Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for May 28, 2025

Lt. Colonel George Washington fought French and Indian scouts on May 28, 1754, beginning the Seven Years War.

On May 28, 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, requiring all Native Americans to relocate west of the Mississippi River.

On May 29, 1836, the United States Senate ratified the Treaty of New Echota, which required the movement of all Cherokee out of Georgia and led to the “Trail of Tears.”

The Battle of Dallas, Georgia began on May 28, 1864.

On May 29, 1942, Adolf Hitler ordered all Jews in Nazi-occupied Paris to wear a yellow Star of David on their coats.

Happy Birthday to Gladys Knight, born in Atlanta on May 28, 1944.

On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Nepalese Sherpa, became the first to summit Mount Everest.

On May 28, Tenzing and Hillary set out, setting up high camp at 27,900 feet. After a freezing, sleepless night, the pair plodded on, reaching the South Summit by 9 a.m. and a steep rocky step, some 40 feet high, about an hour later. Wedging himself in a crack in the face, Hillary inched himself up what was thereafter known as the Hillary Step. Hillary threw down a rope, and Norgay followed. At about 11:30 a.m., the climbers arrived at the top of the world.

News of the success was rushed by runner from the expedition’s base camp to the radio post at Namche Bazar, and then sent by coded message to London, where Queen Elizabeth II learned of the achievement on June 1, the eve of her coronation. The next day, the news broke around the world. Later that year, Hillary and Hunt were knighted by the queen. Norgay, because he was not a citizen of a Commonwealth nation, received the lesser British Empire Medal.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Yesterday, 2964 Georgia voters cast ballots ahead of the June 17, 2025 Statewide Special Primary Election, according to the data file released by the Secretary of State’s Office. There may be some lag in reporting, as the statewide file depends upon local Boards of Elections uploading their results. Of the ballots cast, here is the partisan breakdown:

Republican – 1236
Democratic – 1711
Non-partisan – 17

Glynn County early voting was slow yesterday for the Statewide Special Primary Elections for Public Service Commission, according to The Brunswick News.

Glynn County Board of Elections and Registration officials said they expected low interest in the statewide primary election for two PSC seats, which led to its decision to open only one polling place at the main office in downtown Brunswick for early voting.

In a typical election, there are three early voting polling places open, two on mainland and one on St. Simons Island.

Only 10 people had cast votes by 2:15 p.m. and six of those were poll workers who were encouraged to cast their ballots after the polls opened, said Christina Redden, assistant supervisor of elections in Glynn County.

“I’m worried about the turnout (Wednesday),” Redden said.

Low turnout will give three new poll workers a chance to learn their responsibilities without being overwhelmed by long lines of waiting voters.

“This is the year to learn,” she said. “This will be a good experience for them.”

Early voting will return to multiple polling places in 2026, election officials said.

The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office is expected to decide a qualifications challenge to Democratic PSC candidate Daniel Blackman, according to Georgia Recorder.

The Georgia Secretary of State’s office will decide on Wednesday whether Public Service Commission candidate Daniel Blackman can remain on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 17.

On Tuesday, the first day of early voting in two statewide PSC races, Administrative Court Judge Dominic Capraro ruled in an initial decision that Blackman does not meet the residency requirements to be a candidate for a metro Atlanta Public Service Commission seat.

The District 3 Democratic primary also includes Keisha Waites, a former member of the Atlanta City Council and the Georgia House of Representatives, as well as Peter Hubbard, founder of Center for Energy Solutions and an expert witness at PSC hearings, and Robert Jones, who has had a career involved in energy regulation in California.

The primary winner will face sitting GOP Commissioner Fitz Johnson in the Nov. 4 general election. The five-member state regulatory board has faced criticism for a series of Georgia Power rate hikes over the last several years. Early voting for two PSC commission primaries will run until June 13.

The residency dispute involves a one-bedroom dwelling in Atlanta that Blackman leased on Oct. 4, 2024. Blackman testified that he purchased the property to live closer to work while his wife and children continued to reside in their Forsyth County home, according to the 12-page ruling.

Capraro wrote that Blackman failed to provide evidence that he actually lived in the home, such as property tax records, utility bills or mail being delivered to the Atlanta address.

“The testimony presented by (Blackman) did not establish that he actually resided in Fulton County during the relevant period,” Capraro wrote. “Other than (Blackman) himself, no witness had personal knowledge of (Blackman’s) supposed residence at (the property) or anywhere in Fulton County, in the 12 months preceding the upcoming election.”

PSC District 3 comprises Clayton, DeKalb, and Fulton counties. Although the commissioners must reside in the geographical district that they represent, every Georgia voter can determine the winner since the state regulators are elected statewide.

This year was the second time that Blackman made a bid for a commission seat after he lost a 2021 runoff against Republican incumbent Lauren “Bubba” McDonald. Blackman, who would later after become a regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency under President Joe Biden, said Tuesday that he would appeal the Secretary of State ruling if it upholds the disqualification.

