Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for August 9, 2021

Herman E. Talmadge was born on August 9, 1913, son of Eugene Talmadge, who later served as Governor. Herman Talmadge himself served as Governor and United States Senator from Georgia.

On August 9, 1974, Gerald Ford was sworn in as President of the United States after the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Ford, the first president who came to the office through appointment rather than election, had replaced Spiro Agnew as vice president only eight months before. In a political scandal independent of the Nixon administration’s wrongdoings in the Watergate affair, Agnew had been forced to resign in disgrace after he was charged with income tax evasion and political corruption.

In September 1974, Ford pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while in office, explaining that he wanted to end the national divisions created by the Watergate scandal.

On August 9, 1988, President Ronald Reagan announced his nomination of Dr. Lauro Cavazos as Secretary of Education, succeeding William Bennett. Cavazos was the first Hispanic to serve in a Presidential Cabinet position. Interestingly, he was born on the King Ranch.

On August 9, 1990, voters in the City of Athens and Clarke County chose to unify the two governments into Athens-Clarke County government.

On August 9, 1995, Jerry Garcia died of a heart attack while at a residential drug treatment facility. I remember where I was when I heard.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Camden County says a federal report emphasizes the importance of permitting a spaceport on the Georgia coast, according to The Brunswick News.

A report commissioned by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit says spaceport access is vital if the nation plans to continue to lead the world in space exploration.

The study concludes most of the spaceports in the country fail to meet launch needs because they conduct horizontal launches instead of vertical ones such is planned at a proposed spaceport in Camden County.

The study helps confirm the importance of establishing a spaceport in Camden County, said Gary Blount, chairman of the Camden County Commission.

“Opponents of Spaceport Camden have tried to sell a tale that Spaceport Camden isn’t necessary,” Blount said. “That’s a myth that has now been fully debunked by this Pentagon study.

“Not only is Spaceport Camden necessary to protect US strategic interests, (but also) this catalyst project is of local and regional significance. Spaceport Camden will help fuel Camden’s future prosperity.”

Augusta Commissioner Sammie Sias bonded out on federal charges, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Indicted Augusta Commissioner Sammie Sias made bond Friday, posting a $5,000 deposit on the $50,000 bond and securing the rest of the $50,000 bond with his Crest Drive home.

Meanwhile, Sias awaits an order from Gov. Brian Kemp, who last week appointed a three-person review commission to determine whether to suspend him from office. The panel has through this week to make a recommendation.

Now in his seventh year as District 4 Augusta Commissioner, Sias, 67, was indicted last month for destroying or concealing evidence and lying to a federal investigator, at around the same time two years ago when his house was raided by the FBI and Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The case appears to involve local facilities and taxpayer dollars, because the evidence Sias allegedly destroyed or hid was related to city-owned Jamestown Community Center, which was operated by Sias’ organization, Sandridge Community Association, according to court documents.

The group Sias founded had been under a contract to run and maintain Jamestown since the 1990s. It has obtained hundreds of thousands in sales tax funds for upgrades.

Governor Brian Kemp said that more Georgians are getting vaccinated and that he does not believe mandates will work, according to WTOC.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says the state has seen an increase in COVID vaccinations since a rise in infections fueled by the delta variant of the virus. But he said Friday that some people may never be willing to take the shots, and he reiterated his opposition to COVID-related mandates.

From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Athens Banner Herald:

“I don’t believe we need to have a dictatorship in government telling what local school systems need to do, what private businesses need to do, what nonprofits need to do, or what individuals should do,” Kemp said during an appearance at Ball Ground Elementary School in Cherokee County to mark the start of a new school year. “Individuals need to make the best decision they can.”

Kemp said Georgians seem to be getting the message about the need to be vaccinated against COVID-19. He said vaccinations in Georgia have risen 66% since cases of the virus began to increase in recent weeks with the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

“People who haven’t been vaccinated are realizing the delta variant spreads more rapidly, and they’re looking into getting vaccinated,” he said.

Kemp said his decision not to impose a statewide mask mandate in Georgia schools is driven by his philosophy of local control.

“We’re doing the same thing we did last year,” he said. “We’re trusting the local school systems, the local boards, to work with their parents, work with their administrations, to make good decisions for each individual school.

