On June 23, 903 AD, the Icelandic Parliament, the Althing or Althingi, was established and is the world’s oldest.
In honor of the Icelandic Parliament, here’s the greatest Icelandic band ever, the Sugarcubes, playing at Auburn in 1988.
On June 22, 1633, Galileo Galilei recanted his published theory that stated the sun was the center of the world and the earth was not.
On June 20, 1732, the signing of the Georgia Charter was completed by the British government.
Georgia’s Trustees voted on June 22, 1737 to seek bids for building churches at Savannah and Frederica.
Georgia’s Royal Colony Seal was approved on June 21, 1754.
Georgia Whigs voted on June 22, 1775 to join a boycott against British goods. That same day, the Continental Congress approved the issuance of $2 million in debt-backed currency.
Off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, British Commodore Sir Peter Parker spent June 23, 1776 preparing to land the next day, charged with supporting loyalists to the British crown.
On June 20, 1782, Congress adopted the Great Seal of the United States. Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, was responsible for the final design presented to Congress. The design approved by Congress was a written description without any sketches.
The Constitution of the United States of America was ratified on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify.
On September 17, 1787, after three months of debate moderated by convention president George Washington, the new U.S. constitution, which created a strong federal government with an intricate system of checks and balances, was signed by 38 of the 41 delegates present at the conclusion of the convention. As dictated by Article VII, the document would not become binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 states.
Beginning on December 7, five states–Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut–ratified it in quick succession. However, other states, especially Massachusetts, opposed the document, as it failed to reserve undelegated powers to the states and lacked constitutional protection of basic political rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. In February 1788, a compromise was reached under which Massachusetts and other states would agree to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would be immediately proposed. The Constitution was thus narrowly ratified in Massachusetts, followed by Maryland and South Carolina. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789. In June, Virginia ratified the Constitution, followed by New York in July.
On June 20, 1819, the SS Savannah entered the port at Liverpool, England, marking the first transatlantic crossing by a steam-powered ship, having sailed out of Savannah on May 20th.
On June 23, 1819, Texas declared its independence from Spain.
The Georgia Whig Party held its first convention on June 19, 1843 in Milledgeville and elected ten delegates to the 1844 National Convention.
The donut was invented on June 22, 1847.
The first Republican National Convention, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ended on June 19, 1856.
The Republicans, who called for the abolition of slavery in all U.S. territories, rapidly gained supporters in the North, and in 1856 their first presidential candidate, John Fremont, won 11 of the 16 Northern states. By 1860, the majority of Southern states were publicly threatening secession if a Republican won the presidency.
The Civil War firmly identified the Republican Party as the official party of the victorious North. After the war, the Republican-dominated Congress forced a radical Reconstruction policy on the South, which saw the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, abolishing slavery and granting voting rights to African American men in the South. By 1876, the Republican Party had lost control of the South, but it continued to dominate the presidency, with a few intermissions, until the ascendance of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933.
On June 23, 1862, General Robert E. Lee met with his commanders in preparation for what would be known as the Seven Days’ Battles.
On June 19, 1864, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston retreated from Pine Mountain and Lost Mountain toward Marietta. Click here to watch a two-minute video by Georgia Public Broadcasting and the Atlanta History Center about this week in Georgia in 1864.
On the same day, USS Kearsarge sank CSS Alabama off the coast of Cherbourg, France.
Shortly after the battle between CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge, Edouard Manet painted the scene from newspaper accounts. The painting hangs in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where I viewed it several years ago. Another painting of Kearsarge is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Built in an English shipyard and sold to the Confederates in 1861, the Alabama was a state-of-the-art ship—220 feet long, with a speed of up to 13 knots. The cruiser was equipped with a machine shop and could carry enough coal to steam for 18 days, but its sails could greatly extend that time. Under its captain, Raphael Semmes, the Alabama prowled the world for three years, capturing U.S. commercial ships. It sailed around the globe, usually working out of the West Indies, but taking prizes and bungling Union shipping in the Caribbean, off Newfoundland, and around the coast of South America. In January 1863, Semmes sunk a Union warship, the Hatteras, after luring it out of Galveston, Texas. The Union navy spent an enormous amount of time and effort trying to track down the Alabama.
The ship sailed around South America, across the Pacific, and docked in India in 1864. By the summer, Semmes realized that after three years and 75,000 miles his vessel needed overhauling in a modern shipyard. He sailed around Africa to France, where the French denied him access to a dry dock. Semmes moved out of Cherbourg Harbor and found the USS Kearsarge waiting. In a spectacular battle, the Kearsarge bested and sank the Alabama. During its career, the Alabama captured 66 ships and was hunted by more than 20 Federal warships.
General Robert E. Lee moved on Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant at Petersburg, Virginia on June 20, 1864.
The Battle of Kolb’s Farm was fought near Marietta, Georgia on June 22, 1864.
On June 19, 1865, U.S. Soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news of the emancipation of African slaves. “Juneteenth” commemorates this.
Some historians blame the lapse in time on poor communication in that era, while others believe Texan slave-owners purposely withheld the information.
Upon arrival and leading the Union soldiers, Major Gen. Gordon Granger announced General Order No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”
For many African Americans, June 19 is considered an independence day. Before 2021, nearly all 50 states recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday. On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed legislation officially declaring it a federal holiday.
