Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for August 23, 2019

On August 25, 325, the Council of Nicea adopted the Nicene Creed.

General Charles Lee of the Continental Army told Congress that Georgia’s value to the young nation required more forces to defend against the British on August 24, 1776.

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.

On August 25, 1864, Union troops stopped artillery bombardment of Atlanta and withdrew from fortifications around the city. On the same day, in Virginia, Confederate forces attacked Federals under Gen. Grant at Ream’s Station.

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

On August 25, 1877, delegates to the state Constitutional Convention approved a new post-Reconstruction state Constitution, the seventh in state history, to be submitted to the voters on December 5, 1877.

The all-time highest score in a professional baseball game was recorded on August 25, 1922, as the Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies by 26-23.

On August 24, 1931, the Georgia General Assembly adopted a joint resolution appointing a committee to work with the Governor in planning a bicentennial celebration to be held in 1933.

Paris was liberated from German army control on August 25, 1944.

On August 24, 1945, the United States Postal Service held a first day of issue ceremony in Warm Springs, Georgia for the release of a stamp bearing the images of Franklin D. Roosevelt and The Little White House.

On August 25, 1950, President Harry S. Truman ordered the seizure of the nation’s private railroads by executive order.

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.

On August 25, 1973, the Allman Brothers of Macon, Georgia released “Ramblin’ Man” as the first single from the album “Brothers and Sisters.” From the Wall Street Journal,

Dickey Betts: In 1969, I was playing guitar in several rock bands that toured central Florida. Whenever I’d have trouble finding a place to stay, my friend Kenny Harwick would let me crash at his garage apartment for a few days in Sarasota. One day he asked me how I was doing with my music and said, “I bet you’re just tryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best you can.”

Then one day in 1972, I was sitting in the kitchen of what we called the Big House in Macon, Ga.—where everyone in the band lived—and decided to finish the lyrics.

My inspiration was Hank Williams’s “Ramblin’ Man,” from 1951. His song and mine are completely different but I liked his mournful, minor-chord feel.

Except for Kenny’s line, the rest of the lyrics were autobiographical.

The WSJ article is worth reading in its entirety if you’re a fan of the Allmans.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Pooler) was given an award by the Chamber of Commerce, according to The Brunswick News.

Carter was recognized for his strong support for pro-business legislation with the Spirit of Enterprise Award, presented to him Thursday at a special-called Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Many members from the business community were in attendance for the ceremony where Carter was presented the award by Moore Hallmark, executive director of the Southeast regional office of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Carter said he takes his role in Congress as a supporter of small business very seriously.

“I get it. I understand,” he said. “Small business is so very important to our economy.”

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced a court victory in a lawsuit over the Obama administrations “Waters of the United States” rules, according to the Albany Herald.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has announced that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia granted summary judgment in favor of Georgia and nine other states in their lawsuit challenging the Obama Administration’s 2015 Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule.

At the same time, an injunction was kept in place against the rule while federal agencies finalize its replacement.

“For more than four years, Georgia has led a multistate coalition in the fight against the 2015 WOTUS Rule, a clear example of federal overreach that infringed on the states’ traditional role as primary regulators of land and water resources within their borders,” Carr said. “We are proud to have fought for this relief, and we look forward to reforms that will permanently relieve farmers and landowners of the unnecessary burdens that the 2015 WOTUS Rule created.”

The court explained, “Congress has delegated the important role of protecting the nation’s waters to the agencies, but in fulfilling that role, the agencies must comply with the law. Here, they have failed to do just that.” As a result, the court left in place its preliminary injunction that blocks the rule from going into effect in any of the coalition states while the agencies “continue their efforts to change the WOTUS Rule in light of the serious defects identified in this order.”

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army proposed rules that would rescind and replace the 2015 WOTUS rule. In April of this year, Georgia joined 16 other states in submitting comments supporting that proposal.

A Gwinnett County forum included discussion of future transit plans, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

As he juggled his hats as Lawrenceville’s city manager and a member of the Atlanta Regional Transit Link Authority board Thurday, Chuck Warbington expressed certainty about the chances of a future MARTA in Gwinnett County.

It would benefit from being on the November 2020 ballot, he said.

Warbington was part of a trio of government and business officials who were asked to weigh in on a possible 2020 MARTA vote during a development forum hosted by Bisnow in Peachtree Corners. Joining him were Gwinnett Chamber President Nick Masino and Ackerman Retail President Leo Wiener.

“When there is a vote that is held at a general election, I have no doubt it will pass,” he said. “It was put on a ballot (in March) that limited the interest in people wanting to vote for a variety of reasons. So I would say once it put in a general election, which will possibly be next year when there’s a presidential election, there’s a lot of interest.”

The Athens-Clarke County Commission passed a resolution supporting local “Immigrant, Undocumented, and Latinx Community,” according to the Athens Banner Herald.

District 7 Commissioner Russell Edwards was the first to speak, and began in English but soon switched to Spanish, sometimes translating himself for the non-Spanish speakers who may have been the majority in the audience as the commission met Tuesday night.

“For me, this is not a political statement. It is a statement of beliefs” about principles in Christianity and in the U.S. Constitution, said District 6 Commissioner Jerry NeSmith.

“I just felt that it was the least we can do,” said District 5 Commissioner Tim Denson, who had brought forth the resolution with Latinx activist Beto Mendoza.

