On March 12, 1739, James Oglethorpe, recognized as the Founder of Georgia, wrote the Georgia Trustees, urging them to continue the ban on slavery in the new colony.
On March 11, 1779, Congress created the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
On March 11, 1861, the Confederate Congress, assembled in Montgomery, Alabama, adopted the Constitution of the Confederate States of America. Today the original signed manuscript of the Confederate Constitution is in the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia Special Collections Libraries.
Juliette Gordon Low held the first meeting of the Girl Guides, which would later be renamed the Girl Scouts, in her home in Savannah, Georgia on March 12, 1912.
Gianni Agnelli was born on March 12, 1921 in Turin, Italy, and would come to be the wealthiest man in Italy, head and principal shareholder of Fiat, and recognized as an Italian Senator for Life in 1991. Among those who follow fashion, Agnelli has long been recognized as an archetype of the Italian approach to menswear.
His style was about more than clothes—it was an attitude, a philosophical response to absurdity. Watching him could tell you how to live, how to behave. In Italy, they call it sprezzatura, making the difficult look easy. Americans are gonzo, a spirit personified by Hunter S. Thompson, who defined it as a man who learns to fly by falling out of a plane. Agnelli might look gonzo—especially on nights when he showed up in boots and an ill-fitting tie—but was, in fact, sprezzatura; he knew how to fly all along. “When he was not perfectly dressed, it was contrived,” says Taki Theodoracopulos, the writer, columnist, socialite and son of a Greek shipping tycoon. Taki is one of the few surviving members of Agnelli’s social circle. “The tie askew, the unbuttoned shirt—nothing was an accident. Or, to put it another way, it was meant to be an accident, which made it even more stylish.”
On March 11, 1942, General Douglas MacArthur obeyed the President’s order dated February 20, 1942, and left the Philippines.
Clarence Thomas, originally from Pin Point, Georgia, was sworn in to the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit on March 12, 1990.
On March 11, 2005, Brian Nichols shot and killed Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes and court reporter Julie Brandau in the Fulton County Courthouse, leading to a lockdown of the state capitol and a number of nearby buildings. Nichols killed two more before taking a young woman hostage in Duluth; that woman, Ashley Smith, would talk Nichols into surrendering the next day. Nichols was eventually convicted for four murders and is serving consecutive life sentences.
R.E.M. was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12, 2007.
Happy Birthday to former Governor Roy Barnes, who served from 1999-2003, and lost to Republican Sonny Perdue in 2002, and to current Governor Nathan Deal in 2010. Happy birthday on Thursday to former Atlanta Braves slugger Dale Murphy.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns and Elections
Under the Gold Dome Today
Wednesday – March 11, 2026
7:00 AM Senate Approp: Crim Just &Pub Safety Sub 450 CAP
8:30 AM Senate Approp: Govt Ops Sub MEZZ 1
9:00 AM HOUSE AGRICULTURE & CONS AFF 606 CLOB
9:00 AM Senate Approp: Health & Human Dev Sub 307 CLOB
9:30 AM HOUSE JUDICIARY NON-CIVIL 132 CAP
10:00 AM HOUSE DEFENSE & VETS AFF 515 CLOB
10:00 AM HOUSE Education Sub Curriculum 406 CLOB
10:00 AM HOUSE MOTOR VEHICLES 606 CLOB
10:30 AM HOUSE TECHNOLOGY & INFRA 506 CLOB
11:00 AM HOUSE INTERSTATE COOPERATION 415 CLOB
11:00 AM HOUSE CREATIVE ARTS & ENT 403 CAP
11:00 AM HOUSE RULES 341 CAP
11:00 AM HOUSE Educ Sub Policy & Innov 406 CLOB
11:00 AM Senate Agriculture and Cons Aff 310 CLOB
12:00 PM Senate Public Safety 450 CAP
1:00 PM HOUSE HIGHER EDUCATION 606 CLOB
1:00 PM HOUSE PUBLIC SFTY & HOMELAND SEC 506 CLOB
1:00 PM HOUSE RETIREMENT 415 CLOB
1:00 PM HOUSE JUDICIARY JUVENILE 403 CAP
1:00 PM Senate Approp: Ag & Natl Res Sub 307 CLOB
1:00 PM Senate Science & Tech 310 CLOB
1:00 PM Senate State Inst & Prop 450 CAP
3:00 PM HOUSE Regulated Ind Sub Occ/Prof Lic 415 CLOB
3:00 PM HOUSE GOVERNMENTAL AFF 606 CLOB
3:30 PM Senate Approp: Econ Dev Sub 307 CLOB
5:00 PM Senate Finance MEZZ 1
Thursday – March 12, 2026
TBD Senate Rules: Upon Adj 450 CAP
7:00 AM Senate Approp: Crim Just & Public Sfty Sub 450 CAP