“Every school is different. They’re different neighborhoods, different counties. They’re rural. They’re suburban. They’re urban. … I’m confident our schools can make decisions at the local level.”

“The vaccine is still under emergency authorization,” the governor said. “A lot of people won’t take the vaccine because of that.”

Governor Kemp called on the FDA to give full approval to the COVID vaccines, according to WSB-TV.

“As Governor of the State of Georgia during one of the most tumultuous eras in our country’s history, my administration has prioritized protecting both the lives and livelihoods of Georgians in our fight against COVID-19,” Kemp said in a letter to the FDA.

Kemp went on to ask the FDA to give full approval to the vaccines.

Kemp cited a study by the Kaiser Foundation stating that three in ten unvaccinated adults, “rising to about half of those in the ‘wait and see group’,” say they would be more likely to get the vaccines if they were fully approved by the FDA.

“The data could not be more clear — the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective,” Kemp said.

More than 8 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Georgia, with more than half the eligible population having received at least one dose as of this week.

“It is imperative that we as leaders take every possible action to strengthen confidence in tour most valuable weapon to prevent severe cases, hospitalizations and deaths,” Kemp said. “Each day the Administration delays the inevitable and full approval of the vaccine is lost time we cannot get back.”

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) will host “pop up” vaccine clinics, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.

The Say “YES” Summer events will offer walk-up vaccinations that are free and do not require appointments, insurance or identification.

Say “YES” Summer events will attract the attention of foot traffic in popular public places with live installations by local artists and art organizations, offering education, conversation and on-site vaccination. This national-to-local collaboration between DPH, local artists and art organizations, the U.S> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), David J. Sencer CDC Museum, South Arts, Home Depot and Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) will begin Saturday, Aug. 14, in pilot locations in Savannah, Athens and Atlanta before expanding to other areas of the state.

CORE and DPH District Health Department vaccination teams will operate on-site mobile vaccination clinics to provide educational materials and vaccinations.

“COVID vaccination has never been more important than it is right now,” said DPH commissioner Dr. Kathleen E. Toomey. “These events provide easy access to vaccination — even make it fun and entertaining — in non-traditional, but convenient settings.”

Say “YES” Summer events begin Saturday, Aug. 14, in Savannah at the Forsyth Farmers’ Market in the morning, and outside Grayson Stadium during the Savannah Bananas game against the Macon Bacon Minor League Baseball game in the evening. The conversation continues in Athens on Friday, Aug. 20, and Saturday, Aug. 21, during the Twilight Criterium Festival following a two-day, co-hosted vaccine event at Tate Student Center at the University of Georgia. Pilot events will culminate in Atlanta at the Georgia Aquarium on Saturday, Aug. 28, and Sunday, Aug. 29.

For details and updates, visit SayYesSummer.com and follow DPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Follow Say “YES” Summer throughout the state with #SayYESSummer.

For information about COVID vaccines, visit dph.ga.gov/covid-vaccine.

Savannah-Chatham County schools sent a class of students home after a possible COVID-19 contact, according to the Savannah Morning News.

According to the district office, only the one class of 21 students was affected. Charles Ellis administration was notified of the positive COVID case at 1:45 p.m. Thursday and by 2 p.m. had begun calling parents of students in that class to pick up their children immediately. Students from the affected room were kept in the room until escorted to their parents. Deep cleaning in the affected room is already taking place, according to the district.

According to the school protocol, the children sent home must be quarantined for 14 days.

The rest of the school population went to school on Friday as usual.

More than 400 Bibb County residents face eviction, according to the Macon Telegraph.

After the CDC’s eviction moratorium ended July 31, Monday was the first day hundreds of Bibb County residents could face eviction. By Tuesday afternoon, a new moratorium was in affect.

“We try to offer as much assistance and directions as they can take, but I have to do what the law says,” said Pamela White-Colbert, Chief Judge of the Bibb County Civil and Magistrate Court, which oversees eviction cases. “It’s a very humbling experience because you know, [[but for] the grace of God, it could be you.”

In addition to seeing many people and families face evictions, White-Colbert said she has seen an influx of smaller landlords losing their homes.

