Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for September 25, 2023

On September 25, 1789, Congress adopted the first twelve amendments, called the Bill of Rights, to the United States Constitution. A little more than two years later, in 1791, enough states had ratified ten of the Amendments, with two not receiving sufficient support.

On September 25, 1864, Confederate President Jefferson Davis met with General John Bell Hood and visited troops at Palmetto, Georgia.

Ronald Reagan appointee Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female Justice of the United States on September 25, 1981. In an interview with Terry Gross, she recalled receiving the call from President Reagan:

“I was working in my office on the Arizona Court of Appeals,” she tells Fresh Air’s Terry Gross. “I was at the court in my chambers when the telephone rang. And it was the White House calling for me, and I was told that the president was waiting to speak to me. That was quite a shock, but I accepted the phone call, and it was President Reagan, and he said, ‘Sandra?’ ‘Yes, Mr. President?’ ‘Sandra, I’d like to announce your nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court tomorrow. Is that all right with you?’ Well, now, that’s kind of a shock, wouldn’t you say?”

The Princess Bride was released on September 25, 1987. Inconceivable!

On September 25, 2008, the last car came off the line at GM’s Doraville Plant.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

The Albany Herald writes about the one-year Homestead Exemption tax relief grant that Governor Brian Kemp proposed and funded.

The grant offers a one-time (one-year) tax reduction program for all eligible homeowners with an approved Homestead Exemption in place for their primary place of residence.

Property owners will receive the HTRG in the form of a $18,000 reduction in the assessed value of their homesteaded property. Based on the various millage rates applied across the state, the actual tax savings will vary among the homestead property owners.

The HTRG will be applied to all property tax calculations except for millage rates associated with bonds; tax allocation districts; special service districts created after Dec. 31, 2004; and rental properties and other non-homesteaded properties are not eligible for the HTRG.

The HTRG will be shown as a line item on the tax bill homeowners receive from local taxing authorities (county, school and/or city) and will be shown as a reduction on calculated property taxes.

The National Park Service is seeking to have the Okefenokee Swamp placed on the list of UNESCO heritage sites, according to WTOC.

The National Park Service filed a notice in Washington that it will seek the designation for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, which sprawls across more than 400,000 acres (161,875 hectares) in southeast Georgia near the Florida state line.

Conservation groups say the rare distinction would boost the Okefenokee’s profile as one of the world’s last intact blackwater swamps and home to abundant alligators, endangered red cockaded woodpeckers, stilt-legged wood storks and more than 400 other animal species.

“It would join a long list of iconic American landscapes — the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite,” said Kim Bednarek, executive director of the nonprofit Okefenokee Swamp Park that’s working with the U.S. government on the refuge’s nomination package. “Nobody questions the value of those places.”

The Okefenokee refuge covers more than 90% of the swamp and is the largest national wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi River. Its diverse wildlife, cypress forests and flooded prairies draw roughly 600,000 visitors each year, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the refuge.

Designation as a World Heritage site wouldn’t impose any added restrictions or regulations for the Okefenokee. But conservationists say the distinction of being listed gives governments and local communities an incentive to protect and preserve the sites.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker heard arguments in a lawsuit against the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission, according to WRDW.

Augusta District Attorney Jared Williams is one of four DAs from across the state opposing the measure.

The lawsuit claims the commission targets minority Democrats in a conservative state.

State Republicans are defending the law, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said.

“Unfortunately, some district attorneys have embraced the progressive movement across the nation of refusing to enforce the law,” he said.

“District attorneys who choose to violate their oaths of office are not immune from accountability.”

Led by DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston, the group of plaintiffs includes Towaliga District Attorney Jonathan Adams, Williams and Cobb District Attorney Flynn Broady.

“We should be encouraging district attorneys to be more transparent about their work, not less open and honest,” Williams said when the lawsuit was filed. “SB 92 hurts prosecutors who want to have a dialogue with their constituents.”

From the AJC:

The prosecutors say the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission infringes on the powers of district attorneys granted by the Georgia Constitution. They say the legislation that created the panel would allow it to punish prosecutors for prioritizing some crimes over others or even for political purposes.

