Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for July 25, 2023

On July 25, 1972, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

On July 25, 1974, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of United States v. Nixon that executive privilege did not allow the White House to refuse to turn over audio recordings that had been subpoenaed by a special prosecutor investigating the Watergate scandal.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Brian Kemp filed an amicus brief in a U.S. Supreme Court case on the proper standard by which courts are to consider agency actions, according to a Press Release.

Governor Brian P. Kemp today filed an amicus brief in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, calling on the United States Supreme Court to overturn its 1984 decision in Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. Chevron compels federal courts to defer to an executive agency’s interpretations of the statutes it enforces, even if those interpretations are self-serving or inconsistent. It has created regulatory instability for citizens and businesses throughout the country, including here in Georgia.

“Chevron has fundamentally altered Americans’ relationship with the federal government and has enabled agencies to regulate every facet of daily life,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “When federal agencies over-extend their regulatory authority and cast down nationwide mandates, they undermine the will of Georgia’s voters. Overturning Chevron is a critical step towards cutting burdensome regulations and ensuring that Georgia’s policies reflect the will of its citizens and not the dictates of bureaucrats in Washington.”

Read the full amicus brief here.

From the AJC:

The Republican filed a brief Monday that seeks to reverse the 1984 ruling in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. It held that courts should defer to a federal agency’s interpretation of ambiguous provisions in the law so long as they are deemed “reasonable.”

While that may sound like an arcane courtroom debate, such a decision by the High Court’s 6-3 conservative majority could have far-reaching consequences for the federal regulatory process.

Several of the Supreme Court’s conservative justices have criticized the doctrine in opinions over the years, with Justice Clarence Thomas arguing in 2015 that it “wrests from courts the ultimate interpretive authority ‘to say what the law is’” and hands it to the executive branch.

In a statement, Kemp said overturning the doctrine is a “step towards cutting burdensome regulations and ensuring that Georgia’s policies reflect the will of its citizens and not the dictates of bureaucrats in Washington.”

His 33-page brief argues that the court’s 1984 ruling undercuts states by shifting power to federal agencies keen to “extend their regulatory purview through self-serving statutory interpretations.”

“If Congress wants to delegate powers—individually or in the aggregate—it should make its intent clear,” read the filing, penned by Kemp executive counsel David Dove.

East Point city government got scammed out of almost $800,000, according to AccessWDUN.

WAGA-TV reports the city of East Point lost the money in 2021 after someone hacked the city’s email system and sent four fake invoices from city email addresses asking for money to be wired to a fake company.

The losses became public knowledge after they were discussed in an audit report presented at a Thursday meeting

Employees sent a total of $1,219,287, but city officials clawed back the fourth wire transfer, worth $434,197, after realizing what was happening. That still left the city of 38,000, located near the Atlanta airport, missing $785,090.

City Manager Deron King said staff didn’t tell the council because FBI agents were investigating and he wasn’t sure how much they could share. He said changes have been made, including requiring multiple people to sign off on wire transfers.

“I pledge to everyone that as we move forward we will move forward with full transparency,” East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham said at the Thursday meeting.

King said insurance may pay for some of the losses.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is looking at mile-based fees, according to the Capitol Beat News Service.

The agency is looking for 150 volunteers to take part in a federally funded pilot project that will replace gasoline and other motor fuels taxes with a tax based on the number of miles driven. Three states – Washington, Oregon, and Utah – already have adopted mileage-based user fees, while at least four others are doing pilot projects to test the concept.

“I’m glad we’re part of this,” Georgia Commissioner of Transportation Russell McMurry told members of the State Transportation Board July 19.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” board member Cathy Williams added. “We’re going to have to go to a mileage-based system.”

As Georgia motorists increasingly switch from gasoline-powered cars and trucks to hybrids and EVs, the amount of tax revenue available for building roads and highways dwindles. Technological improvements that are yielding higher gas mileage in cars with internal-combustion engines also are putting a dent in transportation tax collections.

A legislative study committee formed last year to look for ways to accommodate an expected increase in electric vehicles plying Georgia highways recommended making any future mileage-based tax the state adopts comparable to what drivers of gasoline-powered vehicles pay in fuel taxes.

Albany is ranked the best place in Georgia to start a small business, according to WALB.

Statistics state Georgia ranks in the top 20 percent to start a small business. Many business owners say that having more foot traffic will increase sales.

With a population of 70,000, an outside source ranked Albany number one for starting a small business. That report encompasses all factors including business costs, business climate, financial accessibility, economy and workforce.

Even though statistics say that Georgia ranks in the top 20 percent to start a small business, the 2022 economic outlook from the University of Georgia indicates the opposite. It states that Albany is behind the pace of the entire state.

Some of the resources that the city offers to new businesses include assistance from the downtown manager’s office and grant funding, but staying relevant in the community is mostly up to the business owner.

It’s funny that they make such a big deal about the “outside source” ranking Albany #1 but don’t mention what that source is. I couldn’t find any such study on the internet. So when the only articles come from a single source in Albany and they don’t mention who did the study or where to read it, I consider it suspect.

