Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for May 15, 2020

Georgia’s trustees asked Britain to repeal the law against importing slaves to the colonies on May 17, 1749.

On May 17, 1769, George Washington introduced resolutions in the Virginia House of Burgesses, drafted by George Mason, criticizing Britain’s “taxation without representation” policies toward the colonies.

Button Gwinnett and Lachlan McIntosh met outside Savannah on May 16, 1777 and fought a duel; Gwinnett was mortally wounded.

Gwinnett returned to Georgia immediately after signing the [Declaration of Independence] to find city Whig Lachlan McIntosh commanding Georgia’s nascent military efforts. Determined to take control of Georgia politics, Gwinnett became speaker of the legislature, guided the Georgia Constitution of 1777 into existence and took over as governor when Archibald Bulloch died suddenly in office.

Gwinnett then wanted to lead an expedition to secure Georgia’s border with Florida. A dispute between McIntosh and Gwinnett over who would command the effort ultimately led to their duel and Gwinnett’s death.

George Washington continued his tour of Georgia on May 17, 1791, staying overnight in Waynesboro.

A Constitutional Convention met on May 16, 1795 in the capital of Louisville to amend the Georgia Constitution of 1789.

On May 15, 1791, George Washington left Augusta for Savannah.

On May 15, 1800, President John Adams ordered all 125 employees of the federal government to begin packing to move the capital from Philadelphia to Washington, DC.

On May 15, 1864, General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Military Division of the Mississippi remained engaged against Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee at Resaca, Georgia.

On May 15, 1864, at New Market, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley, Major General John C. Breckenridge commanded 4800 Confederate soldiers, including the entire Corps of Cadets from Virginia Military Institute. Breckenridge previously had served as United State Representative and Senator from Kentucky, and as the youngest Vice President of the United States under President James Buchanan. Breckenridge was the Democratic nominee for President in 1860, coming in third in the popular vote and second in the Electoral College to Abraham Lincoln.

Breckenridge attacked forces under Major General Franz Sigel and they skirmished through the morning until Union forces broke through the Confederate lines.

When a gap opened in the Confederate lines, Breckenridge realized that the only force available was the VMI cadets.

He turned toward an aide and issued the following command;

“Put the boys in, and may God forgive me for the order.”

The charge of the VMI cadets remains the most noticeable feature of the Battle of New Market. With rain pouring the cadets broke the charge of the 34^th Massachusetts Regiment and then advanced themselves in attack.

When the day ended, 10 cadets had been killed and/or mortally wounded. Another 48 suffered wounds.

Ten cadets died or suffered mortal wounds that day. New Market hosts the oldest continuous historical battle reenactment in the United States that is still held on the original terrain, but this year’s is canceled because of COVID-19.

On the anniversary of the Battle of New Market, the roll of those who died there is called.

When I was in Lexington we played rugby against VMI frequently, and it’s something else to take the field on their parade ground, where William Pendleton‘s battery of cannon named Matthew, Mark, Luke & John anchored one end of the pitch.

This VMI video, obviously intended for students considering applying, includes some rugby footage.

General Winfield Scott issued an order on the removal of Cherokee people from Georgia on May 17, 1838.

On May 17, 1864, Sherman and Johnston engaged in the Battle of Adairsville, Georgia.

The United States Senate voted to acquit President Andrew Johnson of 11 Articles of Impeachment passed by the House of Representatives on May 16, 1868.

The North Georgia Electric Company was incorporated on May 16, 1901 to build a hydroelectric dam on the Chattahoochee River near Gainesville; in 1916, it would be bought by the company that today is known as Georgia Power.

Carl Sanders was born on May 15, 1925 in Augusta, Georgia. He served in the United States Air Force, Georgia House of Representatives and State Senate, where he was President Pro Tem. In 1962, Sanders won the Democratic Primary for Governor, defeating former Governor Marvin Griffin, and in November was the first Governor of Georgia elected by popular vote after the County Unit System was abolished.

