Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for October 23, 2019

FDR campaigning in Atlanta and Georgia in 1932.

When he arrived at Warm Springs, FDR gave a short speech:

“Two more weeks to go. . . . First, let me say this: this old hat, a lot of you people have seen it before. It’s the same hat. But I don’t think it is going to last much longer after the 8th of November. I have a superstition about hats in campaigns, and I am going to wear it until midnight of the 8th of November. . . . Well, it’s fine to see, and I’m looking forward to coming down here for the usual Thanksgiving party at Warm Springs, and having a real old-fashioned Thanksgiving with my neighbors again. I thank you!”

On October 23, 1971, the Coca-Cola Company launched the advertising campaign “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke.”

Georgia-born Clarence Thomas was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court on October 23, 1991.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Brian Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr took action to close a plant in Covington, according to CBS46.

On Monday, Georgia’s attorney general, on behalf of Governor Kemp’s office, filed a formal complaint asking a judge to temporarily suspend operations at Becton Dickinson medical sterilization facility in Covington.

“After months of failed negotiations, empty promises, and misleading reports of ethylene oxide leaks, we have filed a Temporary Restraining Order to suspend operations at BD in Covington. Our top priority is the health and well-being of Georgia families. This measure is necessary to ensure transparency and prevent behavior that threatens the safety of employees and the community,” said Kemp.

The Office of Attorney General Chris Carr says, “BD should be shut down until it demonstrates to the Court that it has completed the following actions:

•  Trained all technicians on the proper operation of all valves in the facility;

• Completed corrective action to prevent a future release from all vacuum exhaust valves at the facility by installing blanks on the outlets to all vacuum exhaust valves to prevent flow regardless of valve position or condition; and

• Installed necessary pollution control equipment to capture fugitive emissions of ethylene oxide at the facility and route them to a control device with at least 99 percent efficiency.

Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton met with Governor Kemp to discuss the appointment to the United States Senate, according to the AJC.

Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton spoke with the governor last week to discuss the possibility but has yet to submit a resume for U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson’s seat, according to several people with direct knowledge of the sit-down.

Melton would be one of the highest-profile officials competing for Kemp’s favor if he decides to apply. He would also be one of the most unconventional contenders, given his tenure on the bench of the state’s highest court and lack of political experience.

A former lawyer for the state Attorney General’s office, Melton was serving as then-Gov. Sonny Perdue’s executive counsel when the Republican tapped him in 2005 for an open seat on the state Supreme Court bench.

The first black student body president at Auburn University, Melton has carved out a conservative track record on the bench and penned a string of high-profile decisions.

But he’s also never had to take a stance on many political issues that will shape the 2020 race, including his level of support for President Donald Trump. He’s also never faced a contested statewide race, since he ran unopposed the last three elections.

Former President Jimmy Carter fell again and broke his hip, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Former President Jimmy Carter is in the hospital again after falling and fracturing his pelvis Monday evening at his home in Plains, Georgia.

Carter Center spokeswoman Deanne Congileo described the fracture as minor. Her statement said the 95-year-old is in good spirits at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center and is looking forward to recovering at home.

This is the third time Carter has fallen in recent months. He first fell in the spring and required hip replacement surgery. Carter fell again this month and despite receiving 14 stitches, traveled the next day to Nashville, Tennessee to rally volunteers and help build a Habitat for Humanity home.

Butts County Sheriff Gary Long is being sued by sex offenders, according to the Jackson Progress-Argus.

The lawsuit, filed Sept. 24 by three Butts County residents on the Georgia sex offender registry, challenges the sheriff’s office’s practice of requiring residents on the registry to display signs reading: “Warning: No trick-or-treat at this address. A community safety message from Butts County Sheriff Gary Long.” The suit also alleges deputies trespassed in order to place and collect the signs last year.

The suit — on behalf of Christopher Reed, Reginald Holden and Corey McClendon — is pending in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia in Macon. The suit names Butts County Sheriff Gary Long and other sheriff’s office employees as respondents.

Yuracheck and Begnaud argue in the complaint that Georgia’s sex offender registry statute does not require such signs to be placed at the homes of offenders, and that the Butts County Sheriff’s Office did not have permission to enter their properties to place or collect them.

In addition to arguing deputies trespassed, the suit claims the signs caused “anxiety, embarrassment and humiliation,” and compelled “petitioners to endorse speech which they found objectionable.”

“We will argue to the federal court that we are protecting our children and following Georgia law by placing these signs,” Long said. “Regardless of the judge’s ruling this Thursday, I will do everything within the letter of the law to protect the children of this community.”

In related news, Gary Long will be reelected Sheriff next time he’s up.

Former Governor Nathan Deal will serve as Distinguished University Professor of Government at Mercer, according to the Macon Telegraph.

“I suppose I’ve always been somewhat of a teacher anyway. I’m the product of two teacher parents, so I’ve done a lot of teaching along the way just never had a designation as a professor or anything until now, but I do look forward to it. I think I do have some insights that I would like to share with the students,” Deal said.

Deal said his new position will consist of a series of lectures that are scheduled to start next year.

The Georgia Board of Regents agreed to appoint Deal as a Regents Professor earlier this year with a start date of March 1, according to an article by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The board originally wanted him to teach at the University of Georgia, but Deal said after having back surgery in January, he asked to teach at the University of North Georgia because it is closer to his home.

