Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for July 7, 2023

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.

On July 6, 1775, Congress issued the “Declaration on the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms” addressed to King George III, stating that they preferred to “to die free men rather than live as slaves.” The document was written by John Dickinson after a draft by Thomas Jefferson.

On July 8, 1776, the bell now known as the Liberty Bell rang in the tower of the Pennsylvania State House, now called Independence Hall, to announce the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Rung to call the Pennsylvania Assembly together and to summon people for special announcements and events, it was also rung on important occasions, such as King George III’s 1761 ascension to the British throne and, in 1765, to call the people together to discuss Parliament’s controversial Stamp Act. With the outbreak of the American Revolution in April 1775, the bell was rung to announce the battles of Lexington and Concord. Its most famous tolling, however, was on July 8, 1776, when it summoned Philadelphia citizens for the first reading of the Declaration of Independence.

The Liberty Bell inscription includes a reference to Leviticus 25:10, “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”

On July 9, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to General George Washington’s troops at the parade grounds in Manhattan.

President Zachary Taylor died of cholera on July 9, 1850 and  Millard Fillmore was sworn in as the 13th President of the United States on July 10, 1850.

The Republican Party was formally organized on July 6, 1854.

The party was born of hostility to slavery.

In February [1854] a gathering in Ripon, Wisconsin, resolved to form a new party and a local lawyer named Alvan E. Bovay suggested the name Republican for its echoes of Thomas Jefferson. In Michigan there were meetings in Kalamazoo, Jackson and Detroit, and after the Act had passed in May, the new party was formally founded in Jackson in July. A leading figure was Austin Blair, a Free Soiler lawyer who was prosecuting attorney of Jackson County. He helped to draft the new party’s platform, was elected to the state senate in Republican colours that year and would become governor of Michigan in 1860.

The first of General William Tecumseh Sherman’s troops, under Major General Schofield, crossed the Chattahoochee River between Powers Ferry and Johnson Ferry on July 8, 1864.

On July 9, 1864, Confederate troops retreated across the Chattahoochee River from Cobb County into Fulton County. Upriver, Sherman’s troops had already crossed and moved toward Atlanta.

On July 6, 1885, Louis Pasteur successfully tested a rabies vaccine on a human subject.

Former United States Senator from Texas Phil Gramm (R) was born on July 8, 1942 in Columbus, Georgia, where his father was stationed at Fort Benning.

Sliced bread was invented on July 7, 1928 at the Chillicothe Baking Company in Chillicothe, Missouri.

On July 7, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act.

On July 8, 1975, President Gerald Ford announced his candidacy for President in the 1976 elections

The first female cadets enrolled at West Point on July 7, 1976.

Sandra Day O’Connor was nominated to the United States Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan on July 7, 1981.

Happy Birthday to George W. Bush, who turned 77 on Thursday.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Emeritus Rosalynn Carter celebrate their 77th wedding anniversary today, according to the Associated Press via the Valdosta Daily Times.

The 39th president is 98 and has been in home hospice care since February. The former first lady is 95 and has dementia. The Carter family has not offered details of either Jimmy or Rosalynn Carter’s condition but has said they both have enjoyed time with each other and a stream of family members, along with occasional visits from close friends, in recent months.

“As we have looked back at their legacy, it has been really wonderful to see the outpouring of support and respect and love,” grandson Jason Carter said recently. “That word love is really the one that defines certainly their personal relationship, but also the way they approach this world.”

For all their common joys, Rosalynn Carter added another component of a successful marriage. “Each should have some space,” she said. “That’s really important.”

Fifteen miles of the Chattahoochee River in Metro Atlanta are closed as the result of elevated e.coli levels, according to Rough Draft Atlanta.

Although 15 miles of the Chattahoochee River remain closed, treatment of wastewater being processed at the Big Creek Water Reclamation Facility has slowly begun to improve.

The plant has met two of seven parameters required under its Georgia Environmental Protection Division permit for compliance, Mark Baucom, a spokesperson for Fulton County said in a release on July 6.

Forty tanker truck loads of healthy microorganisms were transferred to the plant from the Johns Creek Environmental Campus, he said. Evidence of the slow return to compliance was also seen with five of the seven biological basins used in treating sewage showing signs of treatment.

The river remains closed today, July 6, from the Chattahoochee Nature Center south to all downstream sections of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA). E. coli counts remain elevated above the recommended level for safe water recreation, the CRNRA said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

“We are currently diverting approximately 5 million gallons of wastewater to Cobb County’s Sutton Water Reclamation Plant,” the spokesperson said.

Fulton County has reported this incident to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD).

