Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for July 5, 2020

On July 5, 1737, James Oglethorpe sailed from England to Georgia with a warship and troop transports carrying a regiment to be stationed at St. Simons Island.

On July 5, 1742, Spanish forces based in Florida sailed past Fort St. Simon, bypassing English forces there. That night, Oglethorpe’s troops left Fort St Simon and fell back to Fort Frederica.

Union cavalry under Gen. Kenner Garrard reached Roswell, Georgia on July 5, 1864, setting the town alight.

On July 7, 1742, General James Oglethorpe was victorious over the Spanish at the Battle of Bloody Marsh and the Battle of Gully Hole Creek; a week later Gov. Montiano would call off the invasion of Georgia from Florida, leaving Georgia to develop as a British colony.

I’m not sure how I missed it, but yesterday was the 27th Anniversary of the greatest moment of Old Man sports history.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Hold my (craft) bear beer. Outside the hipster mecca of Asheville, North Carolina, someone is putting Trump 2020 stickers on bears.

Two bears with Trump 2020 campaign stickers on their tracking collars have been reported in the Asheville area, according to the bear advocacy group Help Asheville Bears-HAB.

“Bears are not billboards,” the organization said in a July 31 Facebook post. “Whoever put these political stickers on these bears is cruel and heartless. HAB and our followers hope to stop and expose you.”

The first instance, reported in September, involved a bear with a sticker seen on a family’s deck in the Asheville area, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times. A wildlife biologist with the Urban/Suburban Black Bear Study told the newspaper its staff had nothing to do with the sticker and it did not condone the risk someone took to get it on a bear’s collar.

The latest report was made Friday and involves a different bear, based on the position of the sticker, HAB said. The person who photographed the bear was identified by HAB as “Shelia” and she was quoted saying: “No words can describe my anger and sadness.”

“It appears someone has been feeding bears on purpose and was able to get close enough to slap the sticker on,” according to Colleen Olfenbuttel, the black bear and furbearer biologist for the Wildlife Management Division of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

“We were able to get that sticker off last year’s bear during den season. So it looks like the same person is up to the same shenanigans. We know that someone in the area, or maybe multiple people in the area, are hand feeding bears. As for why the person is doing the stickers, I can’t say. … I wonder if it’s someone trying to discredit research going on in Asheville, or it could just be an ardent Trump supporter.”

Read more here: https://www.macon.com/news/nation-world/national/article244681612.html#storylink=cpy

Today is the last day for Governor Kemp to sign or veto bills, according to the AJC.

Gov. Brian Kemp faces a Wednesday deadline to decide whether to sign legislation that supporters designed to grant police new protections against hate crimes, but that critics say creates a miasma of legal problems.

The measure, House Bill 838, is the most significant proposal left on Kemp’s desk at the close of a 40-day period to sign or nullify bills – or take the rarer step of letting the legislation become law by not taking action.

As part of the compromise, Senate Republicans demanded the passage of a separate proposal that would create the new offense of “bias motivated intimidation” of a police officer or other first responder.

But civil rights groups and legislators have raised concerns that the hastily-written legislation could weaken protections for police officers in some cases and have other unintended consequences.

United States Senator David Perdue talked to CNHI about his reelection campaign. From the Dalton Daily Citizen News:

“I first ran because Washington was broken. I’d said if we wanted different results, we had to send a different kind of person,” he said during an interview with CNHI. “We’ve been getting those results for Georgia.”

“There are a group of people on the left in the Democratic Party who believe in anarchy right now because they want that kind of radical change,” Perdue said. “They want to defund the police, they want to get rid of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), they want sanctuary cities to prevail, they don’t want a controlled border.”

In response to the pandemic, Perdue has jumped on efforts to plan for reopening schools safely. His new legislation — which he said was inspired by his parents’ careers as school teachers — would create funds for schools to build reopening plans, purchase personal protective equipment and connect healthcare professionals to the education system to help develop safety protocols.

“There is a lot of angst about how do we reopen our schools,” he said. “I believe that the best decision for our children about reopening or curriculum or anything else is really made by the local teacher, the parents and the local administrators.”