Republican incumbents Tim Echols and Johnson are facing challengers seeking to upset their bids to remain on the board. Johnson was appointed to the seat in 2021.

Echols, who is seeking his third term on the PSC, will face challenger Lee Muns in the Republican primary for the commission’s District 2 seat. Whoever wins will go on to face Alicia Johnson of Savannah, the sole candidate for the Democratic Party.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Barbara Rivera Holmes is campaigning for a full term in the office to which Governor Brian Kemp appointed her, according to the AJC.

This morning, Rivera Holmes made it official by launching her bid for the statewide seat. She said she would continue to “build trust, foster collaboration, expand workforce development and empower small businesses and entrepreneurs across the state.”

Rivera Holmes was hardly known outside of business development circles when Kemp tapped her in March to fill the labor commissioner post that had sat empty for months after the death of Bruce Thompson.

A former head of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce in southwest Georgia, the appointment made Rivera Holmes the first Latina to hold statewide constitutional office in state history. Now she’s looking to earn the seat in her own right.

She enters the race a heavy favorite. Even as Democrats have flipped Republican-controlled U.S. Senate seats and inched closer to winning other statewide posts, down-ticket contests like the labor commissioner post have remained largely out of reach.

Former Gwinnett County Board of Education member Everton Blair is launching his campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 13th Congressional District, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Gwinnett County Public Schools graduate and former school board chairman Everton Blair will officially launch his campaign for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District with a Community Kickoff Event on Saturday Snellville.

A 2009 Shiloh High graduate, Blair is running for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the 13th Congressional District race in 2026. The seat, which has been held by U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., for more than two decades, was moved from the west side of metro Atlanta to the east side through court-ordered redistricting in 2023.

It now stretches from Clayton and Henry counties in the south to south Gwinnett in the north.

“I am running for Congress because it is time for the next generation to step up and correct the direction that this country is headed,” Blair previously said. “Change can’t wait, and Democrats need a new bench of leaders who are committed to solving real problems for working people.”

Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones (R-Jackson) will meet with constituents in Rome on Thursday, according to WRGA News.

Jones will be at Rome City Hall between 2 and 4 p.m., where he will meet with constituents in the second-floor caucus room.

Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP to [Email address redacted, but click the link to learn how to R.s.v.p.]

The Georgia State Senate Study Committee on Combating Chronic Absenteeism in Schools, created by Senate Bill 123, will study the causes and effects of increasing absenteeism, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Valdosta Daily Times.

More students have been skipping school since the COVID-19 pandemic, and Georgia lawmakers are looking into the problem.

A leading state Senate Republican announced Tuesday that he is forming a committee on the issue. Sen. John F. Kennedy, R-Macon, will also chair the new Study Committee on Combating Chronic Absenteeism in Schools.

Kennedy, the Senate’s president pro tempore, credited the chamber’s leader, Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, with prioritizing the issue.

“Thanks to his support, this new study committee will help us dig deeper into the root causes of absenteeism,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy was the chief co-sponsor of Senate Bill 123, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed last month. It amends Georgia’s compulsory attendance law for students ages 6 through 15, with chronic absenteeism defined as missing 10% or more of the school year. That law already requires superior court judges to establish and oversee student attendance and school climate committees in each county.

When it takes effect in July, SB 123 will require attendance review teams in each school system where 10% or more of the students were chronically absent and in each school where at least 15% were chronically absent.

SB 123 also adds a requirement that the Georgia Department of Education publish biannual reports on compliance with the law and on attendance rates.

The education department already publishes attendance rates, and the percentage of students missing school has climbed sharply since before the pandemic, when 12% of students qualified as chronically absent.

The rate fell briefly to 8% in 2020, when Kemp ordered schools to close their doors.

But chronic absenteeism surged to 20.1% in 2021, when schools adapted to the pandemic, with some operating online while others returned in person.

The percentage of chronically absent students climbed to 23.9% in 2022 before settling to 21.3% last year.

That means more than 370,000 Georgia students missed at least 10% of the 2024 school year.

Rates varied by district though, from 43.0% chronically absent in Crisp County to 5.1% in Wilkinson County.

Columbus City Council voted to terminate City Manager Isaiah Hugley, according to WTVM.

A motion was made by councilwoman Charmaine Crabb to terminate Hugley, effective immediately, following the executive session. Crabb continued by citing a “pattern of sustained disfunction and operational breakdown within the departments Mr. Hugley oversees including the criminal charges stemming from the investigations of the finance department and animal control have led to the loss of confidence in his leadership.”

Hugley will receive his salary and benefits through the end of the year.

Seven council members voted “yes” to terminate Hugley. Councilmembers Travis Chambers, Gary Allen and Bruce Huff voted “no.”

