Category: Georgia Power

“Dalton” (left) and “Dakota” (right) are German Shepherd mix puppies, age 3 months, weighing about 6 pounds, who are available for adoption today from Walton Animal Control Service.

This morning, twenty dogs will be euthanized at the Clayton County Animal Shelter. Clayton County also has a cat whose owner is a United States soldier serving in Afghanistan. The soldier’s mother could no longer care for the cat and had to turn it in to the shelter. It would be a fine and patriotic thing to adopt this cat.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Senate President Pro Tem Tommie Williams (R-Lyons) will finish his current term at PPT, but will not seek reelection to the leadership post. Jim Galloway has the full text of an email Williams sent to Senate colleagues, and we have an excerpt:

Senators,

It is a very difficult decision for one to give up a position of political power. Often it takes a lost election or scandalous event for one to part with the notoriety of a higher position. While I’ve been affected by neither loss nor scandal, I can say that conceding a place of leadership over such a fine group of men and women is not easy.

I believe that leadership positions major chairmanships should be rotated or term-limited so that we may all gain from the talents of many and allow other members the opportunity to serve in higher positions. History proves that corruption can occur when one is too closely connected to lobbyists and has forgotten that the people, not lobbying groups, are who we represent.

Additionally, members that have consolidated powers as leaders or major chairmen over time face the temptation of exploiting their power for both themselves and their corporate contributors.

These are some qualifications that I feel should be considered when electing the next PPT:

1. He or she should be humble, upright, trustworthy and of good character.

2. He or she should be free of any conflicts of interest and must not use the office as a means of promoting his or her livelihood. In the future, we should look at making the PPT job a salaried position at a “living” wage.

3. He or she should be faithful to his or her spouse and family. If we elect a leader with wavering morals, we can all be put to shame. We’ve all seen what happens in our own General Assembly when leaders cannot control themselves.

4. He or she needs to be intelligent, patient and capable of building a consensus.

It is my hope that we can find a consensus candidate without having a fight over the position.

Predictably, some politicians said nice things about Williams.

Americans for Prosperity Georgia has released its 2011-2012 Legislative Scorecard, which can be downloaded as a .pdf file here.

“Americans for Prosperity is pleased to provide this snapshot view of where legislators have stood on key issues affecting Georgians’ prosperity,” said Virginia Galloway, State Director of AFP-GA. “This guide is one important way that taxpayers can become educated and engaged in important policies affecting their everyday lives.”

State legislators are scored on 12 separate pieces of legislation including Zero Based Budgeting (SB 33), Student Scholarships (HB 325), Revenue & Tax Relief Act (HB 386), GA Government Accountability Act (HB 456), the State Charter School Commission (HB 797) and the Charter School Constitutional Amendment (HR 1162), among others.

Andre Walker of Georgia Unfiltered announced that Democratic Party of Georgia Rashad Richey has dismissed his lawsuit claiming that Walker libeled and slandered Richey by publishing information about Richey’s criminal record. This probably means that the Georgia Unfiltered Legal Defense Fund will become a legal offense fund as Walker seeks attorney’s fees from Richey. Consider donating today to preserve free speech.

In a separate post, Walker covers the story of Stacii Jae,the Director of Special Events in Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s office who also raised considerable money for Obama’s campaign. Jae apparently “hosted” a how-to-strip video featuring poledancers and designed to teach the “booty clap” among other moves.

Speaking of Barack Obama’s campaign, the Democratic Party of Georgia emailed out invitations to the President’s fundraiser June 26, 2012 at 11:30 AM at the Westin Peachtree Plaza. No word on whether DPG Political Director Rashad Richey will be able to get Secret Service clearance for the event. With tickets starting at $500 per person, it’s good to see that the President is making things easier on the little people.

Neal Boortz announced his retirement from full-time radio yesterday, though he will continue to appear on his old show with shorter commentary and may fill-in for his successor Herman Cain or for Erick Erickson.

Yesterday, Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Greg Griffin as the new state auditor and Alan Skelton as acting state accounting officer, beginning July 1st.

Griffin, the current accounting officer, will succeed Russell Hinton, who is retiring on June 30. The governor’s appointment of state auditor must be confirmed by the General Assembly next session. Skelton is deputy director with the State Accounting Office.

Democratic candidates in Clayton County spoke to “dozens of people” at a forum sponsored by the Clayton Democratic Party.

Clayton County Board of Education candidate Xavier Ross will be questioned as a “person of interest” in connection with “thousands of dollars” missing and unaccounted for from a local PTA. In a letter to local police, Superintendent Edmond Heatley wrote,

“This correspondence comes as a formal report of an alleged crime that took place at Martin Luther King [Jr.] Elementary School. It has been alleged that former PTA Treasurer, Mr. Xavier Ross, has not accounted for thousands of dollars that he was entrusted with depositing into the appropriate PTA bank account for the purpose of paying for items for students at the school …”

Cherokee County is moving to evict the recycling company that failed to make payments on a $1.8 million loan, which forced county taxpayers to pick up the tab. Because the company has filed bankruptcy, they will be able to continue operating the facility. The company owner is also accused by local tea party activists of disguising campaign contributions to a Cherokee County Commissioner who is not running for reelection.

The City of Nelson sits at the line between Cherokee and Pickens counties, and will elect two city council members on July 31st. Edith Portillo and Tami Loggins are running to replace Larry Sellers, who resigned earlier this year.