The ongoing sewage spill from has been classified as a major violation of the Clean Water Act that will result in enforcement action, according to the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.

“We notified Fulton County that there was a major sewer spill taking place there at the outfall, which they denied and the response to us was that the plan[t] was operating 100 percent correctly and there were no issues,” he said.

Fulton County subsequently found out the plant was malfunctioning.

“It was not treating any of the sewage coming in and was pouring raw sewage into the Chattahoochee River every single day and they were not aware of the issue,” Ulseth said.

“We’re keeping the river closed until we get water quality data that supports reopening. And we’re working closely with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper to coordinate and monitor and test the water,” CRNRA Acting Superintendent Beth Wheeler said.

The sewage spill is ongoing because the design of the plant uses a biological process for much of the treatment. Bacteria treats the sewage, but all the plant’s bacteria had died. Fulton County is bringing bacteria from other plants to get it restarted, but it cannot be 100 percent operational until all the bacteria have regrown and are established at the plant, which he said takes days to happen.

The county characterized it as a plant malfunction, Ulseth said.

“But it is absolutely a sewer sewage spill because the plant treats over 20 million gallons of raw sewage every day and is not able to treat that sewage at this point,” he said.

“So this spill is a violation of the Clean Water Act. It is a major spill under Georgia law and so they are in violation. We do anticipate enforcement action coming from the state following the spill,” he said.

“We closed 15 miles of river starting at Chattahoochee Nature Center, all downstream sections, which are closer to Atlanta and very popular. But we did keep 30 miles of river open, everything north of this spill, which is from Buford Dam all the way down to the Azalea Park access point in Roswell,” Wheeler said.

Ulseth said the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper is a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization that’s dedicated to protecting the Chattahoochee River from Helen all the way down to Florida to secure enough clean water for generations.

The stretch of the Chattahoochee between Powers Island / Cochran Shoals and Paces Mill is what I consider my home stretch of water, and I’ve spent plenty of time in and out of boats along there. But not this weekend.

Former State Senator Josh McKoon, now serving as Chair of the Georgia Republican Party, spoke to the Ledger-Enquirer.

When fellow Georgia Republicans elected him last month, Josh McKoon became the first state GOP chairman from the Columbus area, tasked with uniting a party divided by polarizing opinions about their leading presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump.

What’s your reaction to being elected Georgia GOP chairman?

“I feel really honored by the fact that we had three people running for chairman that ran strong campaigns. The fact that I was able to get a majority (54%) of the convention behind me on the first ballot was very gratifying.”

“A lot of people talk about there being various factions in the Republican Party. Of course, there are factions in the Democratic Party as well. But I think it demonstrates I was able to get support from all quarters of the Republican Party.”

Understanding the governor, secretary of state and other top Republican statewide officers didn’t attend this year’s Georgia GOP convention, where Trump spoke, how do you go about reconciling differences in the party and uniting it to win in 2024?

“I have a relationship with Gov. Kemp that goes back to when he ran for agriculture commissioner in 2006 and have always enjoyed a good relationship with him. We have been in communication since the convention. Gov. Kemp has always been a loyal Republican, a friend of the Georgia Republican Party. …”

Speaking of GOP in-fighting, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Extreme Northwest Georgia) was kicked out of the Freedom Caucus, according to the AJC.

“The GOP has less than two years to show America what a strong, unified Republican-led Congress will do when President Trump wins the White House in 2024,” she said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “This is my focus, nothing else.”

Politico first reported that shortly before members of the House left for a two-week recess in late June a vote was taken during a meeting of the House Freedom Caucus on Greene’s status with the group. On Thursday, Politico confirmed that she had been removed from the rolls, marking the first time a member has ever been tossed from the far-right caucus.

“A vote was taken to remove Marjorie Taylor Greene from the House Freedom Caucus for some of the things she’s done,” Freedom Caucus board member Andy Harris, a Maryland Republican, told Politico. Later, when asked if Greene had been kicked out, he said: “As far as I know, that is the way it is.”

Although Greene is well known for past incendiary remarks about other groups, a recent dust-up with U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert that included Greene calling Boebert an obscenity was apparently the cause of the far-right caucus’ ire, along with Greene’s close alliance with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The AJC notes that it’s the time of year when state legislators and regulators flock to the beaches.

The coast of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina turns into the state Capitol east this time of year, as the summer beach resort conference season — paid for by lobby groups — kicks into high gear.

Lawmakers are hosted typically to speak to business groups. mingle and maybe pick up a “legislator of the year award.” Sometimes they play golf with lobbyists or hit the beach with their families. Some find it educational, while to others, it’s just part of their $22,000-a-year part-time job.

