Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for July 11, 2021

On July 11, 1782, British colonists including British Royal Governor Sir James Wright, fled Georgia.

Wright had been the only colonial governor and Georgia the only colony to successfully implement the Stamp Act in 1765. As revolutionary fervor grew elsewhere in the colonies, Georgia remained the most loyal colony, declining to send delegates to the Continental Congress in 1774.

Congress ordered the creation of the United States Marine Corps on July 11, 1798, after the Corps was inactive for a period following the Revolutionary War. From 1799 to 1921, Marine Corps Day was observed on July 11, but is now celebrated on November 10, the date of it’s Revolutionary War establishment.

On July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. Burr was the sitting Vice President of the United States and Hamilton a former Secretary of the Treasury.

After he shot Hamilton, Aaron Burr quickly fled the nation’s capitol, making his way to St. Simons Island, Georgia, spending a month as a guest of Pierce Butler at Hampton Plantation.

Burr was a fugitive, but his killing Hamilton in a duel held a certain justifiable reasoning since dueling was not illegal, though morally questionable, to be sure. According to H. S. Parmet and M. B. Hecht in their Aaron Burr: Portrait of an Ambitious Man, after the duel, he immediately completed, by mid-August, plans which he had already initiated, to go to St. Simons, “an island off the coast of Georgia, one mile below the town of Darien.”

Jonathan Daniels’ “Ordeal of Ambition” handles the situation this way: “With Samuel Swartwout and a slave named Peter (‘the most intelligent and best disposed black I have ever known’), Burr secretly embarked for Georgia. There on St. Simons Island at the Hampton Plantation of his friend, rich former Senator Pierce Butler, he found refuge…” As Georgia Historian Bernice McCullar, author of “Georgia” puts it, Burr was “fleeing the ghost of Alexander Hamilton” when he arrived on the Georgia island.

“Major Pierce Butler,” she relates, “had fought in the British army and remained in America after the war.” He had married a South Carolina heiress, Miss Polly Middleton, and acquired two Georgia Coastal plantations, which he ran like a general storming after the troops. In fact, he was so strict that none of his slaves could associate with any of the others. He also required anyone who visited his plantations to give his or her name at the gate. With this tight security, Burr should have felt safe..

Actually, Butler’s invitation to visit the island fitted the escapee’s plans nicely. Not only was the Hamilton affair a bother, but also Burr needed to get away from a lady by the name of Celeste; however, the real reason, aside from being near his daughter, who was also in the South, was the nearness of the Floridas. No real purpose is given why the Vice-President wanted to spend “five or six weeks on this hazardous and arduous undertaking.”

Daniels underscores that from this St. Simons point Burr could “make any forays into Florida he wished to make. He traveled under the name ‘Roswell King.” After his Florida odyssey, he planned to meet his South Carolina son-in-law “at any healthy point.”

Parts of the Hampton Plantation survive in the form of tabby ruins on St Simons.

A house in St. Marys, Georgia bears a plaque stating that Aaron Burr visited there in 1804.

Clark lived in the home from 1804 until his death in 1848. He was appointed in 1807 by then-President Thomas Jefferson as customs collector for the Port of St. Marys, a position he held until his death. The year Clark bought the house, he is said to have provided a temporary hideout to Aaron Burr, who was traveling in the South to evade federal authorities holding a warrant for his arrest after he killed Alexander Hamilton in their infamous duel in July 1804.

Verification of Burr’s stay in St. Marys is hard to come by. But it is confirmed that he stayed on St. Simons Island and Cumberland Island late in the summer after he killed Hamilton. That Burr knew Clark is not disputed. The two attended law school together in Litchfield, Conn., but there is no mention in either man’s records that Burr stayed in the home.

On July 11, 1877, a Constitutional Convention convened in the Kimball Opera House in Atlanta to replace the 1868 Reconstruction Constitution.

On July 11, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Aid Road Act, establishing a federal program of paying for highway development.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the Democratic nomination for a fourth term on July 11, 1944.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower was nominated for President by the Republican National Convention on July 11, 1952.

July 11, 1969 was an epic day in rock and roll history, with David Bowie releasing “Space Oddity” and the Rolling Stones releasing “Honky Tonk Women.”

On July 11, 1985, Astros pitcher Nolan Ryan became the first major league player to strike out 4000 batters.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Brian Kemp’s office announced state revenues for June 2022.

The State of Georgia’s June net tax collections totaled $2.85 billion for an increase of $354.2 million, or 14.2 percent, compared to June 2021, when net tax collections totaled $2.50 billion. For the fiscal year-ended June 30, 2022, net tax collections totaled $33.09 billion for an overall increase of $6.19 billion, or 23 percent, compared to Fiscal Year 2021, during which final net tax revenues approached $26.90 billion.

