Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for October 8, 2025

The Chicago Fire began on October 8, 1871.

On October 8, 1895, the Liberty Bell arrived in Atlanta for the Cotton States Exposition.

The famously–cracked 2,000 pound pealer left Philadelphia on seven trips between 1885 and 1915. Each time it came home with more cracks. It turned out the men hired to guard the Bell were taking liberties, literally: chipping off pieces and selling them as souvenirs.

Cheering crowds greeted the Bell in Atlanta. A two–mile parade took it to Piedmont Park, where 50,000 people lined up to see it.

On October 9, 1963, the Board of Regents approved a new junior college in Cobb County that is today Kennesaw State University. The next year, Cobb County voters approved a bond referendum to fund construction.

Polling released on October 8, 1976 indicated that Democrat Jimmy Carter won the second debate against President Gerald Ford by a 50-27 margin.

Democrat Jimmy Carter challenged President Gerald Ford to make his income tax returns public on October 9, 1976.

On October 8, 1981, former Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter visited with President Ronald Reagan at the White House before heading to Egypt to represent the United States at the funeral of assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

Long-time Atlanta Braves pitcher Phil Niekro won his 300th game on October 8, 1984, though he wore Yankees pinstripes for that game.

United States Senator Sam Nunn announced on October 9, 1995 that he would not run for reelection. From CNN’s contemporary story:

“I know in my heart it is time to follow a new course,” Nunn told reporters gathered in the Georgia State Capitol. He said his decision followed “a lot of thought and prayer” and he expressed enthusiasm about meaningful days ahead in the private sector.

“Today I look forward to more freedom, to more flexibility,” he said, adding he planned to spend time with his family, to write, and “devote a substantial amount of time” to public policy and public service. He said he has no immediate plans for a presidential bid.

Nunn hailed America as “the greatest country in the world,” but cited problems that need attention, including education concerns, illegitimate children, and widespread violence and drugs. He expressed optimism on such items as the strong military and entitlement reform.

The Chicago Tribune reported that Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said of Sam Nunn’s retirement,

“For those who listened carefully, it is clear that the Democratic Party is not the vehicle for the values outlined by Sen. Nunn.”

Nolan Waters of Knight-Ridder wrote of the announcement,

Nunn’s departure is a watershed.

“Nunn is the last of the great moderate Southern Democrats. This creates a huge hole for the party,” said Merle Black, a specialist on Southern politics at Emory University in Atlanta.

Nunn, like President Clinton, helped organize a group of moderate Democrats, the Democratic Leadership Council, in an attempt to move the party rightward after the 1984 landslide re-election of President Reagan.

“He has been fighting the liberal wing of his party for over two decades,” Black said. “It’s been a losing battle.”

In place of Nunn, the state’s most prominent politician is becoming House Speaker Newt Gingrich – whose futuristic, activist style of conservatism seems radical along-side Nunn’s traditionalism.

The first C-5A airplane arrived at Robins Air Force Base on October 8, 1997.

On October 8, 1998, the United States House of Representatives voted 258-176 to authorize an impeachment inquiry against President Bill Clinton.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Sandy Springs City Council member Lauren Locke ran away and blamed others withdrew from the election, according to the AJC.

Lauren Locke has withdrawn as a candidate for the Sandy Springs City Council, less than a week after city officials asked her to explain a report that she was in default on tax payments.

Her departure from the race leaves incumbent Melody Kelley unopposed for a second term in District 2.

Sandy Springs City Attorney Dan Lee confirmed Monday that public records in Fulton and DeKalb counties indicate Locke and her husband, John, had state and federal tax liens in excess of $1 million.

The Georgia Constitution does not allow people in default on tax payments to hold elected office unless they have entered a payment plan and are making payments. Locke signed a notice of candidacy and affidavit on Aug. 18 saying she was not in default on taxes.

Locke did not respond to phone messages or emails seeking comment.

In a Friday email to Raquel Gonzalez, who is the city clerk and municipal election superintendent, Locke wrote that she planned to withdraw from the election, in part, because “of way too much time and money spent.”

“In addition to the death threat I received at a QT gas station in District 2 for wearing a red hat and multiple other harassment issues including but not limited to being called a Nazi, a racist, and others,” she adds in the email, obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Lee said: “There has never been a death threat reported to the (police department). Her lawyer never mentioned a death threat. No record of it.”

“The public records speak for themselves,” Councilwoman Kelley said in an interview. “Voters deserve leaders who can take responsibility for their actions and uphold the highest standards of integrity.

In response to Locke’s mention of “smear tactics,” Kelley added: “I have no idea what she’s referring to.”

