Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for December 19, 2023

George Washington’s Continental Army entered winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania on December 19, 1777.

During 1777, Patriot forces under General Washington suffered major defeats against the British at the battles of Brandywine and Germantown; Philadelphia, the capital of the United States, fell into British hands. The particularly severe winter of 1777-1778 proved to be a great trial for the American army, and of the 11,000 soldiers stationed at Valley Forge, hundreds died from disease. However, the suffering troops were held together by loyalty to the Patriot cause and to General Washington, who stayed with his men.

When Washington’s army marched out of Valley Forge on June 19, 1778, the men were better disciplined and stronger in spirit than when they had entered.

In her youth, Mrs. GaPundit continually reminded her parents that the area in which she grew up, literally down the street from Valley Forge National Historic Park, was well known for causing frostbite.

On December 19, 1860, the Georgia General Assembly adopted Resolution 14, which read in part,

Resolved 4th. That, should any or all of the Southern States determine in the present emergency to withdraw from the Union and resume their sovereignty, it is the sense of this General Assembly that such seceding States should form a confederacy under a republican form of government; and to that end they should adopt the Constitution of the United States, so altered and amended as to suit the new state of affairs.

On December 20, 1864, Confederate forces in Savannah retreated ahead of Sherman’s army, crossing over into South Carolina, four years to the day after South Carolina’s secession.

On December 19, 1868, Congress opened hearings into barriers African-Americans faced to voting in Georgia, which included threats, violence, and death.

The United States invaded Panama on December 20, 1989.

On December 19, 1998, the United States House of Representatives voted to approve two of four Articles of Impeachment against President Bill Clinton.

Article I was approved 228-206. Voting in favor were 223 Republicans and 5 Democrats. Voting against were 200 Democrats, 5 Republicans, and one Independent.

Article II was defeated 229-205. Voting in favor were 200 Republicans and 5 Democrats. Voting against were 200 Democrats, 28 Republicans, and one Independent.

Article III was approved 221-212. Voting in favor were 216 Republicans and 5 Democrats. Voting against were 199 Democrats, 12 Republicans, and one Independent.

Article IV was defeated 285-148. Voting in favor were 147 Republicans and one Democrat. Voting against were 203 Democrats, 81 Republicans, and one Independent.

On all four impeachment articles, Georgia’s congressional delegation voted exclusively along party lines. Republican congressmen Jack Kingston (1st district), Mac Collins (3rd district), Newt Gingrich (6th district), Bob Barr (7th district), Saxby Chambliss (8th district), Nathan Deal (9th district), Charlie Norwood (10th district), and John Linder (11th district) voted in favor of all four articles. Democratic congressmen Sanford Bishop (2nd district) and John Lewis (5th district) and congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (4th district) voted against all four articles.

Former United States Senator Johnny Isakson died on December 19, 2021.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Brian Kemp swore in Nigel Lange as State Inspector General, according to a Press Release.

Governor Brian P. Kemp, joined by First Lady Marty Kemp, today swore Nigel Lange into the Office of Inspector General. Lange has served as Interim State Inspector General since February of this year following the appointment of Judge Scott McAfee to the Fulton County Superior Court.

“In his time as interim Inspector General over the past year, Nigel has shown he has the skills and leadership capabilities to fill this role,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “With a long career in public service, he is well-equipped to ensure waste, fraud, and abuse have no place in our state government and that we are serving our constituents well.”

The Office of Inspector General is charged with preventing, detecting, identifying, exposing and eliminating fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption. The Inspector General investigates complaints regarding management and operation of state agencies within the executive branch to determine if wrongful acts or omissions have been or are being committed by state officers and employees.

Nigel Lange serves as the Inspector General for the State of Georgia. He has worked in the fields of law enforcement and investigations for over 32 years and is a 22-year employee with the State of Georgia. He is also a Certified Peace Officer and Polygraph Examiner.

Immediately prior to serving at the Georgia Office of the State Inspector General, Lange served as the Deputy Inspector General at the Georgia Department of Community Health. He also served at the Georgia Department of Public Safety for nearly twenty years in various assignments, ultimately as the Chief Information Officer. He was a state police officer in Queensland, Australia, for the first ten years of his career and immediately prior to relocating to the United States served at the now Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission.

