Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for December 16, 2021

On December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty, led by Patriot Sam Adams, boarded three British ships in Boston harbor and threw tea worth $700,000 to $1 million in today’s money into the water in what came to be known as the Boston Tea Party.

Governor George Towns signed legislation on December 16, 1847 to build a State School for the Deaf and Dumb. The institution now known as the Georgia School for the Deaf was begun with a log cabin, $5000 from the legislature and four students and is still in operation in Cave Spring, Georgia.

On December 16, 1897, Gov. William Atkinson signed legislation recognizing June 3, the birthday of Jefferson Davis, as a state holiday.

On December 16, 1944, a German counterattack in the Ardennes region of Belgium created a “bulge” in Allied lines with particularly difficult fighting near the town of Bastogne. During the Battle of the Bulge, 89,000 Americans were wounded and 19,000 killed in the bloodiest battle fought by the U.S. in World War II.

President Jimmy Carter announced on December 16, 1976, that he would name Andrew Young, then serving as Congressman from Georgia’s Fifth District, as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

DeKalb County Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson (D) will give away 400 gift cards worth $100 each to voters senior citizens, according to the AJC.

DeKalb County Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson will give away free $100 grocery gift cards to the first 400 seniors who attend her Holiday Health, Wellness and Food Festival on Dec. 21. The festive event will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Lou Walker Senior Center, located at 2538 Panola Road.

Demetrius McCoy, Johnson’s chief of staff, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the commissioner is using the last of her allotment of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds to purchase the gift cards. Each DeKalb commissioner received $1.4 million in CARES Act funds to fund initiatives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To qualify, you must be at least 60 years old and be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Attendees need to bring their vaccination card to enter the event.

In addition, attendees need to register in advance. To register, visit form.jotform.com/2133260609252147. Each attendee must register individually.

Georgia State Representative Matthew Wilson (D-Brookhaven) was fined after a pizza-delivery incident in the 2018 general election. From the AJC:

A state representative — and Democratic candidate for insurance commissioner — was fined $250 for entering his voting precinct on Election Day in 2018 to give pizza to voters standing in line.

An investigation by the State Board of Elections found that state Rep. Matthew Wilson, a Brookhaven Democrat, entered his polling place at Cross Keys High School on Nov. 6, 2018, to pass out pizza to voters who were standing in line.

Wilson was ordered to pay a $250 fine, not to repeat the offense and to be publicly reprimanded. The board approved the consent order on Tuesday.

Then a first-time candidate, Wilson had already voted during the 2018 early voting period, according to a settlement agreement between Wilson and the board. State law bars candidates from entering their voting precinct once he or she has already voted.

During a February hearing, Wilson’s attorney, Jeremy Berry, said the candidate did not try to solicit votes or do anything improper.

“Mr. Wilson asked for permission (to distribute pizza), received the permission, walked back out to his car after receiving the permission from the poll manager, and then delivered four pizzas that were handed out in a matter of minutes,” Berry said.

When people talked about how the 2021 changes to voting procedures would prevent Grandma from getting a cup of water, this is the exact problem I mentioned as the reason it was necessary.

Governor Brian Kemp announced his Administration Floor Leaders for the 2022 Session of the Georgia General Assembly.

“I am proud to announce these great public servants as my floor leaders for the 2022 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly,” said Governor Kemp. “Throughout my first term, we have made great strides to put hardworking Georgians first, keep the Peach State the number one state for business, expand opportunity for rural Georgia, eradicate criminal street gangs in our communities, and fight human trafficking. I am confident these outstanding legislators will help carry that important work forward, and I appreciate their commitment to the people of Georgia.”

2022 Georgia House of Representatives Floor Leaders

Representative Josh Bonner, House District 72

Representative Jodi Lott, House District 122

Representative Lauren W. McDonald III, House District 26

Representative Steven Meeks, House District 178

2022 Georgia State Senate Floor Leaders

Senator Clint Dixon, Senate District 45

Senator Russ Goodman, Senate District 8

Senator Bo Hatchett, Senate District 50

Georgia’s unemployment rate dropped again in November, setting a new record low, according to AccessWDUN.