Cherokee County Republican Party hosted the first in a series of debates for local candidates, and featured three candidates for Tax Commissioner. We look forward to the debate between School Board Chair candidates in which Republican Danny Dukes is expected to answer every questions with lyrics from a 1970s southern rock anthem.

Cherokee’s incumbent Sheriff Roger Garrison debated Republican Primary challenger David Waters.

Issues with the drug testing program for employees at Plant Vogtle have been corrected, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Prospective candidates for Augusta Commission and Richmond County Board of Education continue to wait for new district lines to be released by the federal court overseeing the redistricting.

In Fayette County, where qualifying for county commission was also delayed by federal courts drawing new lines, eight Republicans and one Democrat have qualified for three county commission seats.

Fayette County Board of Education Chair Leonard Presberg is complaining that the County Commission’s insistence about defending at-large school board and commission districts is costing the board money that could otherwise be used for education.

Coweta County will see few contested local elections this year.

The private company that proposes to privatize Gwinnett County’s Briscoe Field asked County Commissioners to delay a vote on the staff’s recommendation to reject the proposal, saying they were concerned that residents in former County Commissioner Shirley Fanning-Lasseter’s district would not be represented.

The citizens’ group opposing changes to Briscoe Field said,

“Today’s press conference by Propeller Investments is simply an admission that they know they’re going to lose. The proposal does nothing to make a valid business case for expansion of Briscoe Field and no amount of press conferences or delays will change that fact.”

A sign vendor has agreed to offer discounted yard signs to GaPundit readers. One-color yardsigns on corrugated plastic with an included metal H-stand cost less than $3.00 each and two-color signs with included stands for less than $3.50 each. Shipping is not included but will be calculated before you order. Email us for more information.

Sammy is a little male puppy who was given to a kid without finding out whether his parents would allow it, so Sammy is at Walton Animal Control, where he can be adopted today for $40, which includes his vaccinations and deworming, as well as a voucher for reduced-price neutering. The shelter has no idea Sammy’s breed, but he is 5-6 weeks old and weighs about four pounds

Qualifying continues for 2012 Georgia Primary Elections

Qualifying for state offices continues today from 8 AM to 5 PM and tomorrow, May 25th, from 8 AM to Noon. Secretary of State Brian Kemp has most of the information you’ll need as a candidate on his website, where you can also find links to local elections offices for information on qualifying for local office.

Tuesday night, I was at the Common Cause Ethics-palooza in Sandy Springs, and spoke to Debbie Dooley, who holds a leadership position with Tea Party Patriots. She firmly resisted the “Draft Debbie Dooley” suggestions from several folks there, so nobody printed up bumperstickers to sell on the internet. So I was naturally skeptical when I heard Wednesday that she planned to qualify against Don Balfour for State Senate. She had just learned the day before that she’s in his district and had more to say about an Amended Complaint she planned to file with the Senate.

That’s the complaint she’s holding there, in the House Chamber, talking with Senate Majority Leader Tommie Williams. I have a copy and will post it around 7:15 AM.

Anyway, Debbie said she plans to qualify today for Balfour’s Senate seat. Essentially, she had been talking to several potential candidates and when it appeared no one would qualify, she decided to put her money where her mouth is and sign up for the rodeo herself. I do respect that. Tea party activist Steve Ramey also is expected to qualify.

There were some early problems with connectivity the the Secretary of State’s qualifying website in the Democratic and Republican qualifying areas, but most problems appeared to have been fixed by lunchtime.

Rather than recap all of the matchups that will happen, and some that might not, I’ll refer you to the Secretary of State’s list of qualified candidates, which is updated in pretty close to real time. Aaron Gould Sheinin did a good job of keeping up with qualifying on the AJC website yesterday, and I expect he’ll be doing the same today.

Also at the AJC, Jim Galloway writes about how the casino gambling question made it onto the Republican ballot as a non-binding referendum question.

The very topic stunned the highest-perched Republicans in the land. “The casino question was a shock coming out of the convention — given the prominence of social conservatives in the party infrastructure,” said Brian Robinson, spokesman for Deal. “The governor’s office was as surprised as anyone to hear about it.”

The one exception was state GOP chairman Sue Everhart, who this week took responsibility for the decision. No monied interests had pushed for the question, she said. And the party’s most recent financial disclosure, for the month of April, shows no contributions from the gambling world. (We’ll check again later.)

Everhart said the casino question was prompted by emailed messages from two or three GOP activists who complained of the cash that was leaking away to gaming havens in Mississippi and North Carolina. “They said, if we didn’t do something before long, the Indians were going to do something – and we wouldn’t get any tax revenue out of that,” Everhart said.

To a person, members of the executive committee we spoke with said they were given no advance notice of the casino question – which lost on a first vote by the committee, and won only after it was emphasized that placing the question on the ballot didn’t constitute an endorsement.

I spoke earlier to a member of the GOP leadership who gave a similar explanation, saying, “I asked Sue, and she said she just wanted to know what the voters thought.”

Nearly twenty candidates signed the Common Cause Georgia pledge to sponsor legislation limiting lobbyist gifts to legislators to $100 per lobbyist, per legislator, per day.

