On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg.
The United States Congress admitted Nevada as the 36th state on October 31, 1864. Kind of fitting, in a way.
The carving on Mount Rushmore was completed on October 31, 1941.
President Bill Clinton hit the campaign trail to help his wife, Hillary Clinton, in her race for United States Senate from New York on October 31, 2000. On October 31, 2014, Bill Clinton came to Atlanta to campaign for Michelle Nunn for United States Senate.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Governor Brian Kemp debated Democrat Stacey Abrams. From the New York Times article titled 4 takeaways from the Last Kemp-Abrams Debate Before Election Day:
Abrams tried to catch up.
With just about all of Ms. Abrams’s arguments against Mr. Kemp well worn by now — she has been making parts of them fairly consistently since their 2018 race — she sought a new approach to chip away at Mr. Kemp’s advantage in the race and remind her supporters that the election isn’t over.
Kemp: Check my record.
Ms. Abrams criticized Mr. Kemp for a majority of the policy decisions during his term as governor, like ignoring public health guidance to keep businesses open at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and supporting a law that allows the purchase of firearms without a permit. But Mr. Kemp dismissed her arguments with an I’m-rubber-and-you’re-glue argument.
“This debate’s going to be a lot like the last one,” he said early on, before delivering a line he’d repeat throughout the hour. “Ms. Abrams is going to attack my record because she doesn’t want to talk about her own record.”
Here’s my takeaway about the NYT’s takeaway: when the New York Times writes that Stacey Abrams’s arguments are “well worn,” it suggests to me two takeaways: 1.) the elite left are done with Stacey Abrams and tired of it; and 2.) they’re cutting their losses.
From the Savannah Morning News:
The economy in Georgia is, as in many elections, top of mind for voters headed to the polls. The specific policies each candidate put forward, and the specific issues that the economy is facing, however, may matter less than other things like partisanship and incumbency.
Mary-Kate Lizotte, professor of political science at Augusta University, said there may be some independent voters who are swayed by economic proposals — but that includes a relatively small number of voters. The fact that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is the incumbent in his race against Stacey Abrams may influence the election more.
“The state of the economy matters and it can influence who turns out, and who’s enthusiastic,” said Lizotte. “But (the economy is) not going to make as much of a difference in terms of people changing who they vote for, just like whether or not they actually show up.”
“Voters are really looking at the economy; they’re looking at the price of goods, the price of gas, inflation,” said Kerwin Swint, professor of political science at Kennesaw State University. “So this looks like it’s going to be a real pocketbook election, which right now might benefit the Republicans.”
“Stacey Abrams wants to do things that are going to target lower income people, like housing; Brian Kemp sort of looks at economic things that sort of spread around the state, such as taxes, and he wants to give a rebate to homeowners, for example, around the state,” Swint said. “Sort of a different philosophical approach.”
“Republicans really want to hear, you know, a tax message,” Swint said. “Democrats really want to hear, you know, a justice message and a lower income support message. So I think as far as motivating voters, it’s really the base — I think it’s the independent voters swing voters that are going to be more motivated by you know, how’s my pocketbook feeling? You know, where do I think things are headed?”
From USA Today via the Savannah Morning News:
The final question dealt with whether Kemp and Abrams would respect the results.
“Yes,” Abrams answered quickly.
“Absolutely,” Kemp said, moving on to describe how safe his state’s voting laws are and accusing the Democrat of stoking fears about voter suppression. He also touted the record voter turnouts in past state elections, refuting any claims of voter suppression within the state.
Kemp used his closing statement to repeat his claim that his record as governor entitles him to a second term.
He cited falling employment and rising economic growth, and told voters he “put them first” over the status quo.
“I want to do better by Georgia. I want to put you first every single day,” said Abrams. She pushed for Medicaid expansion, stronger gun control laws, and repealing Georgia’s six week abortion ban.
When asked about what the governor of Georgia can do when it comes to the economy, Kemp first attacked President Joe Biden and full Democratic control of Congress.
“Americans are hurting right now because of a disastrous policy agenda by Joe Biden and the Democrats that have complete control in Washington, D.C.,” Kemp said.
