Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for June 6, 2018

The expulsion of the Cherokee from Georgia began on June 6, 1838 as 800 members left by riverboat.

On June 6, 1944, seventy years ago, Allied forces under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower began the invasion of France, called D-Day.

On the morning of June 5, 1944, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe gave the go-ahead for Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious military operation in history. On his orders, 6,000 landing craft, ships and other vessels carrying 176,000 troops began to leave England for the trip to France. That night, 822 aircraft filled with parachutists headed for drop zones in Normandy. An additional 13,000 aircraft were mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion.

By dawn on June 6, 18,000 parachutists were already on the ground; the land invasions began at 6:30 a.m. The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture Gold, Juno and Sword beaches; so did the Americans at Utah. The task was much tougher at Omaha beach, however, where 2,000 troops were lost and it was only through the tenacity and quick-wittedness of troops on the ground that the objective was achieved. By day’s end, 155,000 Allied troops–Americans, British and Canadians–had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches.

On June 6, 1949, George Orwell published 1984.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Vice President Mike Pence swore in Randy Evans as Ambassador to Luxembourg on Monday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) cancelled the August recess, according to the Gainesville Times.

Sen. David Perdue, R-Georgia, was one of the leading voices in favor of canceling the recess this year. Perdue has pushed the Senate to get back into the regular process of adopting annual budgets — something that hasn’t been done by Congress in years. Instead, the federal government has operated on a series of continuing resolutions that have kept the lights on — most of the time.

“President Trump was clear when he said he will not sign another last-minute omnibus spending bill again,” Perdue said in a Tuesday announcement. “We should not go home until we have completed our work. It is important to remember that simply canceling the August state work period is not the goal. We should be working nights and weekends now to get the results the American people sent us here to deliver.”

Political observers have also pointed out that canceling the August recess will force Democratic senators up for re-election this year to stay in the capital instead of campaigning in their home states.

Perdue requested McConnell cancel the August recess in a May letter signed by 15 other senators.

From AccessWDUN:

“Senate Republicans have accomplished a great deal this year, but more needs to be done. That’s why it is encouraging that Leader McConnell took our concerns into consideration. We still have 271 nominations to confirm, and we must complete the appropriations process before the end of the fiscal year on September 30,” said Perdue.

Governor Nathan Deal appointed Terry Chastain as a director and appellate division judge with the State Board of Workers’ Compensation.

Chastain will replace the Honorable Elizabeth Gobeil following Judge Gobeil’s appointment to the Court of Appeals. The appointment will take effect July 1.

“Terry’s legal background and years of service with the House of Representatives make him uniquely qualified to ensure the fair adjudication of those cases that directly impact Georgia’s workforce,” said Deal. “I am confident he will provide critical support to Georgia’s business community and help to protect the interests of citizens across the state.”

“Terry Chastain is a gifted attorney who has served the House of Representatives ably for the last five years,” said House Speaker David Ralston. “I thank him for his service, and I offer him my sincere congratulations on this well-deserved appointment. Governor Deal has always had a knack for identifying talent and I commend him on his appointment of Judge Chastain.”

Terry Chastain, State Board of Workers’ Compensation 
Chastain has served as the general counsel to the Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives since 2013. He previously served as counsel for Balch & Bingham LLP and as the vice president of Government Affairs for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Chastain earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and a law degree from the Georgia State University College of Law. He resides in Dunwoody.

Congressman Buddy Carter (R-Pooler) will speak to the Golden Isles Republican Women today.

Macon Water Authority District 1 candidate Dorothy Black survived a challege to her candidacy in the July 24 Runoff Election, according to WMGT.

A board of elections member received a tip that she wasn’t currently living in district 1, though she did own a home there.

Black told 41NBC she was forced to move out of her home due to medical issues.

“I had to move out of my house because of my injury. I have a three level house, and for fear I might fall down the steps again, they wanted me on a one level,” she said.

Black says she thought the home she moved into was in district 1 but, it was one street over.

Former Miss America and Columbus, Georgia news anchor Mallory Hagan won the Democratic nomination for Alabama’s Third Congressional District, according to the Lincoln Journal-Star.

Macon-Bibb County Commissioners voted to punt on a property tax hike, according to the Macon Telegraph.

Macon-Bibb County residents were spared a property tax hike Tuesday. For the moment.

Instead of voting yes or no on the $162 million general fund budget Tuesday, the county commission wants more meetings on the spending and tax plan.

“There’s no appetite out there for a millage increase at all,” Commissioner Larry Schlesinger said at Tuesday’s budget meeting. “Just looking at the bottom line figures, we’ve got a significant jump in projected 2019 (expenses). I’ve got no magic bullet.”

If commissioners are unable to pass a budget before the fiscal year starts July 1, the county could operate under the current year’s budget until a new one is approved, several officials said.

