Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for August 15, 2022

On August 15, 1903, Georgia Governor Joseph Terrell signed legislation requiring that Georgia schools teach elementary agriculture and civics. Two days later, on August 17, 1903, the General Assembly condemned the practice of whipping female inmates.

The Panama Canal opened on August 15, 1914.

Georgia Governor Thomas Hardwick signed legislation creating the Georgia State Board of Forestry on August 15, 1921.

On August 15, 1969, the Woodstock Festival began in upstate New York.

Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppolla was released on August 15, 1979.

Paul Anderson, known for years as the “Strongest Man in the World” for his weightlifting feats, died on August 15, 1994 in Vidalia, Georgia. Anderson was born in 1932 in Toccoa, Georgia. He won an Olympic gold medal in the sport of weightlifting in 1956.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

The Georgia State Patrol is competing for best-looking cars, according to WTOC.

Georgia State Patrol’s cruiser won the contest in 2020 with 51,844 votes. The cruiser was parked near the big fountain at Forsyth Park in Savannah.

This year, the competing photo is of two GSP cruisers parked near the entrance of Wormsloe Historic Site in Savannah, which is a breathtaking avenue sheltered by live oaks and Spanish moss. The cruisers are joined by the World Series Championship Trophy and the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy to highlight this year’s big wins by the Atlanta Braves and Georgia Bulldogs.

To cast your vote, click here.

I love the blue and gray with orange lettering on the GSP cars, but I’m not a huge fan of the “ghost paint” movement in police vehicles.

A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit United States Court of Appeals reversed a District Court decision to cancel elections for the Georgia Public Service Commission, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald.

The appellate court’s 2-1 decision overturned a lower court’s order from last week. That initial order had blocked Georgia from holding PSC elections in two of the state’s five districts until the state changed the rules around voting for the PSC members.

The PSC regulates the state’s public utilities and sets utility rates. Under Georgia’s system, commissioners run statewide but must live in one of five districts.

The current case began when a group of black leaders sued the state, claiming the black vote had been diluted.
A federal district court ruled in the group’s favor last week, finding Georgia’s unusual system for electing PSC commissioners violates the federal Voting Rights Act. The state immediately appealed.

The majority appellate court opinion said recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings have made clear federal courts should not block elections close to the voting date.

“But if we are mistaken on this point, the Supreme Court can tell us,” the ruling concludes.

From the AJC:

The 2-1 decision means that elections for two commission seats will be held as scheduled in November while the appeal is pending.

U.S. District Judge Steven Grimberg ruled Aug. 5 that the statewide election system violated the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits racially discriminatory voting laws. The lawsuit sought district-level elections for the commission.

“It’s unfortunate that this order, if allowed to stand, will mean that once again Georgia will have a Public Service Commission election that goes forward using a discriminatory plan,” said Bryan Sells, an attorney for plaintiffs including members of the NAACP, Black Voters Matter and Georgia Conservation Voters.

U.S. Circuit Judge Robin Rosenbaum, who was nominated by Obama, dissented from the majority. Rosenbaum argued that there isn’t a precedent for putting a lower-court ruling on hold in this circumstance.

From Fox5Atlanta:

Circuit Judges Robert Luck and Adalberto Jordan found that U.S. District Judge Steven Grimberg’s decision came too close to the election, that having Johnson and Echols remain on the commission past the end of their terms is an improper fundamental alteration of the state’s election system, and that not only did Grimberg need to issue his decision before the ballot printing deadline but far enough in advance “to allow for meaningful appellate review.”

Governor Brian Kemp announced the state will spend an additional $240 million on rural broadband expansion, according to the Associated Press via the Statesboro Herald.

Combined with $408 million from an earlier round of COVID-19 aid, plus money from the Federal Communications Commission, nearly $1 billion will be given to utilities and others to try to bring high-speed connections to parts of Georgia that lacked them.

Applications for the new round of grants open Monday.

In February, when the state awarded the $408 million, officials projected the money would link up 132,000 of the remaining 482,000 homes and businesses that didn’t then have a fast connection.

