Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for May 5, 2020

Georgia and American History

The Battle of the Wilderness began on May 5, 1864, between the Army of the Potomac, led by General Ulysses S. Grant, and the Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee.

On May 5, 1886, Jefferson Davis attended a public reception at Savannah, Georgia’s City Hall.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Cy Young threw a perfect game against the Detroit Tigers on May 5, 1904.

Alan Shepard, Jr. became the first American in space on May 5, 1961, making a 15 minute sub-orbital flight that reached an altitude of 115 miles, during which he experienced about five minutes of ‘weightlessness.’ He was launched in the 2,000-lb. capsule Freedom 7 from Cape Canaveral, Florida… The flight traveled 302 miles at a speed relative to the ground of 4,500 mph. The mission was named Mercury-Redstone 3, or Freedom 7.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Brian Kemp traveled to Albany, the region hit hardest by the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the Albany Herald.

New coronavirus cases have declined since a peak in late March or early April, and more patients are being discharged and admitted daily to area hospitals.

Even more encouragingly, though there have been 125 deaths of Dougherty County residents who tested positive for the coronavirus, there have been no deaths this week, County Coroner Michael Fowler said.

That said, health officials and elected leaders warned during a Tuesday news conference that a relaxation in social distancing could undo that progress as businesses continue to come back online after being closed for weeks.

“We are seeing measurable, positive trends in terms of flattening the curve,” [Dougherty County Commission Chair Chris Cohilas] said. “When I talk about flattening the curve, I’m talking about the numbers who are being infected each day, the numbers that are entering the hospital each day.

“Why are we trending downward? Because we took early and decisive action. We took immediate action to swiftly enact measures.”

“These are today’s heroes, and I know Georgians appreciate that,” Kemp said during the tour. “I know that I do. My wife Marty and my family does as well, because we know how hard this has been on everybody, no matter what part of the state you’re in. It’s certainly been harder than most right here in Albany and southwest Georgia.”

The Statewide Judicial Emergency Order has been extended through June 12, 2020, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold D. Melton on Monday, May 4, announced that he will extend the Statewide Judicial Emergency until 1159 p.m. June 12 in the face of the coronavirus epidemic.

That order was due to expire May 13.

Chatham County Superior Court Chief Judge Penny Haas Freesemann last month extended the court’s emergency order until May 31, beyond the state’s deadline. It was unclear Monday if any further local extensions were planned.

Under the new extension order, all criminal and civil jury trials will continue to be suspended, and courts will be barred from summoning and impaneling new trial and grand juries.

These suspensions are necessary due to the social distancing and other safety measures recommended by the CDC, the Georgia Department of Public Health, and local county health departments to protect the health of the large groups of people who are generally assembled for jury proceedings, the court said.

From the Fulton County Daily Report:

Melton’s new order will continue the suspension of all criminal and civil jury trials through June 12 and also bars courts from summoning and impaneling new trial and grand juries. He said the suspensions are necessary because of the need for recommended social distancing and to protect the health of large groups of people who are typically assembled in response to jury summonses.

Melton said he was extending the state judicial emergency because, “The courts are different from most private establishments and public places in that we compel people to attend court proceedings, and that requires us to be extra cautious.”

Melton intends to sign an order codifying his announcement later this week.

Melton stressed in his announcement that Georgia courts remain open to handle critical and essential court services. His new order will urge courts across the state to develop plans for restoring noncritical court operations that can be conducted remotely by a combination of videoconferencing or adhering to social distancing and other guidelines currently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health.

From the Gainesville Times:

The Northeastern Judicial Circuit, which includes Hall and Dawson counties, extended the judicial emergency order to end at 11:59 p.m. May 31. The statewide judicial emergency order has been extended to 11:59 p.m. June 12.

Chief Superior Court Judge Kathlene Gosselin issued an order requiring anyone entering the courthouse to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose “unless doing so would inhibit the individual’s health” or for children younger than 2 years old.

“Such coverings shall be worn in common areas, including hallways and courtrooms, where social distancing may be difficult to maintain,” according to Gosselin’s order.

