Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for August 25, 2016

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

Yesterday, the SafeHarborYes ballot committee kicked off its campaign to promote adoption by voters of Constitutional Amendment #2 on the November ballot.

From the Gwinnett Daily Post:

State officials and advocates came together at the [Center for Human and Civil Rights] Wednesday to help countless children with stories like Jones’. They launched a campaign to get voters to approve a state constitutional amendment that will create a Safe Harbor Fund to pay for resources, such as trauma counseling, housing and medical care, for young victims of sexual exploitation.

The item will appear as “Amendment 2” on the November general election ballot.

“What this does is set up an indelible fund in perpetuity,” State Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford, said. “No elected official, no matter what stripe you are, can go and rob this fund. The reason why this fund is so important is for restorative services for children that are at-risk and have been abused and that are taken off the streets.

“What could be more important in your individual legacy that you’re leaving on humanity. … You are leaving a legacy that is indelible and in perpetuity for the rest of creation of the state of Georgia that (says) we will take care of these children that have not been taken care of.”

Unterman and Jones were joined by state Attorney General Sam Olens, former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Street Grace CEO Bob Rogers, state Rep. Andy Welch, R-McDonough and “Vote Yes” campaign Co-chairwoman Robin Roberts to launch the effort to get the amendment approved.

“The most important thing about Nov. 8, and every elected official will tell you, is to go to the end of the ballot. A lot of people go to the polling booth, they’re on a computer and they vote for president or their favorite senator, but they don’t go to the end of the ballot. You have to go there.”

Unterman said part of the message proponents need to drive home to voters is that they need to go through every item on the ballot until they get to the end, where the constitutional amendments can be found.

She explained that voters may cast votes in the elections at the top of the ticket, such as president or state legislators, they often don’t make it down to the section on amendments.

“Everybody keeps saying, ‘Renee it’s going to pass, it’s going to pass,’ but you never know,” Unterman said. “What if they don’t go to the end of the ballot and what if they don’t vote. This is our one-time opportunity. A constitutional amendment is a two-thirds vote in the house and the senate and the governor has to sign it.

“It’s one of the most difficult things any legislator ever does.”

In the Ledger-Enquirer, Dusty Nix writes that voters should reject the proposed Constitutional Amendment to reconfigure the Judicial Qualifications Commission.

A Trojan Horse of a bill will appear on Georgia ballots in the November general election. It’s a proposed amendment that would remove the Judicial Qualifications Commission from the state constitution and replaced with a different authority — one that answers to elected lawmakers in the Georgia General Assembly.

“You’re stripping an independent, constitutionally mandated watchdog agency out of the constitution,” former JQC member and chair Lester Tate told the TV station, ”and putting it to the complete whim of the politicians.”

Calling the proposed amendment a “political dumpster fire,” Tate said Georgia voters need to “realize what’s going on, go to the ballot box, and vote no.”

This is what an active Presidential campaign looks like: yesterday, Senator David Perdue called for a special investigator to look into allegations of “Pay to Play” by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“Actions speak louder than words, and this is just another example of Hillary Clinton’s questionable ethics and integrity. Whether you are the Secretary of State, or want to be the Commander-in-Chief, pay-to-play politics is wrong. If then-Secretary Clinton potentially prioritized her time based on dollar signs instead of foreign policy goals that should be thoroughly examined. Any responsible leader would have avoided this situation all together instead of charging their friends for special treatment and access to the State Department. People are struggling to make it from payday to payday and our country is in a national debt crisis. These are the real issues facing our country, and the American people deserve better than career politicians who put their personal profits ahead of our national interests.”

Former Congressman Bob Barr also called for an independent investigation into ties between the Clinton State Department and Clinton Foundation donors.

“Donald Trump is right. Evidence of a pay-to-play relationship between Hillary Clinton’s State Department and the Clinton Foundation has become so clear, that the only way to get to the bottom of the mess is to have an investigation by a Special Prosecutor. The Obama Justice Department has proven unwilling and incapable of conducting a credible investigation despite requests from some of its field offices and the FBI, and Hillary Clinton has lied to the American people for months. Only an independent counsel can investigate the Clinton Foundation fairly and impartially.” — Rep. Bob Barr, Fmr. Georgia Congressman & Fmr. Federal Prosecutor

KellyAnne Conway talked to Circa.com about Donald Trump’s appeal to women voters.