American artist Jasper Johns was born May 15, 1930 in Augusta, Georgia.

The United States Supreme Court released its unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education on May 17, 1954, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.

The historic decision, which brought an end to federal tolerance of racial segregation, specifically dealt with Linda Brown, a young African American girl who had been denied admission to her local elementary school in Topeka, Kansas, because of the color of her skin.

Former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz was born on May 15, 1967 in Lansing, Michigan. Smoltz pitched a complete game shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the seventh game of the National League Championship Series in 1991, sending the Braves to their first World Series since moving to Atlanta in 1966. Smoltz was chosen for the All Star team eight times and won the Cy Young award in 1996.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

NASCAR returns to Georgia next month with the rescheduled Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, though without spectators, according to a press release from the Governor’s office.

Governor Brian P. Kemp is giving NASCAR the green flag to get back on track and go racing in Georgia next month for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

As NASCAR has revised its 2020 schedule, Governor Kemp and the State of Georgia have worked with the sanctioning body and AMS to reschedule the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, which was originally scheduled to run on March 15, 2020. Now, with a plan to go racing reviewed and approved by Governor Kemp, live sports will return to Georgia when the green flag drops at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, June 7, at 3:00 p.m.

“I want to thank our partners with NASCAR and Atlanta Motor Speedway for adapting to protect public health throughout our fight with COVID-19,” said Governor Kemp. “As we continue the measured process of reopening our state, I am confident in their plan to return to racing safely, and I’m excited to join with patrons across the country in celebrating the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 come June.”

NASCAR and Atlanta Motor Speedway developed a comprehensive plan to protect the health and safety of the competitors, crew members, employees, and the broadcast crews that will produce the race. The plan includes limiting overall personnel, pre-event screening, social distancing on site, using personal protection equipment (PPE), and sanitizing areas of the facility both before and during the event.

“I’d like to thank Governor Brian Kemp and every one of the state and local health officials that we’ve worked with to develop a plan to get back to racing,” said Hutchison. “When NASCAR comes to Atlanta Motor Speedway, the eyes of the entire sports world will be on Georgia for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, and we intend to put on a great show.”

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the race will take place without spectators in attendance as part of NASCAR’s effort to bring live competition back to a worldwide broadcast audience on FOX and PRN.

Also included on NASCAR’s revised race event schedule following the outlined plan and without spectators, the unique Atlanta doubleheader featuring the EchoPark 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race and the Vet Tix/Camping World 200 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race will be run on Saturday, June 6. The twin bill begins at 1:00 p.m. on FS1 and MRN for the VetTix/Camping World 200 and concludes with the EchoPark 250 at 4:30 p.m. on FOX and PRN.

Fans who had tickets to the March 13-15 NASCAR weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway can find information on the Speedway’s current ticket policy at www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.

The Georgia Supreme Court ruled that no election is required after Supreme Court Justice Keith Blackwell announced he will retire later this year, according to the AJC.

The Georgia Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against former U.S. Rep. John Barrow and former state Rep. Beth Beskin in their bid to force an election for the seat of Justice Keith Blackwell, who is stepping down from the court in November.

This means Gov. Brian Kemp gets to appoint Blackwell’s successor, who would then stand for election in 2022.

In a 6-2 ruling, the Supreme Court said Fulton County Superior Court Judge Emily Richardson arrived at the correct conclusion in mid-March dismissing Barrow’s and Beskin’s lawsuits, but did so using mistaken reasoning.

Justice David Nahmias, writing for the majority, said even though Blackwell’s seat is not vacant at the present time, his resignation became irrevocable when it was accepted by Kemp on Feb. 26. Blackwell’s seat will become vacant when he leaves office on Nov. 18, and “when a vacancy arises in a justice’s office, it is filled not by election but rather by gubernatorial appointment,” Nahmias wrote.

United States District Judge Timothy Batten dismissed a lawsuit seeking to further delay the June 9 elections, according to the AJC.