Disclosures reviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show that in June, the insurance agents’ lobby paid for state officials to attend their annual conference at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort on Amelia Island, Fla. The optometrists’ lobby hosted officials at the Wild Dunes Resort at Isle of Palms, SC.; the state bar’s lobby picked up the tab for their stay at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa; and the new car dealers association paid for officials to stay at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Ponte Vedra, Fla.

None of those events compare in size to the Georgia Chamber of Commerce annual get-together at the King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort on St Simons Island. No business lobby hosts more lawmakers and state officials, and nobody spends more on lawmakers during the summer convention season.

Lobbyists’ reports show the chamber paid for more than two-dozen lawmakers or statewide elected officials to attend the event, at a cost of just under $22,000. That’s down slightly from the $25,000 spent last year.

Something to note: most of these will be trips to organizations’ annual conferences, and the locations chosen first and foremost to attract members of the organization. The late Mrs. GaPundit worked for a group that lobbied on behalf of dentists. I don’t know if y’all know any dentists, but as a profession, dentists take the absolute best vacations. If you want those folks to close their office for a few days and attend board meetings and professional continuing education classes, you’re going to want to be somewhere like a beautiful white-sand beach in Florida that will also accommodate their spouses and kids. And I can attest that offering tee times at a great golf course is a sure way to bring, say, corporate executives or car dealership owners to your event.

If a statewide association’s members would show up to meet in a tent in the parking lot of Buc-ees in Warner Robins, we’d all be eating beaver nuggets and brisket, but that’s probably not going to work very well.

Congratulations and condolences to Public Service Commissioner Jason Shaw (R-Lakeland), who was elected Commission Chair by his colleagues, according to the AJC.

The Georgia Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, elected on Thursday Commissioner Jason Shaw as its incoming chairman effective July 22.

Shaw, who represents South Georgia (District 1) on the commission, will serve a two-year term as chair.

He noted several tough issues before regulators, including overseeing the completion of Georgia Power’s new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle, which are years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.

“This one is obviously a big one in terms of the dollar amount — it’s astronomical,” Shaw said. “It’s not as simple as just looking at the cost overruns; if we’re able to prove that certain costs were not prudent, then we’ve got to go back and look at replacing what was spent on that” by clawing back money from Georgia Power and using it to lower rates.

“We’re seeing unprecedented increases in energy costs across this country and it’s something that’s not always pleasant to deal with,” Shaw said. “We make decisions based on what is presented before us and what is on the record and what we think that we can win in any appeal.”

Last year’s PSC elections were cancelled pending the outcome of a lawsuit, currently before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, alleging that holding statewide elections for geographic district seats discriminated against Black voters.

Georgia’s peach farmers are looking for help in the face of a catastrophic crop failure, according to the Macon Telegraph.

The USDA’s recent declaration that the spring freezes amounted to a natural disaster unlocked some relief in the form of disaster assistance loans for farmers. But this is a short-term remedy, only applicable to this year’s losses — and scientists say the factors that caused the crop failure, which include steadily increasing winter temperatures caused by climate change, are only going to get worse.

Some farmers and agribusiness advocates see an opportunity for longer-term help in the upcoming Farm Bill, a wide-ranging package of Congressional agricultural legislation that is up for its periodic five-year renewal this fall.

Meanwhile, the state’s agricultural leaders are continuously pursuing research into more resilient peach varieties as well as technologies to help produce withstand the changing weather conditions — but say more funding is needed.

Will Bentley, president of the Macon-based Georgia Agribusiness Council, told the Telegraph that crop insurance, in its current form, is an inadequate solution to the woes of those who grow specialty crops like peaches.

In May, Bentley traveled to D.C. with a delegation of Georgia elected officials including Rep. Dickey and Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper to lobby for reforms in this year’s Farm Bill that would assist the state’s farmers.

“What we were in Washington D.C. a few weeks ago advocating for was to include specialty crops in the upcoming Farm Bill,” he told the Telegraph.

Bentley said the need for better crop insurance is a recent development caused by the declining profitability of fruits and vegetables. “In years past, most fruit and vegetables had enough margin in them that they didn’t need to have any type of protection in the Farm Bill,” he said.

“For peaches, what they do is they take the production average of the last five years, and then that’s the main calculation that they use to formulate what your insurance will cover,” Dickey said. “So if you had several bad years in a row, now, the value of what you have insured has gone down — and especially, let’s say you have a natural disaster. In the last five or six years, we’ve had two hurricanes.”

Rep. Robert Dickey said research is underway into developing later-blooming and more cold-hardy peach varieties to withstand the spring frosts partially responsible for the recent crop losses.