Jury trials and grand juries [in the Northeastern Judicial Circuit] are suspended until Aug. 1, and in-person, non-essential hearings are suspended until June 1.

[Under the statewide order,] Local judicial circuits may institute more restrictive orders.

Georgia Public Schools are set to receive $457 million dollars in federal aid related to the COVID 19 outbreak, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Cherokee Ledger & Tribune News.

Georgia school officials agreed Monday to distribute around $411 million in federal funding to help local school districts shore up their budgets and programs as coronavirus continues pummeling the state’s economy.

The relief funds come from about $457 million approved for Georgia public schools as part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The money is poised to help pay for online learning programs, school meals, staffing expenses to offset upcoming budget reductions, and special services for low-income, homeless, migrant and foster-care students.

The bulk of Georgia’s $457 million share from the CARES Act education fund will go in varying amounts to nearly 200 county and city public school districts, plus about 30 charter schools. Roughly $45 million will be set aside for emergency use.

Georgia State Parks are planning to reopen lodges beginning May 21, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

COVID-19 relief funds will be used by the Secretary of State’s office to pay for some expenses relating to upcoming elections, according to the AJC.

The Georgia secretary of state’s office is distributing federal coronavirus relief money to county election offices for personal protective equipment, sanitizing disinfectant supplies and secure drop boxes.

Each county is eligible for up to $6,000 to reimburse their expenses related to the coronavirus, according to a grant program announced by [the] Secretary of State.

The funding comes from nearly $11 million allocated to Georgia from $400 million in election-related coronavirus relief funds that Congress approved last month.

Local election officials can receive $3,000 for equipment including masks, gloves, shields, disinfectant materials and alcohol wipes for election offices and polling places.

They’re also eligible for $3,000 for purchasing and installing drop boxes where voters can deliver their absentee ballots. The State Election Board recently allowed counties to use absentee ballot drop boxes for the primary, a provision that may be extended to future elections as well.

Augusta will reopen government offices in a phased approach, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

According to a phased-reopening plan going for commission approval Tuesday, starting May 12, some city departments will be open to the public with some staff returning to the office.

All entering Augusta Municipal Building must wear a mask and physical barriers will be placed where needed.

More staff will return the week of May 18 and June 1, all staff will return and all departments will be open to the public.

Democrat Jon Ossoff is using Rep. John Lewis (D-Atlanta) to bolster his lack of experience and credentials in the Democratic race for the United States Senate seat held by Republican David Perdue. From the Associated Press and AccessWDUN.

Civil rights pioneer and Georgia congressman John Lewis’ endorsement of Democratic Senate hopeful Jon Ossoff is the focus of a new television ad from Ossoff’s campaign that begins airing statewide on Tuesday.

Ossoff, a former congressional aide who broke fundraising records during an unsuccessful 2017 run for a metro Atlanta U.S. House seat, faces a handful of other Democrats in a June 9 primary election. The winner will earn a spot taking on Republican Sen. David Perdue, a former business executive and ally of President Donald Trump, as he seeks a second term in November.

“I’ve known Jon for many, many years,” Lewis says in the ad. “He will fight for our values. Friends, I’m calling on you to support Jon Ossoff and send Donald Trump a message he will never forget.”

A primary runoff, required if no candidate receives more than 50% of votes in June, is scheduled for Aug. 11.

Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-Atlanta) will be running her own ads in the race to retain the seat Governor Brian Kemp appointed her to, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Gwinnett Daily Post.

A $4 million ad campaign launched Monday labels as “liberal lies” and a “witch hunt” allegations the wealthy Atlanta businesswoman bought and sold millions of dollars in stocks shortly after a Jan. 24 closed-door briefing she and other senators attended on the emerging COVID-19 pandemic.

“While the left, media and her opponents play politics … she has worked around the clock to deliver relief to those impacted by COVID-19,” Loeffler campaign spokesman Stephen Lawson said. “Kelly will not be distracted by their false attacks.”