On June 23, 1865, Georgia-born Cherokee Stand Watie became the last Confederate general to surrender.
The United States Department of Justice was established on June 22, 1870.
On June 23, 1888, Frederick Douglass became the first African-American nominated for President, receiving one vote from Kentucky at the Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
Judson Lyons, the first black lawyer in Georgia, died on June 22, 1924, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
On June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the G.I. Bill.
A lynch mob including members of the KKK killed three young civil rights activists who were trying to register African-Americans to vote near Meridian, Mississippi on June 21, 1964.
When Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney, a young black man, were coming back from a trip to Philadelphia, Mississippi, deputy sheriff Cecil Price, who was also a Klan member, pulled them over for speeding. He then held them in custody while other KKK members prepared for their murder. Eventually released, the three activists were later chased down in their car and cornered in a secluded spot in the woods where they were shot and then buried in graves that had been prepared in advance.
When news of their disappearance got out, the FBI converged on Mississippi to investigate. With the help of an informant, agents learned about the Klan’s involvement and found the bodies. Since Mississippi refused to prosecute the assailants in state court, the federal government charged 18 men with conspiracy to violate the civil rights of Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney.
On June 22, 1970, President Richard M. Nixon signed a law extending the 26th Amendment Right to Vote at age 18 to all federal, state, and local elections.
Jaws was released on June 20, 1975.
John W. Hinckley, Jr. was acquitted of attempted murder of President Ronald Reagan and others in the Presidential party by reason on insanity on June 21, 1982.
Former Atlanta mayor Maynard H. Jackson, Jr. died on June 23, 2003.
Voters in Sandy Springs approved the new city’s incorporation on June 21, 2005.
Happy birthday on Thursday to Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas (1948) and the late Mrs. GaPundit.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson was arrested across the street from my church. From 11Alive via 13WMAZ:
A metro Atlanta judge is facing multiple charges after being arrested at a Buckhead nightclub early Thursday morning.
Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson is charged with felony willful obstruction of a police officer by using threats or violence and simple battery against a police officer, according to Fulton County Jail records.
Atlanta Police said that the arrest occurred after a 911 call to a business at 3179 Peachtree Road NE, which is the address of Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge.
Warrants from the Fulton County Magistrate Court stated that Peterson allegedly “struck an officer with a closed fist.” The court documents also revealed that the officer was investigating a dispute between two people at the Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge.
Warrants stated that Peterson was not involved in the initial altercation.
But Peterson’s attorney, Marvin Arrington Jr, said the arrest and charges weren’t justified because Peterson was trying to help a woman who was being attacked by a man.
“The judge did nothing more than try to help. The fiancé of the judge’s friend and another person are all eyewitnesses that will confirm what both the young lady who was being assaulted said and what her friend said, that the judge had nothing to do and they let the young man who was assaulting the lady go” Arrington Jr. said.
Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson says her arrest at a Buckhead nightclub early Thursday was “a setup” and that she was only trying to help a woman who was being attacked.
Peterson, 38, is charged with battery and felony obstruction in relation to the incident, which occurred at the Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge on Peachtree Road shortly after 3 a.m., records show.
Arrest warrants state that Peterson approached a male police officer and struck him “with a closed fist” and that the incident was captured on the officer’s body camera.
“This was a setup,” Peterson said on Instagram after being released from the Fulton County Jail on a $5,000 bond Thursday afternoon. “Officer initially claimed he was charging me with disorderly conduct, all for trying to help a woman who was being attacked by men then took me to jail and I find out I’m being charged with a felony now.”
The judge said the officer “slammed me to the ground for helping this woman but let the attacker get away.”
“Here I sit with bruises, black eye, swollen knee, and a felony charge because the Officer, security, and men there chose not to help this victim and instead find a way to charge me with a crime,” Peterson said. “Where is the protect and serve? Wow. They will stop at nothing to tarnish my character. God help us! We need justice.”
Peterson is the subject of a yearslong judicial misconduct investigation, in which she faces 30 charges of violating the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct. The Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission recommended in late March that she be removed from office. The Georgia Supreme Court has yet to decide whether or how Peterson should be punished.
Peterson, who was elected to the bench unopposed in 2020, lost the Democratic primary in May. Her successor will be Douglasville attorney Valerie Vie, who does not face a Republican challenger in the November general election.
Peterson, a University of Georgia School of Law graduate who practiced as an attorney for several years before taking the bench, was accused by the JQC of inappropriate social media posts, unnecessarily jailing and fining a woman who sought to amend her marriage license and letting wedding participants into Douglas County’s courthouse after hours without permission. She was also abusive toward a fellow judge and other county officials, obstructed access to public records and had improper contact with a litigant, among other things, the JQC alleged.
Commission members claimed Peterson solicited money for her birthday and promoted events at Atlanta bars in connection with her 2020 election bid, and that she mocked several attendees at a 2022 meeting of her homeowners association, where she lobbed “petty and sarcastic retorts” while inappropriately trying to influence a pending lawsuit that she had filed against the association and its directors.
“And so she must go,” a JQC panel said in its March 31 report to the state Supreme Court, citing Peterson’s “systemic incompetence.”
Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard was indicted on 11 counts of theft by taking and 13 counts of false statements and writings, according to the Albany Herald.