7:30 AM Senate Approp: Ed & Higher Ed Sub 307 CLOB
8:00 AM HOUSE NATL RES & ENVT 606 CLOB
10:00 AM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD31) House Chamber
10:00 AM Senate Floor Session (LD 31) Senate Chamber
1:00 PM Senate Education & Youth 307 CLOB
2:00 PM HOUSE SPECIAL RULES 515 CLOB
2:00 PM HOUSE BUDGET & FISCAL OVEVRST 406 CLOB
2:00 PM Senate Approp: Transportation Sub 307 CLOB
2:00 PM Senate Approp: Judicial Sub 450 CAP
4:00 PM Senate Insurance & Labor MEZZ 1
Democrat Shawn Harris took first place with 43,241 votes (37.33%) in the 14th Congressional District yesterday with Republican Clay Fuller in second with 40,388 votes (34.87% votes), according to the Secretary of State’s website. The race goes to a runoff on April 7, 2026. From the New York Times:
Shawn Harris, a Democrat and retired U.S. Army officer, and Clayton Fuller, a Republican endorsed by President Trump, were the lead vote-getters in a special election in Georgia on Tuesday to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican firebrand who left Congress in January, according to The Associated Press.
Because neither captured a majority of the votes cast, Mr. Harris and Mr. Fuller will advance to an April 7 runoff. Mr. Fuller’s performance ahead of a more MAGA-adjacent rival, Colton Moore, boosted Mr. Trump’s endorsement record this midterm cycle.
The first-round win may deliver a jolt of confidence for Mr. Harris and his fellow Democrats in Ms. Greene’s former district, which covers a chunk of northwest Georgia and is among the most conservative districts in the state.
Winning the runoff will be considerably more difficult. The ballot on Tuesday allowed voters to choose among 17 candidates: 12 Republicans, three Democrats, an independent and a libertarian. Mr. Harris was by far the best known Democrat, having competed against Ms. Greene in the 2024 general election.
Now Mr. Harris will face off against Mr. Fuller, a former state prosecutor. In the runoff, Mr. Fuller will have to consolidate conservatives, whose votes were cast across the range of first-round Republican candidates, among them Mr. Moore, an auctioneer, a dump truck driver and a former state senator whose penchant for political spectacle made him the closest stylistic fit to Ms. Greene.
Mr. Moore’s reputation as a conservative firebrand in the mold of Ms. Greene appeared to hold less sway with voters than Mr. Trump’s nod.
Whoever wins the April election will serve until the end of Ms. Greene’s term in January 2027.
The winner — and presumably other candidates — will be on the ballot again in May for the regular statewide primary races, which determine who will be on the ballot for the general election in November.
Fuller, the district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, was endorsed by President Donald Trump in the race.
Fuller was a White House fellow in the first Trump administration and is a lieutenant colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard. He finished fourth in the 2020 Republican primary that Greene won before becoming a district attorney. Fuller had set an outright win as his goal for Tuesday’s vote.
Harris, a cattle farmer and retired brigadier general, is likely to face an uphill battle to win a majority in the district. Nevertheless, Democrats are likely to boast of his first-round showing as a further success in a period when they have focused on strong performances in special elections.
Fuller said the results showed that voters “support what President Trump is doing in endorsing our campaign.”
He added, “And I think the Republican Party is going to unite around us because they know that the Democrat is too dangerous. We can’t have a Democrat representing Georgia 14.”
The matchup avoids what some Republican officials saw as a nightmare scenario: a runoff featuring former state Sen. Colton Moore, a polarizing figure whose confrontational style has repeatedly put him at odds with leaders in his own party.
Trump’s backing of Fuller also reflects his effort to reassert influence in Georgia after a disappointing 2022 midterm cycle, when all four of the challengers he supported against GOP incumbents were trounced.
This time, the president and his allies moved quickly to consolidate support behind Fuller in hopes of shaping the field in a district dominated by the MAGA base.