Kemp then pointed to his current administration’s passage of flat income tax cut and suspension of a gas tax, arguing his tenure as governor has been successful in confronting inflation and the economy.
So far, over 1.6 million voters have cast their ballot early so far – a 40% increase in turnout compared to the 2018 midterm elections at this point in the election, according to data from Georgia’s Secretary of State office. Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, projects that number to hit 2 million before Election day.
“One in five active voters have already gotten their vote in, and we will hit the 2-million-mark next week,” Raffensperger said in a statement announcing the record turnout.
From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald:
Abrams vowed to repeal the “heartbeat bill” if she is elected governor. The legislation, which the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed three years ago, bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically six weeks into a pregnancy.
Abrams said the law exposes women who have suffered the trauma of a miscarriage to investigation and potentially prosecution if authorities believe they had an illegal abortion.
Kemp said she misrepresented the legislation, which he helped steer to passage during his first year in office.
“Women are not going to be prosecuted under this piece of legislation,” he said. “Doctors who perform illegal abortions would be.”
Kemp said record low unemployment in Georgia is due to his decision to reopen businesses across the state during the early months of the COVID pandemic, well before most states.
The tax revenues generated by Georgia’s booming economy built up a record $6.6 billion budget surplus the governor used this year to cut taxes, a step he said he plans to repeat if he’s reelected.
Kemp said Abrams criticized his decision to reopen the state’s economy and instead called for dealing with COVID-19 with mask and vaccine mandates.
“We’re one additional COVID variant away from Ms. Abrams wanting to lock our state down,” he said.
The governor and other Republican leaders have pointed to record turnout across Georgia during the first week of early voting last week as proof the election reforms they championed are not putting an undue burden on voters.
From the Associated Press via AccessWDUN:
Kemp denied claims by Democrats that under Georgia’s abortion restrictions, which restrict most abortions after cardiac activity can be detected in the womb, women could be prosecuted for abortions or investigated after miscarriages. The governor revealed that his wife had miscarried one of what had been twins, while the other survived to become his eldest daughter, calling it a “tragic, traumatic situation.”
Abrams, though, said it was up to local law enforcement and district attorneys and that it wasn’t clear local authorities won’t attempt prosecutions. Abrams said women “should not be worried about the knock on the door is the sheriff coming to ask them if they have had an illegal abortion.”
Kemp took credit for wage growth and low unemployment while blaming sustained inflation on “disastrous” policies of Democrats in Washington, while Abrams sidestepped her party’s role in the federal government and pointed the finger at Kemp.
“We have the lowest unemployment rate in the history of our state,” he said. “We have the most people ever working in the history of our state. We’re seeing economic opportunity in all parts of our state.”
Kemp touted his use of state and federal funds to suspend gasoline taxes and issue income tax rebates, repeating his pledge to seek more income tax rebates plus property tax rebates in a second term.
Unlike the first governor’s debate on Oct. 17, Sunday night’s event did not feature Libertarian Shane Hazel, the third candidate on the ballot. Hazel interrupted that debate several times trying to make his points because he wasn’t asked as many questions. Hazel’s presence on the ballot means it’s possible that there will be a runoff on Dec. 6, because Georgia law requires candidates to win an absolute majority.
During a lengthy back-and-forth between the candidates about whether the law allows women to be investigated for having a miscarriage, Kemp revealed for the first time publicly that that first lady Marty Kemp experienced a miscarriage early in their marriage.
“I have been in the doctor’s office with my wife and seen two heartbeats on ultrasound. I’ve gone back a week or so later and saw one heartbeat,” Kemp said. “My wife and I both had a hard time having our first child. She miscarried.”
Kemp said that their oldest daughter, Jarrett, was born from that pregnancy and called miscarriage “a tragic, tragic, traumatic situation.”
In response to the governor’s revelation, Abrams said, “The tragic stories of miscarriage should not be political fodder, but they should also not be fodder for investigations. And the problem with this bill is it does not discern the difference.”