Common Cause Georgia, the Georgia Tea Party Patriots and Georgia Conservatives in Action promised to make ethics reform a top issue in the July primaries as well as the November general election. The topic has gained momentum in the past week after Georgia Republicans, at their annual convention this past weekend, agreed to put the matter before voters in a nonbinding referendum during the July 31 primary.

Julianne Thompson, representing both the Tea Party Patriots and Conservatives in Action, said Wednesday that the coalition of groups will use the pledge as a kind of litmus test in a number of races. The coalition will announce those targeted contests once qualifying ends Friday.

House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, said there are opportunities to strengthen the state’s ethics laws, but he remains steadfast that a cap is not the way to do it.

“I’m always open at looking at different ways of improving our law,” Ralston told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday. “Really, the fundamental difference I have with a few of the other people on this issue is I trust the people to give them information, full transparency and open information and let them make a decision.”

Ralston said that’s preferable to “an arbitrary, unworkable line that, frankly, I think is a gimmick.”

Among the signers was Senate President Pro Tem Tommie Williams (R-Lyons), according to a Press Release by Common Cause:

“We are very enthusiastic that Senate President Pro Tempore Tommie Williams signed the pledge today to co-sponsor a bill to limit lobbyist gifts to legislators to $100,” said Julianne Thompson of the Georgia Tea Party Patriots

“Senator Williams has shown strong leadership in many areas and we have every confidence that he will take the lead on comprehensive ethics reform in the Georgia State Senate.”

“The Georgia Republican Party sent a strong message to its legislative leaders this past weekend by passing both the ballot initiative and resolution calling for the lobbyist gift cap. We encourage all legislative candidates to sign this pledge.”

A full list of signers is available here.

Denis O’Hayer has an excellent interview with retiring Dean of the Senate and Senate Historian George Hooks of Americus. Hooks has served in the legislature for more than 30 years and WABE’s website has both the 5-minute broadcast version, and the extended 18-minute director’s cut. If you’re a student of Georgia politics and history, it’s not to be missed.

Elections officials in Fayette County have been dealing with rumors that federal lawsuits over district lines will affect elections, but say that only qualifying will be affected. A federal judge delayed qualifying for the Fayette County Commission because US Justice Department preclearance was pending but has now been issued. Commissioner Herb Frady will not seek reelection.

Candidates for Augusta Commission and Richmond County Board of Education will not qualify this week due to a federal lawsuit prompted by the General Assembly’s failure to adopt new district maps.

Fayette County school board member Janet Smola will not run for reelection. She says her successor should be “[a] believer in public education, not home schooling or private schooling.”

Cherokee County Commissioner Karen Bosch will not seek reelection. Her announcement came after local tea party activists alleged that the owner of a local recycling operation concealed campaign contributions to Bosch’s earlier campaign. The Cherokee County Commission used SPLOST funds to pay $1.8 million in payments that the recycling owner failed to make after the county issued $18 million in bonds to finance the facility. Bosch says her decision to forego reelection was a personal one, not motivated by the allegations.

Plans to trim the role of Fulton County by legislators may lead to federal court.

During a meeting with constituents earlier this month in Alpharetta, Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, R-Milton, was quoted by a local weekly paper saying her “goal is to end Fulton County.”

“We can cut Fulton County down to size until we get Milton County,” Jones said, according to Neighbor Newspapers. “My goal is that we reduce the thumbprint … of Fulton County on your lives and your pocketbooks such that in a very few years, Atlanta and south Fulton will not fight us on re-creating Milton County because Fulton County will be insignificant.”

“People are not going to stand by and allow themselves to be manipulated like this,” said state Rep. Roger Bruce, a Democrat from unincorporated south Fulton. “They’re rigging it. There are people who like the county the way it is.”

In November, Fayette County voters will be asked to renew the education SPLOST.

Four candidates qualified yesterday for Chatham County Commission Chair, and Effingham also will have a spirited election with three candidates qualifying on the first day.

The Augusta Chronicle notes that a large number of candidates qualified for local offices yesterday, including five of the six announced candidates for Richmond County Sheriff.

Gwinnett County will have a full ballot as more than 60 candidates qualified yesterday.

The Macon Telegraph covers midstate election qualifying after the first day.

The Judicial Nominating Commission has opened the process for appointing a new judge to Superior Court for the Ocmulgee Circuit, which includes Baldwin, Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Jones, Morgan, Putnam and Wilkinson counties.

Nathan Roberts qualified for Floyd County Commission District One.

Hot races in Hall County will include the election for Sheriff, where the Republicna primary has five candidates qualified so far.

Former Camden County Sheriff Bill Smith, who attracted national attention when a grand jury investigated his use of federal money from drug seizures,

He purchased boats that some people wisecrack are his Camden County navy. Some purchases were more exotic. There was the $90,000 Dodge Viper for the sheriff’s DARE anti-drug program.

“The year we took this out to Las Vegas for the national DARE convention, it was the No. 1 DARE car in the country,” says Lt. William Terrell.

will run in an attempt to take back his old job, which he lost in 2008.

Cobb County Chairman Tim Lee had three opponents qualify against him in the Republican Primary. Bill Simon has announced that he will not be a candidate.

Nearly forty percent of Georgia children are overweight and obese, and the government is here to help.

“This affects all of us,” said Gov. Nathan Deal in a press conference Tuesday. “We must work together to improve the health of children in our state. Some suggest that we’re raising the first generation of American kids to have shorter life expectancy than their parents because of problems related to obesity. We can and will do better to promote healthy lifestyles.”