Gov. Brian Kemp, who appointed Fuller district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit in northwest Georgia, applauded his performance and encouraged GOP voters to rally behind him.
“When I appointed Clay as District Attorney, I was confident that he would be a fearless advocate for the rule of law in our state,” Kemp said in a post on X. “As we head into the runoff election, Republicans must be united and send this proven, conservative fighter to Washington.”
In Senate District 53, Republican Lanny Thomas captured the top spot with 11,794 votes (38.70%) while Democrat John Bentley “Jack” Zibluk joined him on the podium with 8,226 votes (26.99%), according to the Secretary of State’s website.
In House District 94, Democrat Venola Mason came in first with 1199 votes (44.23%) while Democrat Kelly Kautz joins her in the runoff with 629 votes (23.20%), according to the Secretary of State’s website.
Democrats Venola Mason and Kelly Kautz appeared headed for a runoff in the Georgia House District 94 Special Election held on Tuesday, March 10, according to unofficial results.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger called for the special election to fill the unexpired term of long-time State Rep. Karen Bennett, who abruptly resigned in January. District 94 includes portions of DeKalb County and neighboring Gwinnett County.
In House District 130, Democrat Sheila Clark Nelson led with 567 votes (33.49%) while Republican Thomas D. McAdams made the runoff cut with 340 votes (20.08%), according to the Secretary of State’s website.
Voters cast ballots Tuesday for the House District 130 seat formerly heald by Lynn Heffner who resigned two months ago.
Sheila Clark Nelson led the list of six candidates with just over 33 percent of the votes. Thomas McAdams came in behind her with just over 20 percent.
Since no candidate reached the required majority, there will be a runoff on April 7.
[In SD 53] Republican retired educator Lanny Thomas will head to a runoff against Democratic communications professor Jack Zibluk to see who will replace former state Sen. Colton Moore in this deeply red Northwest Georgia district.
[In HD 94] Democratic education consultant Venola Mason and Democratic attorney and former Snellville Mayor Kelly Kautz head to an April 7 runoff in this blue district that runs from the Lithonia area in DeKalb up to Mountain Park in Gwinnett and then toward the Brookwood area.
And finally in the Augusta area, a special election was held on Tuesday in solid blue House District 130 to replace former state Rep. Lynn Heffner, who resigned in January. Four Democrats and two Republicans qualified for the race.
Democratic former state Rep. Sheila Clark Nelson landed safely in the April 7 runoff, according to unofficial results. But just seven votes separated minister Thomas McAdams and community development consultant Karen Gordon in the battle for the second runoff spot — with the Republican McAdams leading the Democrat Gordon.
The [HD 94] seat became open after state Rep. Karen Bennett stepped down in January before being charged in a federal investigation into pandemic-era unemployment insurance fraud. The Stone Mountain Democrat pleaded guilty to a felony charge of making a false statement.
State Rep. Lynn Heffner, D-Augusta, resigned from the [HD 130] seat in the Legislature earlier this year, saying her home sustained damages during 2024’s Hurricane Helene and she could no longer meet the constitutional requirement to live in her district.
The [SD 53] seat became vacant after Colton Moore decided to run for former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s congressional district.
In Dalton City Council Ward 2, Julie Locke appears to have won the election outright. From the Dalton Daily Citizen:
With results now posted from all precincts, unofficial totals in the Dalton Ward 2 special election show Julie Locke leading Rojelio “Roy” Alvarran.
Dalton Ward 2 Special Alderman
• Julie Locke — 1,808
• Rojelio “Roy” Alvarran — 1,096
• Zeucis “Z” Martinez — 527
Governor Brian Kemp discussed suspending the state gas tax, according to 11Alive.
Governor Brian Kemp on Tuesday addressed the possibility of suspending the gas tax in Georgia as the war in Iran disrupts oil prices, saying he was monitoring the markets but largely deferring on the subject for now.
Governor Kemp has three times before suspended the gas tax, first from March 2022 to January 2023, citing the spike of gas prices to over $4 a gallon at the time, then again between September and November 2023, citing inflation, and once more for about two weeks after Hurricane Helen in 2024.
Speaking to reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday after an event highlighting disaster block grant money for Helene, the governor was asked about possibly suspending the gas tax a fourth time following major price spikes stemming from the operations in Iran.
