Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for August 23, 2018

On August 23, 1784, four counties is western North Carolina declared themselves the State of Franklin, setting up its own Constitution and treaties with local Indian tribes. In 1788, they rejoined North Carolina but would eventually become part of a new state, Tennessee.

The Kimball Opera House, serving as the Georgia State Capitol, was sold to the state on August 23, 1870.

On August 23, 1961, four African-American citizens attempted to play tennis at Bitsy Grant Tennis Center in Atlanta, which was informally “whites only.” The Tennis Center was hastily closed rather than allow them to play, but it was the first volley leading to the eventual desegregation of Atlanta’s public recreation facilities.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Nathan Deal and Congressman Tom Graves (R-Ranger) attended the opening of the new Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County, according to the Dalton Daily News.

Deal and U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ranger, were joined by more than 300 business and civic leaders from around the area for the opening of the $26.5 million facility. Deal gave the keynote address a little more than three years after he was in Chatsworth to announce the port.

“I think this is a really important step forward in making better use of the Port of Savannah,” Deal said. “We are already getting great benefit from it, but when we expand the reach, as we are doing here in this inland port in Murray County, it makes it an even more important part of the overall Georgia economy.”

The inland port, 388 miles by rail from Savannah, will serve as a distribution and intake point for businesses in north Georgia, northeast Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee and will help move cargo to and from the Savannah port. Deal said Savannah is now the second-busiest port on the Atlantic coast, with an economic impact of $126 billion a year.

“If you don’t think that is significant, I am saying this is going to give you a chance to not only add to that number but to get an even bigger share and slice of the pie,” Deal said.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has weighed-in on legislation passed this year that affects rules on passing stopped buses, according to the Gainesville Times.

In the “unofficial opinion” issued on Monday, Aug. 20, the Office of Attorney General Chris Carr stated, “… I conclude that Georgia law does not require a vehicle traveling on a three or five lane road divided by a center turn lane to stop for a school bus that is stopped on the opposite side of the road with its visual signals engaged.”

Previously, motorists traveling in the opposite direction of a school bus along a four-lane roadway with a median (grass, concrete, etc.) were not required to stop. But that was the only exception.

State Rep. Christian Coomer (R-Cartersville), who co-sponsored the legislation, said the General Assembly will consider a fix to the issue, according to the Rome News-Tribune.

He said the original intent was only to clarify that roads like U.S. 411 and Ga. 1 — which have medians replaced by turn lanes in some portions to allow drivers to turn left or make a U-turn — are included in the definition of divided highways.

“The language was not drafted sufficiently to make that clarification and instead has resulted in more confusion,” Coomer said Wednesday. “The AG has now issued an informal opinion that the language says something that wasn’t intended. The General Assembly will need to correct this ambiguity next session.”

The Secure, Accessible & Fair Elections (SAFE) Commission will view potential new voting machines at the Columbia County Exhibition Center in Grovetown on August 30, according to the AJC.

Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds wants to put teeth in the law against public agencies giving gratuities, according to the AJC.

“I think it’s time for the legislature to take a long look at that gratuity clause, probably to come up with language that pretty specific and clear that says, if you violate this, this is what happens to you,” said Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds.

Reynolds is calling on the state legislature to take a serious look at the state constitution’s ban on giving tax money to an individual or group unless the government has received an immediate benefit in exchange.

“What you can’t do is give somebody extra money, call it a gratuity, call it a bonus, for things that have already been done by that particular individual — like his or her job,” Reynolds said.

“I think in, in circumstances where gratuities have been paid to employees, and it’s not proper, absolutely it needs to be a criminal prosecution and criminal statutes,” Reynolds said.

Buford City Schools Superintendent Geye Hamby is on administrative leave after a lawsuit was filed, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Gregory Jay, of Chandler, Britt and Jay, LLC, the law firm that represents Buford City School District, told the Daily Post via email on Wednesday that Hamby was placed on administrative leave effective Tuesday, Aug. 21.

“The Board anticipates further action on this matter at a specially called meeting in the next several days,” he said. “The District will continue to focus on the mission of empowering our students to reach their full potential.”

Hamby, who has held the position of superintendent since 2006, was recently sued by former paraprofessional educator Mary Ingram for alleged race discrimination and retaliation after she was fired “without any justification,” the lawsuit says.

The Macon County School System is asking why it’s been identified for a “turnaround” for low performing schools, according to the AJC.

“We’ve been told by the Turnaround Office that we’ve been tagged as a turnaround district,” Macon Superintendent Marc Maynor said.

Lawmakers passed the law last year at the request of Gov. Nathan Deal, after voters rejected his constitutional amendment to allow the takeover of “chronically failing” schools.

[State Board of Education member Mike] Royal said the turnaround program is voluntary because it isn’t big enough yet to enroll every eligible school. But he said that won’t always be the case.

A State Senate Study Committee is considering whether the state should take over ownership of Atlanta’s airport, according to the AJC.