On several occasions from July 2018 through September 2022, the defendant is alleged to have unlawfully acquired funds from Hall County and the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia to cover personal and unrelated expenses. The indictment also contains a number of travel expenditures for which the defendant is alleged to have obtained reimbursement for expenses she had previously submitted to PAC or had never actually incurred. To support these purchases, the defendant is alleged to have made false statements and falsified documents, including receipts.
“Those elected to uphold the law must operate honestly, ethically and transparently; anything less undermines our system,” Carr said. “Theft of taxpayer dollars and falsifying documents to cover up that theft are entirely unacceptable. As with any case brought by our Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Unit, we follow the facts and evidence to ensure justice for the people of Georgia.”
“As a public official, Hall County citizens trusted Solicitor Stephanie Woodard with their community’s interests,” GBI Director Chris Hosey said. “This indictment illustrates that no one is above the law and must be held accountable for their actions. Working with our law enforcement partners, the GBI remains committed to following the facts and bringing to light evidence in public corruption investigations.”
The Attorney General’s Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Unit presented evidence to a Hall County Grand Jury, which returned an indictment against Woodard.
Prosecutors with the Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Unit, among others, have previously secured convictions against former Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Mark Preston Jones, former Paulding County District Attorney Donald Richard “Dick” Donovan, and former Pickens County Chief Magistrate Court Judge William “Allen” Wigington.
Indictments contain only allegations against the individual against whom the indictment is sought. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and it will be the government’s burden at trial to prove the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the allegations contained in the indictment.
Court documents show that Woodard was indicted on the charges in by a grand jury in Hall County Superior Court. The charges allege that Woodard stole over $4,000 from the county over a four-year span from August of 2018 through September of 2022.
The charges indicate that Woodard made numerous false statements about travel expenses and reimbursements, with those statements accounting for most of the alleged thefts. Also included in the charges are allegations that Woodard stole $1,430 from Hall County, claiming the money was going towards testing services.
Woodard’s attorney Marissa Goldberg of Findling Law Firm released a statement Tuesday.
“Ms. Woodard has been a dedicated public servant for the past 16 years, as the elected Solicitor General on behalf of the people of Hall County. She has been deeply committed to the plight of victims, particularly those in domestic violence situations, and has been focused on the recovery and stability for citizens and families, including defendants under her purview. The decision by the Attorney General’s Office to institute charges against her in this absurd indictment is unfathomable and a waste of court time and taxpayer dollars. She absolutely committed no crime, but yet she has been viciously pursued by the GBI for years. They have harassed her family, including her children, during which time the agents were aware of ongoing severe health issues that they were facing. We do not say this lightly- the misguided Attorney General’s Office is utterly and provably wrong here.”
Woodard previously had her campaign disclosures subpoenaed following her most recent re-election in 2022. Investigators reportedly found that Woodard did not file her personal finance disclosure statement by the required deadline as well as failing to file her campaign contribution disclosure report, both in the 2022 campaign cycle.
There are only two organizations from whom it might be a worse idea to steal than the Prosecuting Attorneys Council – the Sheriffs retirement fund and the judicial retirement fund.
The Houston County Board of Elections reversed their earlier decision to disqualify Board of Education District 7 candidate Clyde Jackson, according to the Macon Telegraph.
The reversal came just two days after the board disqualified District 7 candidate Clyde Jackson based on his wife’s employment with the Houston County Board of Education. He is a retired teacher and coach.
The board voted 3-1 to keep Jackson on the ballot in the June runoff. Board member Andrew Bennett cast the dissenting vote.
“It’s the way it’s supposed to have been in the first place,” Jackson said after the reversal. “How can you ring a bell and then unring it? You can’t unring a bell.”
The disqualification was based on state law Section 20-2-51 (4)(a) that states in part:
“No person who has an immediate family member sitting on a local board of education or serving as the local school superintendent or as a principal, assistant principal, or system administrative staff in the local school system shall be eligible to serve as a member of such local board of education.”
Jackson’s wife, Traci, who retired from the Houston County school system, currently serves in a part-time position as a coordinator for district and school effectiveness. She is a former principal and educator.
She told The Telegraph before the start of Thursday’s emergency meeting that her role is not an administrative position and that she works less than 20 hours a week.
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce announced their 2024 Legislators of the Year, according to the Albany Herald.
This year’s recipients are Sen. Matt Brass (Newnan), Rep. Shaw Blackmon (Bonaire), and Rep. Deborah Silcox (Sandy Springs), respectively.
These awards are given to those elected officials who focus their legislative efforts on enacting policies that promote economic development and job creation throughout the state. These legislators are voted on by the Executive Committee of the Georgia Chamber’s Government Affairs Council, the body that both determines the organization’s legislative agenda and directs the positions the organization takes on specific legislation.
“Throughout my tenure in the state Senate, maintaining a strong relationship with the Georgia Chamber and the statewide business community has been a high priority,” Brass said. “I’m honored to receive this esteemed award from an organization that understands the unique relationship that business and government must maintain to ensure our continued successes for our job creators, work force, and families alike.”
“It’s quite humbling to be recognized as the House Legislator of the Year by the Georgia Chamber,” Blackmon said. “It is crucial that we continue to foster a pro-business environment for employers as the driving force of Georgia’s economy. I look forward to continuing our work with the Georgia Chamber to enact smart and flexible policies that will continue our trajectory as the best place to live, work, and raise a family.”