“There is just too much of a risk that, while acting in good faith, this commission will interfere with the authority and rights of district attorneys,” attorney Joshua Rosenthal, representing four district attorneys, argued Friday at a hearing in Fulton County Superior Court.

Friday’s hearing was the latest development in a battle over Senate Bill 92, approved by the General Assembly earlier this year. The law allows the commission to sanction or remove district attorneys for an array of causes, such as “willful misconduct” or “persistent failure” to follow the law. A five-member panel will investigate the complaints and decide whether to bring formal charges, and a separate three-member panel will issue orders and opinions.

More than 100 antisemitic flyers were distributed to driveways in Gwinnett County, according to AccessWDUN.

Suwanee Police recently told Atlanta News First that they are looking into potential litter charges for those responsible for tossing baggies containing literary materials into people’s yards.

More than 100 of the antisemitic fliers and related information have been obtained from Flock license plate cameras to see if they can determine who littered the hate mailings.

Police continue to look for other courses of action in finding those responsible for littering the area lawns.

The Mobilize Recovery Across Georgia bus tour hit Rome, according to the Rome News Tribune.

Jeff Breedlove, community manager for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, is on tour with the MRAG bus. He also shared his recovery journey with the crowd.

“After 30 years of a hell of active addiction, I am a survivor and I am blessed to be alive,” Breedlove said.

Other special guests included Rome Mayor Sundai Stevenson, state Rep. Katie Dempsey, Floyd County Sheriff Dave Roberson, and GDBHDD representative Cassandra Price.

Sparks, who presides over the Rome/Floyd County Drug Court, said he was very excited that Rome was chosen to be on the bus tour because it brings so much awareness to community recovery efforts.

“We are very fortunate to have organizations like Living Proof Recovery. They have been a valuable resource to us,” said Sparks, who presides over the county’s drug court. “Events like this have a huge impact on people in recovery. We would have a difficult time doing what we do without Living Proof.”

Athens-Clarke County adopted an emergency moratorium on short-term rentals, according to the Athens Banner Herald.

The moratorium ordinance was approved by the commission without objection by any member.

According to the ordinance, the emergency moratorium will go through Nov. 7 to give the city staff time to create an ordinance to regulate and place restrictions on the operations of the Airbnb.

A few cautioned that restrictions should not affect homeowners who live on site and rent out rooms for extra income.

The emergency moratorium was based on several factors outlined by the city including complaints by residents and the increased number of nuisance complaints that involve noise, traffic congestion and parking.

The city also acknowledged there is a housing crisis where local workers are unable to find housing and Airbnb affects this issue.

Two of the residents who brought forth complaints explained that houses in their neighborhoods were purchased by out-of-state investments groups, including Texas and Oregon.

The Airbnb issue is one facing other cities including large metropolitans.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that New York City is cracking down on such issues by enforcing new rules on short-term rentals.

Commissioner Melissa Link noted at the meeting that every neighborhood in Athens has the “potential of predation” by these short-term rental businesses of which there are apparently around 900 short-term rentals in Athens.

Commissioner Carol Myers noted the impact this is having on the housing issue. Investors are buying homes for rentals and Myers said she gets post cards monthly from real estate companies wanting to pay cash to buy her home.

Richmond and Burke County courts are receiving technical upgrades via state grant, according to WJBF.

Each court room is being outfitted with a new system that will make proceedings faster, easier and safer.

“Moving prisoners is the most dangerous thing that law enforcement ever does,” explained Chief Judge Danny Craig of the Superior Court, Augusta Judicial Circuit.

Soon moving those prisoners will happen less often within the Augusta Judicial Circuit. A new technology system is being installed in the courtrooms throughout Richmond and Burke Counties.

“And so we have partnered with the sheriff’s office in order to do bonds and arraignments and even sentences over Webex, without having to transport prisoners, or those accused to the courtroom,” said Nolan Martin, Court Administrator.

“We ran vans constantly between the jail, which is about 8 miles from here, to the courthouse. And it just would not be possible now with the number of inmates that we have, and the number of more troubled inmates that we’re trying to deal with. The technology allows us to have ready access to every single inmate in the jail, all of the time.”