Since earning his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts Degrees from Queensland University of Technology, Lange has been awarded the credentials of Certified Inspector General, Certified Protection Professional, and Professional Certified Investigator. He is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff & Command, the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Executive Training Class, and the FBI National Academy.

Lange and his wife have two daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with his family.

United States District Court Judge Steve Jones (ND-GA) will hear arguments today over new redistricting plans adopted by the Georgia General Assembly, according to the AJC.

In court filings, attorneys for the plaintiffs argue that state lawmakers changed districts outside of the “affected area” — meaning those in districts that were found to violate the Voting Rights Act — in addition to the districts identified by Jones.

Jones ruled in October that five congressional, 10 state Senate and 11 state House districts violated the law. The approved maps altered 11 congressional districts, 15 state Senate and 57 in the House.

In doing so, attorneys said, lawmakers created the new majority-Black districts by shifting district lines in areas where there already were majority-Black districts.

In his order, Jones said lawmakers could not eliminate any existing “minority opportunity districts,” generally defined as areas where racial minority groups are able to elect their preferred candidates by attracting some support from white voters. They also could not eliminate any existing majority-Black districts.

But attorneys for the plaintiffs argue that the state “dismantled” a “minority opportunity” district with changes to Congressional District 7, currently represented by U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath. Nonwhite voters make up a majority of the population in that district but no one race makes a majority.

The question of whether multiracial coalition districts are covered by the Voting Rights Act is unsettled among appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. The state argues that federal law does not protect “crossover districts,” also called “opportunity districts.”

Four Georgia voters filed a lawsuit seeking the removal of Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones (R-Jackson) from office, according to the Associated Press via AccessWDUN.

A Georgia judge heard arguments but didn’t rule Monday on a long-shot attempt to disqualify Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones from holding office because of Jones’ participation as an elector for Donald Trump in 2020.

A group of four Georgia voters, including the former head of the Atlanta branch of the NAACP, on Dec. 7 asked a judge to declare that Jones was ineligible to hold office in Georgia because he violated his oath of office by signing his name as an elector for Trump. Democrat Joe Biden was certified as winning Georgia’s 16 electoral votes in the 2020 election.

In the Georgia case, the challengers argue the same clause bars Jones from holding office. That’s because Jones, then a state senator, had taken an oath to support the U.S. and Georgia constitutions. They say Jones “is an insurrectionist against the Constitution of the United States of America.”

Jones, who didn’t attend Monday’s hearing, said the challenge is fueled by partisan politics.

“Like President Trump, I am being targeted by liberal Democrats intent on weaponizing the legal system against strong conservatives fighting for common-sense conservative values,” Jones said in a statement.

William Dillon, Jones’ attorney, argues that the challenge lacks evidence to show Jones “‘engaged in an insurrection’ against the United States or has ‘given aid and comfort to the enemies’ of the United States.”

An earlier special grand jury recommended that Jones should also be indicted on felony charges. But Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was barred by a judge from indicting Jones. A judge ruled that Willis, an elected Democrat, had a conflict of interest because she hosted a fundraiser for the Democrat who lost to Jones in 2022’s election for lieutenant governor.

The Prosecuting Attorneys Council, a state agency supporting district attorneys, is supposed to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate whether Jones’ actions were criminal. Pete Skandalakis, the council’s executive director, said by text message Monday that he has yet to find a prosecutor to do so. Skandalakis said he anticipated he would eventually find a prosecutor.

Those who want to eject Jones from office also say his claim of being misled is disproven by continued support of Trump after Jan. 6. But Dillon said continuing to support Trump doesn’t mean Jones committed sedition.

“Were that the standard, then almost every Republican party member in office in Congress or anywhere in the country would also be subject to the same arguments that they had committed sedition,” Dillon said. “Clearly that’s not the standard.”

From the AJC:

The Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling that former President Donald Trump can’t hold office again could have legal implications in Georgia, where the state’s No. 2 politician also faces an ongoing lawsuit seeking to disqualify him.