“I’m proud to be a pro-business, pro-jobs legislator, and I’m honored by this recognition,” Silcox said. “My priority will remain keeping our economy running by ensuring Georgia businesses prosper and economic opportunities are afforded to all Georgians. I look forward to the continued partnership with the chamber and the business community to keep Georgia the No. 1 state in which to do business for years to come.”
Beth Darnell was appointed Rabun County Sheriff on an interim basis after Sheriff Chad Nichols was suspended from office, according to AccessWDUN.
Beth Darnell was appointed to fill the role of Rabun County Sheriff Monday following the arrest and subsequent suspension of Sheriff Chad Nichols.
Darnell, who has worked with the sheriff’s office since 2010 and also serves as jail administrator for the county, said sheriff was a role she did not expect to find herself in at this point in her career.
“It was a surprise receiving the news of the arrest,” Darnell said Wednesday. “Fortunately for me, I do have great support with our community here in Rabun County. I’ve received a lot of messages and love and prayers.”
Darnell was officially appointed as sheriff by Rabun County Superior Court Judge Russell Smith. She will fill the role for 60 to 90 days amid Governor Brian Kemp’s suspension of Nichols, who was arrested on charges including sexual battery and public indecency. No other details on Nichols’ allegations have been made public.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is working in Pineview after the Mayor was indicted, according to 13WMAZ.
While the GBI will not comment on why they were there, Pineview has been in the spotlight after its own mayor, Brandon Holt, was indicted on 75 counts of theft for allegedly stealing from the city.
All told, court records, arrest warrants and statements from local law enforcement accuse the mayor of stealing nearly $65,000 from the town. That accounts for nearly $142 per resident.
Holt was indicted back on March 11, and his indictment offers a glimpse at how Holt allegedly siphoned thousands of dollars from the city through the mobile payment app CashApp. Each of the 75 counts represents a specific CashApp transaction over nearly four months.
Holt was removed from office in April after a panel of three mayors appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp found the charges prevented Holt from fulfilling his duties as mayor.
Interesting statistic: Governor Brian Kemp signed more than 700 bills after this year’s session, according to 13WMAZ.
After a busy legislative session, there are many new laws going into effect on July 1, and some of them could directly impact you or your community.
Within 40 days of the legislative session ending, Gov. Brian Kemp signed 709 bills into law. From new laws against telemarketers, a new budget that provides raises to teachers and new criminal laws, plenty of new rules and regulations will soon be the law of the land.
Baldwin County will now receive a board of elections while its board of commissioners will now have staggered terms.
The Houston County judicial circuit will receive a fourth judge.
The Dooly County Board of Education’s board members have received an update to their pay. They’ll now receive $200 while they serve on the board and any expenses the board members receive while traveling for official business will be comped.
The legislature gave Telfair County homeowners the ability to claim a new homestead exemption. While there are some requirements, that bill essentially offers a tax break from taxes leveled by the local school district.
Finally, the city of Milledgeville will now have a Public Facilities Authority thanks to the Milledgeville Public Facilities Authority Act.
The state income tax is also being lowered. The 5.39% state tax will begin to lower 0.10% annually at the start of Jan. 1, 2025 until it reaches 4.99%.
Alongside the 709 bills signed, a new budget was approved. It will, like the newly signed laws, also begin on July 1, 2024 and will end on June 30, 2025.
Tuwanda Rush Williams was elected Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge after finishing second in the General Primary on May 21, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Tuwanda Rush Williams defeated defeated Magistrate Judge Regina Matthews in the runoff to replace retiring Judge Karen Beyers on Tuesday, according to unofficial results.
Williams received 8,924 votes, or 53.1% of all votes cast, compared to 7,883 votes for Matthews.
Williams will be one of two new Superior Court judges who take office in January. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Gallant defeated Juvenile Court Judge Rodney Harris last month to replace retiring Superior Court Judge Ronnie Batchelor.
The two vacancies were the only contested Superior Court races in Gwinnett this year. State Court Judge Shawn Bratton had the only other contested judicial race, which resulted in Bratton’s re-election.
Since judicial races are nonpartisan elections, there will be no further voting to be done this year for these seats.
Gwinnett County Board of Education District 1 incumbent Karen Watkins was beaten at the ballot box, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Rachel Stone edged Watkins by 16 votes in the runoff for the school board District 1 race, according to unofficial results. Stone received 1,867 votes, or 50.23% of the votes cast, while Watkins received 1,850 votes, which is 49.77%.
Under Georgia law, a losing candidate is entitled to a recount — if they request one — when the vote gap between them and the other candidate is less than half a percent. The difference between Stone and Watkins is within that range.
Wednesday is a federal, state and county holiday, but elections officials are expected to be at work anyway handling any provisional ballots — and waiting to see what Watkins decides to do.
Meanwhile, in the District 3 school board runoff, Steve Gasper won with a sizable lead over Shana V. White. Gasper received 4,077 votes, or 60.81% of the votes cast, while White received 2,628 votes.
District 3 was an open race due to longtime school board member Mary Kay Murphy’s decision to retire when her term ends in December.
School board races in Gwinnett County are nonpartisan, so the winners of these races — along with school board member Tarece Johnson-Morgan, who defeated two challengers and won re-election last month — will not have to deal any more elections this year.
