Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for July 5, 2023

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.

On July 4, 1776, the United States declared its independence from Great Britain.

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826.

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

On July 4, 1868, the Georgia General Assembly convened for the first time after passage of the Constitution of 1868 with a legislature comprising 186 members, of whom 36 were African-American.

On July 3, 1889, the Georgia General Assembly held its last session at the Kimball Opera House, located at the corner of Marietta and Forsyth Streets in downtown Atlanta before moving into a new Georgia State Capitol. On July 4, 1889, the Georgia State Capitol was dedicated, then housing all three branches of the state government.

Happy birthday to Idaho, which became a state on July 3, 1890.

On July 3, 1913, the Georgia state Senate tabled a motion to allow the Georgia Women’s Suffrage Association to address the chamber.

On July 3, 1970, the Atlanta Pop Festival was held in Byron, Georgia.

Among the artists playing at Byron were the Allman Brothers Band and Jimi Hendrix.

The Clash played their first live show on July 4, 1976 at The Black Swan in Sheffield, England.

Back to the Future was released on July 3, 1985.

On July 3, 1986, President Ronald Reagan reopened the Statue of Liberty after a two-year restoration.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Georgia is now a leader in early voting, according to the AJC.

More Georgia voters cast their ballots in person before Election Day than any other state except Texas during the 2022 midterms, according to a new report from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

Early voting continued to gain popularity in Georgia while absentee voting dropped to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels last year, with 58% of voters participating during the three weeks ahead of Election Day. About 36% of voters went to the polls on Election Day, and 6% returned mail-in ballots.

Georgia guarantees 17 days of in-person early voting before primary and general elections, including 15 weekdays and two Saturdays. County governments also have the option of opening polling places on two Sundays.

Overall, turnout in Georgia declined slightly in November’s election compared with the 2018 midterms, from 54% to 52% of the voting-eligible population participating. But Georgia had the highest turnout in the South and exceeded the nationwide 46% turnout rate.

United States District Judge Reggie Walton dismissed a lawsuit over fines levied by Congress against U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and others, according to the AJC.

Greene joined U.S. Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Ralph Norman of South Carolina in filing a court challenge in July hoping to recoup penalties they faced after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed through new enforcement rules for an existing mask mandate.

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton wrote in a Wednesday ruling that the case had no merit because Pelosi and the staffers who enforced the fines by docking lawmakers pay could not be sued for decisions made in their government capacity.

Walton also disagreed with the plaintiffs’ arguments that the mask fines amounted to an illegal reduction in their annual salary. The 27th Amendment prohibits any law from changing members’ compensation before the next election.

Walton disregarded the claim that the mask fines violated the plaintiffs’ First Amendment protections of free speech, which their lawyers claimed should be invoked because the three lawmakers chose not to wear masks as a form of protest.

Greene, Massie and Norman have filed an appeal.

While Massie and Norman’s protest was limited, Greene continued to show up on the House floor without a mask for the rest of 2021 and into 2022. She eventually accumulated more than $100,000 in fines that were docked from her salary, which is $174,000 a year.

Georgia U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde eventually joined the protest and spent several months refusing to wear a mask on the floor. While he did not join the lawsuit over those fines, he has a separate suit pending for penalties he also faced for refusing to go through metal detectors before casting votes. Those rules were implemented after the U.S. Capitol riot of Jan. 6, 2020.

Last week, Governor Brian Kemp announced new agency heads, according to a Press Release.

Today, Governor Brian P. Kemp announced his appointment of Richard “Rick” Dunn as Director of the Office of Planning and Budget (OPB), effective July 1. Dunn currently serves as Director of the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Environmental Protection Division (EPD).

“I’m grateful for Rick’s continued willingness to serve his fellow Georgians as he returns to OPB, where he made valued contributions as the Deputy Director prior to his current role,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “He is an accomplished public servant who has made state government more efficient and more responsive to the needs of those we’re honored to serve, and I look forward to his continued impact.”

As Dunn takes the helm at OPB, the DNR Board voted today at a called meeting to appoint the governor’s Executive Counsel David Dove as Interim Director of EPD, also effective July 1. The governor approved this interim appointment and is grateful for Dove’s willingness to act in this role while continuing his service as Executive Counsel.

The governor also announced today his appointment of Russel Carlson as Commissioner of the Department of Community Health (DCH), effective August 1. Carlson currently serves as Chief Health Policy Officer for the Department.

“Russel has already benefited hardworking Georgians during his time at DCH and is both an intelligent and capable leader,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “He is the ideal candidate to step into this role at a time when the Department is overseeing major developments in Georgia’s healthcare system. I am confident he will carry these efforts forward with the same professionalism and efficiency he has demonstrated in his previous roles.”

In addition to the above announcements, Governor Kemp approved the DNR Board’s vote at today’s called meeting to appoint Walter Rabon as Interim Commissioner of DNR, effective July 1. He will take on these additional duties while maintaining his current responsibilities as Deputy Commissioner.

“Walter has been a dedicated member of the DNR team for many years,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “I know he will work hard to uphold the agency’s important mission of protecting Georgia’s natural wonders, and I appreciate his continued service.”

The Kemp family is proud to thank OPB Director Kelly Farr, DCH Commissioner Caylee Noggle, and DNR Commissioner Mark Williams for their service to the state as they begin new chapters in already notable careers.