Chattahoochee Hills City Council member Richard “Richie” Schmidt is leading the pack in the elected a-hole of the year race. From the AJC:

A Chattahoochee Hills city councilman publicly apologized for a second time during Tuesday’s council meeting, facing a fierce backlash from the community for his belligerent comments about two women.

But Richard “Richie” Schmidt also vowed to stay in the race for mayor after more than 20 people spoke during public comment — with one after another criticizing his recorded threats and violent imagery said during a telephone tirade to the city manager about a contractor.

Schmidt took the podium first during public comment and stood facing roughly 120 residents, conceding that his actions “disappointed a lot of people.”

“People that know me know that it’s not me,” he said, “and I disappointed my family, I disappointed my community. I said some things that were hurtful, and I probably disappointed some citizens. And I understand that. I do apologize for that.”

He added: “Sometimes we let emotions get the best of us.”

But several residents pointed to a pattern of bad behavior by the four-term councilman.

Laurie Searle said during the meeting that Schmidt verbally abused her when she was a city council member.

“While the council has done its best at the time not to antagonize Schmidt and consider options to prevent such outbursts, the end result is that Schmidt created a difficult working relationship which negatively impacted the council staff and citizens,” she said.

In his recorded remarks about the city contractor, Schmidt threatened to “tear her feet off” during the phone call last month with City Manager Robbie Rokovitz. Schmidt also told Rokovitz to “get that dog under control,” among other disparaging comments.

The city has turned over the profanity-laced recording, along with a recent bodycam video of Schmidt talking to a city police officer, to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.

City Councilwoman Camille Lowe, who is running against Schmidt for mayor, said she was sorry for Walker and Towns and the entire community, but is proud how residents have come together to support one another.

“I’m sorry for our city staff, for the turmoil at City Hall, and I’m sorry for our town,” she said. “What a mess this has been to weed through. It’s ugly, and it is not who we are.

Early voting for the November 4, 2025 elections will begin on October 14 for Bulloch County voters, according to the Statesboro Herald.

The early voting opportunity begins Tuesday, Oct. 14, for the Nov. 4 election that includes Bulloch County’s countywide FLOST and E-SPLOST referendums and also – for Statesboro city residents only – a mayoral race.

Additionally, one of Statesboro’s five council districts, District 1, has a City Council race. Municipal elections in Brooklet, Portal and Register were cancelled after just  one candidate signed up for each post up for election.

Three five-day weeks plus two Saturdays for in-person early voting are usually required by Georgia law for general elections, but this early voting period is shortened by one day because the state observes Monday as the Columbus Day holiday.

In Bulloch County, the only early voting location will be the Board of Elections and Registration office at the County Annex, 113 North Main St., Suite 201. It will be open for that purpose from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, Oct. 14-17, and then Monday through Friday, Oct. 20-24 and Oct. 27-31.

The County Annex will also be the only place to vote on the two Saturdays, Oct. 18 and Oct 25, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. (Voting hours begin one hour later on Saturday mornings than week days.) In-person early voting is set to cease with the last person who is already in line at the annex at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31. There will be no early voting on Nov. 1.

But Bulloch County’s 16 precinct polling places will open for their assigned Election Day voters from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4.

One of the two local referendums on the ballot is for a five-year extension of ESPLOST, the Educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, as proposed by the Bulloch County Board of Education. It’s one of the county’s four existing local 1% sales taxes, which with the state’s 4% sales tax make the total here 8% on non-exempt items.

Also on the ballot, FLOST, the “Floating Local  Option  Sales Tax,” would add a ninth penny of tax in Bulloch County, with the revenue to be used for an eventual reduction in property taxes of the county and all four of the cities and towns. But that property tax relief won’t arrive immediately.

If approved by a majority of voters, the additional 1% sales tax will take effect Jan. 1, 2026 and last for five years unless renewed. The county government and the four cities will  receive shares each year based on their percentages of total local tax millage rates, and will be required to use the money to roll back property tax by a proportional amount, not for additional projects.

However, the revenue legally couldn’t be distributed to the cities or used by the county for a rollback until July 1, 2027. Until that time the money will be held in a special fund.

So, the actual effect in terms of property tax reductions wouldn’t arrive until fall 2027, local officials have said.

Governor Brian Kemp’s Office released September 2025 revenue numbers, according to a release.

The State of Georgia’s net tax collections during the month of September totaled nearly $3.27 billion, for an increase of $60.3 million, or 1.9 percent, compared to FY 2025, when net tax collections approached $3.21 billion for the month. Year to date, net tax revenue collections totaled $8.17 billion, for an increase of $64.5 million, or 0.8 percent, compared to September 2024, when net tax collections approached $8.11 billion.