Their terms will begin Jan. 1, 2025, and they’ll have a major decision to make within the first few months of those terms: whether to keep Gwinnett County Public Schools Superintendent Calvin Watts.
Three hundred thirty three Democrats voted in the Runoff Election for State House District 96, according to the AJC.
Arlene Beckles, a former Norcross City Council member, defeated Sonia Lopez in the open race Tuesday to replace retiring Georgia Rep. Pedro Marin, according to unofficial preliminary results.
Just over 300 people voted in the Democratic runoff Tuesday for state House District 96. Each Georgia state House district contains about 60,000 residents, and this district has just under 30,000 registered voters. The race had the lowest turnout by far in the legislative runoffs.
Beckles and Lopez won the most votes in last month’s three-way Democratic primary, in which 1,290 votes were cast. No Republicans are running to represent the heavily Democratic district, so Beckles is the presumptive winner of the legislative seat.
The district, one of the most diverse in the state, includes parts of Norcross, Duluth and unincorporated western Gwinnett. The area is known for attracting immigrants from all over the world. Beckles is an immigrant from Barbados, while Lopez is an immigrant from El Salvador.
Also in western and central Gwinnett, J. Gregory Howard defeated Fred Clayton in the Republican state Senate District 7 runoff. That district is mostly north and east of House District 96, with some overlap.
Howard will face Democratic incumbent Nabilah Islam Parkes in the November general election.
I may research the issue to find out if there’s ever been a State Representative elected with fewer votes. That doesn’t detract from Ms. Beckles’s win, but it’s pitiful turnout.
Is low Democratic turnout in Gwinnett County related to this headline in the AJC: Democratic leaders go bust in key local Georgia runoffs?
Perhaps the biggest upset involved JaNice VanNess, a former Republican state senator who competed as a Democrat against incumbent Rockdale County Chairman Oz Nesbitt.
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, former gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams and other party elders rallied around Nesbitt, a former law enforcement officer first elected to the County Commission in 2008 and as the county’s chief executive in 2016.
But VanNess rode a wave of frustration over Nesbitt’s leadership to a roughly 20-point victory amid a campaign that largely steered clear of state and national politics despite the backdrop of one of Georgia’s bluest counties.
On the trail, VanNess called herself an independent-minded Democrat who backs Medicaid expansion and supports lower taxes. She said she won’t vote for Donald Trump but won’t yet endorse Joe Biden either.
In DeKalb County, voters also rejected pleas by Abrams, Dickens, Williams and dozens of other Democratic officials who endorsed Commissioner Larry Johnson over fellow ex-Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson.
In Middle Georgia, educator Tangie Herring defeated Juawn Jackson in the race for a newly created, court-ordered majority-Black legislative district stretching across parts of Monroe and Macon-Bibb counties.
Democrat Lorraine Johnson was elected CEO of DeKalb County, according to the AJC.
Former Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson has claimed victory in the race to become DeKalb County’s next chief executive officer.
With all precincts reporting Tuesday, Cochran-Johnson held a double-digit lead over her opponent, former commissioner Larry Johnson.
Her win is a historic one: Cochran-Johnson will be the first African-American woman to hold the position, and only the second woman ever.
No Republicans ran for the position, meaning the winner certified from Tuesday’s primary run-off will become the next CEO, succeeding a term-limited Michael Thurmond.
Cochran-Johnson came into the race with the least political experience of both of her opponents, Johnson or Commissioner Steve Bradshaw. They each raised more money and boasted of endorsements from political heavy-hitters. But Cochran-Johnson emerged as the top vote-getter in the May primary and went into the run-off as the front-runner.
Eugene “Gino Rock” Brantley defeated Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree in the Runoff Election, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Augusta sheriff-elect Eugene “Gino Rock” Brantley recently released a detailed list of his top 10 priorities for his first 100 days in office.
Brantley on Tuesday won a runoff to become the next top lawman at the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. He will take over for 11-year incumbent Sheriff Richard Roundtree in 2025.
From another story in the Augusta Chronicle:
With all 68 voting precincts reporting, Brantley, running on a campaign stressing πaccessibility, approachability, and active engagement,” won 10,087 votes for 52.77%. Roundtree, who became sheriff in 2013 after the retirement of Ronnie Strength, won 9,027 votes for 47.23%.
With no emergent Republican challenger for the office, Brantley stands as the de facto sheriff-elect.
In the race for superior court judge in the Augusta Judicial Circuit, local attorney Charles H.S. Lyons III doubled up on challenger Matt Matson to win the seat on the bench to replace retiring Judge Danny Craig.
Lyons, who declared his candidacy for the post in February 2022, won 14,526 votes for 65.1%. Matson, an Augusta attorney who clerked for Superior Court Judges J. Carlisle Overstreet and Carl C. Brown Jr., won 7,786 votes for 34.9%. Richmond County Juvenile Court Judge Willie Saunders was voted out of contention for that race during the May primary election and nonpartisan general election.
Lyons won the majority in both counties – 13,792 to Matson’s 7,267 in Richmond, and 734 to Matson’s 519 in Burke County. The two counties comprise the Augusta Judicial Circuit.
In the Columbia County runoff to select a Republican nominee for the Georgia House District 131 seat, Rob Clifton defeated Paul Abbott by an almost-3-to-1 margin. They ran to replace Republican Rep. Jodi Lott, who did not seek re-election.