For the 19th month in a row, Georgia’s unemployment rate has dropped.  For November, the jobless rate was 2.8%, another record low.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler announced the numbers Thursday morning, saying the state now employs the highest number of Georgians ever, surpassing the number of employed prior to the pandemic by more than 3,000.  The number of employed Georgians in November was up 11,983 from October to 5,027,981.

The unemployment rate of 2.8% was three-tenths of a point lower than the October rate.

“We have fully recovered from this pandemic when it comes to employed Georgians, employing more people today than before the pandemic struck,” said Butler.

From the Capitol Beat News Service:

The state’s unemployment rate fell to 2.8% in November, well below the national jobless rate of 4.2%, the Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday. At the same time, more than 5 million Georgians held jobs.

“We have regained almost all of the jobs we lost during the pandemic,” Butler said. “However, the number of job seekers is still below pre-pandemic numbers.

“Creating more jobs becomes very difficult if we can’t fill vacancies in the 300,000 jobs that are currently open. It’s a good problem to have and shows how strong Georgia’s recovery has been, especially compared to other states our size.”

The Federal Aviation Administration again pushed back a decision on the Camden Spaceport proposal, according to The Brunswick News.

The Record of Decision for a proposed spaceport in Camden County has been delayed until Monday.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s delay, scheduled for Wednesday, is “due to finalizing coordination efforts,” according to an announcement released by the government agency.

A petition that would allow voters to decide the fate of a proposed spaceport in Camden County was delivered Tuesday to a Probate Court judge.

If the judge confirms that at least 10% of the county’s registered voters have signed the petition delivered Wednesday, a special election will be held within 90 days.

If voters pass the referendum to ban the purchase of the launch site, it will end the county’s nine-year quest to establish a spaceport in Camden County.

“We believe we have more than 10% of the registered voters (required for a referendum),” said Megan Desrosiers, president of One Hundred Miles.

But if a referendum is held and voters prohibit county commissioners from purchasing the property, there will be no place from which to launch rockets.

If referendum proponents have less than twice the number of required signatures, I’d predict they will fail.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R-ish) will hold a telephone town hall, according to WRDW.

Thursday will be for the 12th congressional district, which includes Columbia, Burke, Richmond, Jenkins, Screven and Emanuel counties. It will run for 30 minutes starting at 10:30 a.m. You can hear the town hall by calling 404-474-8370.

The SOS office says these town hall meetings give everyone the chance to ask any question and hear directly from Secretary Raffensperger in an effort to maintain public confidence in the integrity of Georgia elections.

United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will visit the Port of Savannah tomorrow, according to WSAV.

The goal is to see firsthand the recent actions to address supply chain disruptions, according to Buttigieg’s office.

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has activated “pop-up” container yards near manufacturing and distribution centers to help reduce the length of container storage time at the port.

Buttigieg is also expected to discuss the $17 billion included in the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill for ports and waterways.

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce endorsed the reelection of Attorney General Chris Carr, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald.

Carr, who served as commissioner of the state Department of Economic Development before then-Gov. Nathan Deal appointed him attorney general in 2016, is seeking the Republican nomination to a second full term.

“The chamber wishes to thank the attorney general for his efforts to end human trafficking, combating the opioid crisis and strengthening Georgia’s cybersecurity position,” said Chris Clark, the chamber’s president and CEO.

“His long-standing relationships with the legal community, and organizations like ours have solidified his resolve to ensure Georgia remains prosperous.”

Georgia Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller (R-Gainesville) will speak to the Bulloch County Republican Party breakfast on January 8, 2022, according to the Statesboro Herald.

Macon District Attorney Anita Howard is starting a program aimed at curbing teen violence, according to 13WMAZ.

The Restoring Inspiration by Success in Education, or RISE Program, focuses on moving kids 17 and under away from the criminal justice system.

“We have youth in our community who are dealing with adverse experiences, so we need to identify those experiences in our youth and we need to give them services that will mitigate the detrimental effects of those adverse childhood experiences on their lives,” said Howard.

The program kicks off next month and is paid for in part by a $750,000 grant from the federal government.

“Because all of the adverse childhood experiences have been shown that if they do go untreated, if the children don’t get the service, then the risk for criminality for those children is higher for children and as adults,” Howard said.

Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis denied allegations that he violated campaign finance laws, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis on Wednesday denied he and former chief of staff Tonia Gibbons took part in a dark money campaign to promote building an arena at Regency Mall.