More than 20 candidates from both parties will be on the ballot Nov. 3 in a “free-for-all” election likely to require a runoff. The challengers include Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Collins of Gainesville and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, pastor at Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Karen Handel‘s Republican primary opponents made clear she is the front-runner by attacking her. From the Capitol Beat News Service:

It was open season on former U.S. Rep. Karen Handel Monday when four Republican opponents who have never held public office teed off on her in an hour-long debate streamed by Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Handel responded by pointing to a record of accomplishments both in the public and private sectors, including creating jobs as CEO of the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, balancing Fulton County’s budget as county commission chairman without raising taxes and putting in place a photo ID requirement for voters as Georgia secretary of state.

After running unsuccessfully for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, Handel captured the 6th Congressional District seat in 2017 in a special election over well-funded Democrat Jon Ossoff. McBath, a gun control advocate who lost her son to gun violence, upended Handel two years ago by a narrow margin.

“I am the strongest candidate in this race … the only Republican with the organization and the money to win,” Handel said. “I’m proud of my service and engagement in the community.”

Eight of the nine Republicans running for Congress in the Fourteenth District appeared in an online forum, according to the Rome News Tribune.

In all, nine Republican candidates have signed up for the race to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, a Republican, who announced late last year that he will not seek re-election. He has held the 14th District seat since 2010.

The reliably Republican district stretches from Paulding and Haralson counties north through Rome, Calhoun and Dalton to the Tennessee line.

Of the nine Republican candidates, eight appeared in Monday’s debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club. They alternated between praise for President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies, disdain for congressional Democrats and a handful of jabs at each other.

Without much daylight between them in terms of policies and values, some of the Republican candidates took to attacking each other’s records.

Congressman Buddy Carter (R-Pooler) does not approve of Delta’s suspending service to Brunswick, according to The Brunswick News.

“I understand that Delta has tough decisions to make right now, but the CARES Act provided funding to the airlines to maintain their current flight routes,” Carter said.

“The Delta flights are the main air artery into Brunswick Golden Isles, and I have been in contact with the Department of Transportation and Delta to express my concerns about the application and to express my opposition to suspending the service.”

Brunswick Golden Isles Airport is one of nine Delta is seeking authorization to drop for now. All have produced low passenger counts since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and each community served is within driving distance of a major airport.

No official protest was filed by the Glynn County Airport Commission, though airport officials have been in touch with Delta.

“We have instead spoke directly with Delta upper management and they have indicated that they are committed to BQK, and if suspension is authorized and current traffic demand justifies suspension, they will return service as soon as traffic demand returns,” said Rob Burr, executive director of Glynn County Airports.

Gainesville City Schools are delaying their budget process due to questions about state and federal funding, according to the Gainesville Times.

The Gainesville City School District will not submit a budget for approval at the end of June as planned, and will instead bring a spending resolution before the board asking that the timeline for budget approval be pushed back a month.

The move to delay the budget submission until the end of July was announced in a statement made by Gainesville Superintendent Jeremy Williams at a school board meeting on Monday evening. Williams acknowledged that the spending resolution would have to be brought before the governor..

Williams added that based on conversations he’s had with other superintendents around the state, many other school districts would be moving forward with similar budget plans.

The delay in an approved budget comes in response to recent guidance from Georgia legislators advising all state-funded agencies to expect a 14% budget cut across the board. The state legislature will not meet again until June, and Williams said that timeline would not give Gainesville City Schools enough time to propose an accurate budget by the typical deadline.

Habersham County Commissioners voted to apportion proceeds from the next Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) between the county and its municipalities by population, according to AccessWDUN.

That was the 3-2 decision made by the commission in a called meeting Monday afternoon, May 4.

The decision was not what three of the county’s seven municipalities wanted because it generates less money for them.

Commissioner Natalie Crawford initially made a motion to approve the composite share formula, which benefited Clarkesville, Cornelia and Tallulah Falls and did not affect Alto, Baldwin, Demorest or Mt. Airy at all. Her motion was seconded by Chairman Stacy Hall but failed 2-3.

Instead, commissioners voted on a model that will provide roughly $1,995,412 (6.8%) more to Habersham County over the six years of the proposed SPLOST. That decision potentially costs Clarkesville $226,851, Cornelia $1,643,382, and Tallulah Falls $125,180.

Varnell City Council is interviewing candidates for police chief, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.