“Landlords are getting frustrated because they have properties that they’re not collecting any monies on, and that puts them in a hardship. So, we are seeing more foreclosures on houses being sold because the landlord could not hang on to it,” she said.

Georgia received $552 million in stimulus funds from the U.S. Treasury Department through the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The Georgia Rental Assistance Program has distributed $14,118,327 to tenants and landlords as of July 28, which is 2.6% of the total amount of funds, according to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, the state agency responsible for distributing the money to most Georgia counties.

From the Athens Banner Herald:

The federal Emergency Rental Assistance program was designed to help these residents get caught up on rent across the state. Of the $710 million allocated to Georgia in the first round of funding, $552 million has gone to the state Department of Community Affairs, which oversees a number of housing programs in communities like Athens-Clarke that have fewer than 200,000 residents. The rest of the money has been distributed by 12 local governments in larger communities.

“We got the rental assistance in January, we stood up our portal on March 8, and we’ve been accepting applications ever since,” said DCA Deputy Commissioner for Housing Tonya Curry. “I think that the perception is that there’s a slow rollout, but we’re receiving applications every day from citizens in need of these funds.”

Since starting, the program has paid out slightly more than $16 million to 4,950 households. In Athens-Clarke, they have received 400 applications and paid rent for 76 households, for a total of $449,800 paid out so far.

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black announced his endorsement by 60 sheriffs, according to the AJC.

Black announced the 60 endorsements days after he told the Georgia Sheriffs Association he would fight “anti-cop rhetoric” in Washington: “I may not wear a gun or badge, but it’s going to be my job to make sure you can use both when necessary.”

The endorsements are the latest sign that the state’s Republican establishment is growing tired of waiting on Herschel Walker to decide on a run — or unconvinced he would be a strong candidate even with Donald Trump’s support. The former football great, who has lived in Texas for decades, has repeatedly said he’s in no hurry to join the race.

Herschel Walker polls better than Black among voters, regardless of what the Republican establishment thinks. From the AJC Political Insider:

The poll [by left-leaning Public Policy Polling] shows roughly three-quarters of Republican voters give him a favorable rating with just 7% unfavorability, putting the football icon in a better position than either of the other two Republicans tested in the poll, former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black.

Thanks to his lofty name recognition, Walker also has the highest net favorability rating of the three among all voters, with 41% giving him positive reviews compared to a 28% negative rating. Loeffler, by contrast, is underwater.

In a head-to-head matchup against Democrat Raphael Warnock, both Loeffler and Walker are in a statistical tie. The lesser-known Black, meanwhile, trails the incumbent 46-38.

Gary Black narrowly led a straw poll among attendees over military veteran Latham Saddler as the preferred GOP candidate at a large GOP event in Rome over the weekend. Herschel Walker trailed in third place in the straw poll, while Kelvin King was in fourth.

The same event showed Gov. Brian Kemp with a hefty lead over Vernon Jones in a primary match-up, while state Sen. Butch Miller led state Sen. Burt Jones among GOP locals in the race for lieutenant governor.

From the Rome News Tribune:

The Coosa Valley Fairgrounds was packed Saturday morning as hundreds from around Floyd County, the 14th Congressional District and across Georgia came together to hear from state candidates planning to run in 2022.

[U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor] Greene touched on her work and interactions in Washington D.C., referring to Democratic lawmakers as communists and saying bipartisanship doesn’t work.

“We have leaned across the aisle too many times,” Greene said. “I can promise you that I will fight against the Democrats trying to cancel you. … I believe in you, the people, and I will fight for you and your values.”

“As frustrated and angry as you all are about what you’ve seen in the past, we have so much optimism here in our state,” Kemp said.

“As long as I’m governor, we will not shut down, we will keep our economy open and we will fight the COVID-19 virus and whatever variant there is with vaccinations and guidelines, but also with individual liberties and responsibilities.”

A straw poll taken during the rally had Kemp far ahead of any potential challengers in the GOP primary. Out of 354 votes cast, he netted 265.

From the AJC:

Throughout the Floyd County GOP event, held under an airy pavilion at the fairgrounds, Trump’s presence was a constant. Candidates promised to “drain the swamp” and promote his false claims of widespread election fraud. Others promised to make him proud in state or federal office.

