — who asked the commission to opine on the issue — said allowing candidates to use campaign contributions to pay caregiving costs could help persuade more mothers and fathers to run for office. It may also make serving more affordable.

“This could provide some relief for (lawmakers), but the main thing this is going to do is take away a barrier to encourage more women to take that step now that they have the comfort to know that child care will be covered,” Evans said. “I think this is going to be a huge weight off of people. It takes away something in the ‘no’ column in deciding whether to run.”

Currently, state law allows candidates and those in elected office to use the money they raise from donors — often from lobbyists, lobby associations and business groups for incumbents — for expenses related to their contests and, if elected, for maintaining their stay in office. That, for instance, means paying for advertising, consultants, food and transportation while campaigning or on official business, fundraising mailers and even club memberships.

What it hasn’t meant was paying to have kids in day care or someone to come in to watch a sick or elderly parent while a candidate was campaigning or serving in the General Assembly.

Evans said this week that, so far, it’s been approved in 22 states, and 11 more are considering it.

In presenting the commission’s opinion, Joe Cusack, deputy executive secretary, told the panel, “I think it’s good policy to enact this, as a new parent.”

But one commission member, Stan Wise, a former longtime elected member of the Public Service Commission, asked, “Where does it stop?” Should candidates and elected officials, Wise said, be able to use campaign money to buy food for their children or health care or pay the mortgage?

“If child care is an appropriate expense … caregiving is every bit as personal as feeding your family,” he said. “How do you differentiate the difference between caregiving and feeding your kids and health care?”

Evans, a mother, said she probably couldn’t use campaign money for child care because she already has to pay for it because of her full-time job as a lawyer. However, it would help those who only need to pay for caregiving because they are serving.

Evans said she has spoken to women who served in the General Assembly and left in part because of child care issues.

“This really is the right thing to do,” she said, “and it also sends the message that Georgia values mothers and caregivers.”

Perry Mayor Randall Walker was sworn in as President of the Georgia Municipal Association, according to the Albany Herald.

Walker previously served as first, second and third vice president. GMA officers generally serve in all three vice presidential roles before ascending to the role of president. In addition to his three years of experience as a leader on GMA’s Board of Directors, Walker has previously chaired the Legislative Policy Council and Federal Policy Council.

Some Savannah property owners shared their thoughts with City Council members, according to WTOC.

The Savannah-Chatham County Public School board wants to let property owners know how their taxes could be affected by their tentative millage rate for the upcoming school year.

The budget is up about $100 million from last year and, although the millage rate stays the same, officials say property taxes will still rise because of the increases in home values.

A small group of property owners joined board members for a hearing Monday night to let the board know that they are upset about the possible tax increases facing their community.

Glenn Wood was one of the only people in the crowd and he says these increases are putting some people in his community at risk of losing their homes.

“I can tell you about minorities and lower income people and middle income people, who are being taxed out of their property. And everyone talks about well one day it will happen, but it’s happening today,” said Wood.

Those living in Chatham County can expect to see a 10% increase in their property taxes.

Roger Moss, president of the school board, says there are multiple reasons behind these increases like new mandates from the state and raises for teachers.

“Addition to the salaries for teachers, only covered some of our teachers and we didn’t feel that it was fair to only do that, so we have to cover all of our teachers,” said Moss.

United States Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Atlanta) wants a state of emergency declared over peach harvest losses, according to 13WMAZ.

The senator announced he’s working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to get this year’s catastrophic peach crop loss declared a disaster.

That could bring much-needed federal money to farmers.

Robert Dickey at Dickey Farms says this year’s crop was the worst in 30 years. They had 95% loss, while other farmers saw loss around 90%.

“It’s really costing us more to try to harvest and handle and see those trees. We’ve got labor issues. It’s so seasonal with peaches,” Dickey said outside Lane Southern Orchards, before a meeting with Central Georgia farmers.

The senator’s work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture could help free up some federal money. That will help in the short-term, but Ossoff has long-term plans too.

“He and I also discussed a strategy to appropriate some additional appropriations in Congress. Disaster relief for peach growers here in Georgia,” he said.

Dickey says it’s welcome help because while the peaches may not come, the bills certainly do.

“It’s a whole 12 months ’till we get income again. And we’ve got a whole year of expenses,” Dickey said.

Sen. Ossoff also opened a constituent services office in Columbus, according to WTVM.

The new regional office celebrated its opening inside the Heritage Tower on 9th Street in Columbus.

The senator says the new office is needed to give people in the Chattahoochee Valley a chance to personally get their questions answered by the congressman and his staff.

“This is a really important facility for us to really have that personal contact with constituents here in Muscogee and across the region,” said Ossoff.

Dougherty County Commissioners re-voted to fire County Administrator Michael McCoy, according to WALB.

The final vote was 4-3 in favor of upholding the termination that was decided on June 5 by the board. This marks the third time McCoy has been terminated by the county commission.

After a seven hour public hearing, the board opted to finish the public hearing Monday night rather than carrying it into Tuesday.

This time, it was at a hearing called by McCoy to challenge his own firing.

“Chairman upholds it. 4 to 3, pass 4 to 3. The decision from June 5th has been upheld,” Dougherty County Commission Chairman Lorenzo Heard said.

During the hearing, former County Administrator Michael McCoy’s attorney Maurice King provided evidence to the board to show what they believe was a wrongful termination.

“Now let me ask you if a statute gives him the discretion to do something, how can you say that he failed to exercise good judgment in something he had the discretion to do?” King said.

Both McCoy and his attorney add that they believe he was fired for one reason in particular.

“Because he hired a white person to be an assistant county manager, we believe that all that other stuff that they’re doing is basically a pretext,” King said. “The termination letter said that he couldn’t appoint. He has discretion to appoint. And I think the law is clear on that.”

King says a future lawsuit is a possibility, but representatives on the Dougherty County side say they aren’t too phased by it.

Monday’s hearing is largely about the reasons given for McCoy’s firing. Maurice King, McCoy’s attorney, said the reasons given before both votes were different and he accused the board of being untruthful.

The vote to fire Michael McCoy happened on May 22 during a work session meeting. But the vote to fire him was not included on the official agenda for that meeting. The commission voted a second time to fire McCoy. The Georgia Attorney General’s Office is investigating the first vote.

If a County Commission screws up voting so badly they have to re-do it twice, maybe firing the Administrator wasn’t the best move.