Colorado’s top court issued a ruling late Tuesday that ordered that Trump be removed from the state’s Republican primary ballot, finding that he violated the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause by seeking to reverse his 2020 defeat to President Joe Biden.

The decision may not stand. Trump’s campaign swiftly promised to appeal what it called a “completely flawed” decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has the final word on state constitutional matters.

A separate longshot challenge is now pending in Butts County Superior Court against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, where four left-leaning plaintiffs say in a 47-page lawsuit that the Republican should be disqualified for his role in Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat.

It’s part of a coordinated legal effort by Democrats to disqualify Trump and key allies by invoking Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars anyone who swore an oath to “support” the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from seeking office.

Superior Court Judge Thomas Wilson didn’t rule from the bench after a Monday hearing on the complaint but appeared skeptical of the plaintiff’s arguments, at one point saying their lawsuit seemed “far-fetched.”

The lieutenant governor, meanwhile, has said he and Trump are both “being targeted by liberal Democrats intent on weaponizing the legal system against strong conservatives fighting for commonsense conservative values.”

“The voters get to decide who represents them in Georgia, not Democrat operatives,” Jones said in a statement to the AJC. “I won’t let them subvert the will of the people. I’ll continue fighting back against the radical Democrats in Georgia and around the country.”

From the Wall Street Journal:

The Colorado justices put their ruling on hold until Jan. 4, anticipating further litigation. If Trump appeals before then, the hold will continue until the Supreme Court rules.

Section 3 of the Civil War-era 14th Amendment says that acts of insurrection can disqualify someone from office. Lawsuits have been filed in a handful of other states arguing that Trump is ineligible on the grounds that he sought to block the peaceful transfer of power and incited the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a mob of his supporters. Only in Colorado, however, has such a case been decided against Trump.

The Colorado justices acknowledged that they were “travel[ing] in uncharted territory” and deciding several novel questions, including: What does it mean to have been “engaged in insurrection or rebellion”? Can Trump be disqualified as an insurrectionist when he hasn’t been convicted of any such offense? And should it be up to state courts to decide on Trump’s eligibility?

“This case screams out for Supreme Court resolution,” said Jessica Levinson, an election-law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. “The court can’t let state supreme courts make a patchwork of decisions. The case brings up an important federal constitutional question with time sensitive consequences. They will need to act, and act quickly.”

Most observers of the Supreme Court said the justices would reverse the Colorado ruling.

“The justices don’t want it to look like they’re taking this fundamental question away from the electorate,” Levinson said. “The only real question is which issue will the Supreme Court reverse on.”

All seven justices on Colorado’s highest court were appointed by Democratic governors, although Chief Justice Brian Boatright—one of the dissenters in the Trump case—was a registered Republican at the time of his appointment to the bench, according to local media.

From the New York Times:

The case hinged on several questions: Was it an insurrection when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, trying to stop the certification of the 2020 election? If so, did Mr. Trump engage in that insurrection through his messages to his supporters beforehand, his speech that morning and his Twitter posts during the attack? Do courts have the authority to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment without congressional action? And does Section 3 apply to the presidency?

Judge Sarah B. Wallace, who made the district court ruling in Colorado, had said yes to all but the last question.

Because Section 3 enumerates several offices but not the presidency, and because the presidential oath is worded differently from the oaths of the enumerated offices, Judge Wallace concluded that the broad phrase “officers of the United States” was not intended to include the presidency. The Colorado Supreme Court disagreed.

“We do not place the same weight the district court did on the fact that the presidency is not specifically mentioned in Section 3,” the majority wrote. “It seems most likely that the presidency is not specifically included because it is so evidently an ‘office.’”

Two county Republican parties adopted rules to define who may run on the GOP ticket, according to the AJC.

GOP committees in Chattooga County and nearby Pickens County have adopted rules that give party leaders the final say on whether candidates for county office are eligible to run as Republicans.

It’s a miniature version of a failed statewide effort by hardline conservatives to pass rules that could have blocked state candidates from qualifying as Republicans if they’re deemed to be insufficiently conservative.

Pickens County Republicans adopted the so-called “accountability” platform in August with little outcry. There’s been far more backlash in Chattooga County, another GOP safe haven where Gov. Brian Kemp captured 84% of the vote in last year’s midterm.