Mohawk Industries will expand its Summerville, Georgia plant, creating 500 new jobs.

“Mohawk is one of Georgia’s flagship Fortune 500 companies, and we are pleased to see its continued investments in our state leading to the creation of meaningful jobs in Summerville and other communities,” Gov. Nathan Deal said in a press release. “This expansion is a great indicator of the resilience of the carpet and floorcovering industry. Mohawk has Georgia’s full support for its continued investments in our state.”

Two Metro Atlanta OB-GYN offices have been set afire, and three others burglarized.

[P]hysicians who practice obstetrics and gynecology, however, worry that the incidents — three burglaries and two suspicious fires in all — weren’t a coincidence, but were committed by someone bent on retaliating against them for raising concerns about the so-called “fetal pain” bill that passed in March.

Porsche Cars North America, which is headquartered in Atlanta, announced that it will relocate its motorsport operation from Santa Ana, California to a new Experience Center in Carson, California.

The Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, who cast the only vote against the license for Plant Vogtle’s new reactors, is retiring.

Last year, all four of his fellow commissioners — two Democrats and two Republicans — sent a letter to the White House chief of staff complaining about his management style. They told a House committee in December that Dr. Jaczko had withheld information from them, unprofessionally berated the agency’s professional staff and reduced female employees to tears with his comments.

But beyond friction with his fellow commissioners, he often found himself the lone dissenting vote on important issues. Among them were the speed with which American reactors should be reanalyzed and improved to incorporate the lessons learned from Fukushima Daiichi and whether licenses should be granted for new reactors before those changes were in the pipeline.

Green energy and your wallet

Notoriously liberal New York Times published survey results that suggest that Americans are willing to pay more for electricity in exchange for more use of “Green Energy.”

That willingness is fairly modest, to be sure. Analyzing a survey they conducted in 2011, researchers at Harvard and Yale found that the average United States citizen was willing to pay $162 a year more to support a national policy requiring 80 percent “clean” energy by 2035. Nationwide, that would represent a 13 percent increase in electric bills.

The willingness to pay was higher among Democrats than Republicans. More interesting, however, was that support dropped off when the definition of clean energy was expanded to include natural gas or nuclear power.

Republican Georgia Public Service Commissioner Chuck Eaton, who qualified yesterday for reelection wants to know if Georgia voters agree. Text “CHUCK” to 28748 or visit his website to let him know if you’re willing to pay 10% more for electricity in order to have more alternative energy sources used.

Pam Davidson, who took 47.7% of the GOP Primary vote against Lauren “Bubba” McDonald in 2008, qualified against incumbent Commissioner Stan Wise yesterday. Stan’s campaign notes that after losing the GOP Primary that year, Davidson endorsed the Democratic nominee, who openly supported President Obama’s election. Davidson has worked as a lobbyist for the Green Energy industry and ran in 2008 on a platform of more mandated green energy.

“Ludwig” is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Basset Hound, who is one year old and will be available for adoption through Angels Among Us Rescue after a short quarantine and vetting period. He is very friendly and great with children and has worked with special needs kids in a program through the shelter where he was an inmate. Angels Rescue spends about $150 per dog for vetting and is asking for online donations and foster homes.

Real ID Act requires proof of identity for driver’s license

Beginning July 1, 2012, Georgians seeking or renewing a driver’s license will have to present additional evidence of their identity and immigration status under Georgia’s Secure ID implementation of the Federal Real ID program.

“This program will give Georgians the most secure IDs we’ve ever issued in this state,” said Deal. “It is our duty to protect our residents’ identities to the best of our ability.”

The new documentation requirements mean you must prove (1) you are who you say you are; (2) social security number; and (3) your home address. A list of acceptable documents and FAQs is available on the Georgia Department of Driver Services website.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns & Elections

Republican Danny Dukes will seek election as Chairman of the Cherokee County School Board. Dukes pledges to “eliminate all teacher furloughs by reducing a bloated central office, take every step possible to cut the County dropout rate in half, and never vote for a tax increase.”

“During the last few weeks, I have discovered a groundswell of support for a true conservative as Cherokee County School Board Chair. Parents, teachers, community leaders and citizens share my sincere passion for the children of our county. We all deserve a School Board with positive, collaborative energy and an effective leader who works for solutions based on conservative principles,” said Danny. “We can have the highest performing school system in Georgia if we put students first and pledge to work with other elected leaders to solve problems. And we can do all this without raising taxes.”

Join David Ralston, Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, and Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black tonight at 5 PM to support the reelection campaign of State Rep. Steve Davis (R-Stockbridge). $10 gets you a steak and potato dinner and kids eat free.

Federal court vacancies on the bench for the Northern District of Georgia and 11th Circuit Court of Appeals are straining their ability to handle cases and will be worsened when an additional sitting judge takes senior status.

Georgia’s Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the constitutionality of three year property tax assessment freeze by Effingham County that sought to help address the flood of foreclosures.

The Effingham County Chamber of Commerce heard from the Georgia Ports Authority on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, while the comment period on SHEP has been expanded by 15 days by the US Army Corps of Engineers to June 5th.

South Carolina’s Savannah River Maritime Commission hopes to limit the dredging that will allow better access to the Port of Savannah to 45 feet, rather than the 47 feet recommended by the Corps.