The $1-million state funded project is proving to be a huge success, and something Martin believes is the future of courtrooms everywhere.

Rebecca Walden will serve as interim Glynn County Clerk of Courts, according to The Brunswick News.

Walden is set to take over the reins of the office when Ron Adams retires on Sept. 30. She will serve in the position at least through the end of the term in December 2024.

Walden may serve longer if elected to the office next year. She has already filed her paperwork to be the incumbent Clerk of Superior Court candidate in the 2024 election.

“It really boils down to the staff,” she said. “They know what they’re doing. We don’t have to ask them what the plan is for the next day. They know what they’re here to do and they do a great job. … Everybody is a team. Everybody gets along.”

Part of the job is ensuring public records from those cases and applications are properly managed. Property records are available for public viewing at the courthouse or through the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority.

Civil and criminal records are available upon request at the courthouse to ensure those are properly reviewed and redacted when applicable to protect privacy and prevent identity theft, Walden said.

Walden said she plans to make Caleb Still her chief deputy.

Gwinnett Superior Court Judge Tamela Adkins announced she will run for reelection, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Adkins is serving in her first term in office, having been elected to the Superior Court bench in 2020. Since judicial elections are nonpartisan races, the winners will be decided as part of the state’s general primary election next May and will appear on Democratic, Republican and nonpartisan ballots.

“In 2020, I challenged the status quo to argue we needed dedicated, diligent, and engaged judges that reflect our community,” Adkins said in her campaign announcement. “Gwinnett voters agreed, and I earned over 60% of the vote against a long-term incumbent. I have spent the past three years honing my judicial skills and making the tough decisions required on felony criminal cases and preventing damage to children in hostile custody cases. I look forward to sharing this record with Gwinnett voters in 2024.”

Gary Monroe is running for Mayor of Garden City for the fourth times, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The number one thing Garden City needs right now is more grocery store options, Monroe said, who decried the growth of trucking and industrialization without meeting the needs of residents.

Republican Arefeen Chowdhury announced his campaign for Gwinnett Tax Commissioner, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

“Gwinnett County is ever-changing. Every year, our population soars to new heights, and with that, we become more and more diverse,” Chowdhury said in his announcement. “Our county deserves a tax commissioner who is constantly looking for ways to elevate customer service, save taxpayers money, and serve our growing diverse community with excellence.”

Chowdhury is, so far, the only Republican who has announced plans to run for the office.

On the opposite side of the political aisle, current Tax Commissioner Denise Mitchell has already launched her campaign for the office and Phillip Bonton III filed paperwork with the state last month signaling his intention to run against her in the Democratic Party Primary.

Mitchell became the county’s tax commissioner last year after her predecessor, Tiffany Porter, died in the middle of her first term in office.

Oakwood City Council member Dwight Wood died, according to AccessWDUN.

Hunt said Wood was up for re-election in November and had already qualified for the seat. He was running unopposed, with no other candidates qualifying for the seat.

“Under the Oakwood Charter, the mayor appoints, and the city council affirms a replacement until the end of Dwight’s term which is December 31, 2023, since less than 12 months remain in the term of office,” Hunt said in a statement.

However, when it comes to an elected replacement for the seat, Hunt said qualifying must be re-opened for the position, due to Wood running unopposed.

“City staff will be conferring with the election office regarding the timing of qualifying or whether it can occur that quickly at all,” Hunt said. “If no election can be held for several months until the March election date, the appointee would continue to serve until replaced.”

Ike, a loggerhead turtle, was released from the Tybee Island Marine Science Center, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The release started promptly at 8 a.m., with staff from the center carrying Ike around the crowd so everyone would get the opportunity to see him before his release into the Atlantic Ocean. They then carried him to the water, an unusual step during the release.

Chantal Audran, executive director of the center, said normally the sea turtles crawl into the water, but Ike injured a flipper earlier this year and his vet at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center advised against letting him crawl against the sand. That didn’t stop Ike’s flippers from moving through the air as if it were waves.