Chattooga County GOP chair Jennifer Tudor said the rule requires candidates to earn the blessing of a five-member committee to run as a Republican for countywide offices, though it can’t reject contenders for state or federal seats from running on the party’s ballot.

“Should we be forced to accept a candidate who claims to be Republican but supports abortion, gun control, big government and high taxes?” asked Tudor, who added: “Deceptive politicians should not be allowed to take advantage of poor, low information voters.”

Critics say the system disenfranchises primary voters who often decide the victors in heavily Republican counties. Among the opponents is Andy Allen, who recently announced he would challenge Blake Elsberry, the county’s powerful sole commissioner.

A newcomer to politics, Allen calls himself a “true conservative Republican” but said he fears he’ll be disqualified by party leaders who want to protect Elsberry and other incumbents.

“My concern is that a panel of five people would have influence over who is elected in a county of 25,000 people,” said Allen, who is considering taking legal action to oppose the rule. “I think that’s all sorts of wrong.”

The local overhauls echo a proposal championed by the Georgia Republican Assembly, a conservative faction that has vilified Kemp and other state incumbents who rejected then-President Donald Trump’s demands to illegally overturn his defeat in 2020.

“If the candidate has shown himself to be a traitor to the principles of the party, then the party can vote to exclude him from qualifying at the next election,” was how Nathaniel Darnell, a GRA leader, explained the proposal to supporters earlier this year.

Bulloch County announced new public safety leadership, according to the Statesboro Herald.

Effective with the retirements of Public Safety and EMA Director Ted Wynn on Jan. 31 and Emergency Medical Service Director Doug Vickers on Jan. 15, current BCCI Warden Randy Tillman will become Bulloch County’s new public safety director, and current EMS Assistant Director Brian Hendrix will be the new Emergency Medical Service director.

Tillman and Hendrix will be responsible for filling the former positions they are leaving, he said. But while Tillman will be public safety director, he will not serve in the other role Wynn is vacating, Emergency Management Agency chief.

Instead, at end of 2023 or beginning of 2024, the county government will launch an internal and external search for an EMA director, to make this a separate job from that of public safety director, Couch announced.

“In consultation with Mr. Wynn, we think we’re at a point or precipice where we need to have a full-time and robust effort in EMA,” Couch said. “Ted has really worn the EMA hat along with his public safety director tag, but we think given the size of our community, you know, the growth in the community, Hyundai growth, natural and man-made threats, we need to get our game up, and we would anticipate trying to recruit an EMA director immediately.”

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources announced new grants, according to the Statesboro Herald.

As part of Georgia’s State Wildlife Action Plan the DNR is looking for proposals to receive a grant as part of its Wildlife Viewing Program. The deadline to apply for a grant – online at https://georgiawildlife.com/WildlifeViewingGrants – is Feb. 6, 2024.

The grants are capped at $3,000 per project and are supported through the Nongame Wildlife Conservation Fund, which is managed by DNR’s Wildlife Conservation Section.

According to the Action Plan, the program is focused on conserving Georgia wildlife and their habitats before these plants, animals and places become more rare and more costly to conserve or restore.

“DNR’s wildlife viewing grants focus on the critical human element of wildlife conservation,” Elliott said. “Getting folks outside to experience high-priority habitats and species is absolutely critical to developing a desire to conserve them, and it’s important to people’s overall well-being and health.”

The six viewing grant projects approved last year varied from a bat call detector and other gear to inform people about bats in Forsyth County to a bird’s nest-design viewing tower near Rising Fawn and interpretive signs along trails at Cubihatcha Outdoor Education Center in Henry County.

Statesboro City Council voted to increase pay for all municipal workers, according to WTOC.

The original motion was to increase only public safety, but Councilman John Riggs made the motion to include the pay raise to all city employees.

Starting January 1st, all city employees will be seeing a significant jump in their following paychecks. The mayor of Statesboro mentioned in prior meetings that he wanted to lead the market and after Tuesday night, they will.

According to the city, with the major growth happening in the area, retention is a focus as over 50% of the city employees have been with the city for less than five years and are younger than 40.