Individual Income Tax: Net Individual Income Tax collections in June totaled almost $1.48 billion, for an increase of *$181.1 million, or 14 percent, compared to FY 2021 when net Individual Tax revenues approached $1.30 billion. The following notable components within Individual Income Tax combine for the net increase:
* Individual Income Tax refunds issued (net of voided checks) fell by nearly $50 million, or -32 percent
* Individual Withholding payments increased by $66.4 million, or 6 percent, compared to FY 2021
* Individual Income Tax Estimated payments were up $53.3 million, or 29.7 percent, over last year
* All other categories, including Income Tax Return payments, were up a combined $11.4 million

Sales and Use Tax: Gross Sales and Use Tax collections totaled $1.46 billion, for an increase of $171 million, or 13.3 percent, over FY 2021, when gross sales tax totaled roughly $1.29 billion. Net Sales and Use Tax increased by $77.6 million, or 12 percent, up from last year’s total of $644.9 million. The Sales Tax distribution to local governments totaled $729.5 million, which was an increase of roughly $100 million, or 15.9 percent, while Sales Tax Refunds fell by a total of $6.6 million, or -46.7 percent, compared to June 2021.

Corporate Income Tax: Net Corporate Income Tax collections for the month totaled $479.4 million, which was an increase of $153.7 million, or 47.2 percent, over FY 2021 when net Corporate Tax revenues totaled $325.8 million. The following notable components within Corporate Income Tax make up the net increase:
* Corporate Income Tax refunds (net of voids) increased by $20.3 million, or 180 percent, over FY 2021
* Corporate Income Tax Estimated payments increased by $124.8 million, or 42.4 percent, over last year
* Corporate Income Tax Return payments were up $15.6 million, or 47.6 percent, compared to FY 2021
* All other Corporate Tax categories, including S-Corp tax payments, were up a combined $33.6 million

Motor Fuel Taxes: Motor Fuel Tax collections for June decreased by roughly $56.8 million, or -99.5 percent, from a total of $57.1 million last year, when motor fuel tax collections were impacted by a supply shortage caused by the May 7, 2021 cyber-attack on critical fuel line infrastructure across the southeast. The current year decrease is the result of the Executive Order issued by Governor Kemp to suspend the Motor Fuel Excise Tax through mid-August.

Motor Vehicle – Tag & Title Fees: Motor Vehicle Tag & Title Fees decreased by $2.3 million, or -7.2 percent, for the month, while Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) collections increased by nearly $2.3 million, or 3.3 percent, over FY 2021.

From the Capitol Beat News Service:

A healthy surplus allowed Georgia lawmakers to adopt a $30.2 billion fiscal 2023 budget in April, just shy of the $30.3 billion fiscal 2022 mid-year spending plan, including pay raises for teachers and state employees as well as a $1.1 billion tax refund.

With tax collections still going strong, the outlook for the next state budget appears promising. However, inflation and the threat of a recession loom as reasons for concern.

Jeanne Argo, mother of Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp, died at 92, according to Fox5Atlanta.

“Today we, we lost a cherished member of our family, my mother-in-law Jeane Argo. A wonderful mother to my wife & grandmother to our daughters. I see much of her beauty & joy in them,” [Gov.] Kemp tweeted. “On behalf of my entire family, I want to thank our fellow Georgians for your thoughts & prayers.”

First Lady Marty Kemp also released a statement which highlighted her mother’s caring nature and support over the years.

“With heavy hearts, my family is sharing that today my beautiful mother, Jeane Lois Alderson Argo, passed away. She blessed those in her life for an amazing 92 years and was a guiding presence in our family. My mother carefully tended to all those she loved, and she was my father’s greatest supporter throughout his successful career in business and public service for his fellow Georgians. [said Mrs. Kemp]

“Though my sister, Amy Cowsert, and I will miss her dearly, we are also thankful that she has now been reunited with our father and our other sister, Margaret “Mimi” Argo-Laney, who preceded her in death.” [said Mrs. Kemp]

“Jeane Argo’s grandchildren affectionately called her by the nickname ‘Goose.’ Today, she spread her wings to fly to Heaven. We take comfort in knowing we will be with her again in that joyous place one day, and until then, we will cherish her memory and continue to be insured by her love and beauty.” [said Mrs. Kemp]

From the AJC:

Argo was also the mother-in-law of state Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, and the widow of former state Rep. Bob Argo, who represented Athens in the state Legislature from 1976 to 1986. Bob Argo, who later served on the State Properties Commission, died in 2016, also at age 92.