Savannah and Macon prompted some of this year’s revisions to Georgia’s Open Records and Open Meetings laws, according to a discussion by Republican Attorney General Sam Olens at the Atlanta Press Club.

The US Chamber of Commerce is buying ads in four states and will likely enter into Congressional races in Georgia.

Georgia State Senator David Shafer (R-Duluth) issued a statement lauding Gov. Nathan Deal for signing Shafer’s Zero-Based Budgeting legislation.

“I applaud Governor Deal, not just for signing the bill but for his leadership in voluntarily implementing zero based budgeting,” Shafer said.  “This tool is already being used to identify unnecessary spending and ensure that tax dollars are being used wisely.”

Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau is considering proposing a 1% county sales tax to replace property taxes in funding county government operations. I’m sure it’s completely unrelated to his reelection campaign and choice of political consultant.

Ruby D. Jones is seeking reelection to the Savannah-Chatham County School Board.

Philip Johnson is running as a Democrat for Newton County Commission District Five.

Robert Stokely is running as a Republican for State House District 71, to replace Billy Horne, who is not seeking reelection.

Republican Jon Heffer will run for State House District 28 in Banks, Habersham, and Stephens Counties.

Susan D. Brown announced her candidacy for Hall County Probate Judge.

Randy Evans, a retired police officer, is running for Whitfield Magistrate Judge.

The Rome City Commission has appointed Detrick Redding to the Ward 2 vacancy on the Commission..

Republican Dick Perryman is running for District Attorney in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit, which comprises Atkinson, Berrien, Clinch, Cook, and Lanier Counties.

Carroll County Commissioner Kevin Jackson is seeking reelection as a Republican.

Five of six candidates for Richmond County Sheriff addressed the Augusta-Richmond County Committee for Good Government yesterday.

Senator Renee Unterman (R-Buford) joined Sen. Josh McKoon (R-Columbus) in discussing recent metal theft legislation passed by the Georgia General Assembly.

Fulton County Commissioner Liz Hausmann asked her colleague Emma Darnell to stop insulting North Fulton residents.

Bibb County Board of Education members will discuss reapportionment maps passed by the General Assembly at 6 PM on Thursday.

Peachtree Corners is making progress as Georgia’s newest city.

Forsyth County is re-running the election announcement for T-SPLOST after messing up the wording the first time.

Tomorrow night, Sen. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) will hold a fundraiser at Manuel’s Tavern from 6 PM to 8 PM.

Ends & Pieces

Alan Abramowitz of the Emory University Department of Political Science discusses the role of SuperPACS and Merle Black has a short history of “Nasty Politics” and negative advertising.

The Board of Regents has released names for two institutions resulting from the merger of predecessor colleges. According to GPB, North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega and Gainesville State University will become the University of North Georgia, while Middle Georgia State College is the new name for the merger of Middle Georgia College in Cochran and Macon State College.

Porsche Cars North America, headquartered in Atlanta, released April sales figures that show 911 sales up 69% over the previous April and the best April ever for the company.

Georgia Tech will receive federal funding for research into nuclear power production and scholarships under the Nuclear Energy University Program, part of a $47 million program by the US Department of Energy to spur careers in nuclear power.

Georgia Power will testify before the Public Service Commission today that it is still under budget for the construction of Plant Vogtle’s new nuclear reactors, though overall costs may increase.

Seven cases against alleged Masters ticket scalpers were dismissed.

Mary Echols, daughter of PSC member Tim Echols was named Prep Player of the Week by the Athens newspaper after leading Athens Christian to a third state track-and-field championship and winning four individual and relay titles. That’s a pretty amazing performance.

Krispy Kreme is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year.

Political partisans may choose not to accept facts that clash with their strongly held beliefs.

On a range of issues, partisans seem partial to their political loyalties over the facts. When those loyalties demand changing their views of the facts, he said, partisans seem willing to throw even consistency overboard.

Wisconsin’s “Total Recall” dynamic may be a harbinger of partisan civil war nationwide.

The politics of pro-Walker and anti-Walker are so advanced in the Badger State now that relatively few voters remain persuadable. And the depth of that divide is expected to remain, regardless of the outcome on June 5.

The divides of our era seem to be deepening. Consider the big margin by which North Carolina adopted a constitutional amendment this week that denies legal standing to civil unions and domestic partnerships all in the name of banning gay marriages that were already outlawed in the state.

And consider the drubbing Indiana gave to six-term Senate icon Richard Lugar in Tuesday’s Republican primary, which state treasurer Richard Mourdock won with 60 percent of the vote.

Ari (left) and Anabella are female Golden Retriever mixes available separately for adoption from Angels Among Us Rescue. Ari is about two years old and both dogs come up-to-date on their shots.

Rome City Commissioner Sue Lee is working to upgrade the animal control shelter, which she calls “the dungeon.”

“The Animal Control shelter is abysmal,” said Lee. “I tried at this last SPLOST to get them to put a new Animal Control shelter on the SPLOST, but not only was I turned down, but I was turned down big time.”

We really just need a new one altogether,” she said. “The county is in charge of that, and it’s just not a priority with them. With two new commissioners coming on, I would hope this would be a priority for them. But your chain is just as strong as your weakest link. The chain isn’t just weak; it’s broken.”