AdvancED, the regional accrediting agency, is investigating the Athens-Clarke County Board of Education, according to the Athens Banner Herald.

The investigation is the result of contentions by unnamed “community stakeholders” that the conduct of some board members is “interfering with the district’s ability to function responsibly and effectively” and that “the Board’s conduct is impeding the autonomy of district leadership to meet student achievement goals and effective management of the day-to-day operations of the district.”

Under Georgia law, school boards set policies and approve budgets for a school district, but may not interfere in operations.

The new investigation mirrors an earlier ethics investigation, still unresolved, of Clarke County School Superintendent Demond Means — also triggered by anonymous accusers. A Newnan lawyer filed that complaint in May on behalf of those complainants, alleging plagiarism and questioning Means’ Ph.D. dissertation and his advocacy of hiring an education company he has worked for in the past.

Valdosta voters will have at least four candidates to choose for Mayor, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

Kevin J. Bussey filed to run for Valdosta mayor, according to the Lowndes County Board of Elections. David Sumner, J.D. Rice and Brooks D. Bivins filed earlier in the week to qualify to run for mayor in Valdosta.

Bussey, Sumner and Rice, along with Scott James Matheson, declared their intent to run for mayor months ago. Rice and Bivins ran for mayor four years ago. Sumner briefly served as mayor following the death of Mayor James H. Rainwater in the early 2000s.

Mayoral candidates seek the office that’s been held by John Gayle for two terms. Gayle has said he is not seeking reelection to a third term.

Valdosta City Council approved a “Brunch Bill” referendum for the November 5 ballot, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

At a Valdosta City Council meeting Thursday, the council voted 5-1 to give voters the opportunity to move alcohol sales from 12:30 p.m. to 11 a.m. on Sundays. Councilwoman Vivian Miller-Cody voted against.

Senate Bill 17, known as the “Brunch Bill,” was signed into law May 8, 2018 and permits counties and municipalities with Sunday alcohol sales, such as Valdosta, to allow earlier Sunday sales.

If the referendum is approved by voters, establishments eligible for Sunday sales would be able to serve alcohol from 11 a.m. until midnight Sundays only if they have purchased a Sunday sales license.

The Statesboro Herald reviews local election qualifying. Brooklet Mayor William Hendrix is not running for another term.

The Gainesville Times looks at local races as candidate qualifying wraps up.

Rome has contested elections in both city council wards, according to the Rome News Tribune.

Two more candidates qualified Wednesday, setting up contested races in both Rome City Commission wards — and Cave Spring’s Nov. 5 election is canceled.

Cave Spring City Clerk Judy Dickinson said just three candidates had filed to run for the three open seats by the time the qualifying period ended at 4:30 p.m.

Rome candidates have through Friday at 5 p.m. to qualify for the six open seats on the City Commission.

Dalton may have a contested city council race, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen.

Former Dalton State College athletic director Derek Waugh qualified on Thursday to run for the Ward 1 post on the Dalton City Council currently held by Denise Wood, who has not yet qualified.

Qualifying for Dalton concludes Friday from 8:30 a.m. at 4:30 p.m. in the city clerk’s office at City Hall. The qualifying fees are $360 for the City Council, $576 for mayor and $35 for the Board of Education.

The other City Council seat up for election in November is the Ward 3 seat held by Tyree Goodlett, who qualified earlier this week. No one has yet qualified to oppose him. Also, no one else has qualified for the mayor’s race after Mayor Dennis Mock and former mayor David Pennington qualified earlier this week.

Savannah-Chatham Public Schools are considering revising policy on standardized tests, according to the Savannah Morning News.

High school students taking Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses and exams would be exempt from the Georgia Milestones Assessment System test for those subjects if the Board of Education adopts an amendment initiated Thursday at the board’s August meeting.

The Board of Education is expected to vote at its next meeting on the amendment to Rule 160-3-1-.07 Testing Programs – Student Assessment that would eliminate double-testing for high school students in 10th, 11th and 12th grades taking AP or IB courses by exempting them from the related GMAS tests.

The grades a student earns in the AP or IB course would be used in the state accountability system instead of the GMAS, according to amendment documents.

“I think it’s a good move,” said Savannah-Chatham County public schools Superintendent Ann Levett. “We just think it’s not good for the students” to be expected to do double testing, she said. The Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests are considered more rigorous than the GMAS, Levett said.

Brunswick has no candidates yet for a city council seat representing the North Ward, according to The Brunswick News.

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, Julie Martin was the only candidate to qualify for the Brunswick City Commission’s South Ward seat, while no one had qualified for the North Ward race.

Currently, Johnny Cason holds the seat.

Richmond County Board of Education voted to hire Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw as the county’s new school superintendent, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw was unanimously voted in as superintendent of schools during a called board meeting Thursday. He was offered and accepted a 34-month contract.

Board member Marion Barnes made the motion to hire Bradshaw. According to the motion, there is a 10-day waiting period before the contract is effective, during which time he will continue to work in Chattanooga.

Lawrenceville City Council member David Still will serve as the city’s next Mayor, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

City Councilman David Still will become the city’s new mayor, taking over from retiring Mayor Judy Jordan Johnson, in 2020 after no one signed up to run against him in the open race. He is guaranteed election this fall because of the lack of opposition.

That, of course, also means Still and Johnson have months to prepare for a transition of power in Lawrenceville without having to wait for the results of a mayoral election.