The national average gas price has spiked from under $3 to the $3.50 range following the launch of strikes by the U.S. and Israel in Iran. But after spiking to $115, the price of a barrel of oil has gone back down to about $80 as markets have stabilized in the last 24-36 hours.
Governor Kemp indicated he wanted to continue to feel the situation out before committing to a move like suspending the gas tax.
“We’ve done that very effectively in the past, but they’ve been very targeted and strategic,” the governor said. “We also have not overreacted to something that potentially could be a short-term blip, so we’re gonna continue to watch things. I mean oil prices shot up to $115 a barrel 24 or 48 hours ago and now they’re back down to $90. I know the president’s very focused on this issue.”
Kemp said he thinks oil producers will “shift and use different trade routes, it’ll be very effective, and the good thing is because of energy policies right now in the United States of America, we’re pumping a record amount of oil and natural gas which has made us energy independent.
“Now, we’re subject to global markets but from an energy security standpoint and long-term economic viability, I think we’re in a really good place, but we’re just gonna continue to watch the market for a few more days and then, you know, we’ll monitor that as we go.”
House Bill 880 by State Rep. Shaw Blackmon (R-Bonaire) passed the House and would reduce the state income tax rate, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Savannah Morning News.
One thing that Georgia’s House and Senate can agree on after finishing the first round of this year’s legislative session is that the state income tax rate should continue falling.
Friday was the deadline for lawmakers to vote out the bills they were most serious about, moving them from the House to the Senate and vice versa.
The Senate had already sent legislation to the House last month that would cut the income tax rate to 3.99%.
On Friday, the House kicked a bill to the Senate with the same tax rate reduction and with an increase to the standard deduction that was similar to what was in the Senate bill.
Rep. Shaw Blackmon, R-Bonaire, the architect of the House measure, said it would cost the state $600 million in the first full year of implementation.
Democrats ridiculed the Republican plan, asserting that two-thirds of the tax cut would go to the wealthiest fifth of the population while leaving less money for services, such as education. Most Georgians might see a few hundred dollars while the rich would get thousands, said Rep. Sam Park, D-Lawrenceville, the House minority whip.
“We must stop these tax cuts for the rich if we want to lift all Georgians up.”
Republicans flipped the logic.
Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, said that if the top 20% would get two-thirds of the benefit, then they are paying that same proportion of the income tax now.
“The math goes both ways,” he said.
House Bill 880 then passed 102-69.
It would reduce the income tax rate by a tenth of a percentage point per year, conditioned upon continued growth in state revenue, until the rate reached 3.99%.
The current income tax rate is 5.19%. But last month, state representatives passed House Bill 1001, which would drop it to 4.99% retroactive to the start of this year. If the Senate embraces both, then it would take a decade to reach 3.99%.
HB 880 would simultaneously increase the standard deduction. It is $12,000 for a single filer now and would increase by $600 a year until reaching $18,000 in a decade. These numbers would double for married couples filing jointly.
This approach differs only by degrees from Senate Bill 477, passed by senators early last month. Their approach would reduce the rate to 3.99% much sooner, by 2028. It would raise the standard deduction a little less, to $16,000 for individuals and $32,000 for married couples.
That 3.99% rate was the Senate’s second priority, the first being Senate Bill 476 to increase the standard deduction to $50,000 for individuals and $100,000 for couples.
To make both options palatable, the Senate handed the House what Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, the designer of the two Senate bills, described as an “olive branch.”
He scooped out the contents of two unrelated measures the House had sent the Senate last year and, like a baker filling a doughnut with custard, squeezed in the language from the two Senate bills. House Bill 463 mirrors SB 477, and House Bill 134 copies SB 476.
So, now the House has two bills that would reduce the income tax rate to 3.99% — one that just reached the Senate and another that just got lobbed back from there.
Either by chance or design (probably the latter), HB 463 — the bill the Senate gutted before tossing it back to the House filled with a 3.99% income tax rate — was originally authored by Blackmon. He is the same state representative who rallied House Republicans to send HB 880, for a 3.99% tax rate, to the Senate on Friday.
There are bragging rights on the campaign trail for getting bills passed, and all seats are up for election this year.
Tillery, when he was asked about HB 880 versus HB 463 outside the Capitol on Monday, echoed a line that is often attributed to Harry S. Truman: “There’s no limit on what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit,” said Tillery, who is running for lieutenant governor and has spoken quite a bit about the Senate Republicans’ tax cutting agenda. “I don’t care who gets the credit.”