Sen. Cowsert, a former Senate majority leader and chairman of the Regulated Industries and Utilities committee, released a statement with his wife, Amy, via her sister’s tweet.

“Amy and I have always admired her parents’ love for one another, their family, Georgia football, and Georgia politics,” the statement said. “We are so happy that Jeane and Bob Argo are together again in Heaven.”

Former Georgia State Senator Mike Crotts has died, according to the AJC.

Mike Crotts, a former Republican state senator who pushed legislation enabling Georgia’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in 2004, has died at age 75.

His death was announced Saturday on Twitter by Gov. Brian Kemp, who as a state senator voted in favor of Crotts’ bill that year.

“Marty, the girls, & I are saddened by the passing of our friend & a great Georgian, Mike Crotts,” Kemp’s tweet said. “A former state senator, successful businessman, Coast Guard veteran, man of faith, & devoted husband & father, he served the people of our state well. We’re praying for his family.”

A real estate broker with deep Christian beliefs, Crotts served in the state Senate from 1992 to 2004, representing a district that included parts of Newton and Henry counties.

In his last year in office, he sponsored legislation that tacked a statewide referendum on same-sex marriage onto the November ballot in a presidential election year. Georgia voters that year overwhelmingly approved his proposed constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage, with 76% in favor.

Democrat Stacey Abrams is copying Gov. Kemp’s earlier decision to return some excess state revenues to citizens. From the Albany Herald:

Following the announcement of Georgia’s massive budgetary surplus and second round of COVID relief money, Democratic nominee for governor Stacey Abrams introduced a new proposal to help Georgians struggling with rising costs through new tax rebates. Abrams also called on Gov. Brian Kemp to immediately investigate whether COVID relief funds can be used to send stimulus checks to Georgians struggling with inflation and urged Kemp to work with the Biden administration to do so.

“Georgians need money in their pockets and a roof over their heads — and we need to invest to help them meet this moment,” Abrams said. “When I am elected governor, we’re going to deliver assistance to working Georgians worth $500 for joint filers, $375 for heads of households, and $250 for single tax filers through tax credits. Due to our budget surplus and COVID relief money, we can do this plus lower health care costs, pay public workers a living wage and invest in rural Georgia, all without raising taxes on anyone. If we focus on Georgia families rather than tax giveaways to millionaires as Kemp has, we can afford to do the right thing.”

“If Brian Kemp cares about helping Georgia families deal with rising costs, he should work with our U.S. Senators to investigate whether he can immediately use ARP funds to issue these relief checks to Georgians. Unfortunately, throughout this crisis, he has criticized the financial help Democrats have provided and refused to work with the Biden administration to help hard-working families. Once again, Democrats have delivered for Georgia, and Georgians need help now. As soon as I am in office, I promise we are going to deliver for them.”

Of course, Gov. Kemp has already done this, and I think there’s a good chance he may do it again.

As noted by the AJC:

That sounded a lot like Gov. Brian Kemp earlier this year, when he signed into law a similar, $1.1 billion refund using state surplus money during the 2022 session.

It marks at least the fourth time this cycle that Abrams has taken a Kemp economic policy and pushed it even further.

Democratic State Senator Jen Jordan (D-Smyrnish) out-fundraised incumbent Republican Chris Carr in the latest campaign disclosure reporting period, according to the Associated Press via the Valdosta Daily Times.

Jordan’s campaign said the Sandy Springs state senator raised $601,000 in the two months, bringing the Democrat’s campaign total to more than $2.1 million, with $756,000 in the bank. Jordan easily beat Christian Wise Smith on May 24.

Carr was close behind, raising $577,000 for the period and bringing his total for the campaign to $3.2 million. The Republican had $556,000 in the bank on June 30 after blowing out Trump-endorsed GOP challenger John Gordon in the May 24 primary.

Libertarian Martin Cowen raised no money and had $632 in cash.

In the Lt. Governor’s race, Republican Burt Jones (Jackson) outraised the rest of the field, according to the AJC.

Jones, a state senator from Jackson, received about $657,000 in campaign contributions between May 1 and June 30, the most recent filing period. He also loaned himself $2 million. He has raised about $2.7 million since announcing his campaign last summer and loaned himself a total of $4 million.

Charlie Bailey, the Democratic nominee, reported raising about $74,000 during the most recent filing period, totaling about $915,000 in contributions since announcing his campaign in January. Ryan Graham, the Libertarian candidate, reported raising about $6,000 for his campaign, including about $1,400 in contributions this filing period.

Democratic Challenger Alicia Thomas Searcy outraised Republican incumbent State School Superintendent Richard Woods, according to the AJC.