Augusta is ranked among the top ten most stressed out cities, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Augusta’s mental health seems to be particularly strained by job security and the amount of sleep residents are getting, both of which the city ranked fourth lowest in the nation.

Two more Georgia cities were in the top 50 most stressed: Columbus ranking 27 and Atlanta ranking 36. Among the biggest factors were that Columbus ranked 7th in financial stress and Atlanta ranked 19th in work stress.

Cobb County Tax Commissioner Carla Jackson switched parties to join the Democrats, according to the AJC.

Cobb Tax Commissioner Carla Jackson is abandoning the GOP to run for another term next year as a Democrat. Jackson, who was appointed to the post in 2014, was reelected as a Republican in 2016 and 2020.

Jackson announced the switcheroo days after Jan Becker, a longtime staffer in the office, said she would challenge Jackson as a Democrat. Becker accused her opponent of switching for political convenience.

You can forgive Becker for thinking that way. Since 2020, most countywide offices in Cobb are now held by Democrats, and President Joe Biden carried the county by 14 points.

Former state Rep. Erick Allen, a local Democratic mover-and-shaker, said he’s been in contact with Jackson for months and welcomed her to the party. He said the local Cobb party won’t get involved in the primary.

Statesboro is refinancing a loan taken out to monetize Tax Allocation District (TAD) proceeds, according to the Statesboro Herald.

After making interest-only payments for four years, the city of Statesboro is refinancing the $4.75 million loan it took out in the form of a bond to reimburse developers for building streets and other infrastructure in the Old Register Road Tax Allocation District, or TAD.

For up to three years more, the city government and the district’s private developers can continue making payments that cover only the interest — but at over two-and-a-half times the original interest rate. City officials hope that the TAD property tax increment, gaining from the value of the Publix shopping center and other new businesses near it, among them a Starbucks now under construction and a planned Chick-fil-A, will begin to repay the principal after that.

“If you look at what’s going out (there), we feel pretty confident with Publix and the strip center — Starbucks is going up, a new Chick-fil-A is going to be going up — I may be telling stuff that folks don’t know. … There’s going to be a new package store that’s going to be going up, and you see all of the different pads that are out there,” City Manager Charles Penny said during the Aug. 18 council meeting.

The August 2018 TAD resolution did not increase taxes. But it set aside any growth in property tax revenue from construction and rising values occurring with the district after Dec. 31, 2018, for spending meant to facilitate development within the district. The Bulloch County government and Board of Education also agreed to contribute a set amount of their revenue growth in the Tax Allocation District.

When issued in August 2019, the bond was sold to a single bank, which is now Truist, for the $4.75 million. The annual interest rate was just 2.19%, and the city actually borrowed several of the expected interest payments as part of the bond principal to get a head start on repayment.

The new “Series 2023” bond, to be issued “on or about” this Aug. 15, also for $4.75 million, will go to Truist with a new interest rate of 5.95%, retiring the old bond. The new bond will be “payable in full” on Aug. 15, 2026, as reflected in Penny’s prediction that the TAD revenue should support permanent financing after three more years.

The Muscogee County School District hosted a “yard sale” for teacher supplies, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

The Muscogee County School District’s second annual Teacher Yard Sale at Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts on Monday allowed MCSD’s approximately 400 new teachers (out of 5,300 employees) the chance to supply and equip their classrooms with items that go beyond the basics provided by the district.

“This is one more means of supporting our teachers and giving them the resources and support they need to be successful,” MCSD superintendent David Lewis said during a news conference before the event. “Ultimately, if they are, our students are as well.”

Teachers could take any amount of items on tables in the middle of the room during their 15-minute shopping period, and they could choose one specialty item, such as a table or a chair, on display along the walls.

Shaw High School chorus director Rontae Angry, 24, said he spent approximately $300 of his own money last year on school supplies for his classroom and estimated 60 students.

Teachers across the country face similar problems. More than 90% of teachers spend their money on school supplies and other items for their students, averaging around $500 out of pocket per year, according to the National Education Association.

Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson spoke about his first six months in office with WRDW.

In just his first six months in office, Mayor Garnett Johnson lead the city through finding a new EMS provider, a cyber attack, and crime hitting our young people.

Johnson led the charge for a new ambulance provider, by giving a tie-breaking vote to go with Central EMS in a more than $2 million-a-year deal.

Then a month later, the city was hit by a cyber attack slowing city systems to a crawl.

An open records request shows that the week of the attack, the Augusta Fire Department’s response times doubled.

Crime is a more complex issue, more than half of this year’s deadly crimes across the CSRA happened in Richmond County.

The mayor attributes part of the problem to about half of the city’s 330 job vacancies at the sheriff’s office.

“I mean, you hear about it in the CSRA, it’s not just an Augusta problem,” he said. “It was driven around the unfortunate black-on-black violence; these young teenagers. Which happens to be a problem area, not only for Augusta-Richmond County but for this nation.”