Congressman Doug Collins (R-Gainesville) spoke to the Gwinnett County Republican Party Saturday, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

“While we’re sitting here, they’re out knocking on doors — the Democrats are knocking on doors right now, they’re making phone calls,” Collins said. “So here’s what we’ve got to have happen. The things we need to do (are): No. 1, re-elect Donald Trump for four more years; No. 2, re-elect David Perdue and keep the Senate red; and No. 3, I’m asking for your vote. I’m here talking to you today. I need your help. I need you to make phone calls. I need you to pickup a sign, one for yourself, three for your friends, and put those out.”

This year is unique for Georgia in that both of its Republican-held U.S. Senate seats are on the ballot. It is a normal election cycle for the seat held by Sen. David Perdue, but there is also a special election for the seat held by Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Loeffler was appointed to fill the seat previously held by Sen. Johnny Isakson, at least until the special election is held in November.

“We’ve got to get out and do something,” Collins said. “I do not want to see Republicans on Nov. 4 say I wish I had. There’s not another Republican who, on Nov. 4, wants to say I wish I had put out one more sign, I wish I made one more phone call, I wish I gave five more dollars, I wish I had done something.”

“I think Gwinnett County, for me, it’s the diversity of the population, which is changing, and it even changes from the southern end of the county to the northern end of the county and especially over to the eastern side,” Collins said. “It’s just a matter of getting out and having a message that resonates with each community and realizing that you don’t leave any community out.”

Congressman Sanford Bishop (D-Albany) allegedly used more than $90k in campaign funds for personal expenses, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop of Georgia allegedly spent more than $90,000 in campaign funds for personal use rather than official business, according to a report by The Office of Congressional Ethics.

The independent watchdog entity, which investigates claims of lawmaker misconduct, alleges Bishop likely spent “tens of thousands of dollars” in campaign funds on “fuel, golf expenses, meals, travel, tuition, and entertainment,” according to an OCE report made public July 31.

The congressman’s office addressed the report in a statement, saying it has since hired new campaign treasurers and retained a law firm to review the campaign’s finances.

“Before the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) notified him of its review, he was made aware of mistakes made by his campaign and had already taken immediate action to bring it into compliance,” Bishop’s office said. “Congressman Bishop has fully cooperated with the OCE’s review and proactively reimbursed many of the charges OCE identified as incorrect.”

The board said it would extend its review of the congressman’s spending, including several golf and country club expenditures that “may run afoul of personal use prohibitions.” The report found that Bishop’s campaign was footing the bill for his monthly membership and other fees at country clubs in Albany and Columbus.

Ethics charges were filed against Congressman Doug Collins, alleging improper use of House video in campaign ads, according to the Albany Herald.

Filed by the Democratic Party of Georgia, the complaint highlights YouTube videos and a recent ad attacking Collins’ chief opponent, U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., that show the congressman speaking from the House floor during last year’s presidential impeachment proceedings.

House rules forbid floor footage from being used as material for partisan political campaigns due to the risk that elected leaders may treat Congress as a venue for showmanship rather than to work in the public’s best interests, the complaint notes.

A spokesman for Collins dismissed the complaint, labeling it an attempt by Loeffler and state Democrats to censor him. His campaign also noted the videos in question contained footage used in television news segments, not from C-SPAN.

“They really, really don’t want Georgians to see the video of Doug demolishing the left as Trump’s chief defender during impeachment,” spokesman Dan McLagan said.

That’s a stupid rule. God forbid politics become political.

Some Atlanta Dream players are wearing shirts advocating votes for an opponent to Dream owner Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed to the U.S. Senate. From the Albany Herald:

Players on the WNBA team co-owned by Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler and other WNBA teams were seen wearing “Vote Warnock” shirts in support of her Senate challenger before their games on Tuesday.

In a statement Tuesday, Loeffler slammed the WNBA for participating in what she called “cancel culture,” pointing to her prior opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement.

“This is just more proof that the out of control cancel culture wants to shut out anyone who disagrees with them,” she said. “It’s clear that the league is more concerned with playing politics than basketball.”