As of June 30, Searcy had taken in nearly $98,000 compared to just under $55,000 for Woods.

Searcy’s contributors include former Atlanta school board chair Jason Esteves; state Rep. Stacey Evans, D-Atlanta; and former Fulton County Schools Superintendent Robert Avossa, now in Florida. She drew donors from a half-dozen other states, plus three political action committees.

Woods took a contribution from state Board of Education chairman Jason Downey, the Georgia Chamber’s political affairs council and a contractors’ group, with three contributions coming from outside Georgia.

Attorney General Carr discussed the new Gang Prosecution Unit, according to AccessWDUN.

Georgia launched its first statewide Gang Prosecution Unit on July 1, which partners federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to prosecute gang crimes.

“Gangs don’t care about city and county lines, but they are operating in multiple cities or multiple counties,” Carr said.

Since gangs often operate in multiple counties, Carr said the Gang Prosecution Unit will take the responsibility of prosecuting gang members from local district attorneys.

“Where you have a gang, maybe operating in two, three or four different circuits…Where you have two, three or four different DAs that would have to deal with the issue, that may make more sense from an efficiency and a judicial economy standpoint for us to come in,” Carr said.

The Attorney General’s Prosecution Division houses the new Gang Prosecution Unit, alongside Carr’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. These two units will work hand in hand, since gang crime and human trafficking are typically linked.

“We know the data shows about 80% of all human trafficking is gang affiliated,” Carr said.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Savannah to advocate for abortion rights, according to WSAV.

On Saturday, a couple hundred abortion rights protesters marched one mile from Forsyth Park to the steps of City Hall, calling on state and local lawmakers to pass a resolution protecting abortion access.

Also top of mind for protesters is LGTBQ+ rights. Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Justice Clarence Thomas signaled in a concurring draft opinion that landmark rulings on same-sex rights should also be revisited.

On Friday, President Biden signed an executive order to protect federal abortion access. Some abortion rights activists say it’s a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done.

Protesters say they’re going to keep making their voices heard not only through marching, but by heading to the polls in November.

That sentiment was echoed by some Democratic candidates on the ballot who joined in Saturday’s rally.

“I would be working to get federal legislation passed,” said Wade Herring, Democratic candidate for the 1st Congressional District. “What we have now is chaos and confusion and quite frankly unfair where we have different rules from state to state. It’s going to adversely impact people of limited means.”

You know what else is going to adversely impact people of limited means? Inflation, rising interest rates, higher property taxes, continued supply chain bottlenecks, and fuel prices.

From WTOC:

The Savannah Women’s Rights & Activism group organized the march and invited members of the LGBTQIA community to participate, as they fear the court could also reconsider cases upholding protections for same sex couples.

“We’re a line of defense for a lot of other civil rights, a lot of other LGBT rights, trans rights and so if we don’t fight now, we’re going to be in worse place in 6 months,” said co-organizer Melissa Nadia Viviana

In fact, a study says that Georgia is among the states most impacted by rising prices, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

according to Merchant Maverick, which ranked the Peach State fourth-highest in impact from inflation, trailing only Louisiana, Florida and Tennessee. The site ranked states on a series of criteria, including regional price parity, the state sales tax rate, and median household income.

Analyst Chris Motola said Georgia is among the southern states seeing high inflation. The Peach State is “suffering from inflation, as rising prices, low incomes, and high taxes leave precious little wiggle room in household budgets.”

“Georgia’s median household income is just $56,628 (42nd highest in the country) and sales taxes add another 7.35% to every purchase,” analyst Chris Motola wrote. “Meanwhile, the cost of expenses like housing, medical care, and apparel have all risen precipitously across the U.S. south.”

Motola noted that metro areas, such as Atlanta, see exceptionally high inflation “as population increases in recent years have led to high demand for supplies like gas and food, while supply chain woes have rendered these necessities scarcer than usual.”

WTVM spoke to State Rep. Debbie Buckner about President Biden’s actions on abortion rights.

Rep. Buckner is now hopeful things will turn around after President Joe Biden signed an executive order aimed at protecting abortion access.

“We cannot allow an out of control Supreme Court working in conjunction with extremist elements of the Republican party to take away freedoms and our personal autonomy,” said President Biden.

The order attempts to protect access to the abortion pill, protect patient privacy and reduce limits on travel across state lines to access reproductive services. During a press conference, President Biden made it clear that the order will not restore access across the country.

“The fastest way to restore Roe is to pass a national law codifying Roe,” said President Biden.

“I’m hoping that with this executive order, it will help clear up some of that so that people won’t be so afraid of naturally occurring miscarriages being misunderstood,” said Rep. Buckner.