The exchange started with Kemp’s boast that 107 Georgia sheriffs support him for reelection, including several Democrats. He said their approval proves they know who “is going to be with them, who has their back and who continues to have their back.”
That’s when Abrams responded that she didn’t expect their blessing because she has never been a member of the “good ol’ boys club.”
“So no, I don’t have 107 sheriffs who want to be able to take Black people off the streets, who want to be able to go without accountability,” she said. “I don’t think every sheriff wants that, but I do know that we need a governor who believes in both defending law enforcement but also defending the people of Georgia.”
From the Secretary of State’s Absentee Voting Database:
Total ballots cast: 1,667,790
Total mail ballots cast: 159,362
Total in-person ballots cast: 1,506,409
In-person October 17, 2022: 134,798
In-person October 18, 2022: 135,222
In-person October 19, 2022: 127,852
In-person October 20, 2022: 123,019
In-person October 21, 2022: 141,713
In-person October 22, 2022: 80,315
In-person October 23, 2022: 18,131
In-person October 24, 2022: 133,412
In-person October 25, 2022: 125,684
In-person October 26, 2022: 119,596
In-person October 27, 2022: 111,800
In-person October 28, 2022: 138,888
In-person October 29, 2022: 93,014
In-person October 20, 2022:
In-person undated: 91
Total Electronic ballots cast (overseas and military voters): 2,109
Outstanding Electronic ballots (issued, not cast): 4682
Outstanding Mailed ballots (issued, not cast): 119,463
Note: In Person numbers do not add up as one voter in Glynn County is recorded as having voted in person on 10/13/2022, when early voting was not open.
* this appears to be down from previous numbers for in person voting
Georgia voters continue to turn out in early voting, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Two weeks into voting for the 2022 midterms, early voting is pacing near that of the 2020 presidential election, when many voters utilized pre-Election Day balloting due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 1.5 million Georgians had cast ballots either in-person or via absentee as of Oct. 29, compared to 1.64 million through two weeks of early voting in 2020. Early voting continues through Nov. 4. The absentee ballots request deadline has passed, although those with ballots can return them through 7 p.m. on Election Day, which is Nov. 8.
“Georgia is demonstrating to the nation why our election system is the gold standard for security, accessibility, and accuracy,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. “County election directors are our everyday heroes.”
Christina Redden, deputy supervisor of elections in Glynn County, said more than 12,000 early votes were cast by Friday afternoon. Four years ago, 17,000 early votes were cast for the midterm elections. Redden said she expects that number to be easily eclipsed with another week of early voting remaining.
“I would absolutely say we’ll pass than number by Tuesday,” she said.
Redden believes the motivation for the turnout in the Golden Isles and statewide is because of the results in the January 2021 runoff where manny stayed home.
“I think a lot of people didn’t vote in the 2021 runoff,” she said. “Many people wish they had voted in that election.”
After the polls closed Saturday, 14,809 people had cast early votes in the Golden Isles. The St. Simons polling place has been the busiest with 6,241 votes cast there. The Ballard Community Building polling place has had 4,854 votes cast, with the main Board of Elections office having 3,714 early votes cast.
There have also been 1,397 absentee by mail votes cast and five provisional/challenged ballots.
Shannon Nettles, supervisor of elections in Camden County, said more than 6,000 early votes have been cast.
“We’re getting close to the 2020 elections for early voting turnout,” she said.
She said local city council races in St. Marys and Kingsland will be added motivation for voters to show up to the polls.
Eleanor Gale, McIntosh County’s supervisor of elections, said 2,139 early votes were cast by Friday, an estimated 21% of the county’s registered voters.
“I’m hoping to beat my numbers from 2018,” she said. “There’s nobody standing in line.”
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger issued a statement Saturday morning and said 1,389,200 voters have cast a ballot during the 12 early voting days so far. In comparison, 922,568 ballots were cast through the same day during the 2018 midterm elections.
Early voting for the 2022 midterm elections is only slightly behind early voting for the 2020 presidential election, which saw 1,643,428 cast.
Turnout on Friday, October 28 was 36 percent higher than day 12 of early voting in 2018.