Rome historians and the local newspaper tell the interesting story of “Brownie, the Depot Dog,” who greeted visitors in the 1920s and 30s, and is buried on the grounds with a tombstone.

Executive Branch Announcements

Governor Nathan Deal announced that March revenues were up 5% over March 2011 to $1.16 billion. In a press release, Deal said, ““Though there is still a lot of room for improvemen. This upward economic growth pattern alongside several other solid economic indicators proves we are moving in the right direction.”

Attorney General Sam Olens announced that WellCare, an HMO, has settled fraud allegations with Georgia and eight other states and the Feds for $137.5 million plus interest, payable over four years. Georgia will receive $33 million and WellCare will undergo three years’ regulatory oversight in the settlement of MediCare fraud charges that also resulted in fraud charges against six current company executives.

Georgia DNR announced that Bald Eagle nesting sites in Georgia are up over last year, along with the number of fledgling Bald Eagles. The study also documents the first known Bald Eagle nest at Lake Lanier.

The State Ethics Transparency Commission found no basis for proceeding on an ethics charge filed against Governor Deal by Rome gadfly activist George Anderson. Deal’s lawyer, Randy Evans, called the remaining charges “frivolous.” The remaining charges include goofy charges related to airplane travel during the 2010 campaign that have been thoroughly debunked.

Campaigns and Elections

Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols hit a sour note when he solicited campaign donations in his Easter email to some activists.

His behavior on the PSC has been embarrassing. His excuses to repeated appearances of impropriety do not really hold up. And today he sends out an email that I struggle to reconcile with any sense of good decency for any Christian politician who is not a huckster, charlatan, or fraud.

The other Public Service Commission may take umbrage at Echols’s self-serving Op-Ed in the Athens Banner-Herald defending his vote to override a business decision made by Georgia Power and substitute his own judgment for that of the people who actually run the company. In addition to imposing costs of up to $3 billion on Georgia Power ratepayers, such action would be far in excess of the PSC’s authority to review utility decisions for whether they are prudent. A “strong conservative voice for less government interference,” indeed.

South Carolina GOP incumbents are facing a high number of primary challenges, apparently resulting from redistricting and Tea Party anti-incumbent sentiment.

Former Floyd County Commissioner Chad Whitefield has withdrawn from the race for state Senate district 52, which comprises Floyd County and parts of Chattooga, Bartow and Gordon counties. The only candidate currently in that race is former DOT Board Chair David Doss, who reported more than $26,000 cash on hand.

Rep. Robert Dickey (R-Musella) announced that he will run for reelection in new District 140, which comprises all of Crawford County and parts of Bibb, Houston, Monroe and Peach counties.

“I am proud to say I have delivered on many of the issues I campaigned on,” Dickey said in a news release. “I have supported two balanced state budgets that reduced state spending to nearly 2001 spending levels. I supported comprehensive tax reform that will reduce taxes on our families and spur job growth.

“To cut waste and make government more efficient, I supported zero-based budgeting requiring state departments to justify every dollar spent. In addition, I supported efforts to save the HOPE Scholarship, crack down on metal theft, and grow our economy.”

The Augusta Commission voted unanimously to ask a federal judge to draw new district lines for Commission and Richmond County Board of Education seats after the local legislative delegation deadlocked during the session.

In Gwinnett County, Brian Whiteside will seek election as Clerk of Court following the death of Tom Lawler.

Gerald Couch leads fundraising for the quarter in the race for Hall County Sheriff, with more than $13,000 collected, plus a personal loan from the candidate. Jeff Strickland has raised the highest total to date with $31,000 cash on hand.

Brook Davidson is running for Hall County Probate Judge.

Athens-Clarke County Mayor Nancy Denson gave $500 to Regina Quick (R), former Treasurer of the local GOP, in her campaign against Doug McKillip (DR?). Quick raised more than $32,000 for the quarter and has nearly $28k on hand to McKillip’s $40k on hand.

Democrat Spencer Frye raised more than twice the amount of his opponent, Rep. Keith Heard (D-Athens).

Dougherty County Commissioner Muarlean Edwards may run against incumbent State Rep. Carol Fullerton (D-Albany), who has announced her reelection campaign.

Ports

Congressman Jack Kingston (R-Savannah) accompanied FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg on a briefing and tour of the Port of Savannah, saying

“One of the core missions of the FDA is to ensure that the food on our dinner tables and in our school cafeterias is safe to eat,” Kingston said. “That effort includes keeping a watchful eye over the food imports that enter our country through our ports.”

More than 40 percent of US poultry exports ship through the Savannah port each year.

The South Carolina Supreme Court will hear a challenge by environmental groups including the Savannah Riverkeeper, which is based in Augusta, GA, to the proposed deepening of the Savannah River Channel to accomodate post-Panamax ships to the Port. The groups seek to overturn the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s decision to issue a dredging permit to the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Random Remainders

The Houston County school board is considering whether to teach elementary school students about sexual predators in an attempt to prevent children from being lured and abducted or sexually harassed. Similar material is already being presented to students whose parents approve, but the materials are considered outdated.

2012 County Health Rankings suggest that Middle Georgia suffers from a healthcare gap, demonstrated by the finding that Bibb County residents die at an earlier age than other Georgians.

Former Gwinnett County Commission Chair Wayne Hill, who is also a private pilot, said he would vote against privatizing Briscoe Field if he still sat on the Commission.