“I would ask female voters to judge Donald Trump by his actions and not always his words,” she added. “How does he treat women in the workplace? Who did he promote the first female presidential campaign manager to this position? What is his record with women in the workplace. How many women have been compensated and received benefits and promotions from this man because he believes in their abilities and their competence.”

One way Trump will differentiate himself from Clinton in the final 70 days of the race is by debating Obamacare’s impact on women, Conway said.

“We know many women in this country have great reluctance and hesitation in voting for Hillary Clinton for president,” she said.

“I think we’re going to earn those women votes through substance. We are going to say look, Obamacare has been a really raw deal for many people in this country but most predominately for females. Why? Because females are the chief health care officers of their households, we control two out of every three dollars that are spent in this country.”

“We’re also the vast majority of health care providers, we are 90 percent of nurses, plurality of the pharmacist and plurality of the medical students and 95 percent of the home health aides, a very big growing business. So, we’re the consumers and the providers disproportionately. We are affected many different ways.”

Bill Clinton’s trip to Atlanta yesterday included a stop at the newly-reopened Manuel’s Tavern.

Johnny Isakson will meet Democrat challenger Jim Barksdale and Libertarian Allen Buckley in the Atlanta Press Club debate at Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Isakson’s campaign put out this statement:

“I feel confident that, in addition to my longstanding record of public service and the 214 times I’ve answered questions from reporters in this year alone, this debate will demonstrate to Georgians my commitment to upholding a commonsense, pro-growth conservative agenda. If my Democrat opponent would like to offer any substantive policy positions that he stands for, I encourage him to follow suit and openly and transparently answer questions from Georgia media as I have always done and will continue to do.”

Barksdale’s Campaign Manger Dave Hoffman said it is “clear” Isakson “is not working for the people of Georgia and he doesn’t want to talk about it.” Hoffman invoked the same rhetoric the Barksdale campaign has used in recent weeks to criticize Isakson’s record on Capitol Hill:

“It’s no surprise that he has voted for bad foreign trade deals that send our jobs away or why he has skipped 71 percent of his Senate Commerce Committee hearings. Where’s Johnny?”

The debate will air on Georgia Public Broadcasting on Oct. 23. Early voting begins six days prior.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler (R) was elected President of the National Association of Government Labor Officials.

Butler, the state’s labor chief since 2011, was elected at the recent NAGLO annual conference in Portland, Maine.

The NAGLO is a bi-partisan association of the commissioners, directors and secretaries of labor for each state and territory of the United States. Formed in 1914, it provides services and information to its members on issues including employment security, unemployment insurance and workforce development. It also represents the states by working with the U.S. Department of Labor on labor policy issues that would impact state labor regulations or laws.

“I am pleased that Commissioner Mark Butler is coming in as NAGLO’s new president,” said outgoing HAGLO President Ken Peterson, Minnesota’s labor commissioner. “Mark has impressed his fellow labor officials around the nation with the innovative initiatives that he and the Georgia Department of Labor are using to improve Georgia’s economy by assisting both employees and businesses.”

Local campaigns must not be too exciting if the Macon Telegraph is writing about leftover campaign signs from May.

Months after James Timley lost a race for the Bibb County school board, one of his campaign signs remained along Pio Nono Avenue on Wednesday afternoon.

Staked on two two-by-fours across the street from the Midtown Kroger, the large sign soliciting votes in the District 5 race reads, “EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE MATTER,” above the May 24 election date.

Asked about the sign Wednesday, Timley told The Telegraph in the living room of his west Macon home that he didn’t know it was still there.

“I’ll just have to go and get it,” said the retired educator and former Macon City Council member. “It’s no problem to take it down. … We picked up most of them.”

The sign was gone by Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, State Senator Greg Kirk (R-Americus) is staging 1000 yard signs across his South Georgia district that spans all or part of nine counties to kick off his fall re-election campaign.

A program that allows tax deductions for donations to rural Georgia hospitals is moving forward, according to GeorgiaHealthNews.com.

The list of eligible hospitals, along with financial forms, were issued by the state Department of Community Health this week. The tax credit program, passed by the Legislature this year, has generated high interest within the hospital industry.

At the same time, new attention has been focused on the creation of consulting services that aim to help rural hospitals market themselves and apply for the funds.

Senate Bill 258, spearheaded by Rep. Geoff Duncan, a Cumming Republican, allows $50 million in tax credits for donor contributions in the first year, 2017. The amount for the second year will be $60 million, and for the third year, $70 million.

“It’s really exciting to see it go from concept to reality in less than a year,’’ Duncan told GHN on Tuesday.