House Bill 1116 by State Rep. Shaw Blackmon (R-Bonaire), the “Homeownership Opportunity and Market Equalization Act of 2026” also passed the House on Crossover Day and would limit property tax increases, according to 13WMAZ.
The Georgia House passed a major property tax relief bill Friday, capping how much local governments can raise property taxes each year and giving homeowners new protections against rapidly rising bills.
House Bill 1116 passed 98-68 on Crossover Day — the deadline for bills to move from one chamber to the other. The bill now heads to the Georgia Senate.
The legislation caps annual property tax increases at 3% or the rate of inflation, whichever is higher. Local governments could still exceed that cap, but only with voter approval or through a local act by the General Assembly.
Rep. Shaw Blackmon, R-Bonaire, the bill’s sponsor, said skyrocketing property taxes have been one of the top concerns he hears from constituents.
“Obviously, one of the top calls that we’re getting from constituents is regarding property tax,∏ Blackmon said. “I think that’s true all over the state, and we’ve been hearing that for quite some time.”
Local property tax revenue in Georgia rose nearly 49% between 2019 and 2024, according to Blackmon. He said that the increase has forced some homeowners to make difficult financial decisions.
The bill also allows local governments to redirect one penny of sales tax to directly offset homestead property taxes — a move Blackmon said could eliminate property tax bills entirely for some homeowners in certain parts of the state. That provision would take effect in 2028.
Additionally, the bill requires local governments to mail written notices of tax increases to every parcel owner, increasing transparency around tax hikes.
Blackmon said the 3% cap still allows local governments room to grow.
“The revenue caps are just for existing properties,” he said. “They’re exclusive of growth. So any growth is outside of that — new construction, any new development that’s brought in.”
Critics, however, raised concerns about the bill’s potential impact on schools and local services. Opponents also said a last-minute rewrite of the bill late Friday gave them almost no time to review it before the vote.
Monroe County homeowner John Coates said he supports the idea of predictable, gradual increases.
“Incremental growth or raising the taxes incrementally is OK because people can kind of handle that and they know what to expect,” Coates said. “But when you double taxes without any concern for your constituents, that’s just bad policy.”
The House also voted earlier in the week on a separate, more comprehensive property tax measure. That bill was a proposed amendment to the Georgia Constitution and required a two-thirds majority to pass. It fell short of that threshold.
HB 1116 is part of a broader push by House Republicans this session to address housing affordability. The chamber also passed an income tax relief bill, which has also been sent to the Senate.
The Georgia Senate has not yet scheduled the bill for a hearing.
House Bill 947 by State Rep. Martin Momtahan (R-Dallas), the “Georgia SNAP Healthier Choices Act of 2026” passed the House on Crossover Day, according to 13WMAZ.
A bill that could bring some changes to Georgia’s SNAP program is on the move through the Georgia Legislature, and some Central Georgians are offering different perspectives.
House Bill 947, or the Georgia SNAP Healthier Choices Act of 2026, passed the House on Crossover Day. The bill aims to improve integrity while promoting healthier food choices for those using SNAP.
The bill would require applicants to provide proof of residency in Georgia, and proof of U.S. citizenship or immigration status. It would also require all verification documents within 30 days of applying for the program, and change the recertification requirement for certain households.
The bill would also create a partnership and share data with organizations such as the Department of Corrections, Department of Labor, and the Georgia Lottery Corporation to ensure beneficiaries are still eligible.
The bill has led to some debate in Central Georgia, with some claiming it could reduce abuse of the program, while others argue it creates more hoops to jump through.
The bill had its first read in the Senate this week, and they’d need to approve it before it becomes law.
A spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Human Services sent us the following statement: “We do not comment on pending legislation but are monitoring any legislation that may impact programs administered by DHS.”
Senate Bill 240 passed the Senate and would designate the Sweetbay Magnolia as the official state flower, replacing the Cherokee Rose, according to the Savannah Morning News.
The Senate unanimously approved changing the state’s flower last week from one white flower to another—the Cherokee Rose to the Sweetbay Magnolia. It’s a move that will join 40 of 50 states with flowers that are native to their soils.
Much of the effort was spurred by the Georgia Native Plant Society (GNPS), formed in 1994. In the past five years, the nonprofit began officially advocating for native plant preservation policy, beginning with ensuring the state flower indeed originates from Georgia.