“One in five active voters have already gotten their vote in, and we will hit the 2-million-mark next week,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a release. “The strength of our voter registration system and our county election directors are on full display.”
Voters are returning absentee ballots at a quicker pace, too. As of Friday, 144,394 ballots have been returned to county election offices. Only 899 ballots have been rejected, but these voters have received notices that explain how to cure any discrepancy.
More than 18,000 Richmond County voters have walked in and out to cast their ballots early.
“If anybody’s is concerned about getting out here early voting, don’t worry about any long lines,” Charles Dunn said. “Just come out here make sure you exercise that right.”
On the last and only Sunday of Richmond County’s early voting, the energy was still high.
Through the close of advance voting on Saturday evening, Floyd County had seen 10,010 in-person voters over 13 days as well as 1,082 absentee ballots already accepted (out of 1,720 issued).
With 11,092 advance/in-person ballots in as of Saturday, Floyd has seen more than a third of the votes counted here in November 2018. Total ballots cast came to 30,440 or 58.02% of the 52,469 active voters on file four years ago.
More strong analysis from the RNT writers.
Two Republican candidates released foreign language ads, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Rey Martinez and Soo Hong appear in the ads, which were released by A Strong Georgia Inc., and address voters in Spanish and Korean.
Martinez, a native of Puerto Rico who is the former mayor of Loganville and made history as the first Hispanic mayor of a city in Georgia, is running for the state House District 111 seat. Meanwhile Hong, an immigrant from South Korea who works as an attorney, is running for the state House District 103 seat.
The pair say in their respective ads that they are two of 40 minority candidates who are running as Republicans for seats in the Georgia General Assembly this year.
“This year, the Republican Party is diverse and our ballots reflect that,” Martinez and Hong say in the ads in Spanish and Korean.
“Just as the Republican Party must expand and grow to continue to have success in the states, so do our methods of outreach to voters,” Republican State Leadership Committee spokeswoman Stephanie Rivera said.
“Running ads in different languages is a great way to connect with the minority communities that Democrats have taken for granted for far too long and we hope more candidates use this tactic in the future.”
Herschel Walker campaigned in Statesboro, according to the Statesboro Herald.
Herschel Walker, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, referred to himself as a “warrior for God” early in his remarks during a Statesboro campaign stop Friday morning. Before he was done speaking, he had called the incumbent Democrat, Sen. Raphael Warnock, “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” and a “trickster.”
The rally in front of Anderson’s General Store on U.S. Highway 80 East was announced for 9:30 a.m. By the time the big, red bus with Walker’s image on the side rolled up nearly an hour later, the crowd had grown to 200 to 250 people, many with signs or shirts touting support for Walker this year and some also with hats favoring a return of Donald Trump as president in 2024.
“I’m also going to tell you I’m going to win this election, and tell you the reason why, because as I stand here today you can see that I don’t look like a politician, do I? I don’t sound like a politician, do I? and because I’m not a politician. I am that warrior for God that he’s prepared me for this moment right now.”
“But God was getting me ready,” Walker said.
“But God knew then. He said, wait, wait, wait, that’s not enough, because I’m getting ready to put him up against a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Walker told the crowd.
He said his next challenge was being told he had “a mental problem” although he had never drunk alcohol or used drugs. He described sitting in a hospital for treatment of mental illness.
“I go, ‘Whoa! These people here are crazy. These people here are crazy; I’m not like them. And then the Lord showed me that we all fall short of the glory of God, and God started working me, he was molding me, getting me ready, and then he brought me back out. So he redeemed me.”
Other speakers at the rally included U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tennessee; U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Georgia 12th District; Republican National Committee-Georgia member Ginger Howard; Georgia state House Majority Leader Jon Burns; and Faith and Freedom Coalition Founder and Chairman Ralph Reed.
Asked about Schumer’s assertion that Democratic candidates are “going downhill” in Georgia and that “it’s hard to believe that” Georgia voters “will go for Herschel Walker,” the challenger said the comments are an example of Schumer being out of touch with Georgians. Schumer’s words, spoken to President Joe Biden and not to the media on Thursday, were captured by a nearby microphone belonging to a television crew covering the president.