Warnock said in a statement Tuesday that he was “proud to stand with” the players, highlighting “their courage and resolve” while accusing Loeffler of muzzling those seeking justice.

“Senator Loeffler and those like her who seek to silence and dismiss others when they speak up for justice have planted themselves on the wrong side of history,” Warnock added. “We are in a moment of generational, transformative change, and there is no place in that movement for bigotry.”

Frankly, Kelly Loeffler is the best thing to happen to the Atlanta Dream. I’ll admit I’m not much of a sports spectator, but through her ownership of the Atlanta franchise, I’ve heard more about the team than I’ve ever heard about anything else involving the WNBA.

Jentezen Franklin, senior pastor of Free Chapel in Gainesville, will participate in the “Evangelicals for Trump: Praise, Prayer, and Patriotism” event, according to the Gainesville Times.

Franklin, who could not be reached for comment Monday, Aug. 3, has been tied to the president since his election. Early on, Trump formed an evangelical committee, inviting Franklin to serve as a member.

“I see my role on the committee as representing the evangelical community in general, but also the voices of the men and women in my church and every church that can’t be heard by Mr. Trump or be in that circle,” said Franklin in a July 2016 interview with The Times.

Republican Will Wade, in a primary runoff election for State House District 9, proposed cutting taxes on military retirement benefits, according to Fetch Your News.

Currently, 30 states have no taxes on military retirement benefits. Georgia is one of 13 states with special provisions or other considerations for taxes on retirement pay. Wade’s plan would completely eliminate these special provisions, giving Georgia veterans a clearer financial future.

“It’s time for Georgia to step up to the plate and get this done. The impact on our state budget will be minimal. In the long run I believe this would help attract more veterans to our state be an economic driver for our economy. We are lucky to have so many active duty military members here already, let’s make sure they want to stay once their service has concluded,” Wade stated.

Wade’s second proposal comes as a response to nationwide shortages of doctors, nurses, and first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, members of the military who have received special training as combat medics, paramedics, and other medical professionals are required to be retrained in order to work in those same professions in Georgia. Wade’s plan would make sure that training is applied appropriately once their military service has concluded.

Wade said, “If you can perform as a combat medic under fire, there’s no reason you can’t perform as a paramedic or EMT in Dawsonville or Dahlonega. Let’s make it as easy as possible for our military members to transition from their military career to a successful career as a civilian. This is just common sense.”

Wade is currently running to replace Rep. Kevin Tanner for State House District 9 in a runoff election against local trial lawyer Steve Leibel. The primary election will be held August 11th.

Nhan-Ai Simms was sworn in as a Gwinnett County Juvenile Court Judge, the first Vietnamese-American to take the bench in Gwinnett, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Simms spent the last six years working in [District Attorney Danny] Porter’s office prosecuting juvenile cases. He spoke at her swearing in ceremony and talked about the work she’s done in that role.

“It’s a big loss for our office, but a great addition to the Juvenile Court bench,” Porter said of Simms becoming a judge.

Porter said it was a natural progression in Simms’ career for her to become a judge.

“She started out as a law clerk, learned the law there and then learned the trial skills here, so she’s in a perfect position to take advantage of all of that training and she’s going to be a great judge,” the district attorney said. “She really does have the interest of children at heart. That’s what the court is all about, what’s in the best interest of the child.”

DeKalb County Superior Court candidates Mindy Pillow and Yolanda Parker-Smith participated in an online forum, according to the Champion.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reviews some Northwest Georgia runoff elections.

Three major county commission races were pushed to [Republican Primary] runoffs in Catoosa, Chattooga and Walker counties.

In Catoosa, Vanita Hullander is running as an anti-establishment candidate against incumbent Jim Cutler in District 3. Cutler is one of three commissioners who ran for re-election. Steve Henry and Jeff Long both won in their primary elections.

In the primary race for Chattooga County sole commissioner, two votes separated Blake Elsberry (1,595) and incumbent Jason Winters (1,593). The runoff between the two is expected to be a close race.