The 49 electric cooperatives, local governments, cable companies and others who got the earlier round of funding committed to spend $330 million of their own money to match the federal cash.

Applicants for the new money provide download and upload speeds of 100 megabytes per second. Guidelines call for applicants to consider affordability as part of their plan and says they are “strongly encouraged” to provide a low-cost option. Providers must participate in the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity program, which provides a discount of up to $30 a month to qualifying households.

Kemp decided to spend much of Georgia’s $4.8 billion in federal relief on broadband expansion, water and sewer improvements and offsetting the negative economic impact of the pandemic.

Governor Kemp delivered the Governor’s Environmental Address in Gwinnett County, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Gov. Brian Kemp delivered his first environmental address to Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful since 2019 at the Gas South Convention Center on Friday. At a few points, it had the vibe of a campaign speech, allowing him to talk about the nearly 120,000 new jobs that he said have come to Georgia during his time as governor.

Success stories like the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative’s efforts to help loggerhead sea turtles make a comeback on the state’s coast, for example.

“For those who are interested, I’m happy to report that this year’s loggerhead sea turtle nest count reached 3,960, surpassing the previous record,” Kemp said. “Earlier in my term and again this year (First Lady Marty Kemp) and the girls went down to see some turtle hatchings firsthand and it remains a cause that is close to our heart.”

“During the same time that we’ve seen unprecedented levels of business and job growth in this community and this state … Gwinnett has received several accolades for environmental improvement,” Kemp said. “(Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful Executive Director Schelly Marlatt) kindly sharing with our team that, in June of this year, Gwinnett was recognized by the Georgia Association of Water Professionals for its quality of water.

“And, since I last addressed this group, it’s created drop off program for the Hefty Energy Bag initiative to divert recyclable materials away from landfills (and) Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful has received the Keep America Beautiful National Innovation Award for your Connecting People and Places efforts to prevent litter.”

The governor also pointed to two big economic development announcements from the last year that he said would benefit the environment because they involve electric vehicle manufacturing.

Kemp said protections for Georgia’s environment is key to attracting businesses to the state. That is because, he explained, they are just as interested in Georgia’s quality of life as they are in the state’s business infrastructure and workforce.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, for example, manages more than 1 million acres of protected public lands in the state. Kemp said state and national parks in Georgia give residents a place to enjoy the state’s natural assets.

“I’m proud that the Peach State has so much to offer in natural beauty,” Kemp said.

Hyundai is the number one exporter of cars through Georgia ports, according to The Brunswick News.

In fact, some time next week, the two millionth Hyundai will roll off a cargo ship to be delivered to the port.

More than eight million vehicles have been delivered to the port, but Hyundai is the first manufacturer to reach the two-million milestone, said Don Asdell, president and CEO of International Auto Processing.

Mercedes Benz is approaching the two-million mark for exports, most likely reaching it next year, Asdell said. KIA will hit the 1.5 million mark later this month.

Ryan Moore, president and CEO of the Golden Isles Economic Development Authority, said the arrival of the two millionth Hyundai is a significant event.

“We’re proud to see the growth of Hyundai,” he said. “South Korea auto manufacturers have invested heavily in Southeast Georgia.”

More than 50 Georgia school districts have applied for federal funding to buy electric buses, according to the Statesboro Herald.

A new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program aims at providing school buses an alternative to gasoline or diesel fuel by funding electric buses. Currently, most buses in Georgia run on diesel.

The agency will award around $1 billion annually for the next five years to school districts that want to purchase electric, propane or CNG (compressed natural gas) vehicles. The funding comes from the infrastructure spending bill Congress passed last year. Also, some of the funding may be used for setting up electric-vehicle charging infrastructure.

Yancey Bus Sales & Services in Austell is helping districts apply for the program.

Coastal Georgia school districts are seeing rising COVID numbers, according to WTOC.

Case numbers have been increasing and with school back in session for a full week in Chatham County, Dr. Lawton Davis from the Coastal Health District says we may see an increase in cases.