New Sheriffs were elected in Franklin and Morgan Counties, according to the Athens Banner Herald.
Mary Bagby won the [Clarke County] BOE District 2 seat by defeating incumbent Claudia Butts by a vote of 90 to 70 as only 160 people cast votes in the non-partisan election.
Franklin County will have a new sheriff in 2025 as Scott Andrews, a retired Georgia State Patrol trooper, defeated Brian Stovall by a vote of 2,499 to 1,898 in the Republican primary, according to the unofficial results. There is no Democratic opposition in the sheriff’s race for the November general election.
Also, in Franklin County the county commission chairman race was won by Courtney Long who had 2,391 votes compared to 1,952 votes for Joe Greene.
In Elbert County, Darren Scarborough, won the Democratic Party primary runoff by defeating Dre’Kevious Gibbs. Scarborough, a captain the office, received 973 votes compared to 769 for Gibbs.
Scarborough will now face Republican candidate Jamie Callaway in the general election.
In Morgan County, Tyler Hooks, a veteran officer with the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office, was elected in the Republican primary runoff with 1,957 votes compared to 1,726 by Joseph Pritchett, who currently serves as lieutenant in the sheriff’s office.
In Monroe, two incumbents were beaten in the Runoff Elections, according to 13WMAZ.
There were two runoff races and the incumbents in both were unseated.
People in Monroe County went to the polls to vote for commission chairman and county coroner.
Alan Gibbs and incumbent Greg Tapley were the final options for chairman. Voters ultimately entrusted Gibbs with the position, receiving 67% of the vote to Tapley’s 33%.
In the race for coroner, Mark Goolsby is back serving the public. He retired from the county after being a building inspector for 18 years.
Goolsby won with 62% of the votes. He replaces incumbent Joey Proctor who served for the last 28 years.
Monroe County voters will have a local race on the ballot come November.
There will be a special election for the district four commission seat after George Emami announced his retirement in May.
Republican David Gibbs beat the incumbent Hall County Commission Chair in the Runoff Election, according to AccessWDUN.
David Gibbs defeated incumbent Richard Higgins in Tuesday’s Hall County Commission Chair Republican runoff.
No Democrat qualified in the race, meaning that Gibbs will take the seat starting in 2025.
Gibbs won just over 53% of the vote in the runoff after finishing second to Higgins in the May 21 primary election. It was the second straight election cycle seeking office on the Hall County Board of Commissioners for Gibbs, who also ran for the District 3 seat on the board in 2022.
Higgins’s term will end after 8 years in the office of commission chair that began in 2016 when he replaced the previous chair, Richard Mecum.
Terron Hayes was elected Dougherty County Sheriff and Lee County Sheriff Reggie Rachals was reelected, according to the Albany Herald.
The Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office’s current chief deputy mounted a spirited — and friendly — battle with Albany State University Police Officer Keithen Hall in Tuesday’s Dougherty County Democratic primary election to claim the office. Hayes outpolled Hall 4,594 votes to 3,349 to win the primary race.
Since there is no Republican candidate running for the office, held for the last four decades-plus by Kevin Sproul, Hayes becomes the county’s sheriff-elect.
In Lee County, meanwhile, Rachals claimed his fifth term in office, outpolling Dougherty District Attorney Investigator Dean Gore, 2,204-1,062 in that county’s Republican primary. Rachals does not have Democratic opposition in the general election.
Democrat Shawn Harris won the right to lose in November to Republican U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. From the Rome News Tribune:
“We went back to old-style retail politics,” Harris said Wednesday. “We did social media, of course, but — on Saturday I was at events in Rome, Polk, Paulding and Cobb. We actually went out and touched people… In a matter of 10 days we crisscrossed the district.”
Blalock had a slight edge over Harris in the four-person May primary, 7,005 to 6,881 out of 18,082 total votes cast. But it was Harris who got his supporters back to polls Tuesday and picked up a few more, ending with 7,208 of the 10,450 votes cast in the deciding contest.
In state Senate District 53, incumbent Republican Colton Moore will face off with Democrat Bart Alexander Bryant. State House District 12 Republican incumbent Eddie Lumsden is being challenged by Democrat Logan Johnson, and state House District 13 Republican incumbent Katie Dempsey will be up against Democrat Kevin Aronhalt.
Republican Wayne Johnson clinched the GOP nomination for the Second Congressional District, according to WTXL.
The Associated Press has declared Republican Wayne Johnson the winner of the runoff election in the 2nd Congressional District race. He was up against Chuck hand. As of 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Johnson had more than 65% of the vote, with 69% of the vote in.
In the May primaries, Johnson garnered 44% of the vote, to Hand’s 32%.
Johnson is a former U.S. Education Department official who served during Donald Trump’s administration.
Johnson now goes on to face 16-term Democratic incumbent Rep. Sanford Bishop in November’s general election.
Democratic incumbent David Sampson easily reclaimed his party’s nomination in the House District 153 race, outpolling a pair of challengers — Joshua Anthony with 981 votes and Tracy Taylor with 942. Sampson will face Republican challenger Brenda Battle in the General Election in November.
– Incumbent District Attorney Gregory Edwards easily outdistanced challenger Elizabeth Gibson, 5,490-2,545, to retain his seat.