Batten wrote that elected Georgia officials have the authority to decide how to run elections — not the courts.

“The framers of the Constitution did not envision a primary role for the courts in managing elections, but instead reserved election management to the legislatures,” Batten wrote in a 12-page order after a hearing earlier in the day.

The Georgia Department of Labor received more than 242,000 new unemployment claims last week, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Nearly 243,000 Georgians filed initial unemployment claims last week, a slight increase over the 228,352 filed the previous week, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.

That brings to more than 1.8 million the number of initial claims submitted to the agency since the middle of March, when the coronavirus pandemic began prompting Georgia businesses to shut down and lay off workers.

Local boards of education are considering how to deal with budget cuts due to the pandemic, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Augusta Chronicle.

The Georgia Department of Education is facing across-the-board cuts of around $1.6 billion to all aspects of the agency, from state administrative offices in Atlanta to specialty programs like agricultural education to everyday basic classroom education.

Those cuts come as part of 14% spending reductions that all state agencies must propose to state lawmakers by May 20, as business closures and social distancing spurred by coronavirus look to put state revenues in a $3 billion to $4 billion hole.

Columbia County Superintendent Sandra Carraway said they expect to avoid furlough days or reductions in force, Plans call for freezing the hiring of new positions, raising class sizes by just one student in grades kindergarten through third, and reducing spending in areas that do not affect the district’s ability to provide students with the best education possible in a safe, positive environment, she said. in a statement.

The Rome News Tribune looks at how their local boards are considering cutting their budgets.

Until a budget is passed and approved, both local school systems are operating under spending resolutions to essentially continue this past year’s budget.

The Rome school board approved its spending resolution Tuesday. It allows the expenditure of funds not to exceed a month’s worth of the current budget — approximately $5 million, Superintendent Lou Byars said.

The superintendent of the Floyd County school system, Jeff Wilson, told his board last week they were expecting the cuts and projected they’d lose approximately $10.5 million from their budget.

Some of the cuts will be defrayed by a federal funding allocation under the CARES — Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security — Act. Last week, Georgia school officials agreed to distribute around $411 million in federal funding to help local school districts.

Rome City Schools’ share will be $2,015,103 and Floyd County Schools will receive $2,005,542.

Columbus municipal government is also looking at how its budget may be affected by the pandemic, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

Columbus Consolidated Government is currently working to adopt a budget for fiscal year 2021, which starts July 1, amid the financial uncertainty caused by the virus.

Parts of the budget the city knows will be hit hard include sales tax and hotel-motel tax. But as the crisis is ongoing, there is a lot left to be determined.

Mayor Skip Henderson presented Columbus Council members with his recommended fiscal year 2021 budget April 28.

“The hard part for us is we really don’t have anything to compare this to,” he said at the time. “The recession of 2008…it was as deep and as long as any recession we’ve had in history, but even that is a completely different animal. That was led by real estate: this is something that is caused entirely by a germ. We don’t really know what we can expect.”

Lowndes County Commissioners wore masks for their first in-person meeting since suspending them due to COVID-19, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held an online meeting to discuss proposed mining near the Okefenokee Swamp, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Several hundred people attended a virtual public meeting held on Wednesday, May 13, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to inform the public about a proposed plan to mine for heavy metals near the Okefenokee Swamp.

At issue was Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals’ plan to mine 898 acres of land for titanium and zircon less than three miles from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The company indicated the operation, if approved, would serve as a demonstration to show the mining could be done with “negligible” environmental harm.

Sea turtle nesting has begun on Georgia’s barrier islands, according to The Brunswick News.

Jekyll and St. Simons islands recently reported their first loggerhead nests of the season, which commences annually in May. As of Thursday, Jekyll reports 10 nests and St. Simons one nest.

The first nests were found on both islands May 8. AmeriCorps members working for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll and volunteers with the St. Simons Island Sea Turtle Project began monitoring the beaches for nests on May 1