Mayor Skip Henderson addressed Hugley shortly after the vote. “Mr. Hugley, thank you for your unselfish service to the citizens of this community,” said Henderson.

Hugley addressed council before the meeting recessed. “Thank you to my team. We’ve built an incredible team… we’ve transformed Columbus, Georgia,” stated Hugley. “I can’t say thank you enough to you Mr. Mayor. Our relationship has been great,” he continued.

“I will make additional statements at a later time. I will thank you for now. There’s more to come. You haven’t seen the last of me,” added Hugley. “We coming. I’ll just leave it at that, but thank you,” Hugley finished.

Hugley had previously announced plans to retire in 2025 after serving nearly 20 years as city manager. He was appointed to the role in February 2005 and became the first African American to hold the position. Prior to his appointment, he spent two decades working within Columbus’ city government.

However, disputes among the city manager and several city councilors were recently highlighted when an attorney representing Hugley issued a letter in April calling for an end to “intimidations, accusations, discrimination and defamation against Mr. Hugley.” The letter was addressed to councilmembers Bryon Hickey, Charmaine Crabb, Joanne Cogle, Glenn Davis, John Anker and Toyia Tucker.

The letter addressed concerns raised by several councilmembers regarding the award of an American Rescue Plan grant to a business operated by Isaiah Hughley’s wife. Hugley’s attorney stated the business “clearly qualified for the ARP grant” and that Hugley followed proper procedure in disclosing his wife’s intent to file an application.

An attorney representing the named city council members responded by denying allegations of “harassment, intimidation, discrimination or defamation.” The letter further argued greater transparency was required and should have been exercised in the matter.

Savannah public safety agencies will hold an emergency exercise on Friday, according to WTOC.

The emergency exercise will start at 9 a.m. although officials say exercise-related activities may begin earlier than that.

There will be increased activity in certain areas of the city with emergency-personnel and equipment. Several city departments, including Savannah Fire and Savannah Police, will be participating.

The city will also work with representatives from the American Red Cross and Chatham Emergency Management Agency.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said, “this exercise is part of our public safety preparedness training designed to make sure that city emergency workers and staff as well as our partner agencies know what to do when trouble comes and so you just don’t guess it you practice it and so we’re making sure we’re ready for it.”

Columbus will raise property tax rates, according to WTVM.

On Tuesday, May 27, the Consolidated Government of Columbus announced its intentions to increase the 2025 property taxes in certain districts. Officials say this will levy this year over the rollback millage rate in the following taxing districts:

• Urban Services District 1, 5, 6, 7: 3%
• Urban Services District 2: 2%

According to officials, the budget tentatively adopted by the Columbus Consolidated Government requires a millage rate higher than the rollback millage rate, therefore, before the Columbus Consolidated Government may finalize the tentative budget and set a final millage rate, Georgia law requires three public hearings to held to allow the public opportunity to express opinions on the possible increase.

A public hearing will be held on the following dates and times:

• June 3: 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
• June 10: 9 a.m.

Tifton City Council heard a staff proposed FY 2026 budget, according to the Tifton Gazette.

City chief financial officer and acting city manager Larry Lawrence presented the members of the city council with the outline of the FY26 budget during their May 19 meeting, as well as plans to discuss and finalize the budget near the beginning of next month.

Lawrence reported that the budget had totaled out to $74,055,937, a decrease of $9,422,000 from the previous year. The general fund in particular had been budgeted to $19,185,947, a reduction of $1.2 million from the previous fiscal year.

The city council will also host a detailed budget presentation at 4 p.m. June 9 at City Hall that is open to the public, with the opportunity for a public hearing beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Gwinnett County property owners should be receiving their new property tax assessment notices, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

County officials announced annual property assessments were mailed out to property owners last Friday. The assessments show how much county tax officials have determined each home to be worth as of Jan. 1 of this year. The home’s assessed value determines its taxable value which in turn forms the bases for how much a homeowner will owe in property taxes later this year.

The assessments are not tax bills, however. The bills can’t be finalized and sent out until after the county commission, school board and city councils set their respective millage rates this summer.

“Roughly 84% of residential properties and 54% of commercial properties reflect new values this year,” county officials said in an announcement about the assessments. “The Gwinnett County Assessors’ Office uses available market data to value each property in a manner that meets state regulations.”

Property owners who disagree with their new assessments will have 45 days from the date of their notice to file an appeal, either online, in person or through the mail. The assessment notice will chow the 2024 assessed value so homeowners can compare the two.

The county is required now to put estimated rollback millage rates — the rate which produces the same revenues as last year — on the assessment now for county, school and city taxes so property owners can expect to see those figures when they open their assessments.

The Richmond County Board of Education will host public hearings to present their proposed FY 2026 budget, according to WJBF.

The Lowndes County Board of Assessors meets Thursday, June 5, 2025 at the Lowndes County Governmental Building, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.