“He represents New York; I’m from Georgia,””Walker said of Schumer in an interview following his campaign rally. “He’s the reason we’re in this mess, the policies he puts out.”
Walker was quick to tie his opponent, Warnock, to Schumer and Biden. Warnock is an incumbent who won his seat in the same election in which Biden was elected president and the Democrats won control of the U.S. Senate.
“Georgians expect a senator who represents them and doesn’t represent the Washington elite and President Joe Biden,” Walker said.
Democrat Stacey Abrams campaigned in Grovetown, according to WRDW.
She stopped by a shopping center on Horizon South Parkway, where supporters showed up.
Meanwhile, Kemp was in the Savannah area.
“You look back and say who was fighting for me? Who was fighting for my pain? Who was fighting for my job to get my child back in the classroom? Who was standing up with our men and women in law enforcement,” asked Kemp?
In Grovetown, Thursday’s message: it’s time for a change.
“I’m running for governor because we have to have a governor who believes in every single Georgian from cradle all the way to career,” said Abrams.
“She criticized me when I reopened small parts of our economy during the pandemic. When I was catching grief from her, I was listening to you all. I was listening to the barbers and cosmetologists to the folks that work in the restaurants. I was listening to people in the service center,” he said.
“Georgians want to be safe in their community. I know this community prides itself on that. And I do too. And we’re in the fight with you all to do that. And as long as I’m your governor, you can count on me to stand with our men and women in law enforcement,” said Kemp.
Abrams said: “Guns are the number one killer of our children. We have the ninth-highest gun violence rate in the nation. And his answer is to weaken gun laws in the state of Georgia. I’m here to tell you, we can protect the Second Amendment and protect second graders at the exact same time.”
Albany Republican Tracy Taylor is running for House District 153, according to the Albany Herald.
He is competing against Democratic nominee David Sampson for the seat formerly held by CaMia Jackson, who did not seek re-election due to moving out of the area. The district is the only district wholly within Dougherty County. The other three state House seats that include portions of Dougherty County are currently held by Republicans.
“I’m running to put get my community the right representation in Atlanta, Georgia,” said Taylor, whose previous campaigns include contests for Albany mayor, Dougherty County Commission and the state Senate. “We have not been receiving state resources to benefit Dougherty County in quite some time.”
“We need streets resurfaced, we need bridges fixed. I’m running on community economic development.”
Taylor, who has served on the Albany Community Development Council for several years and as chairman since December 2002, said he would like to bring the government and business world together with residents to tackle tough issues like economic development.
“I can be a liaison between the manufacturers, the communities and state- and federal-level (elected officials),” he said. “I want to be able to bridge the gap and give a chain of command. I think there’s no chain of command in that regard.”
Quoting his former political mentor, U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, whom he briefly considered challenging this year, the candidate said that the debate for the 2023 legislative session “is about who gets what, when and how” in reference to a projected $6.6 billion state budget surplus.
State Rep. Gerald Greene (R-Cuthbert) is defending his seat, according to WALB.
Democratic Nominee John Hayes and Incumbent Republican Gerald Greene are in a heated race for State House for District 154.
The district spans nine counties from the Alabama-Georgia Line to parts of Albany.
Greene believes it’s his experience that makes him the right candidate for the job. When it comes to issues, he’s focusing on what people are talking about at the dinner table. That being rising inflation and job security.
“Good jobs, good schools, facilities that can take care of the elderly. Those become important issues to me,” Greene said.
Before Greene became a full time politician, he was a teach in the Randolph Clay school system
“They talk about it being a part-time job. It is every day. I’ve touched about all the students in several counties. They have been individuals that I have relied on for resources,” Greene said.
When his current term ends in January, Greene will have been the Georgia State Representation for 40 years. His first year in office was 1982.
If elected, Greene says one of his next priorities is to help south Georgians become homeowners.
“We found out in my research that about 64% of homes in Albany are rental and that was astonishing. My constituents are saying ‘Hey I want to be able to own a home. I want to become a citizen that really is productive,’” Greene said.