“Changing the state flower was our first objective because of its symbolic importance,” wrote GNPS Board of Directors Chairman Michael Cowan in an email. “The mere fact of going through the effort of changing it will hopefully spur broader conversations about why native plants are so important as the foundation of any healthy ecosystem.”
In 1916, the Cherokee Rose was deemed Georgia’s state flower, believed to be indigenous to northern Georgia. It was named for the Cherokee Tribe, mostly situated within the Blue Ridge Mountains region of northern Georgia. They were forcibly removed in 1838 due to mounting pressure from white settlers seeking land to grow cotton, and the discovery of gold.
The flower’s meaning became so tied to the Cherokee, that it was believed to be native to Georgia as well. When the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs recommended the flower to Georgia lawmakers in 1916, it was readily adopted.
The Cherokee Rose is native to Southeast Asia, and is considered an invasive plant that is placed on “alert” as a potential threat to native species in the future, according to the Georgia Invasive Species Council. It is therefore not sold or encouraged to be planted as a landscaping plant, according to a GNPS press release.
From Atlanta News First via WALB:
“The Cherokee Rose was adopted as the state flower in 1916 under the incorrect assumption that it was native to the state and also a legacy of the Cherokee people,” Rep. Deborah Silcox, who carried the bill in the House, said. “It is neither.”
The sweetbay magnolia is a host plant for the eastern tiger swallowtail, Georgia’s state butterfly.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in her attempt to challenge demands for legal fees from the former Trump defendants, according to the AJC.
The Atlanta judge overseeing the scuttled 2020 election interference case against President Donald Trump and others has barred Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from fighting their request for almost $17 million in defense costs.
On Monday afternoon, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee denied Willis’ request to be allowed back into the case to argue against the defendants’ attempt to get their costs reimbursed through her office.
McAfee granted Fulton County’s separate bid to intervene in the case, acknowledging it “provides the overwhelming source of funding for the daily functioning” of Willis’ office and doesn’t want it stripped of cash.
Willis has already asked the judge for permission to immediately appeal the ruling and to stop the case from advancing while her appeal is considered.
Former Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary was ordered to return to prison, according to the AJC.
The former mayor of Stonecrest, accused of falsely qualifying for a city election after embezzling federal COVID-19 funds, will return to prison to undergo a mental health evaluation.
Jason Lary appeared Tuesday before a federal judge in Atlanta who ordered him to surrender to federal authorities by noon on Monday, March 16.
Lary, who led the movement to create the city of Stonecrest in DeKalb County, will stay in custody until his mental competence is analyzed.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. said a private doctor’s recent evaluation of Lary’s mental competence “raises substantial questions” about Lary’s understanding of the criminal allegations against him.
Lary served more than two years in federal prison after he admitted to pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal COVID-19 relief funds from the city he helped create.
In August, the former politician was back living in the Atlanta area under federal supervision.
That’s when he decided to run for a seat on the Stonecrest City Council, drawing heat from federal and DeKalb County prosecutors.
Lary attested during the qualifying process that he was an eligible candidate, in conflict with Georgia law that restricts convicted felons from holding elected office.
Former Tybee Island Mayor Shirley Sessions was appointed to Chatham County Commission District 4, according to the Savannah Morning News.
The Chatham County Board of Commissioners unanimously appointed former Tybee Island Mayor Shirley Sessions to its District 4 post Tuesday morning, temporarily filling the seat made vacant when former Commissioner Pat Farrell qualified for the U.S. House District 1 race last week.
The board also approved a resolution calling for a special election on May 19 to fill the rest of Farrell’s term. Sessions said to the Savannah Morning News that she does not intend to fill the seat long-term.
Valdosta City Council member Eric Howard resigned his District 4 seat to run for State House, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
Eric Howard, city councilman for Valdosta’s 4th District, resigned Monday following his qualification last week to run for the 177th District seat in the state House of Representatives. Howard has served as city councilman since 2017.
He is one of five politicians running for the seat following incumbent Rep. Dexter Sharper’s ongoing legal battle. Sharper has been accused of unemployment fraud during the pandemic, allegedly receiving nearly $14,000 in unemployment payment while receiving multiple streams of income. Sharper has resigned Monday from his position in response to his arraignment. Because of this, his seat has been left open.
The City of Valdosta will entertain a motion to call for a special election to fill this vacancy during Thursday’s council meeting. This motion is expected to pass, allowing candidates to run for the position. No further information has been provided at this time.
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