In his role in the state House’s leadership, Dickey said he had sought funding for research into peach farming solutions.

“I had some money in our budget this year and the governor took it out,” he said. “So I’m still trying to convince our legislature to try to invest with some research for that. [It’s] very vital to a lot of our crops. The UGA does a lot of research work on other commodities, and we just need a little bit more on peaches.”

I’ve got a bunch of Mr. Dickey’s peaches on my countertop right now, from the Brookhaven Farmers Market.

The Glynn County Board of Elections is seeking feedback on a proposed new voting precincts map, but receiving little, according to The Brunswick News.

A public comment period is ongoing until July 30 for what Glynn County elections officials describe as “substantial changes” in polling place locations and voting districts.

After they are adopted, the proposed changes will impact at least 20,000 mainland voters, but nobody from the mainland has commented so far during the ongoing 45-day public comment period, elections officials said.

One of the big changes is voting will no longer take place in public schools for security and safety reasons.

The city of Brunswick, St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island voters are not affected by the changes.

[Glynn County Elections Assistant Director Christina] Redden predicted the 2024 primaries and presidential elections could generate the largest voter turnout ever.

“We encourage you to early vote,” Redden said. “If you vote on Election Day, you must vote at your poll location. We want you to be aware these changes may affect you.”

Bulloch County Commissioners met in their expanded boardroom for the first time, according to the Statesboro Herald.

Bulloch County’s elected commissioners showed up an hour early for a rehearsal in the use of new audiovisual equipment in their expanded North Main Annex boardroom before the public arrived for the 5:30 p.m. July 5 meeting.

Not everything planned for the $2 million renovation of the “annex” – as the entire county administrative office complex on Statesboro’s North Main Street is called – has been completed. The remainder of the project could take “into the fall or before the holidays,” said County Manager Tom Couch.

“It’s definitely a big improvement,” said commissioners Chairman Roy Thompson. “This makes it easier for us to communicate, I think, and you feel more professional in a room like this. … It has been needed for quite some time, and I hope the citizens understand this is not for us, it’s for them, so they can all fit in this room and feel a part of the meeting.”

Hinesville City Council is considering raising the Hotel-Motel tax, according to WTOC.

Hinesville City officials say raising the hotel-motel tax would help visitors pay for priorities in the city that includes things like building a new convention center.

Visitors to Hinesville could soon be paying a tax on their hotel rooms that’s 3% more than it is currently.

Hinesville City Council is eyeing raising the rate from 5% to 8%.

If City Council votes to pass the increase, half of the additional funds would go toward promotions to bring in tourists, conventions, and trade shows. The other half would go toward building tourism infrastructure, like a new convention center.

“Specifically for Liberty County, we’ve been really needing to build an event center. All the municipalities in the county have spoken about how much we need an event center.”

The Troup County NAACP seeks the resignation or removal of Troup County Schools Superintendent Brian Shumate, according to WTVM.

Their argument includes the district’s lowest testing scores for public schools in Georgia.

They also claim “horrible discipline practices which negativity impact students of color.”

The message for removing Superintendent Brian Shumate is directed toward Governor Brian Kemp.

Rents are rising in Columbus, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

The market rate for rent in Columbus reported by Zillow has risen significantly since 2020 with stakeholders pointing to inflation, property taxes and a limited supply of housing as the main causes.

Rent in the city rose about $100 between January 2016 and January 2020. However, between January 2020 and January 2023 it rose another $300 to about $1,120.

In all, the market rate rent jumped 55% from January 2016 to January 2023. The median household income in Muscogee County increased about 28% between 2016 and 2021, according to data from the Federal Reserve.

The increase of the market rate rent in Columbus slightly outpaced the nation, which increased about 47% during the same period. Other cities across Georgia saw similar increases including Macon, Albany and Augusta.

A limited housing inventory remains a primary reason for rents spiking, said Shep Mullin, a broker at Century 21 Premier Real Estate in Columbus.

Finding a rental becomes even more difficult if individuals are searching for affordable housing they can use with a voucher program, said John Casteel, chief assistant housing officer at the Housing Authority of Columbus, Georgia.

Programs require recipients’ rent to not rise above a certain threshold, Casteel said, and finding rent that low, typically under $1,000 a month, can be difficult.

“They can’t find housing,” he said. “And after six months that voucher disappears and that person’s lost their opportunity to use that voucher because they haven’t been able to find anything.”

The waiting list for public housing in Columbus hovers around 3,000, currently, Casteel said. A new mixed-income housing development, The Banks at Mill Village, opened earlier this year with 102 units.

Today, the Housing Authority development has one unit available, and thousands are on the waiting list, Casteel said.

