Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for May 5, 2025

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 and U.S. Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler toured Effingham County College and Career Academy, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The large tour group moved between computer labs, automotive work areas, and the EV Lab, which was partially funded by Hyundai, which just celebrated the grand opening of its Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) plan in neighboring Bryan County.

“This is really impressive,” Loeffler said following the tour. “I mean, this is a model institution to have work-based learning happening where you can literally walk through the halls and see hands on, career-based learning, this is so critical.”

Governor Brian Kemp echoed the former Senator’s sentiments.

“This is exactly why Georgia is so successful,” Kemp said. “We have a lot of new jobs coming to this part of the state, and I made big promises to people like Hyundai and the over a dozen suppliers, one of them in Effingham, that came along with that plan to supply that plant that we would produce the graduates and the workforce that they need, to run their factories and to do their business.”

Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 233 by State Rep. Rick Townsend (R-SSI), designating Brunswick Stew as the official state stew, according to The Brunswick News.

The sponsor of the bill that Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law this week, state Rep. Rick Townsend, R-St. Simons Island, said it was not difficult to persuade fellow lawmakers to support the legislation.

“Brunswick stew is a big deal historically for Georgia,” Townsend said.

He said the annual Brunswick Stewbilee attracts thousands and adds to the local economy.

During a signing ceremony in Savannah on Thursday, the governor also signed into law local legislation, including the Brunswick homestead exemption, a pay raise for county commissioners, and changes to the funding of and membership of the board of Golden Isles Development Authority.

• Brunswick voters will decide whether to approve the exemption in a special election that will run concurrently with the November municipal elections. The exemption will only apply to a homeowner’s primary residence in the city limits.

We await an Executive Order from Gov. Kemp stating whether game meat is required for proper Brunswick Stew, and whether inclusion of okra, corn, or any kind of beans is subject to prosecution for fraud.

Senate Bill 78, the “City of Tybee Island Buildings and Public Facilities Authority Act,” awaits Governor Kemp’s signature or veto, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Senate Bill 78, would create a public facilities authority for the City of Tybee.

“It’s a state mechanism that allows you to issue financing mechanisms, like bonds, to finance the cost of a large capital project,” said City Manager Brett Bell. “This allows us to get the funding for the station up front, and then pay for it back over time.”

The authority can only be used for public buildings, and it allows the city to be able to afford these projects at better rates and deals for taxpayers because it can issue debt at lower interest rates.

Tybee City Council would create the authority, appoint five members to the board, and then there would be an agreement between council and the authority to issue debt on behalf of the city.

Two women in Fulton County Jail are suing the state, claiming that requiring cash bail for some crimes is unconstitutional, according to the Associated Press via The Dalton Daily Citizen.

The lawsuit accuses the state of violating people’s constitutional rights to due process when they’re accused of crimes that require cash bail due to last year’s Senate Bill 63.

The law, which went into effect in July, requires cash bail for 30 additional crimes, 18 of which are always or often misdemeanors, including failing to appear for a traffic citation if it’s not their first. Georgia requires cash bail for far more offenses than any other state and has one of the nation’s highest rates of people in jail or prison.

The law “is keeping our jails full, separating people from their jobs, families, and homes, and all but guaranteeing that people leave worse than when they came in,” said Lachlan Athanasiou of the Southern Center for Human Rights in a statement. “It’s difficult to think of a more backwards policy.”

The lawsuit argues that the law prevents judges from considering whether cash bail is actually needed to ensure that people accused of crimes appear in court or don’t pose any public safety risk, which was the original purpose of bail.

Republicans who supported the measure have argued that people let out of jail without bail are less likely to show up for court than those who have paid to get out of jail, although national studies contradict that claim.

“If you commit a crime, you have to be accountable for that and show back up to your hearing,” said Republican Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, a Dahlonega Republican.

“Unwarranted pretrial detention based on a person’s inability to pay cash bond is unjust to those presumed innocent, wrongly punishing poverty and harming communities and families,” the lawsuit said, adding that it can cause instability in housing, employment and family care.