Black Voters Matter is sponsoring a bus tour to drive turnout, according to WALB.
The Black Voters Matter bus tour came through Valdosta Friday, encouraging people of color to go to the polls.
“The theme of our bus tour this year is ‘we won’t black down’ And that means in the face of adversity and in the face of everything that is thrown at us in our community, we won’t black down. We’re still going to black up the ballot box,” she said.
Members of Delta Sigma Theta found that it’s important to not only help educate voters but to lend a hand too.
“We are providing free rides to the poll, utilizing the Valdosta on Demand transit system and we will give out free codes to anyone that needs a ride to the polls,” says Tameka Miller, Social Action Committee Chair for Delta Sigma Theta.
Black Voters Matter will continue their bus tour around Georgia with members of the NAACP alongside them.
Atlanta News First looks at one of the statewide referenda on the ballot, via WRDW.
Georgia produces the most timber of any state. Now the state is letting voters decide if timber producers should be given a break on taxes for their machines similar to the tax break for agriculture producers.
On every Georgia ballot, voters can vote yes or no to this question: “Shall the Act be approved which grants a state-wide exemption from all ad valorem taxes for certain equipment used by timber producers in the production or harvest of timber?”
The Georgia state legislature passed House Bill 997 to approve the tax break unanimously with bipartisan support.
Georgia will appeal a ruling by Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Brenda Holbert Trammell that shot down a bond issuance supporting the Rivian economic development project, according to the AJC.
In a September ruling, Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Brenda Holbert Trammell declined to validate bonds at the center of the incentive package. She said a local development authority “failed to establish” that the bonds were “sound, feasible and reasonable.” She also agreed with residents who challenged the Rivian incentive deal, ruling that the type of land lease negotiated with Rivian is one subject to property taxes.
The ruling struck down local property tax incentives totaling some $700 million that were the largest component of a $1.5 billion inducement package state and local leaders offered Rivian to build a vehicle and battery plant along I-20 in southern Walton and Morgan counties.
In a Friday statement, the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton Counties (JDA) said they filed a notice of appeal with the state Court of Appeals and briefs will be submitted once the case has been docketed.
“We absolutely disagree with Judge Trammell’s ruling regarding the structure of incentives for this project, and we are confident in the merits of our appeal,” Pat Wilson, Georgia’s commissioner of economic development, said in a news release.
Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard wants an independent review of her office spending, according to the Gainesville Times.
Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard has requested an independent state review of her offices’ finances a day after a TV news report alleged funds intended for crime victims went for her personal use.
The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia appointed Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr to investigate Woodard for “allegations of theft by conversion and violation of oath by a public officer,” according to an order obtained by The Times.
Fox 5 aired a story Thursday, Oct. 27, detailing questionable spending by Woodard that was reimbursed to her or bought with her Hall County purchasing card.
Woodard said in a statement provided to Fox 5 and to The Times that most of the items cited by the news stations were “legitimate items provided to victims that ranged from furniture and bedding for rehousing to work-related or personal family needs.”
“Unfortunately, some personal education expenses and other items submitted were confused as victim expenses by mistake and have since been reimbursed by me personally,” Woodard said in her earlier statement.
Woodard sent a statement Friday, Oct. 28, saying she felt the review was necessary to “clear the air of any hint of wrongdoing in light of recent accounting errors” that led to personal expenses being reimbursed from the crime victims’ fund.
Northeastern Judicial Circuit District Attorney Lee Darragh said he had recused himself from the investigation of the case when contacted by The Times Friday.
The Savannah Morning News trots out the upside of the Chatham County Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Transportation (T-SPLOST) yet again.
If approved by majority vote, TSPLOST would mean an additional 1% sales tax on goods and services sold within Chatham County to be collected for the next five years, increasing the overall sales tax from 7% to 8%. TSPLOST revenue can only be used for transportation-related projects.
The TSPLOST project lists submitted by Chatham County and its eight municipalities total $420 million, representing a portion of the funds needed for the heavyweight improvements targeted by local government leaders. For many projects, TSPLOST serves as the “local match” for state-and federal-level roadway projects.