The changes within the following tax categories account for September’s overall net tax revenue increase:

Individual Income Tax: Individual Income Tax collections during the month totaled nearly $1.49 billion, up from a total of almost $1.44 billion in fiscal year 2025, for an increase of $45.4 million or 3.2 percent.

The following notable components within Individual Income Tax combine for the net increase:

• Individual Income Tax refunds issued (net of voided checks) decreased by $14.8 million, or -16.2 percent
  • Income Tax Withholding payments for September increased by $19.9 million, or 1.7 percent, from FY 2025
  • Individual Income Tax Estimated payments increased by $9 million, or 5 percent, over September 2024
  • All other Individual Tax categories, including Tax Return payments, were up a combined $1.7 million

Sales and Use Tax: Gross Sales and Use Tax collections for the month totaled $1.59 billion, which was an increase of $45 million, or 2.9 percent, over September 2024. Net Sales and Use Tax decreased by $26.7 million, or -3.5 percent, compared to last year, when net Sales Tax revenue totaled $767.7 million. The adjusted Sales Tax distribution to local governments totaled $780.2 million, which was an increase of $6.5 million, or 0.8 percent, from last year’s adjusted distribution total of $773.7 million. Sales Tax refunds increased by $65.2 million over FY 2025.

Corporate Income Tax: Corporate Income Tax collections for September increased by $45.2 million, or 7.6 percent, compared to last year, when net Corporate Tax revenues totaled $597.5 million.

The following notable components within Corporate Income Tax make up the net increase:

• Corporate Income Tax refunds issued (net of voids) were down $18.8 million, or -27.4 percent from FY 2025
  • Corporate Income Tax Estimated payments increased by $8.2 million, or 2.1 percent, over September 2024
  • All other Corporate Tax payments, including Corporate Return payments, were up a combined $18.2 million

Motor Fuel Taxes: Motor Fuel Tax collections for the month increased by $3.6 million, or 1.8 percent, compared to FY 2025, when motor fuel tax collections totaled $200.1 million.

Motor Vehicle – Tag & Title Fees: Motor Vehicle Tag & Title Fee collections for the month increased by $6.5 million, or 20.8 percent, while Title ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) collections decreased by $6.7 million, or -8.5 percent, compared to the previous fiscal year.

From the AJC:

Georgia income tax revenue continues to rise despite years of rate cuts approved by the General Assembly.

A report released Tuesday by Gov. Brian Kemp’s office shows individual income tax collections rose 1.9% to $3.9 billion in the first three months of fiscal year 2026, which began July 1.

If revenue continues to rise, it may boost plans for further cuts to the state’s income tax rates. Supporters say reducing the rate encourages people and businesses to move to the state, increasing revenue.

Some Republicans — including Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is running for governor next year — want to go further. They’re studying ways to eliminate the income tax altogether, a move they say is needed to keep Georgia competitive with other states.

Opponents say cutting income taxes amounts to a tax cut for high earners, while middle- and low-income Georgians see little benefit because it would require Georgia to raise other taxes — likely sales taxes on a variety of services that are currently exempt. Critics say that would shift the tax burden to the poor, who pay a higher share of their income on services from health care to haircuts.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in Atlanta tonight, according to the AJC.

She’ll bring her new book, “107 Days,” to Atlanta on Wednesday at a sold-out Tabernacle event. The memoir argues that her compressed 2024 campaign never had enough time to defeat President Donald Trump, and it doesn’t shy away from the internal tensions that defined it.

In the book, Harris calls President Joe Biden’s decision to seek another term “recklessness,” writing that he resisted her help until after his disastrous debate in Atlanta. She also describes the delicate balance of showing loyalty to Biden while mounting a campaign of her own.

But so far, the book tour has played less as a reckoning than a reunion — and a reminder that Harris is keeping her political network alive as she eyes another possible presidential run.

The State House Study Committee on Evaluating Funding for Public Health heard testimony in Gainesville, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Statesboro Herald.

Public health services save Georgia money and heartache, but funding has failed to keep up with costs and recent federal cutbacks put the state at a crossroads, lawmakers heard from advocates and experts Tuesday.

Expiring federal dollars from the COVID-19 pandemic, clawbacks of federal grants and now the Congressional budget shutdown have affected all public health programs, including Georgia’s, said Kelly Hughes, a health policy expert with the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“This is just a time of uncertainty and instability,” she said.

Georgia has nearly doubled state tax dollars allocated per capita to public health during the past dozen years, but federal contributions have lagged, resulting in a net decline, said Leah Chan, a health policy analyst with the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. She said Georgia’s per person spending fell to $74 this year, from $97 in 2012.