Grass-cutting on city property appears to be another issue for Augusta, according to WJBF.

“My office has received a number of calls, texts, and e-mails regarding grass that needs to be cut in our city,” said Mayor Garnett Johnson.

The city cuts grass, and as many as five different departments are involved, but the department that cuts say the Greene Street Median may not be the same department that cuts other city right of ways or property.

“The problem that I’m seeing is nobody knows what the heck they’re doing or who to turn to or who’s responsible for this or that,” said Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle.

But in the right sizing plan, commissioners will take up next month calls for the creation of a centralized right of way maintenance department to put all city grass cutting under one roof.

“I’m excited we have an opportunity to at least address it. This rightsizing plan that’s been put before us by our interim administrator and consolidating the grass cutting effort, which I think is a great idea,” said Mayor Johnson.

“It would be nice to go to one department or to one person who is in charge of it,” said Commissioner Guilfoyle.

The Rome City Commission voted for a partial rollback of the property tax millage rate, according to the Rome News Tribune.

The board dropped the millage rate by 2.3% to lessen the impact of property tax assessment hikes. However, most residents will likely see an increase in their property taxes for 2023.

The combined millage rate for the city and Rome school system is 26.450. The rollback rate — an estimate of what the millage rate should be to keep revenues flat — is 24.674.

Also on Monday, Commissioner Bill Collins worked to block an intergovernmental agreement with Floyd County regarding SPLOST proceeds, arguing that the city isn’t getting its fair share.

State Rep. Gabe Okoye and State Sen. Nikki Merritt (both D-Gwinnett) will host a Town Hall with local elected officials, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

The town hall will begin at 7 p.m. at Lawrenceville City Hall, which is located at 70 S. Clayton St. In addition to Okoye and Merritt, Lawrenceville Mayor David Still and Lawrenceville Police Chief John Mullin are scheduled to participate in the event.

The participants will discuss property taxes, public safety and crime, Medicaid un-winding and a briefing on what happened during the 2023 legislative session.

Former Chatham County Chief Assistant District Attorney Jenny Parker announced she will run against current DA Shalena Cook Jones, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Jenny Parker, a former assistant district attorney, announced her candidacy for the top job on Facebook on June 30. The seat for Chatham County District Attorney is on the November 2024 ballot.

Parker aims to supplant current DA Shalena Cook Jones, her former boss, who has faced scrutiny since taking office in 2021 over staff shortages exacerbated by an exodus of seasoned attorneys and heavy workloads caused by a backlog of cases. Another former ADA who also has announced his candidacy, Anthony Burton, has accused Jones of fostering a discriminatory culture within the office.

From May 2000 through November 2021, Parker prosecuted a range of crimes, including misdemeanors and felonies. She served as chief assistant district attorney for Chatham County until leaving in 2022. Since then, Parker has served as an assistant district attorney in the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit, which includes Effingham, Bulloch and Screven counties.

SMN: On what issues are you running?

I would share a lot of [Shalena’s] progressive values, in the sense that I think we should expand early-intervention and diversion programs for non-violent offenders, first-time offenders and youthful offenders.

There’s not a certain class of crime I would not prosecute. The main resources of a DA should be to handle cases involving people who are actually dangerous to the community, such as murders, sexual assaults and crimes against children. So, in recorder’s court, the goal would be to move to play out as many of those cases as possible, right in the beginning or dismiss, them if appropriate.

SMN: How would you lead differently?

My first priority would be to bring back as many of those experienced attorneys as I could. I have commitments from about 10 of them who would come back if I’m elected. That would make an immediate difference.

There’s no longer a Special Victims Unit, which I think is really important. There’s one person still in the office handling crimes against children, but he’s leaving next month. So, those cases are going to prosecutors who aren’t specially trained to handle them. Right now, there’s no director of the victim witness program. And those cases take a lot of specialized knowledge to be handled well. That’s something that needs to be remedied.

Curtis Singleton announced he is running for the At-Large Savanah Board of Aldermen seat being vacated by Kesha Gibson-Carter, who is running for Mayor, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The post is one of three, along with mayor and a second at-large seat, elected citywide.

Singleton is seeking elected office for the first time but has worked in politics for decades, dating to an internship with the President Jimmy Carter administration following his graduation from college. He also worked for Georgia Gov. Zell Miller and as a policy analyst in the Georgia General Assembly and for Savannah Mayor Floyd Adams. He has consulted on numerous political campaigns over the years, including Judge Tammy Stokes’ run for Superior Court in 2022.

Lawrenceville City Council member Victoria Jones announce she is running for reelection, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Jones has served on served on the council since she was appointed to fill a vacancy in early 2019 and won a full four-year term later that year. She holds the Post 2 seat on the City Council.

Lawrenceville’s municipal election will be held on Nov. 7. The seats currently held by Jones, Mayor David Still and Councilman Glenn Martin are up for election this year. While Jones and Still are running for re-election, Martin has said he will not seek another term.