While most of the top candidates trekked to Rome, the event was also notable for the no-shows. Football great Herschel Walker, seen as a likely contender for U.S. Senate, skipped the event. So did Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Labor Commissioner Mark Butler, who are both seeking reelection.

The warmest welcome went to U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who hinted at internal GOP warfare in next year’s Republican primary. The first-term Republican — whose northwest Georgia congressional district includes Rome — has become a pariah to some for her racist, anti-Semitic and xenophobic views, though her supporters celebrate her Trump-like say-anything approach.

Over her speech, she repeatedly called Democrats “communists” and warned the cheering crowd against efforts by the government and private companies to require vaccinations to stem a new surge in the coronavirus pandemic.

“Republican voters and donors are sick and tired of Republicans that are selling them out,” she said, to a burst of applause. “And it’s our responsibility to do the job that you hire us to do.”

And state Sen. Burt Jones outlined his platform for lieutenant governor hours after he filed paperwork to run for the job. The Jackson Republican said he would slash the state’s income tax, increase funding for law enforcement and work to ban school mask mandates.

But his central message revolved around his support for Trump, including a boast that he was one of the few state legislators who called for a special legislative session to investigate Joe Biden’s victory. Jones also used one of Trump’s favorite catchphrases in unveiling his candidacy.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, scanning the crowd, “I think we have a real swamp here in Georgia.”

The Richmond County Board of Education is considering raising the property tax millage rate for FY 2022, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Richmond County Board of Education is discussing increasing the district’s millage rate for FY 2022, which would lead to higher property taxes.

The board began discussing the increase during a special called meeting on Thursday. The millage rate is a tax rate that, when multiplied against the assessed value of a property, gives the amount of property tax that must be paid. The rate for FY 2021 is 18.419 mills and the board is considering increasing it to 19.312 mills. A mill is one one-thousandth of a dollar, and in property tax terms is equal to $1 of tax for each $1,000 of assessment.

Under the new millage rate, a resident with a home valued at $125,000 with homestead exemption would see a $40.19 increase on annual taxes. The new rate represents a $5.9 million increase in taxes.

The board tentatively approved the new millage rate, but because the new rate is above the rollback rate, the board is required to have three public hearings on the issue. The next two meetings are on August 17 and 24 at 4 p.m.

Flowery Branch City Council approved raises for council members and the Mayor, according to AccessWDUN.

The mayor and members of the city council in Flowery Branch will be receiving a pay increase January 1, 2022: an increase of fifty-percent for members of the city council and an increase of twenty-five percent for the mayor.

According to data released by the City of Flowery Branch, 1995 was the last time the stipend provided for elected city leaders was increased. At that time it was decided the mayor would be paid $600 per month and the members of the city council would receive $400 per month.

Those numbers will increase to $750 per month for the mayor and $600 per month for city council members. The new pay scale is timed to take effect with the swearing-in of a new city council in early January.

Flowery Branch is facing unprecedented growth and expansion and that means longer meetings and more legwork for council members as rezoning and annexations are constantly being brought before the city council.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center and Jekyll Island Authority staffers raised concerns about dredging in Brunswick Harbor, according to The Brunswick News.

In a letter submitted during a now-closed comment period seeking public input on a plan proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge during the summer in the Brunswick Harbor, the JIA staff members said they have significant concerns.

The sea turtle center leaders’ concerns, according to the letter, include the lack of robust scientific consensus supporting the proposed changes to policy and practice, insufficient communication and interpretation of the scientific rationale for these proposed changes and lack of a strategic approach to forge a collaboration between NOAA, the corps, Georgia DNR and others, including the sea turtle center.

“(O)ur view is that the available science is inadequate to sufficiently evaluate the risks or potential benefits to protected species of allowing (operations and maintenance) dredging to proceed without seasonal restrictions,” according to the letter, which is signed by Michelle Kaylor, director of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center; Dr. Terry Norton, the center’s director of veterinary services and wildlife health; and Ben Carswell, director of conservation and sustainability for JIA.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is the only veterinary hospital in the state dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of turtles. Staff at the center and members of Jekyll’s conservation team routinely encounter sea turtles on an individual basis, Carswell said, treating injured and sick patients and observing their nesting process up close every summer.