Snellville’s police chief now also will act as interim City Manager. A city resident noted, “obviously you all need somebody to baby-sit you; you can’t even agree on what to do for 60 days. Listening to this is like listening to my kids bicker.”

Howard Finster’s “Paradise Gardens” in Summerville, GA has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

DeKalb County’s Jan Selman, a political coach, will address the April 14 League of Women Voters of Carrollton and Carroll County’s annual meeting about the political process and how to prepare for electoral success.

The Columbus Charter Review Commission voted to remove from November’s ballot a proposal to empower the city to impose a $500 “basic services fee” on property owners.

The Whitfield County Commission will seek a new finance director, after the resignation of the new director after five days on the job.

Lowndes County is renegotiating the disposition of LOST tax proceeds with its municipalities.

The Dalton Daily Citizen has a four-part series on the Great Locomotive Chase from 1862.

Hannah is a five-year old female Golden Retriever who originally hails from North Carolina but is now in the custody of Adopt A Golden Atlanta, from whom she may be adopted. She is currently heartworm positive and AGA is seeking tax-deductible donations to help pay for the $500 heartworm treatment.

Since its founding, AGA has rescued 2694 Golden Retrievers and similar breeds at an average cost of $841 per dog. Their next adoption day is Sunday, April 1, 2012 at the Pet Set on N. Druid Hills at Briarcliff.

Legislative News

Today’s Senate legislative calendar is available here and you may watch the session online here beginning around 10 AM. Here is the Senate Committee Meeting schedule.

Today’s House legislative calendar is available here and you may watch the session online here beginning around 10 AM. Here is the House Committee Meeting schedule.

The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action is blaming Senate President Pro Tem Tommie Williams (R-Lyons) and Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) for working behind the scenes and against the NRA to kill an amendmentauthored by Sen. Don Balfour (R-Snellville) to his own Senate Bill 350.

Senate Leadership — more specifically state Senate President Pro Tempore Tommie Williams and state Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers — worked against the NRA’s efforts behind the scenes and helped persuade their colleagues in the Republican Senate caucus that the NRA’s employee protection legislation was too divisive of an issue and it was apparently more important to side with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Association of Realtors than to uphold the rights of law-abiding gun owners throughout the state.

It is unclear on what basis the NRA makes those assertions against Senators Williams and Rogers.

Senate Bill 350 provides that firearms seized by law enforcement agencies that are not being used as evidence must be returned to their rightful, legal owners if the owner was innocent of wrongdoing.

The Balfour amendment would have protected employees who keep a gun locked in their car at their place of employment from being fired for that reason. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce opposed the Balfour amendment.

The Macon Ledger-Enquirer Telegraph editorial board writes that House Bill 811, which would require the state to spend earmarked user fees for the purpose the fees are intended, rather that simply being added to the General Fund, leaves the fox in charge of the henhouse, but at least gives the hens some protection.

Maggie Lee write in the Ledger-Enquirer Telegraph that a GOP legislative supermajority is possible in this year’s elections.

“If things break right, (the GOP) should be able to get a two-thirds majority” in the state House and Senate, said Charles Bullock, professor of political science at the University of Georgia and a student of state politics for nearly 40 years.

In my opinion, there is nothing magical about a legislative supermajority as the GOP caucuses seldom see unanimity on major issues, as illustrated by the difficulties in passing the Charter School Constitutional Amendment.

Juvenile justice reform legislation, which will emphasize treatment options for drug offenders designed to lower repeat offenses rather than strict jail terms, is before a joint legislative committee chaired by Rep. Rich Golick and Sen. Bill Hamrick. According to the Walter Jones of the Morris News Service:

Georgians overwhelmingly support the changes, according to a survey released last month by the Pew Center on the States.

In a telephone poll, 85 percent of the 600 likely voters questioned in January said they agree that the sentence didn’t matter as much as reducing the likelihood of a repeat crime.

Rep. Jay Powell and Attorney General Sam Olens wrote an op-ed for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution arguing that reforms to the state’s Open Records and Open Meetings acts further the stated intent that “Open government is essential to a free, open, and democratic society.”

The AJC believes that Democrats in the Georgia Senate, who hold 20 of 56 seats, have made themselves relevant by uniting against GOP measures that require a super-majority for passage. But UGA Political Science Professor Charles Bullock told the AJC, “Suddenly, [Democrats] have been exiled to Pluto or something,” Bullock said. “It’s rare the Republicans do need the support of the Democrats.”

Lobbyists on both sides of the Charter School Amendment have been spending money at a furious pace to influence the course of the legislation.

An Associated Press analysis of the bi-monthly reports that lobbyists turn in to the state ethics commission shows that charter school supporters have spent at least $7,800 since January on everything from breakfast to framed photos for state lawmakers. On the other side of the debate, groups representing teachers, school administrators, school boards and public school parents have spent at least $2,400 on lunch and coffee for lawmakers.

Congratulations to State Rep. Joe Wilkinson on the birth of his first granddaughter, Ella Grace Wilkinson, who weighed in at eight pounds. Regarding the fact that Ella Grace was born in Columbus, Ohio, Rep. Wilkinson said, “Just because a cat has her kittens in the oven doesn’t mean that they are muffins. She must be a Southerner because she had the good manners to wait to be born on a day that her Dad had off from work.”