Jimmy Lewis of HomeTown Health, an association of rural hospitals, says these facilities suffer from problems that include reduced government funding; CEO turnover; aging buildings; technology costs; and a high number of uninsured patients who frequently visit emergency rooms. (ERs cannot turn away patients unable to pay, but using expensive emergency care for patients with routine problems can be a financial drain.)

The lack of Medicaid expansion in Georgia has also hurt rural hospitals, experts say. Expansion would give health coverage to many currently uninsured patients, allowing hospitals to be reimbursed for treating them. Legislative leaders and the governor have said expanding Medicaid would be bad budgetary policy.

One of the most contentious issues in Columbus Georgia is controlling the population of feral cats.

The city’s two-year-old Trap, Neuter, Release feral cat colony program is in Columbus Councilor Pops Barnes’ sights.

The District 1 councilor raised the issue at a council meeting last month when he railed against the program, which establishes colonies of spayed or neutered and vaccinated cats under the care of an approved colony manager who feeds and waters the animals.

Supporters, including Mayor Teresa Tomlinson, say it is a humane way to control feral cat populations by reducing the number of offspring. Opponents, such as Barnes, say they are a breeding ground for dangerous diseases such as rabies and so present a health hazard to the community.

Barnes and Tomlinson came to a head at a council meeting last month when two residents of Sears Woods appeared on the public agenda to complain of a feral cat problem in their neighborhood. After one of the residents spoke and before the second appeared, Barnes launched an assault on the TNR program, citing the Centers for Disease Control and various veterinary associations. He also harshly criticized Tomlinson, who championed the program in its infancy in 2014.

“I’m really disappointed in you for allowing this program to continue after the information I’ve given you,” Barnes said to Tomlinson. “I’m giving (his packet of information) to my fellow councilors so that we can vote on this. I want to make sure that you all realize the extent of this. This is serious, health-wise.”

Former State Rep. Carl Rogers has joined Lanier Technical College as vice president of economic development.

Rogers resigned from his position in the state legislature this summer and has slowly exited his insurance practice after 39 years in the profession.

“We are excited to have Mr. Rogers join us as vice president for economic development,” Lanier Tech president Dr. Ray Perren said in a statement to The Times. “As a lifelong resident of Northeast Georgia, a longtime businessman and a retired public servant, Carl brings a unique perspective toward economic development, as well as a vast network of contacts for the college.”

Kennesaw City Council will consider a 2017 budget that includes 3 percent pay raises for municipal employees.

The Georgia State Charter School Commission issued one approval and one denial for proposed charter schools in the Augusta area.

Waynesboro Mayor Pauline Jenkins has died, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

The Burke County Coroner’s Office confirmed her death Wednesday afternoon. Jenkins, who was elected in 2011, had been very ill for a number of weeks, Burke County Sheriff Greg Coursey said.

“It’s a very sad day for Burke Coun­ty and the city of Waynesboro,” Cour­sey said. “Our mayor was a great person and there’s no question she’ll be greatly missed. Greatly, greatly missed.”

Jenkins won the 2011 election in a runoff, beating incumbent George De­Loach by seven votes, according to recount tallies.

Waynesboro’s vice mayor, Herman Brown, will serve as interim mayor, City Manager Jerry Coalson said. Jenk­­ins was about eight months into her second term, which was to end in 2019. Because there are more than
14 months left in her term, Waynes­boro will hold a special election in early 2017 to replace her, Coalson said.

The Japanese Consul General visited Rome, Georgia this week, according to the Rome News-Tribune.

Japan’s consul general to the Southeast, Takashi Shinozuka, paid a courtesy call to Rome on Tuesday to say thanks in advance for participating in the upcoming Japan-America Grassroots Summit in October.

Shinozuka huddled with Mayor Jamie Doss and Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman Curtis Gardner at City Hall on Tuesday afternoon.

Shinozuka was accompanied by Consul Tomoko Ohyama.

The Japan-American Grassroots Summit will be based in Atlanta from Oct. 4-11. Rome and close to 20 other cities will be hosting visitors Oct. 6-8 to allow the Japanese visitors to get a taste of day-to-day life in the U.S.

Floyd County is home to eight Japanese-owned firms, representing an economic investment of more than $625 million and approximately 1,100 jobs.

The consul general said 639 Japanese companies were located in Georgia at the end of 2015, representing an investment of more than $12.1 billion and 36,500 jobs.

Suwanee City Council voted to continue the same property tax millage rate it has levied since 2012. Likewise, Banks County kept its millage rate steady.