For the brand-new Walker County Commission, Alan Painter and Robert Stultz will face off in a runoff for the District 4 seat.

At the state level, former Rep. John Deffenbaugh and Mike Cameron are headed to a runoff in House District 1 after Deffenbaugh received 42% of the vote and Cameron got 37%.

Deffenbaugh, R-Lookout Mountain, was unseated by 24-year-old Colton Moore in Georgia’s Republican primary, 2,184 votes to 1,858 in 2018. No Democrats ran in that race. As Moore announced he would run against Sen. Jeff Mullis in the Senate’s 53rd District (a race he eventually lost), Deffenbaugh set his sights on his former seat.

District 1 includes Dade and Walker counties. Deffenbaugh served the district from 2013 to 2018.

Voters in Murray County will vote again for a new sheriff. In June, Jimmy Davenport received 43% of the vote, while Dekota Boiling got 23% of the vote.

Voters in Dade County will vote for a new school board member between Jayne Griffin and Brooke Wilson.

Richmond County is seeing low compliance with mask requirements, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

[Richmond County Chief Deputy Patrick] Clayton feels compliance of the mask order issued by Mayor Hardie Davis is below what it could be, estimating about 65% are actually wearing face coverings when out in public. The department has only had four calls related to the order since it went into effect July 10.

Cherokee County public schools closed a second-grade classroom and advised the students and teachers from the class to quarantine, according to the Tribune Ledger News.

On the second day of in-person classes, Cherokee County schools officials said Tuesday that an elementary school class will have to quarantine because a student tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

School system spokeswoman Barbara Jacoby told the Tribune that a second grader at Sixes Elementary School tested positive for COVID-19. The classroom that student was in was closed and is being disinfected. The teacher and 20 other students will now switch to digital learning for two weeks. All parents of Sixes students were notified in writing by Principal Ashley Kennerly.

Cherokee County’s coronavirus protocol allows for quarantines and closures that range in size from individual classrooms to the entire school system. Last March the entire system switched to distance learning for the remainder of the school year.

Gwinnett County public schools will reopen digital-only, transitioning to in-person gradually, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Gwinnett County schools will still begin the school year in an all digital format for all students on Aug. 12, but some students will be allowed to return to schools for in-person instruction starting Aug. 26. Eventually, all students will be allowed to be in school for in-person instruction, if their families chose to do so, by Sept. 9.

“We have stated from the beginning of the COVID crisis that in-person instruction for every student is what we prefer and would work to achieve,” Wilbanks said in a letter to parents. “That remains our primary objective, and is the focus of this letter. We will begin to implement in-person instruction for students whose parents desire it, and do so as soon and as safely as possible.”

“Student and staff safety will be the paramount factor in determining the pace at which we will move,” Wilbanks said. “We plan to begin small, bringing in a limited number of grade levels at first, then adding more grades on a staggered basis.

Under a “best case scenario,” starting Aug. 26, kindergartners, first-graders, sixth-graders, ninth-graders and all self-contained special education classes will be offered in-person as well as digitally based on the parents choice.

Starting Sept. 2, second-graders, third-graders, seventh-graders and 10th-graders will be allowed to return to schools for in-person instruction.

And finally, all remaining students whose parents opted for in-person instruction will be allowed to return to school on Sept. 9.

“Adjustments to the dates and the grade levels listed may be necessary based on the still-fluid COVID-19 situation in Gwinnett County,” Wilbanks said. “Regardless of the timeline, we will monitor the local conditions on a regular basis, and with guidance from our health partners, will either slow down the return to school or continue with the plan accordingly.

Cobb County public schools also plan a phased reopening, according to the AJC.

The district on Tuesday released a phased approach for students and teachers to return to the classroom after the 2020-21 school year begins Aug. 17. Cobb County Schools is the second largest district in Georgia with about 113,000 students. Cobb’s announcement comes hours after Gwinnett County Schools, the state’s largest district, unveiled a plan that would begin phasing in face-to-face learning later this month.