Mainly because the prevalent variant right now is the BA.5 strain of Omicron.

However, hospitalizations remain steady in Chatham County – around 50 patients. Dr. Davis says despite the variant of COVID, people are still experiencing long COVID symptoms.

It is clear that COVID is not going anywhere soon, so the Coastal Health District is working on a new way to offer testing long into the future.

Dalton City Council and Whitfield County approved a ratio for splitting Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) revenues, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.

The LOST, which had to be initially approved by voters, is a 1% tax on most goods sold in a county that is used by local governments to fund operations. It is different from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), which can only be used for specific capital projects approved by voters and cannot be used for operations.

Under the tentative agreement, Whitfield County would continue to receive 60.457% of LOST revenues, Dalton 36%, Cohutta .72%, Tunnel Hill .929% and Varnell 1.894%.

“We agreed to keep our share of the LOST flat in the understanding that there would be no new taxes on our taxpayers,” said Mayor David Pennington.

On Friday, Pennington said county officials have given city officials sufficient assurance that they will roll back the property tax rate 100%.

But Pennington said even with a 100% rollback, some property owners would get hit with a tax increase because their assessment rose by more than the cut.

And he noted that the city and the county “aren’t the big players here.”

“It’s the school systems,” he said.

Pennington noted typically around two-thirds of a property owner’s total property tax bill is school taxes.

“The county school system hasn’t set its tax rate yet,” he said. “But the city school system is looking at a tax increase because they aren’t rolling their tax rate all the way back.”

Albany and Dougherty County agreed upon a revenue split for LOST going forward, according to WALB.

The city and county decided on a 36/64 split with the county providing an additional $3.5 million for the separation of stormwater and sewage.

“I’m delighted that the process ended successfully. I did have some doubt as we progressed but we did end in a good place and I think we made the best decision for all of our citizens in Albany and Dougherty County,” Dougherty County Commissioner, Gloria Gaines said.

The discussion on splitting the SPLOST funds has been going on since the beginning of July. Albany city Commissioner, Jon Howard said that the road leading up to the decision was a difficult one.

The board of elections approved the City’s decision on SPLOST 8 meaning that a question will appear on the November ballot.

Floyd County continues negotiations with Rome and Cave Spring over LOST revenues, according to the Rome News Tribune.

Union County students return to the class Tuesday after an incident delayed the Friday planned opening, according to AccessWDUN.

Savannah-Chatham County schools continue to face a teacher shortage, according to WSAV.

“We currently, we have about 50 vacancies right now so we’re still recruiting,” said Dr. Michel Pantin, HR director with the district.

Almost half of those teacher vacancies right now are in the District’s 23 elementary schools.

“We do have about 20 elementary vacancies,” Pantin said. “And that is just because of the number of elementary schools that we have.”

The district has seen an increase in it’s teachers leaving. Preliminary data says about 16% of teachers do leave but with a new pay scale in effect, the district hopes that might ease staffing shortages and improve retention.

“We just got a new pay scale,” Pantin said. “A new teacher coming in around 46,000 if they have the teaching credentials and I believe it’s 44 if they don’t.”

Dougherty County faces a shortage of election workers, according to the Albany Herald.

“I’m working with the numbers now as we start looking to the November election, but, yes, we definitely have a shortage,” [Election Supervisor Ginger] Nickerson said. “We need workers; we need people who want to serve their community. We need people who are willing to sacrifice a little of their time and make a commitment.”

“We’d love to have people who are tech savvy, but I assure you that we will train everyone who volunteers.”

“First of all, we ask volunteers to go through a training period that’s relatively simple; we don’t try to put too much on anybody,” she said. “They get paid for the training, and they get paid for the time they work on Election Day and during early voting. It’s a flat rate, and no taxes are taken from people’s checks.”

“We’ve had some schools that have given students excused absences to work at one of the precincts during Election Day,” the Elections supervisor said. “In fact, we’re going to try and put together some partnerships with some of the schools to provide students to work. It’s a great educational opportunity for students to see our elections process in action. They get an insider’s view.”