Rural areas are more likely to suffer because small, local governments are less able to plug funding gaps. Hospitals could close, the lawmakers heard, and public health workers could become increasingly rare.

The House study committee on public health funding was established in April through legislation sponsored by a half dozen Republicans. House Resolution 847 says public health has been underfunded and more money may be needed to ensure a “sustainable” infrastructure.

“Georgia’s health security and financial well-being depend on a growing, fully funded state and local public health system,” the enabling resolution says.

It passed unanimously.

The lawmakers on the resulting committee heard more or less what their resolution had anticipated: programs for vaccination, lead abatement, tobacco cessation, substance abuse prevention, HIV prevention, and maternal and child health care save society far more in preventable health care expenses than they cost.

They also increase communal welfare and wealth, said Jessica Schwind from Georgia Southern University.

“You have an increase in academic achievement, increase in workforce productivity, higher tax revenue generation because you have people working, reduced criminal justice costs, stronger economic development,” said Schwind, an assistant professor of epidemiology. “When you take care of the individual, that has profound impacts on the community.”

Several members of the committee had co-sponsored the resolution that authorized their meetings. There was only one Democrat assigned and present. The rest were Republicans, two of them among the most influential lawmakers in the General Assembly.

Rep. Matt Hatchett, R-Dublin, leads the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees the chamber’s budget-writing duties.

Rep. Butch Parrish, R-Swainsboro, chairs the House Rules Committee (as well as the Special Committee on Healthcare), and effectively decides which bills make it to floor of the chamber for a vote by all representatives.

Neither indicated what they would do next. The committee chair, Rep. Darlene Taylor, R-Thomasville, did not either as she ended their third and final meeting. Their committee has a Dec. 1 deadline to issue any recommendations.

The April resolution the trio had co-sponsored sounded a lot like Schwind’s presentation.

“Increases in public health spending have been shown to reduce preventable deaths,” it says, “and healthier communities support stronger economies.”

Savannah is working on how to support furloughed federal employees, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The City of Savannah and community partners are actively looking for ways to help local federal employees if their paychecks continue to be stymied by the government shutdown, Mayor Van Johnson said at a Tuesday morning press conference.

Approximately 110,900 federal employees in Georgia may face furloughs or delayed pay due to the government shutdown that began on Oct. 1, according to the Georgia Department of Labor. Some workers are expected to continue working despite not getting paid, such as all active military, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents and air traffic control personnel.

Federal employees were last paid on Oct. 1, and Johnson said they shouldn’t begin to feel the effects of the shutdown until mid-month when their next paycheck was supposed to be sent.

“We’re working on it this week,” he said. “We have shown the propensity in this community to be able to help, and I want to be the helper in chief.”

Workers are typically entitled to backpay once the government reopens, but based on a White House memo first reported by Axios, that may not be the case this time around.

And President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that some furloughed federal workers “don’t deserve” to receive backpay once the federal government reopens, according to a USAToday report.

The most recent government shutdown lasted 35 days during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2018-2019, the longest in history.

Augusta Commissioners voted to create a Tax Allocation District for pickleball, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

The Augusta Commission on Tuesday approved a proposal from the city Finance Committee to create a special tax district in west Augusta to help a developer erect a pro-level athletic venue for a surging nationwide sports craze.

The tax allocation district, or TAD, will help fund a public-private venture pitched by Evans resident Dr. Troy Akers for an athletic complex at 3757 Wheeler Rd.

The project would include 48 pickleball courts, half of them indoors, and 18 regulation tennis courts, including 12 built to college-athletic specifications to attract NCAA tournaments.

TADs are often used by local governments to entice developers to revamp underperforming pieces of property in a municipality’s tax base.

In a TAD, property tax collections are frozen on designated property, with any rises in property taxes diverted to help fund improvements on the property. The idea is to generate more tax revenue than the property would’ve generated for the city if left undeveloped.

The Statesboro Herald is hosting a forum next week with the candidates for Mayor of Statesboro.

A forum for candidates for Cave Spring City Council will be held Thursday, according to WRGA News.

Valdosta City Manager Richard Hardy resigned, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

The council met in closed session for about two hours, with Hardy in the meeting for part of that time. When the open session resumed at 8:51 p.m., Hardy’s resignation was announced.

“It has been an honor to serve this community and to work alongside such dedicated and talented employees who embody the spirit of public service,” Hardy said in a statement to the press. “I am proud of what we have accomplished together to strengthen operations, enhance services, and support the people of Valdosta.”

Mayor Scott James Matheson will serve as interim city manager while the search begins. Hardy will serve as a consultant with fewer hours for either six months or until his replacement is hired.