The two women who filed the suit are currently incarcerated inside Georgia’s Fulton County Jail, which has been the target of a federal probe due to its filthy living quarters and the in-custody death of a man whose body was found covered in insects. Sierrah Coronell was arrested in February on four charges, including drug possession and obstructing a police officer, and cannot afford to pay her $600 cash bond. She missed her daughter’s 15th birthday and Easter with her five kids. She was their primary caregiver, but now they’re living with their father.

Diane Holsey worked at Burger King and helped take care of her grandchildren. Since she was arrested in April on two charges, including battery, Holsey has missed out on making money and could lose her job. She cannot afford her $4,000 cash bond or a $400 deposit required by a bondsman.

Nonprofit Women on the Rise also joined the suit. The organization provides services to women who would otherwise go to jail, but the law keeps many of them detained.

The law also limited the number of cash bonds that people or organizations, such as churches or charitable funds, can post to three per year unless they meet the same requirements bail bond companies do. A judge temporarily blocked that part of the law last year after Atlanta-based nonprofit Barred Business Foundation sued, arguing it was unconstitutional.

The law, signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, was a reversal on criminal justice reform in Georgia, a priority of his predecessor, Republican Gov. Nathan Deal. Legislation passed almost unanimously in 2018 let judges release most people accused of misdemeanors without bail — part of a set of reforms that Deal said would combat unnecessary incarceration, make sure kids grew up with parents in the home and save taxpayer money.

Georgia’s Secretary of State presented the EAGLE Award to Whitfield County elections officers, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen.

The EAGLE Award, which stands for Excellence, Accountability, Governance and Leadership in Elections, is presented to county elections offices across the state that demonstrate exceptional service, efficiency and a strong commitment to secure and accessible elections.

Whitfield County was honored for its strong execution of the election process, including an average voter wait time of just two minutes, at all 23 precincts, said Shaynee Bryson, Elections director.

“This award reflects the effort our team puts in behind the scenes to make voting simple and efficient for everyone in Whitfield County,” Bryson added.

The Savannah-Chatham Board of Education is hosting public meetings to discuss their proposed FY 2026 budget, according to the Savannah Morning News.

If the school board’s April 16 Budget Workshop is any indication of what will be presented then topics such as offsetting the potential loss of federal funds, optimizing employee compensation and benefits, assessment of the cost per pupil, pre-K education investment, adolescent literacy development and adoption of K-12 math textbooks could be discussed.

Citizens and employees have been invited to attend and provide comments at two upcoming public hearings.

Those who would like to speak before the board should call 912-395-5534 or email Secretary to the Superintendent and School Board Tamika Edwards no later than 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 7 for the 6 p.m. meeting that day or by 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 14 to speak at 6 p.m.

Glynn County will present a quarterly update on projects for the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), according to The Brunswick News.

Glynn County staff members, supervisors and administrators will make presentations to explain the status of ongoing or planned projects funded through the 1% tax.

Quarterly reviews are held every three months and alternate between SPLOST project updates and the county’s five-year strategic plan. The intent is to show the public the county is working hard to ensure SPLOST projects are completed in a responsible and timely manner.

One of the selling points for the tax approved by voters in 2022 was a University of Georgia study that determined 43.6% of the revenue generated by the 1% sales tax comes from visitors living outside the Golden Isles.

The tax pays for road and traffic improvements, drainage projects for storm preparedness, recreation and park enhancements, new sidewalks, public safety needs, and general infrastructure around the county.

The tax revenue is shared with the city of Brunswick, the Jekyll Island Authority, the Brunswick-Glynn Joint Water & Sewer Commission, the Glynn County Airport Commission, and the Golden Isles Development Authority.

The tax is estimated to generate anywhere from $1.8 million to $2.4 million a month, depending on the economy. During the last update, county officials said revenue from the tax is coming in higher than the estimate. The money will help pay for a wide variety of capital projects that are prioritized as Tier 1 or Tier 2 projects.