Thirteen Early County students may be suspended or otherwise disciplined after a fight, according to WALB.

Superintendent Jennifer Brown said the school should be the first call parents make.

“It would be beneficial if any parents would ask a school official, they can call the school. And many parents did, they called the school yesterday and told us what they had heard, and we were able to dispel those rumors immediately with them. Also, if they sign up for our district communication program which is (a reminder). They were issued a statement yesterday that had the details involved of the incident and that those details included everything that needed to be known. It didn’t have any information about the rumors because they were just rumors.”

As for the rumors that are going around, the superintendent told WALB News 10 that no teachers were hurt in the fight. Early County Jail officials said no gun was found after the fight.

Worth County schools are addressing a rumored incident, according to WALB.

After several witness interviews, [Worth County Superintendent Nehemiah] Cummings said they determined no threat was made and no students were in danger.

He added that they investigate alleged threats in depth and work with law enforcement to put an armed officer in every school.

Chatham County Commissioners say that a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Transportation (T-SPLOST) will help pay to address the issue of trains blocking some intersections, according to WTOC.

Chairman Chester Ellis says voting for TSPLOST in November could help get rid of railroads like the one in Garden City that often hold up traffic. Ellis says they are working to eliminate ten railroads and they are most focused on the one on Highway 21 and President Street.

“Everybody in here will agree that railroad on President Street is a nuisance.”

He says they will be receiving federal funds to help cover the railroad projects, for example federal funds will handle 80 percent of the cost to eliminate the railroad on President Street and the remaining 20 percent of funds would come from transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

“That 20 percent is set up in the TSPLOST so that we can help folks get around Chatham County.”

He says if TSPLOST doesn’t pass, it’s likely that property taxes will go up.

The tax adds a penny to sales and is on the November ballot. He says voting for TSPLOST will help them tackle drainage issues.

In addition to TSPLOST, Chatham County is still negotiating with Savannah and surrounding municipalities on how to split the Local Option Sales Tax that will give residents a rollback, according to Ellis.

The Georgia Senate Study Committee to Review Education Funding Mechanisms meets Friday to begin considering revising the state’s school funding, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan, R-Carrollton, is chair of the committee.

Other members of the committee are Sens. Chuck Payne, R-Dalton; Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta; Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia; Lindsey Tippins, R-Marietta; and Billy Hickman, R-Statesboro.

The committee grew out of a senate resolution passed in this year’s legislative session. It will prepare recommendations for the General Assembly to consider during the 2023 session.

The committee likely will focus on the Quality Basic Education formula. That formula allocates school funding based on the number of students in a district and other factors.

The committee also will meet in Savannah on Sept. 16 and in Columbus on Oct. 21.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wants to enhance protections for endangered whales, according to The Brunswick News.

The NOAA Fisheries is proposing to expand speed limit restrictions to include more craft. The 10 knot speed limit — 11.5 mph — in protected waters is currently limited to large ships but would extend to most vessels 35 to 65 feet in length if adopted.

For most of the Atlantic Coast in the U.S., the annual effective date of the rules would begin in November and end in April.

In addition, the agency is releasing a draft “roadmap” for public comment about on-demand, or “ropeless” fishing gear, that outlines potential ways to increase the use of this technology in commercial fisheries along the East Coast. NOAA says the roadmap reflects lessons from fisheries using on-demand gear, which are emerging around the world.

The purpose of the new restrictions is to increase the survivability of right whales, an endangered species. The agency has documented whales that have been killed or injured from collisions with vessels or entanglement in fishing lines.

According to NOAA Fisheries, researchers have determined that collisions and entanglements were the leading cause of death among juvenile and adult whales between 2003 and 2018.

“These two efforts are part of our North Atlantic Right Whale Road to Recovery, a strategy that encapsulates all of our ongoing work across the agency and in collaboration with our partners and stakeholders to conserve and rebuild the North Atlantic right whale population,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries and acting assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere at NOAA.

The restrictions would cover the waters of the nation’s entire Atlantic coast. Warmer waters of the southern coast are calving grounds for the right whale during the colder months.