– Gloria Gaines edged newcomer Thomia Thomas 894 votes 773 to retain her District 5 Dougherty Commission seat.
– James Bush outpolled Wanda Mallard 1,102-571 to reclaim his District 5 School Board seat.
– Victoria Johnson claimed the top spot in the three-person Dougherty Superior Court judgeship race, claiming 4,770 votes, but that was not enough to claim outright victory. Runner-up Valerie Brown-Williams collected 3,133 votes, and Michael Tabarrok’s 1,774 was enough to keep Johnson from claiming outright victory.
– In Lee County, Fran Walls retained her District V School Board seat by outpolling Mary Egler 696 votes to 260.
In something of an election oddity, suspended candidate Othellius Cato received the overwhelming majority of the Dougherty County votes in the state House District 154 race — 1,518 to Republican incumbent Gerald Greene’s 92 — but a judge’s ruling on residency requirements disqualified Cato from the race. The Dougherty County portion of District 153, one of the state’s largest, is a small number of total votes cast.
Greene was asked Wednesday morning how he has kept his seat for a 43rd years despite being the only Republican legislator in a majority-minority district.
“The big thing is being able to do something for people; that makes a big difference,” Greene, the so-called dean of the legislature with the longest tenure, said. “Our district is one that, to be blunt, the government has pretty much forgotten. And I can tell you with confidence, I guarantee you I know my constituents better than any legislator in the state government.”
“That’s because I go out and meet them, talk to them about their needs. Like today, I’m headed to an event in Americus with other legislators. I could have said, ‘I won, I don’t need to go.’ But some of my constituents may be there with questions for me. Same thing tomorrow, when I go to Seminole County. We just have so much more to do. That’s why I stay at this; there’s so much more to do.”
Michael Smith beat out Tommy Willis to become the Republican candidate for the Lowndes County Commissioner District 5 seat, In November, Smith faces Democrat Ron Bythwood.
School board district 7 candidate Chris Buesher beat out incumbent Eddie Smith for the non-partisan seat.
From yet another story by WTXL:
Tuesday night, J. Gregory Howard clinched the Republican nomination for State Senate District 7. He had 61.59% of the vote to Fred Clayton’s 38.41%. Senate District 7 includes Berrien County. The winner will go on to face Democratic incumbent Nabilah Islam Parkes in November.
In Echols County, Justin Staten won the Republican nomination for County Commission District 2, Post 1. With all votes in Staten had 72 percent of the vote to Freddy Permenter’s 27 percent. Since there is no Democratic contender for the office, Staten will take the post.
Grady County Republicans were selecting their nominee for County Commission District 1. In what looks to be the tightest race of the night for our region, Yancey Maxwell defeated Richard Jordan 52.23% to 47.77%. That reverses the May primary positions, where Jordan had 44% of the vote, and Maxwell received 38% The current incumbent, June Knight, only recieved 18 percent of the vote in May. Maxwell will take the seat, since no Democrats are in the running.
Thomas County voters also took to the polls to vote in a Chief Magistrate runoff election. The win went to Matthew Shiner (52.85%) over incumbent Andrew Seery (47.15%). There are no Democratic challengers.
For the record, State Senate District 7 is nowhere near Berrien County.
Democrat Marsha Buford won the Runoff Election for Chatham County Commission District 8, according to the Savannah Morning News.
West Savannah Neighborhood Association President Marsha Buford finished nine votes ahead of Laureen Boles, according to unofficial election results. The 1% margin keeps the race outside of the .05% automatic recount threshold, according to Chatham County Supervisor of Elections Billy Wooten.
The election is slated to be certified at the June 24 Chatham County Board of Elections Meeting. There is no Republican candidate qualified to run for the seat, making Buford the eventual seat holder once results are certified.
There were a total 663 votes cast in Tuesday’s runoff, giving Buford a 1.36% margin of victory. There are no provisional ballots and all absentee ballots have been processed, Wooten said.
In the Effingham County Tax Commissioner race, Daniel Rodewolt leads with 1,438 votes, securing 55% of the vote ahead of Kelly Hoffner.
Melissa Calhoun has a sizeable lead over Steve Yekel at last check on the Effingham County State Court Judge race.
Columbus City Council District 10 – Travis Chambers defeated John Anker.
Harris County Commission District 4 – Incumbent Bobby Irions won against Richie Grantham.
Quitman County Commission Post 2 – Richard Baggett defeated incumbent Danny Blackmon.
Troup County Commission District 2 – James Thrailkill secured a win against incumbent Ellis Cadenhead.
Troup County Commission District 3 – Rex Scott emerged victorious over incumbent Lewis Davis.
John “Tripp” Wingate III won the Runoff Election for Hall County State Court, according to AccessWDUN.
Wingate defeated Andy Maddox with just over 60% of the vote Tuesday after finishing second to Maddox in the May 21 primary election. He will replace John Breakfield, who left the seat to run for a superior court judgeship.
Nick Newkirk won the Republican nomination for Bulloch County Commission District 2, Seat C, according to the Statesboro Herald.
Nick Newkirk won Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff for District 2’s Seat C on the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners with 2,587 votes, or 64.4% of the total, to 1,433 votes for incumbent Commissioner Jappy Stringer.