Deal said he looks forward to traveling to his alma mater next year and talking with the student body at Mercer, a private university.

“They seemed to think that my experiences in public office would be beneficial to be able to convey the lessons that I have learned to the students, and hopefully I can do that,” Deal said.

Proposals to give Macon-Bibb County employees paid time off to vote remain on the table, according to the Macon Telegraph.

Two proposals to give Macon-Bibb employees time off to vote and engage in civic activities stalled again Tuesday. But this may not be the last time the issue comes up.

One plan would have given employees a full holiday for the November election in even number years. The other would have given employees a half day off each quarter to vote or engage in other civic activities.

The proposals had been previously tabled in committee. Commissioner Virgil Watkins brought both plans back up at Tuesday’s committee meetings. With each one a motion was made to untable the proposals, but neither got enough votes.

Gwinnett County will purge inactive voters, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Gwinnett Elections Supervisor Kristi Royston said about 22,000 voters in the county are set to receive NGE notices — NGE essentially stands for “no activity through two general elections.”

These voters are therefore deemed “inactive” by state elections officials, and are scheduled to be removed from voter rolls if they don’t quickly update their registration information. Officially, the registrations are “canceled” if the voter does not respond.

“This is a change to this process that came out of House Bill 316,” Royston said. “This cancellation has taken place before, but in the past, there was not a notification prior to removal.

“If you look at House Bill 316, there’s a section in it that now addresses that we will — the county registrars — send a notice to the affected voters, and then once they receive that notice, they would respond and if they don’t respond, then they will be removed.”

This is the first time that Georgia has used the notification system for voter registration “cancellations” since House bill 316 became law earlier this year, according to Royston.

Short term rental regulations appear not to be widely followed, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

[Mamie] Pound said she was disappointed to learn that only 30 of the 180 short-term vacation rentals in Columbus are 100% compliant with the new regulations.

Those regulations impose an 8% hotel-motel tax on short-term vacation rentals like Airbnb or HomeAway, just like on hotels and bed and breakfasts.

She said the city’s requirements for her inn include inspections by the fire marshal and health department, in addition to combined fees of about $700 per year, which vacation rentals aren’t subject to.

“I’m not against Airbnb, I just wish the playing field were leveled more,” she said.

City officials are working to enforce rules put into place by council last year to help bring in more taxes, ensure fairness with other hospitality providers, and see that the lodging businesses are following city building codes and standards.

According to the city finance department, the hotel-motel tax collections between November 2018 and August 2019 totaled $4.4 million. Of that, $26,172.78 was collected from short-term vacation rentals.

Last November, the city began requiring owners of the rental units to complete background checks, obtain business licenses, permits, collect taxes and follow other city codes.

Bowden’s office tracks the number of short-term rental units in the Columbus area and provides the data to the city building inspections and code enforcement department, which in turn is in charge of enforcing the city’s rules.

Dalton wrote to Whitfield County proposing a settlement of the sevice delivery agreement disupute, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen.

City of Dalton officials sent an email letter to the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners Tuesday afternoon outlining a proposed settlement of their service delivery agreement negotiations. The letter arrived about an hour after county Board of Commissioners Chairman Lynn Laughter says she received a call from a Chattanooga reporter asking about the letter.

Under state law, cities and counties must negotiate a new service delivery agreement every 10 years, spelling out which services the governments will provide and how they will be funded. The agreements are aimed at reducing duplication of services. Without an agreement, the county, the City of Dalton and the other cities in the county become ineligible for state grants and other funding and permits.

The current service delivery agreement is actually 39 separate agreements between the cities and the county, covering everything from ambulance service to historic preservation to zoning. It expires on Oct. 31 and if it is not recertified, Whitfield County, Dalton, Cohutta, Tunnel Hill and Varnell become ineligible for state grants and other funding and for state-issued permits.

Laughter said commissioners have not yet had time to discuss the letter and its proposals. But she indicated she will not agree to giving the city 10 percentage points more in the LOST agreement or to its request for control of the convention center.

Candidates for Port Wentworth City Council met in a public forum Tuesday, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Seats up for the Nov. 5 election include one At-large seat, District 2 and District 4.

Candidates answered questions that had been submitted by the public.

Vying for the At-large council seat are incumbent Thomas Barbee, Doel Maldonado and Randall Mathews.

District 2 candidates include incumbent Mark Stephens and Scott Norman. Stephens was appointed to the seat when former councilman Paul Fox resigned on Oct. 15, 2018.

District 4 candidates are incumbent Bill Herrin and former mayor Glenn “Pig” Jones. Jones did not attend.

A planned forum for Brunswick City Council candidates was canceled when no one could open the funeral home, according to The Brunswick News.

Early voting is open in Rome for November city council and “brunch bill” elections, according to the Rome News Tribune.

Polls are open at the Floyd County Health Department at 16 E. 12th St. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and the same hours at the Floyd County Administration Building at 12 E. Fourth Ave. starting Monday. Weekend voting on Jackson Hill runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

On Election Day, Nov. 5, polls will be open in the various precincts from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Chatham Area Transit has pulled out of a contract to redesign the bus network, according to the Savannah Morning News.