Under this compensation plan, firefighters will be increasing their starting pay 43k a year to 50k and police officers from 45k to 55k. An increase that the mayor says is already in paying off.

“There has been a shortage in our police department and with the announcement of this increase, we have already seen an increase in applications, and we actually just swore in some officers this morning,” said Mayor Jonathan McCollar.

With the addition of raises for all city employees starting in the new year, the city will have to find nearly half a million dollars later down the line.

More than 100 residents in Warner Robins signed a petition complaining about new trash rules, according to 13WMAZ.

More than 100 people in Warner Robins aren’t happy with the city’s new trash policy. One man brought a signed petition against the new rules to the council last night.

The city’s previous trash company would scoop up piles of leaves raked to the roadside. Now, people have to bag them.

“It’s going to have an environmental impact in the landfill by putting plastic bags in there,” one man shared.

“It’s an undo burden on seniors and low-income folks,” another man shared.

Mayor Patrick says the city is looking into ways to help.

“Especially those in the community who may have that exemption for putting their can out to the road. We want to do the same thing when it comes to bagging of the leaves,” Patrick says.

Increased homelessness is hitting the Chattahoochee Valley, according to WTVM.

According to Pat Frey with United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley – an organization providing help for those facing poverty and homelessness – there’s an increase in homelessness in Muscogee and Russell Counties, but local organizations are providing resources to help those in need.

“Our community, which encompasses Muscogee and Russell County. So, Columbus, Phenix City and Russell County saw a 14% increase last year from the year before,” said Frey.

Frey is also the director of the Point In Time Count, which tracks how many homeless people are in the area.

“Losing housing can be as a result of you, not that you didn’t pay your rent, but if you weren’t able to pay your rent and your light bill, and your lights get cut off that becomes a violation of your lease, and then you get evicted,” Frey said.

Dawson City Manager Tracey Hester was suspended, according to WALB.

According to Dawson City Attorney Tommy Coleman, “Thursday night Hester was suspended, while the council reviews management issues being seen in city government.”

There has been an ongoing dispute in recent council meetings, about why water bills are not being issued on time.

Bibb County Board of Education will spend $1.3 million dollars on weapons screening equipment for schools, according to the Macon Telegraph.

The 82 weapons scanners will be at every school and will primarily be used when students arrive in the morning, David Gowan, director of safety and risk management, told the board at its regular meeting Thursday.

There was no timeline provided for when the equipment might be installed.

The district will pay for the new systems using a security and safety grant it received from the Georgia Department of Education.

Gainesville Ward 4 Council member George Wangemann announced he will vacate his seat by the end of this year, according to Access WDUN.

“It has been an absolute honor and privilege to serve the City of Gainesville for what some would consider a lifetime,” Wangemann said. “Devoting these last 38 years to serving on the Gainesville City Council has been more fulfilling and rewarding than I ever imagined possible. Through this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I have met extraordinary people, including my fellow councilmembers you see before you today, and have been blessed with valuable opportunities to enact change for the benefit of my fellow Gainesvillians. While I wish my health allowed me to finish out my current term, I can truthfully say I have tried my hardest to act in the best interest of the people of Gainesville. Thank you for trusting me all these years to be your voice – I hope I have made this Council, this community and my family proud.”

Wangemann’s resignation will leave the seat unfilled with about two years remaining on his term. City Manager Brian Lackey said the city has not yet determined a date for a special election to fill the remainder of the term.

“He has knocked on north of 15,000 doors in his time on the city council. You know, he wasn’t just about serving people from the dais, when he was making votes. He was walking door to door asking people how he could help them,” Couvillon said. “That was very meaningful. The thing that I learned is that having that personal contact is important in being a good, sincere, Councilmember.”

Aside from serving as a council member, Wangemann also served as mayor of Gainesville for several years in the 1990s.

“My father wanted to become a congressman, and that never happened, but that was his hope,” Wangemann said. “And he says, ‘Why don’t you run for congress?’ and that never happened either. But I was happy to run for a community seat, such as the city council. I’ve enjoyed every bit of city council work. Every bit of it.”