The race is not over. Newkirk, now the Republican nominee, will face a Democratic Party candidate, Len Fatica, on the Nov. 5 general election ballot in Commission District 2. But it’s now certain that at least two of the six current district commissioners and the current countywide-elected chair will be replaced by new commissioners at the beginning of January.
A fourth seat on the board remains in play, with a longtime Democratic incumbent and a Republican challenger in District 1 headed directly to the general election.
Bob Duncan won the GOP nod for Glynn County Commission District 2 and is unopposed in November, according to The Brunswick News.
Bob Duncan won the Republican runoff Tuesday in the District 2 Glynn County Commission race and incumbent Rep. Steven Sainz, R-St. Marys, held onto the state District 180 seat in a close contest.
With all polls reporting, Duncan got 2,466 votes, or 65%, to challenger Amy Abbot’s 1,341 votes, or 35%.
Sainz defeated challenger Glenn Cook of Jekyll Island. Sainz got 2,294 votes, or 52%, while Cook got 2,076 votes, or 48%.
Cook decisively won in Glynn County, 288 votes to 114 for Sainz, but more than 90% of the votes in the race came from Camden County. Sainz won the Camden vote by 392 votes.
Sainz will face Democrat Defonsio Daniels in the general election in November.
The only countywide runoff was for the nonpartisan seat on the Brunswick-Glynn Joint Water and Sewer Commission. Bill Edgy earned 3,271 votes, or 70%, to defeat Stacey Grace, who got 1,590 votes, or 30%.
State Rep. Carl Gilliard (D-Savannah) was fined $17,000 by the Georgia State Ethics Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Georgia State Representative Carl Gilliard (D-162) was issued a $17,000 penalty by the Georgia State Ethics Commission on Monday for improper use of campaign contributions and failure to disclose multiple campaign contribution reports during primarily the 2022 election cycle.
The Ethics Commission reported $30,000 of Gilliard’s campaign contributions were improperly used for non-campaign expenses, which Gilliard is required to refund his campaign account as part of the agreed penalty.
The State Ethics Commission’s five members unanimously approved Gilliard’s consent order, which is an agreement on the violations and penalties, at its quarterly meeting Monday. An initial complaint was issued by the Ethics Commission in December 2022 and was amended in May and November of 2023 with additional violations.
Gilliard paid his $17,000 fine on June 1. He was granted a deadline of Dec. 31, 2025 to refund the $30,000 to his campaign account.
The penalties come as Gilliard is set for a contested general election in November, facing Republican challenger Keith Padgett for the District 162 seat. Gilliard ran uncontested in the Democratic primary on May 21.
Chatham County Superior Court Judge Tammy Stokes ruled in favor of the City of Pooler in a lawsuit over the separation agreement with former City Manager Robert Byrd, according to the Savannah Morning News.
In December, Byrd resigned during an executive session from serving as city manager for more than 20 years. Instead of following the terms of agreement in line with his employment contract, the city and Byrd entered into a mutual separation agreement, which would provide Byrd with severance payments and benefits for two years, totaling to over $600,000. As well as the title for a city-owned 2023 Ford 150 truck, worth over $60,000, but sold to Byrd for only $10,000.
The lawsuit, filed in February, asked the court to decide if the agreement and the sale of the truck violated Georgia law, if the council that was sworn in in January were unlawfully bound to the agreement, and if the agreement violated the gratuities clause of the State of Georgia.
Chatham County Superior Court Judge Tammy Stokes ruled on May 21 in favor of the city, voiding the agreement, finding that the agreement did unlawfully bind the hands of successor councils and the sale of the truck violated Georgia Code.
Port Wentworth City Council voted to raise the property tax millage rate, according to WSAV.
The average homeowner will pay $10 to $15 more a month, according to the city.
Chatham County Sheriff John Wilcher’s family released a statement after he was hospitalized, according to the Savannah Morning News.
In the statement, Wilcher’s family thanked the community for its support, confirmed that Wilcher is receiving medical treatment for a cardiac event, which they referred to as “serious” and asked for continued prayers.
The public announcement came two days after the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) held a media conference led by CCSO Chief Deputy Gary Taylor about the status of the department. While Taylor said that Wilcher remains the Chatham County Sheriff, Taylor said that he is responsible for the day-to-day operations.
In 2014, [Sheriff Wilcher] retired at the rank of colonel and in April 2016, won a special election to replace the late Sheriff Al St. Lawrence.
Wilcher was re-elected in 2016 and 2020, when he ran unopposed. Wilcher faces Democrat Richard Coleman in the November general election.
The family’s statement reads in full:
“Wilcher Family Thanks Community for Support and Prayers for Sheriff Wilcher”
“The Wilcher family would like to express our sincere gratitude for the incredible outpouring of support for Sheriff Wilcher. We feel your prayers.”
“While at home Sunday morning, he experienced a cardiac event. He is receiving treatment from an exceptional medical team, and we appreciate their care for John.”
“While his condition is still serious, we are grateful that our prayers, along with yours, are working. He has been improving every day.”
“We have been surrounded by the support and love of our friends, family, the community, and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. We sincerely appreciate your continued consideration and respect for our family’s privacy. We ask for your continued prayers.”
“For those who would like to send a card or a note, please address it to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, 1050 Carl Griffin Drive, Savannah, Georgia 31405.”
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