Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for October 22, 2019

General James Oglethorpe, founder of Georgia, signed a treaty with the Spanish government of Florida on October 22, 1736.

On October 22, 1832, the Cherokee Land Lottery began in Milledgeville, with more than 200,000 Georgians competing for 53,309 lots of land.

Georgia Governor John B. Gordon signed legislation on October 22, 1887 that increased the number of justices on the Georgia Supreme Court from 3 to 5.

President Grover Cleveland arrived in Atlanta for the Cotton States and International Exposition on October 22, 1895.

On October 22, 1991, the Braves played Minnesota in the first World Series game in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Braves won Game 2 of the 1995 World Series, beating Cleveland 4-3, on October 22, 1995.

Georgia artist Howard Finster died on October 22, 2001.

One of my dogs is named Finster, after the artist.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

President Donald Trump will visit Atlanta for a fundraiser on November 8, according to the AJC.

Trump’s visit to Georgia will be his first since a trip to Atlanta in April, when he said his administration would “smash the grip of addiction” at an opioid summit.

It will come less than two weeks before the leading Democratic presidential contenders gather in Georgia for a televised showdown. The Nov. 20 event will be the first time the state has hosted a premier political debate since 1992.

Governor Brian Kemp visited the Claxton Poultry plant in Sylvania, according to WJCL.

”We’ve got to continue to tell people about the great things we have going on,” said Governor Kemp. “This facility, the Claxton Poultry opening is just unreal for this community, I think they’re up to 187 jobs, much more than they thought this quickly.”

“It’s a great honor for us to be able to do that,” said Greg Finch, CFO, Claxton Poultry. “It’s a long time in the planning stages and getting to the point where we’re ready to open. It’s a beautiful facility and huge support from the local community and of course from the capital as well as with Governor Kemp and Senator Stone.”

This is the Governor’s seventh stop on the Georgia Made tour. He will continue throughout the rest of the year.

The Sylvania plant for Claxton poultry opened in June . And it employs nearly 200 people.

Tempers might be running a little hot on the Democratic side. From the AJC:

Teresa Tomlinson’s top aide accused Ossoff of “co-opting” U.S. Rep. John Lewis by invoking the civil rights icon’s endorsement shortly after the two candidates competing to challenge U.S. Sen. David Perdue appeared at a Saturday event.

“Let me be clear … every question should not be answered with, ‘John Lewis was hit by a brick 55 years ago,’” wrote Kendra Cotton, Tomlinson’s campaign manager, referring to the 1965 attack against Lewis in Selma, Ala.

Cotton later responded that Ossoff was “trying to wear a black man’s narrative and work like a winter coat.”

The tiff highlights the battle among a field of white candidates to win over a Democratic electorate dominated by black voters. It also underscored the changed dynamic in the race since Ossoff entered in September.

He has captured national attention, quickly emerged as the fundraising leader and is rivaling Tomlinson, a former Columbus mayor who launched her campaign in April, for the biggest share of high-profile endorsements.

In a statement, Cotton called Lewis “a national treasure” and accused Ossoff of an “attempt to co-opt his sacrifices for political gain” by referring to Lewis when asked about his own qualifications.

Augusta residents will vote on two tax referendums next year, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

The first will be renewing the 10-year Transportation Investment Act sales tax, which will go into effect in 2022 if voters approve.

At a Monday meeting on the TIA 2 project list, Mayor Hardie Davis said current plans are to place the question on the March Presidential Preference Primary ballot and Augusta’s next traditional sales tax on the November general election ballot.

“Currently, we’re tracking for the presidential primary ballot, under the premise that in November 2020 we put SPLOST 8 on the ballot,” Davis said.

Georgia’s 2020 election calendar has the presidential primary – when voters select between Democratic candidates for president – scheduled for March 24.

McIntosh County voters will decide on a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) in November, according to The Brunswick News.

Darien voters will decide Nov. 5 whether to give Hugh “Bubba” Hodge a third four-year or whether to give city councilman Griffin Lotson.

Voters in the city and county will vote on a T-SPLOST, a 1-cent special purpose local option sales tax for transportation. The tax would be in place for five years or until it raises $7.5 million and would raise the local sales tax rate to 8 percent. Both the city and county cite drainage improvements as a primary need but the money would also improve roads and bridges.

In the city races, Lotson asserts that Darien voters want a change at the top and he’s the change they want. Hodge disagrees and says there’s no point in changing while the city’s on a winning streak.

South Ware Councilman Bubba Skeen is running unopposed for re-election, but here will be at least one new face on the governing panel as three vie for Lotson’s North Ward seat. William “Bill” Johnson, who is retired from the trucking industry, faces educator Katie Daniels and retired shrimper Morris Butler.

Glynn County Commissioner Peter Murphy will not run for reelection next year, according to The Brunswick News.

As for the only candidate to formally announce a campaign for the seat, Cap Fendig, Murphy had nothing but praise.

Before making the announcement last week, Fendig called to asked if he planned to run for reelection, Murphy said. At the time, Murphy was about “90 percent sure” he would not.

“I asked him ‘Are you thinking about running?’ He said he was, but that he needed to discuss it with his wife and other family in the area,” Murphy said. “He called me back and said he would. I said ‘That’s fantastic. I’m now 100 percent certain I will not run.’”

“Once I found out he was willing to run, I was very happy. I feel like he’ll run a good, strong campaign and I will be very happy if he is the victor,” Murphy said.

Gainesville City Council member George Wangemann announced he will run for Mayor in 2021, according to AccessWDUN.

Wangemann first joined the Gainesville City Council in 1986 and is that governing body’s longest serving member. He is currently in his ninth term and had seriously considered retiring from public service when his current term expires at the end of 2021.

Prior to 2014 the role of mayor rotated among city council members and Wangemann held that position in 1995-1996 and again in 2004-2005.

Beginning in 2014 mayor became an elected position and current Mayor Danny Dunagan has been the only person to occupy that leadership role since the changeover.

After the city council meeting Wangemann explained his decision to seek the job of mayor. “My original plan was to retire, to get off the council, and my wife had a little different take on it and she said she’d like to see me continue on for one more term.”

Oakwood will present its proposed 2020 budget at a public meeting today, according to the Gainesville Times.

Dalton City Council adopted a 6-year capital improvement plan, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen.

A new nest has been constructed for a webcam at The Landings in Chatham County, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Following instructions downloaded from the internet, volunteers at The Landings this week built an eagle nest stick by stick at the top of a tall pine tree.

This site has hosted a set of popular, live-streaming nest cameras since 2014. Those cameras were originally placed to capture the activity of bald eagles who had built their nest in a nearby loblolly pine. But the eagle couple never returned. Instead, the nest was taken over first by great horned owls and then by osprey. The birds provided oodles of cuteness and drama as they laid eggs, devoured live fish, snakes and squirrels, and watched their young fledge. All of it was livestreamed, with the feed curated through Skidaway Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

It took more than half a dozen volunteers the better part of a week to do it. Along with building the nest, a process of weaving the sticks together one by one, the crew also designed and built artificial branches on which to mount the three cameras, one of which weighs 30 pounds. Sturdiness is a must to keep equipment in place through each hurricane season.

The cameras have infrared capability, enabling nighttime viewing without disturbing the birds, which can’t see infrared. And there is also audio — capturing the parents hooting and screeching, as well as babies begging. Log on to landingsbirdcam.com to check them out.