An amended complaint filed in June by the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, said Davis, Gibbons and mall representative James McKinnon “operated as a dark-money ballot committee” to win voter support on a May 2018 ballot question.

“I vehemently deny the allegations,” said Davis. “More importantly, Tonia nor I were a part of this group, nor do we know who was.”

From WRDW:

“I want to challenge everyone who’s talking about it. Instead of focusing on a billboard, let’s refocus our attention on building an Augusta that works for everyone and provides opportunity for everyone” Davis said at the news conference.

“I want to challenge everyone who’s talking about it. Instead of focusing on a billboard, let’s refocus our attention on building an Augusta that works for everyone and provides opportunity for everyone” Davis said at the news conference.

“I have in my hand here a contract from Lamar. My name’s not on it, my signatures not on it, nor is Tonia’s. And I would urge the media that if you’re going to do investigative reporting, why not go to Lamar and do the same thing that other folks should have done and identify who the Concerned Citizens of Richmond County are? It’s not Hardie Davis. I’m the mayor,” he said.

From WJBF:

“Alluding that we were the concerned citizens of Richmond County, this assertion is vehemently denied. I am not, nor ever have been part of a Concerned Citizens of Richmond County group,” said Davis.

Davis says he wasn’t mentioned in the original complaint and points out Dave Barbee’s long association with the local Republican Party.

“I believe this is a politically motivated event, an effort three years after the non-binding ballot initiative failed,” said Davis.

Mayor Davis recently returned from a trip to Qatar, according to WRDW.

The Middle Eastern country announced this week that Davis and other mayors met with Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Subaie last Thursday morning.

In addition to Davis, the delegation included Andy Schor, mayor of Lansing, Mich; Bryan Barnett, mayor of Rochester Hills, Mich.; David Holt, mayor of Oklahoma City; Ras Baraka, mayor of Newark, N.J.; and Rick Cressman, mayor of St. Petersburg, Fla.

The meeting tackled aspects of cooperation between the ministry and American cities in areas related to municipality affairs, agriculture and development methods. A special focus was aspects associated with agriculture, food security, infrastructure and municipalities.

Columbus City Council approved a $14 million dollar TAD funding agreement, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

The Boxwood Recreation Center in Columbus is temporarily closed due to a staffing shortage, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

Richmond County public schools released a 2022-23 calendar, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Coffee County public schools are having supply chain issues that impact school lunches, according to WALB.

Coffee County Nutrition Director Dawn Lewis said they serve around 7,500 lunches a day and in the last couple of weeks, their schools have been experiencing shortages of paper products, like food trays and disposable cups.

So far, the school system has been able to adjust its menu based on what’s coming in on its distributers’ shipments.

“We know a week ahead of time what’s going to be in and what we’re gonna be shorted, so we just make adjustments weekly on what we’re gonna do,” Lewis said.

Dougherty County Commissioners and Board of Education members met to discuss redistricting, according to the Albany Herald.

This week representatives from the Dougherty County Commission and Dougherty County School Board kicked off that process. The two entities share six district boundaries for elected board members, and each also elects a chairman at-large who is selected by all voters in the county.

With the county losing population over the past 10 years, according to the decennial count, the group is charged with producing a map that produces districts with relatively equal population.

Each of the boards has elections set for 2022, so the clock is ticking on coming up with a plan that can be approved by both the commission and school board. The qualification period for those elections begins in March.

“The Board of Elections also needs time to get the precincts and districts (coordinated)” ahead of the election, County Commissioner Russell Gray, who is one of the board’s three representatives on the six-member redistricting panel, said.

Attorney Tommy Coleman, who represents the school board, suggested requesting a map from the state. That map will be based on the current district boundaries and make as minimal changes as possible in order to even out the population among the districts, he said.

The Lee County Board of Education is accepting applications for a vacancy on the Board, according to WALB.

Frank Griffin resigned his position on Dec. 3. Griffin was elected to the board of education in 2020 to represent District 5.

Board members said they will soon appoint a successor to serve until the next election in 2024.

To apply, the board is asking interested people to stop by the Board of Education Office, 126 Starksville Avenue, call (229) 903-2100, or reach out to any of its members.