Hartsfield-Jackson has “been a huge economic boon…. However we’re also very aware of the challenges that have seemingly hampered this facility for decades, and it all seems to center around a cloud of corruption and a political pay-to-play system,” said study committee chairman State Sen. Burt Jones, R-Jackson.

He compared the idea of creating an airport authority to run Hartsfield-Jackson to the creation of the Georgia Ports Authority and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority.

“We do have examples of how authorities can work and how they are very successful as well,” Jones said.

The city of Atlanta — and Delta Air Lines, the dominant carrier in Atlanta — both oppose a state takeover of Hartsfield-Jackson and have fought the creation of a second commercial airport in metro Atlanta.

In meetings to come, the Senate study committee will tackle three main questions, according to Jones. First: Does it benefit the state? Federal regulation dictates that the airport’s revenue cannot be diverted to other parts of government. But Jones said there should be more statewide input into management of the airport.

Second: Will the Federal Aviation Administration approve a transfer? In North Carolina, an attempt by the state to take over the Charlotte airport has been tied up in a legal battle for years, with the FAA saying it would only accept a change in management of the airport if there is a “legally definitive” resolution.

And third: how much would it cost to restructure the airport’s bonds? “They’re real concerns,” said Jones, who added that he will call in bond experts to address the issue.

Gwinnett County‘s population passed 900,000, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission.

The ARC released its annual Regional Snapshots population estimates report, which shows Gwinnett’s population increased by 16,700 people over the last year. The ARC estimates Gwinnett is now home to 910,700 people, as the county continues to make its way to the 1 million residents mark.

Only Fulton County, which has an estimated 1.02 million residents, saw a bigger increase in the region over the last year, according to the report. Fulton added 17,570 new residents.

“Seeing the numbers coming from the Atlanta Regional Commission confirms what we were already aware of,” Gwinnett County commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash said. “We continue to be attractive to residents and businesses.

“With a big growth in population again toward a million people, it will be interesting to see exactly when the county tops that mark.”

Some Chatham County police officers attended training on working with citizens on the autism spectrum, according to the Savannah Morning News.

“It’s important because we’re bridging the gap of understanding about children that are on the autism spectrum and when we as police officers may have to encounter them out in the public,” said police Chief Jeff Hadley. “We can have some level of awareness.”

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates autism’s prevalence as 1 in 59 children in the United States. That includes 1 in 37 boys and 1 in 151 girls.

“I was ignorant to the fact that that some autistic kids are non-verbal and used devices to communicate,” said Hadley. “Well if we’re out there and encounter an autistic child who is reaching for this device whether it be underneath his clothing or in a backpack, an officer could mistake that for reaching for a weapon. We don’t want that.”

From 10 am to noon, officers from the county department and campus police talked with officials from Coastal Georgia Comprehensive Academy about the various ways that autism could manifest during interactions with police officers. Coastal Georgia Comprehensive Academy is a special education school whose focus is to educate students with severe emotional/behavioral disorders, as well as students with moderate to severe autism.

“We are very excited to kick off this special project of autism awareness for law enforcement,” said Principal Steve Derr. “If we can do anything to help officers understand the small signs and characteristics of autism it will be a good thing for everyone.”

Valdosta residents opposed to a property tax hike flooded the Valdosta City Council, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

A crowd of city residents spoke against the proposed property tax increase at the second of three public hearings Tuesday.

The third and final public hearing that is necessary for the city set a millage rate of 8.001 will be held 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23, Valdosta City Hall. The city is keeping the same millage rate as last year, but due to the city’s tax digest increasing, the city is required to announce a property tax increase.

Six residents spoke against the tax increase during the public comment section of the hearing

Macon-Bibb County Commissioners overrode a veto by the Mayor and residents will return to quarterly sanitation payments, according to the Macon Times.

That’s because the County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to override Mayor Robert Reichert’s veto that would have kept annual billing for solid waste collections. Those services will return to quarterly billing instead of the annual bills being sent out at the same time as property tax notices.

The annual billing measure turned off some commissioners because property taxes have been raised for two consecutive years. Some county leaders also said they were concerned about the economic hardship it could cause for people who are unable to be exempt from the billing or for those own multiple rental properties.

Macon-Bibb residents began making annual payments for their 2018 services.

A Valdosta group called the People’s Tribunal is petitioning to change Forrest Street to Barack Obama Boulevard, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

The civil rights group will present the petition during the next council meeting held 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 23, at Valdosta City Hall.

According to the Tribunal, the petition has gained 114 signatures. Sixty percent of the street’s residents need to have signed it before it is presented to the council, according to city documents.

The group asserts the road was named for Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Ku Klux Klan grand wizard and Confederate general.

Others argue it was named for Elbert Forrest, a black businessman in Valdosta during the late 1800s.

Research completed by the Archives and Special Collections Department at Valdosta State University suggest Forrest Street was initially spelled with one “r.”