Georgia now waits to see if a federal appeals court will reinstate the peach state’s heartbeat abortion law, essentially banning all abortions at six weeks. A decision on that could come in the next couple of weeks.

Speaking of higher property taxes, the Hall County Board of Education will collect higher property taxes in the coming fiscal year, according to AccessWDUN.

The board said it will raise taxes about 11 percent over the rollback rate.

In Georgia, local governments are required to figure a rollback millage rate which will produce the same amount of revenue on this year’s tax digest as the current millage rate would if property assessments had not been increased. The tax digest is the total value of all taxable property in the county.

Superintendent Will Schofield told WDUN he questions whether what the board is doing should be considered a tax increase, because of the way the state forces a rollback of the millage rate.

“First and foremost, I’d say this will be the lowest millage rate we’ve had since 2004,” Schofield said. “The state funding that we’re getting this year is up only 1.3 percent. And when you look at state funding, which accounts for 55 to 60 percent of our revenue, and the fact that our expenditures next year are up above 8.3 percent, I would question regardless of what the legislative vernacular is, whether or not we’re seeing a tax increase.”

The current millage rate is 16.485 mills. The rollback rate is 14.365 mills. And the county is proposing a rate of 15.99 mills, an increase of 1.625 mills over the rollback. The average owner of a $250,000 home would pay about $162 more in taxes. But the amount of new tax an individual taxpayer pays will depend on how much the value of the home changed year to year.

Citing inflation and a tight labor market, Schofield said much of the increase will go toward raising salaries for teachers and other district employees.

“For our employees, individuals that make as little as $10.86 an hour, I don’t know how they’re paying for $5 a gallon gasoline,” he said. “I don’t know how they’re paying for grocery carts that are costing $150, that you walk out with six bags of groceries.”

“Inflation is real,” he said. “Our maintenance costs are going to be up 17 percent next year. Our transportation costs, highly driven by diesel fuel, gasoline and LP, are going to be up 21 percent. And we are very similar to the average family and that we’re just scrambling to keep our heads above water in these inflationary times.”

Chatham County Commissioners voted to approve a $3.2 million dollar repair to a boat ramp at Hutchinson Island, according to WTOC.

The area where the deck collapsed near the Savannah Convention Center is mostly blocked off. Crews still haven’t started fixing it yet. The repairs are projected to cost $3.2 million.

The Chatham County Commission unanimously agreed to putting $100,000 towards crews coming out to stabilize the area and then what’s left of the $3.2 million to repairs.

Savannah City Manager Jay Melder discussed the search for a new police chief, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The resignation of Chief Roy Minter, who joined the department in 2018, came last week and his last day is July 28. The process for finding a new chief is already underway.

In the meantime, Melder has appointed Assistant Chief Lenny Gunther to lead the department. Gunther has been with SPD since 2001, and was appointed as assistant chief under Minter.

Glynn County residents may attend two town hall meetings to hear about the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum on the November ballot, according to The Brunswick News.

District 2 County Commissioner Cap Fendig called Monday’s meeting, set for 6:30 p.m. at The Club, 2929 Demere Road, St. Simons Island. The purpose of the meeting is to gather input from island residents about projects they would support on the referendum for the 1-cent tax.

Both city and county officials will hold a town hall meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Brunswick-Glynn County Library to discuss SPLOST projects and collect public input.

The tax is projected to generate between $130 million and $170 million over the six years it’s collected if voters approve it.

The vote to approve the final list is scheduled for the Glynn County Commission meeting on July 21.

Rome City Commissioners will consider raising their pay, according to the Rome News Tribune.

City Commissioners are slated to hold a first reading on an amendment to the charter that would increase their annual salary to $12,000, from the current $8,400 a year. The designated mayor, who gets 10% more, would be paid $13,200. School board pay also would rise.

The increases would not take effect until the term following the next regular city elections, scheduled for November 2023.

Among the other items on the agenda is the first of three public hearings on the 2022 millage rate. Plans are to cut the city’s levy for maintenance and operations by 0.151 mills.

At the proposed rate of 27.276 mills — which includes an unchanged rate of 17.45 mills to fund the school system — the tax on a $125,000 property would drop to $1,363 from $1,371.

However, property values have risen overall so most people will see a slight increase in their bill. In addition to Monday night, hearings are set for 10 a.m. Thursday and 6:30 p.m. July 25, after which the board will set the rate.

Glynn County hired Bill Fallon as the new County Manager, according to The Brunswick News.

Tifton Mayor Julie B. Smith will serve as President of the Georgia Municipal Association, according to the Albany Herald.