Habersham County voters will decide on a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Transportation (T-SPLOST), according to AccessWDUN.
If approved, funds collected through a single-county transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (also known as a roads and bridges tax) can be spent for transportation purposes, including roads, bridges, public transit, rails, airports and buses, and all accompanying infrastructure and services necessary to provide access to those transportation facilities.
Leaders estimate $44 million would be generated in Habersham County by the local roads and bridges Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, with the county’s portion being roughly $34.5 million and the cities receiving the remainder.
The cost per mile for road resurfacing has increased from $112,348 in 2021 to $175,000 in 2022, cutting the 14.36 miles of resurfacing that could be done in 2021 down to 9.85 miles in 2022.
Additionally, culvert costs essentially have doubled from 2021 to 2022.
To qualify to hold a TSPLOST (roads and bridges SPLOST) referendum, a county must already impose a regular SPLOST. State law imposes a 2% cap on local sales taxes.
Single-county TSPLOST is in addition to those taxes and will not affect any other local sales and use tax and is exempted from the 2% sales tax cap.
Habersham County residents who have questions about the proposed roads and bridges SPLOST can join a Facebook Live at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, for a series of questions and answers hosted by Commissioner Bruce Palmer and Public Works Director Jerry Baggett.
Columbia County voters will weigh in on a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), according to WRDW.
If approved, it would set aside money for several projects like parks, transportation, and more.
With many parks and projects throughout the county, leaders had to consider many variables as to what money went where. If the SPLOST gets approved, the county will continue to receive millions until 2028.
With the growth of Columbia County, they’re hoping to grow two more parks, with hopes to make all parks more accessible to all parts of the county.
“They don’t have to drive as far as the park is closer to them. So, we’re trying to get those types of services closer to the residents, so we’re looking for voids,” said Columbia County Manager Scott Johnson.
“Those people are staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants, buying things in Columbia County stores, are actually participating in the SPLOST. Therefore they’re paying for the new park, and it’s less burden on our taxpayers,” said Johnson.
If the voters approve the current tax, it will continue until 2028. If the SPLOST gets voted against, the one percent sales tax will go away.
Savannah City Council members brought the heat, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Savannah Alderwoman Kesha Gibson-Carter and Alderman Kurtis Purtee brought their feud into the City Hall council chambers Thursday.
The two traded verbal insults and literally pointed fingers at each other during the council meeting, continuing a long-simmering conflict that exploded following a Sept. 8 council meeting, when Purtee called Gibson-Carter, a Black woman, a “ghetto b****” in response to her accusing him of being a “child predator and a pedophile” in the hallway outside of council chambers.
Purtee is a white, openly gay man.
When it was Gibson-Carter’s turn to speak, she too indicated her support for a council vote on Calhoun. And she also quoted Shakespeare.
“What’s in a name? A rose by any other name smells just as sweet,” Gibson-Carter said. “This is a line offered by William Shakespeare in ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ He offered that line to denote that the naming of things is irrelevant. I, on this day, as a professional, educated, talented, smart, loving, caring, beautiful Black woman, who was called a Black ghetto b expletive by a sitting member of this council, a white man, and it went unchecked.”
When it was Purtee’s turn to speak, he paused for a few seconds before firing back at Carter. Purtee accused Gibson-Carter of calling him a “pedophile” in the past, and invoked that, and a few other accusations in his statement.
“One, I am glad that we are having this conversation today. I think there’s a lot to be learned from history, and I think the conversation needs to continue. But I will also say I know what it’s like to feel oppressed. I even had a sitting member of city council call me a child pedophile, a f*****.”
Purtee was interrupted by Gibson-Carter.
“You are a liar,” Gibson-Carter said as Mayor Johnson tried to intervene.
Speaking over them both, Purtee continued.
“A child pedophile, a predator and a f*****. I, even though I may have said ghetto b, which I did apologize for, I do not like to be called a child predator, a f***** or a child pedophile.”
Ben Tapley was promoted from interim chief to Chief of the Bulloch County Fire Department, according to the Statesboro Herald.