The amount of taxes owed for his properties increasing can impact increases in rent, Robinson said.

Columbus residents and landlords have found that their property values may have significantly increased this year leading to higher tax bills.

Another problem landlords are facing is higher costs for maintenance and insurance, Robinson said. Increased demand in the global economy beginning in 2021 led to conditions that raised prices, but not wages, according to a report by the Brookings Institution.

“I had to replace an air conditioner,” Robinson said. “I used to pay about $6,500 for a system. That thing went up to $9,200 for the same thing.”

Compounding the rising taxes and maintenance costs, is insurance. Robinson said he has about four homes on one insurance policy that increased about 18% in the last year. Property insurance pricing in the United States increased 17% in the first quarter of 2023, according to the Marsh Global Insurance Market Index. This comes after the pricing rose 11% in the fourth quarter of 2022.

“Everything’s gone up,” Mullin said. “My taxes are up 20%. My insurance is up 20%. Repairs are up to hire somebody. Inflation affected rentals, sales and food costs.”

Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Mike Register is leaving the agency to serve as Cobb County’s Public Safety Director, according to Atlanta News First via WRDW.

Register is familiar with the position. He held the job back in 2019 and served as the Cobb Police Chief for two years before that.

“To go back home, where I’ve given a lot of my adult life, it’s an incredible opportunity and honor to finish my career out there,” said Register.

Register will stay on through the summer. His replacement has not been named.

“I hope the person who replaces me cares about the agency and not just about the position and the title,” said Register.

Register feels the need for police reform and training is critical. He advocated for the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

“We protect your right to protest, but when your activities and behaviors become cruel then we are also there to protect the public,” said Register.

Cave Spring City Council is transitioning to a City Manager form of local government, according to the Rome News Tribune.

The Cave Spring City Council is set to vote on an ordinance regarding the transition to a city manager form of government during their next regular meeting on July 11.

Local legislation passed during the last session of the Georgia General Assembly and then signed by Gov. Brian Kemp changes the Cave Spring City Charter, allowing for the hiring of a city manager.

According to Mayor Rob Ware, a transition ordinance is being drafted by City Attorney Frank Beacham.

The Columbia County Board of Education is considering adopting a millage rate to fund their FY 2024 budget, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Right now the millage rate is set to 17.35, and if it were to stay the same, homeowners will be paying more than the past year.

This is based on property values in Columbia County being on the rise. Higher values mean higher property taxes which means that even if the millage rate stays the same, taxes still increase.

“Property taxes are 40 percent of the district’s general fund revenue budget and about 90 percent of that of that revenue goes to fund salaries and benefits for our employees,” said Alex Casado, Chief Financial Officer for the district.

He says that any increase in taxes will all go to a budget that’s looking to adapt to the needs of a growing county, raises, adding new staff, materials, and more.

Right now, no change has been made, but if it were to stay the same “a taxpayer with a home valued at $200,000 can expect their taxes for all of next year at the same millage rate to increase about $151 over the course of next year, which comes to about $12.58 a month,” said Casado.

That would be around a 12 percent increase in property taxes from last year.

Lawrenceville Mayor David Still announced he is running for reelection, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

“After much prayer and consideration, with the support of my wife, family and friends, I have decided to run for Mayor again in order to continue the pursuit of building a live-work-play community and making Lawrenceville the art hub of Gwinnett County,” Still said. “Working with my peers on the Council and in the community, I look forward to completing several more transformational projects in our city.”

Still was first elected mayor in 2019 without facing opposition after spending four years on the City Council. He served in various volunteer positions in the city before he became an elected official, including serving on the Lawrenceville Tourism and Trade Association and the Lawrenceville Downtown Development Authority.

The mayor told the Daily Post that the No. 1 issue for him is to ensure Lawrenceville has “balanced housing” which will meet the needs of residents across all socioeconomic groups. He said the poverty rate in Lawrenceville is 20% while the average across Gwinnett County as a whole is around 9%.

On the jobs front, Still said the expansion of Northside Hospital Gwinnett in the city is helping to bring in some high-paying jobs — Northside is in the process of finishing up and gradually moving into a new medical office building at the hospital and is also building a new tower that will make the hospital the largest campus in the Northside system — but there is still work to be done.

Ocilla Mayor Horace Hudgins has died, according to WALB.

Mayor Horace Hudgins, who was most recently elected in 2021, died on Wednesday night around 9:10 p.m. from a heart attack, according to the city of Ocilla.

Hudgins also served as mayor from 2014 through 2015 before resigning to make an unsuccessful run for Georgia House of Representatives District 155.

He served as a city councilman from 1990 through 1999.