Two bills signed by Gov. Deal should help reduce elder abuse, according to the Albany Herald.

Gov. Nathan Deal signed two bills in May to help protect senior citizens from abuse, neglect and exploitation. Organizations such as the SOWEGA Council on Aging provide resources and programs for seniors in the surrounding counties. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services maintains an online database of ratings for nursing homes in the state.

To help address and prevent elder abuse, Deal signed into law Senate Bill 406 and House Bill 803. SB 406 requires direct care employees of nursing homes, personal care homes, assisted living communities, private home care providers and adult day care centers to comply with FBI background checks and fingerprinting. HB 803 prohibits both the trafficking of older or disabled persons and the practice of shuffling clients to various facilities to avoid detection by law enforcement.

If a family is looking for a long-term care facility, the Medicare website has a Nursing Home Compare tool that rates every Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country. The website bases its ratings on various quality of care indicators such as health inspections, staffing and quality measures. The family can also pull up details regarding penalties a nursing home has sustained.

If a relative is already in a long-term care facility, the Division of Aging Services website has provided a list of warning signs for certain types of abuse. Indicators of physical abuse include rough handling, injuries not consistent with medical diagnosis or explanation, and forcing someone to remain in a bed, chair or room.

Sharpsburg City Council member Elizabeth Good was elected Mayor Pro Tem by her colleagues and will act as Mayor until November’s election, according to the Newnan Times-Herald.

Senoia City Council heard a proposed ordinance to allow more sales of alcohol, according to the Newnan Times-Herald.

At their regular meeting on Monday at Senoia Municipal Court, the council approved the first reading of two ordinances – one that would allow some package sales of beer and wines at restaurants and another that proposes extending hours for alcohol sales on Sundays. The ordinances were prepared by City Attorney Drew Whalen at the council’s request.

Both ordinances were approved unanimously and will take effect after the second reading and approval by the council.

The first ordinance would allow restaurants to sell a limited amount of packaged beer or wine, but not distilled spirits. The idea is to allow someone who liked a particular beer and “wants to take home a six pack” to do so, Mayor Jeff Fisher said.

The second ordinance would authorize a referendum allowing Senoia voters to decide whether to extend Sunday hours for beer and wine sales. Currently, such sales are allowed only between 12:30 p.m. and midnight. The ordinance would allow sales from 11:30 a.m. on Sunday until 12:30 a.m. Monday.

The US Army Corps of Engineers rejected a request by the Lake Lanier Association to slow water releases from Lake Lanier, according to the Gainesville Times.

The Hall County Board of Education is considering adopting a millage rate that falls short of the rollback rate and thus considered a tax increase under state law, according to the Gainesville Times.

The Hall County school board is planning to slightly reduce the property tax rate to balance a $255 million expense budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year.

But this will still amount to a 6 percent tax increase under state law.

The tax rate is currently set at 18.50 mills.

Under state law, a full rollback of the tax rate to 17.243 mills (to account for increases in revenue from property tax reassessments) must be made to avoid a tax increase.

Gainesville City Council has proposed a higher property tax millage rate for FY 2019, according to the Gainesville Times.

Gainesville officials have proposed a 0.5-mill increase in the property tax rate to fund transportation projects and raises for public safety employees. The increase would result in a $100 tax increase for someone with a $200,000 home. There is not a water or sewer rate increase in the proposed budget.

Gwinnett County Commissioners approved a deannexation from the City of Rest Haven, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Gwinnett County commissioners unanimously approved a request from Rest Haven officials to let the city deannex 2.84 acres of land on Thunder Road that county officials expect will eventually be annexed by Buford. In the meantime, the county has to zone the property — since it will be under the county’s zoning authority as long as it is unincorporated.

The commission’s decision came after a public hearing was held on the matter — with no one speaking in favor of or against the deannexation. County records show Rest Haven officials approved the deannexation May 1 at the request of the property owner. City officials then forwarded the request to the county commissioners for their approval.

The property will be removed from Rest Haven’s tax digest on Jan. 1, but it’s possible the land may never actually become an unincorporated property. Buford City Commission Chairman Phillip Beard said his city will look at annexing the land parcel soon.

The move doesn’t totally get rid of Rest Haven because there are still several other parcels left in the city. It does, however, continue the long drawn out saga of Rest Haven’s attempts to stop being a municipality — efforts that have been going on for the better part of two decades at least.

There was an attempt to dissolve the city in 2001, but that led to lawsuits and eventually a judge ordered it be re-established. Since 2005, efforts to do away with the city have included deannexing land and simultaneously letting Buford — which surrounds Rest Haven — annex those parcels.

The University System of Georgia Board of Regents named Dr. Pamela Whitten as the sole finalist for President of Kennesaw State University, according to WABE.