Cobb County schools does not have a start date for the first phase because it will be ”determined by analyzing public health data” related to Cobb County, including community spread of COVID-19, contact tracing and efficient COVID-19 test timelines, according to the plan posted on the system’s website.

Under phase one, kindergarten through fifth-grade students will return to the classroom, and after-school programs at schools will begin for those students. The district added that its kindergarten through 12th grade “low incidence” special education classes will also have an in-person option in this phase.

Under phase two, which will begin two weeks after phase one starts, middle school students will go back to class. High school students’ return to in-person instruction will mark phase three, which will start two weeks after phase two is implemented.

Before each phase is carried out, the district will allow parents to choose between in-person classes or remote learning for their children.

Atlanta Public Schools will spend $25 million dollars to lease up to 40,000 iPads and Chromebooks, according to the AJC.

The board on Monday unanimously approved the equipment lease for up to five years, which will allow the district to provide each student with a computer.

The district will lease Apple iPads for students in prekindergarten through second grade. Students in third through 12th grades will use Chromebooks.

Since the pandemic prompted school districts to switch to online learning, APS has distributed thousands of computers to its roughly 52,000 students.

The total cost for all five years is estimated at $24.6 million. Private funds raised by the district’s foundation will cover about $7.5 million of that cost, with the remainder coming from federal coronavirus relief dollars and sales-tax revenue received by APS.

Oconee County public schools reopen today, according to the Athens Banner Herald.

About 13 percent of the district’s 8,278 students enrolled as of Tuesday chose distance learning to begin the new school year.

Oconee is the second area system to resume classes after Jefferson City Schools, which began in-person classes Friday.

Most other Athens area school systems are scheduled to begin classes in the next two weeks, offering students the choice of beginning the school year online if they don’t feel safe with in-person classes.

Clarke County, the exception, has pushed its start date back to Sept. 8 and announced last month the school system would start with online-only classes.

Richmond County public schools still plan to reopen Septmber 8, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Under the plan approved July 14, families were given the choice between two options: face-to-face learning Monday through Friday or completely virtual learning. High School students have to commit to online classes for a full semester while elementary and middle school students may reconsider at the fall break. Over half of the district’s parents chose online learning for their children.

The vast number of online led to a new pivot: rather than having outside teachers lead virtual instruction, students will receive their instruction from teachers from their zone schools.

Online academy late registration has been extended to 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7.

Resources will also be made available to Pre-K parents to lead the education of their children virtually for those families who have a hard time getting small children to engage in the online learning model.

Meal distributions will start Aug. 7 and will run 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. All schools will serve as pick-up sites.

Rome and Floyd County schools continue developing reopening procedures ahead of reopening, according to the Rome News Tribune.

Floyd County Schools released their policy concerning school spread recently. Superintendent Jeff Wilson said the basis for a decision on whether to go to in-person learning will be the percentage of confirmed cases at a particular school.

“We’re going to be looking at numbers based on schools instead of the entire community,” Wilson said. “For example, we may not have any issue in the Model community but Pepperell could have a hotspot.”

Using that example, Model would continue in-person education as Pepperell schools would move to blended or entirely virtual learning.

At this point, Rome has enacted a mandatory mask policy while Floyd is “strongly encouraging” students to wear face coverings.

Effingham County voters will elect a new Clerk of Superior Court, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Augusta Commission will adopt the property tax millage rate rollback level to avoid higher property tax revenues, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Most property owners won’t see a property tax increase as the Augusta Commission is poised to adopt the “rollback” millage rate, meaning some homeowners may see a small decrease in city property taxes.

Augusta uses a 1% local option sales tax to offset property taxes. The LOST reduces the tax rate from 15.5 mills by 6.47 mills.

Under the proposed new rate, city taxes on a $100,000 house will decrease by around $25.

Property tax collections aren’t taking a hit from COVID-19, but sales taxes are. Finance Director Donna Williams earlier said as of April, the taxes were down around $2 million over 2019, but the loss was expected to be aided by a rescheduled Masters Tournament in November.

Cornelia city government is moving to a new building, and will have a yard sale, according to AccessWDUN.