Executive Branch

Attorney General Sam Olens accepted $815 million on behalf of Georgia from banks accused of robo-signing to foreclose on homes in Georgia. Approximately $82 million will be paid to homeowners affected by the fraud at the rate of $2000 per homeowner. Homeowners retain the right to sue for wrongful foreclosure. $104 million will go directly into the state’s general fund and Gov. Deal is asking the legislature to direct at least part of that into the rainy day fund.

GOP District Conventions

Governor Nathan Deal addressed the Cobb County Republican Convention on Saturday, highlighting state successes since his taking office in January 2011.

Meanwhile, Ron Paul supporters were busy disrupting and delaying conventions across the state.

The Texas congressman’s forces took over the DeKalb County delegate-selection convention in eastern metropolitan Atlanta. The mostly young, well-educated and well off Paul partisans nearly did so in Cobb County in northern metropolitan Atlanta, Republican convention participants in the state told The Washington Times.

Party regulars called the Paul supporters’ efforts a “hijacking.”

The Paul brigades’ strategy was to try to outlast the party regulars at the county conventions, raising unexpected issues and delaying long enough for the regulars who were unprepared for the delays to throw up their hands and leave the convention sites to fulfill other obligations.

“It was absolute bedlam and chaos,” Forsyth County physician and activist Brent Meadows said. “Our county’s convention didn’t end till 6:15 p.m.”

Previously, the Daily Beast wrote about the plans of the Paulbots:

The Paul campaign has rigorously organized its volunteers to attend the mass precinct meetings that took place all over Georgia. It has been instructing supporters on parliamentary procedure and state Republican rules. It is also giving advice on convention etiquette. In an e-mail to supporters, Charles Gregory, Georgia State Coordinator for Ron Paul 2012, wrote:

“It is my personal recommendation that you dress professionally and not overtly identify yourself as a Ron Paul supporter. Your position should simply be: “I’m here to send Obama home, that’s all I care about.” If asked who you support—just say you ‘haven’t made up your mind yet but they’re all better than what we’ve got now,’ etc.”

Campaigns and Elections

Congressman Paul Broun will debate challengers, but not for a couple months. Opponent Stephen Simpson, running in the Republican primary, had previously challenged Broun to a series of five debates.

Republican challenger Stephen Simpson, a businessman and retired military officer from Milledgeville, challenged Broun last month to a series of five debates.

The University of Georgia College Republicans are organizing a debate in late March or early April, chairman Jamie Jordan said. The Georgia College and State University chapter will host a debate in Milledgeville May 22, Simpson said.

But Broun spokeswoman Jessica Hayes said the congressman won’t debate until after the candidate qualifying period ends May 25. No date has been scheduled, she said.

Republicans are lining up to beat their heads against a wall challenge Democratic Congressman Hank Johnson. Chris Vaughn is a pastor and hosts a cable show and has been endorsed by Georgia Conservatives in Action and Henry County Commission Chair B.J. Mathis. Catherine Davis, who has previously challenged Johnson announced at the DeKalb GOP Convention on Saturday that she is running again.

Alan Shinall has resigned as Chairman of the Cherokee County Elections Board in order to run for a new house seat in district 23. Shinall has chaired the elections board for 10 years and joins Mandi Ballinger and businessman Troy Welker, who previously announced for the seat. All three candidates are running as Republicans.

Businessman Jerome Edmondson will challenge incumbent DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis in the Democratic Primary.

Chief Judge J. Carlisle Overstreet of the Superior Court for the Augusta Judicial Circuit will run for reelection this year in Burke, Columbia and Richmond counties.

Richmond County Sheriff Ronnie Strength will retire from the office he has held for 11 years and is not seeking reelection after 35 years with the department.

The City of Cornelia, in Habersham County, is headed to an April 3 special election runoff for Mayor between J.C. Irby, Jr. and Ernie Garrett.

Local News

Dawsonville Mayor Joe Lane Cox, who served since 2004, died Friday. “Our city is in mourning,” said Councilman James Grogan. “Our prayers are with his family.”

The Gwinnett Daily Post reports that approximately 20 percent of cars using HOT lanes in Gwinnett County are not paying the required toll.

Solar Power

The director of the Energy Institute at MIT warns that distributed production of solar power added to the existing grid may destabilize the distribution of electricity.

“That reflects what an amazing machine this is, spread out geographically, always having to balance demand and supply because electricity is not stored,” he says.

Every day, with the flick of a switch, millions of Americans tap into the electricity grid. It’s a web of power stations, transformers and transmission lines that span the continent, distributing electricity like veins and arteries distribute blood.

Electricity has to keep flowing all the time. Grid operators constantly match what power plants are producing with what people and their TVs, microwaves and air conditioners need. It’s the world’s biggest balancing act.

So what happens when you add in unpredictable sources of electricity, like wind or solar power?

“The operator does not have control of when to turn it on and off,” Moniz says. “It’s a new challenge that we just have to meet, and we’re not doing it at anything like the pace that I think we need.”

“We have to have a backup,” says Steve Berberich, the grid’s CEO. “There are times when Mother Nature decides to bring in clouds and turn off the wind, but I think everybody in that case still wants to have power.”

Oops – twice this morning I mistakenly referred to the Macon Ledger-Enquirer, when I meant to write Macon Telegraph. I blame it on 5 AM today really being 4 AM in my head.