Richard “Rick” Dunn currently serves as Director of the Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division. Previously, he worked as the Deputy Director of OPB, first beginning his tenure there in 2011. He has held multiple leadership roles in various state agencies, including positions with the Department of Human Resources, Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Governor’s Office of Children and Families, and as Chairman of the Georgia Occupational Regulation Review Council. Prior to his career in public service, Dunn taught courses on politics and public policy at Dickinson College and the College of Charleston. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Emory University and a master’s degree from the University of Georgia. Dunn and his wife, Susan, have one son and reside in Atlanta.

David Dove serves as Executive Counsel for the Office of Governor Brian Kemp. He previously served as Chief of Staff and Legal Counsel for then-Secretary of State Brian Kemp. Dove has also worked as an attorney at Robbins Alloy Belinfante Littlefield in Atlanta. Originally from Athens, he remains active on campus at the University of Georgia where he earned his undergraduate and juris doctorate degrees. He and his family live in Marietta, where he served as chairman of the city’s Ethics Committee from 2017-2019. He also represents the State of Georgia as a commissioner on the Uniform Law Commission.

Russel Carlson currently serves as the Chief Health Policy Officer at the Department of Community Health. Previously, he worked as Vice President of Government Relations for the Georgia Health Care Association and was the highest-ranking civilian in the Georgia Department of Defense as the Deputy Adjutant General, providing leadership and oversight for all administrative functions and more than 550 employees. He has held numerous other roles where he led policy, budget, and administrative functions within complex state government organizations. Carlson earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and is a graduate of Leadership Georgia. He and his wife, Anne-Marie, have three children and reside in Madison.

Walter Rabon currently serves as Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Natural Resources. He first began his career with DNR in 1993 as a Conservation Ranger, now referred to as Game Wardens, and worked his way up through the Law Enforcement Division, serving as a Major before stepping into the Deputy Commissioner role. Rabon earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Brenau University and a master’s degree from Columbus State University. He and his wife have three sons and five grandchildren, and they reside in Mansfield, Georgia.

Bulloch County Commissioners approved an FY 2024 budget 22% higher than the current year and requiring a property tax increase, according to the Statesboro Herald.

The Bulloch County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday morning unanimously approved a fiscal year 2024 budget with a $10.9 million, 22% increase in projected general fund revenue, to $59.9 million.

Expenditures are projected at $1 million more than that, $60.9 million, with a $1 million drawdown of fund balance earmarked for acquiring land for future county facilities. This budget funds an 8% raise for the county government’s full-year employees, plus hiring for 34 new jobs. The majority of those new positions will be in public safety, including 11 personnel for the Sheriff’s Department and jail and 13 for the Emergency Medical Service.

Despite inflation of about 13% in property values and some real growth in the digest, this will require an increase in millage rates. The rates haven’t been set yet, but the budget for the fiscal year that begins Saturday came with proposals from County Manager Tom Couch and staff for a 1.75-mill increase in the general fund millage and increases in the fire service district rates.

A 1.75-mill increase on the current 11.35-mill general property tax levy would be a 15.4% rate increase. Atop the 13% property value inflation, this would compound to a roughly 30% increase in tax, a calculation not lost on several of the 11 citizens who spoke criticizing the budget and opposing the tax increases during a June 20 hearing.

“Again, I would just implore y’all as y’all go forward to give us as much information as possible,” said Lawton Sack, chairman of the Bulloch County Republican Party. “If you go back in the past years’ budgets, you’ll see that this budget goes into a lot less detail than previous budgets have.”

Sack said he had been misunderstood at the previous hearing when commissioners Chairman Roy Thompson spoke of Sack and others “insinuating getting rid of all” the commissioners in upcoming elections.

“My point to that was when people get their tax bill, those that have not been informed, those that were not in this room and did not hear the discussions and the questions, when they see that increase, we all know who’s going to take the blame for that,” Sack said.

But his point had been about the need for transparency and timely information and not intended as a threat to anyone, he said.

Bulloch County Commissioners will meet in their renovated boardroom in the North Main Annex, according to the Statesboro Herald.

The commissioners displaced themselves from the annex for eight months during which Lavender & Associates, as construction management contractor, undertook the $1.9 renovation and expansion. Meanwhile, the commissioners and the planning and zoning board held their public meetings first at the Recreation Department’s Honey Bowen Building and – when summer day camps began there – most recently at the Bulloch County Center for Agriculture.

The Floyd County Board of Elections will host a public meeting Thursday to discuss consolidating voting precincts, according to the Rome News Tribune.

The proposal would consolidate a number of precincts as well as have polling locations where both city and county voters cast ballots. It was crafted after looking at demographic changes in Floyd County as well as with an eye to save taxpayer dollars, Elections Supervisor Akyn Trudnak said earlier.

The Floyd County Elections Board will take a vote on the proposed changes on Aug. 1, and the changes, if approved, will be in effect for the November election. Any person wishing to object to the proposed precinct modification must file their objection with the board prior to the Aug. 1 vote.

Russ Quarterman and Williams Collins were sworn in to office on Darien City Council, according to The Brunswick News.

With two swearing-in ceremonies this week, the Darien City Council is finally up to full strength again after working for months with no room to spare for a quorum.

Russ Quarterman took his oath Tuesday, and William Collins took his oath Friday.

Both won special elections to replace council members who died in consecutive winter months.

Because both seats were vacant, both Quarterman and Collins took office immediately after their elections last week were certified. Quarterman defeated Chelia Pinkney in the South Ward race while Morris ran unopposed.

Quarterman has 2½ years left in his term while Collins must run for re-election in November if he wants to remain on the council.