Georgia Politics, Campaigns & Elections for March 27, 2013

2014 Senate Race and Congressional Races

Congressman Phil Gingrey is expected to announce a 2014 Senate campaign at 9:45 at Georgia Health Sciences University in Augusta, GA and at 2:30 at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

Congressman Jack Kingston appears to be heading toward an announcement in about a month for the Senate seat. Twitter tells us Patrick Millsaps, ex-Newt Gingrich Presidential Campaign Chief of Staff will be helping Kingston.

Former Congressman Mac Collins told his table at the GAGOP President’s Day dinner that “there’s gonna be a Collins on the ballot in the Tenth Congressional District, we just haven’t decided which one.”

As far as Congressman Tom Price and former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, we’ve heard from multiple sources that Handel will run for the U.S. Senate, which suggests that Price will sit the race out. Handel reportedly spent much of the President’s Day dinner with her former boss, Gov. Sonny Perdue. This might mean a Senate bid by the former Governor’s cousin and business partner David Perdue is less likely.

Randy Evans appointed to RNC Rules Committee

Republican National Committeeman Randy Evans of Georgia has been named to the Rules Committee, announcing via Facebook:

The next meeting of the RNC will be held on April 10-13, 2013 in Los Angeles. With the support of Sue Everhart and Linda Herren, I have been named a Member of the very important Rules Committee of the RNC.

The Rules Committee has been ground zero for controversy over changes that some say will disenfranchise grassroots activists. The recent issuance of the “Growth and Opportunity Project” report renewed the fight.

“There’s not a whole heck of a lot that’s exciting me [in the report],” said Brent Bozell, chairman of the Tea Party group ForAmerica. “They are obsessed with identifying problems and solutions from the top-down instead of from the bottom-up.”

Bozell said the report essentially codifies the suggestions of the GOP consultant class, a group he railed against during a well-received speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference this past weekend.

In particular, Bozell said a proposal to limit the primary season and halve the number of presidential primary debates would act as barriers to grassroots candidates, like rising GOP stars Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

“It’s the exact same thing as (GOP strategist) Karl Rove saying they’re going to pick candidates. That ensures that establishment candidates are the only ones with a chance,” he said.

Jenny Beth Martin, head of the Tea Party Patriots, said that the RNC had “failed to promote our principles, and lost because of it” in 2012.

“We don’t need to wait on the RNC to promote our winning principles at places like CPAC, and across the country,” she said in a statement to The Hill.

She noted that “the center-right lacks a strong ground game, something the Tea Party Patriots capitalized on in 2010 and ever since.”

McKenna Long & Aldridge, the law firm at which Evans practices, has added Ron Kaufman to its Washington, DC lobbying practice.

“As we continue to expand the quality and breadth of services that we provide to our clients, we are very pleased that Ron will be joining our team,” said Eric Tanenblatt, who leads the National Government Affairs practice at MLA.

“Ron’s valuable experience and insight serving at the highest echelons of government, campaigns, and the private sector will benefit our clients and further strengthen our accomplished government affairs team, whose members have served in U.S. Presidential administrations, both Republican and Democratic, spanning the last 30 years.”

Kaufman served in the Administration of President George H.W. Bush, initially as White House Personnel Director and then as Assistant to the President and the White House Political Director and he served President Ronald Reagan as Regional and then National Political Director of the Republican National Committee.

Most recently, Kaufman served as a senior advisor to Governor Mitt Romney during his 2012 presidential campaign.

Georgia State Legislature

After the House recessed yesterday, the Senate took umbrage and held a “tabling party” in which Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle was heard to say, “the Chair recognizes the Senator from the X district to table House Bill Y.”

So tomorrow the General Assembly convenes for Sine Die, the last day of the Session, with tensions high and hostages taken. SNAFU for Sine Die, which is Latin for “crapshoot.” Either tension will build until late-afternoon or early evening when everything breaks loose and they’ll go late into the night, or the whole thing will crater and everyone will go home with some business left unfinished. I’m not sure which is a graver threat to the taxpayers.

After getting the Heisman from the General Assembly on a stadium financing deal, the Atlanta Falcons did get one thing they wanted: passage of the “Return to Play Act,” HB 284, which will require local school systems to have in place a protocol for addressing concussions incurred in student athletics, require medical clearance to return to play after a concussion, and provide educational materials on the injuries. From WSB radio on the House passage of the bill:

The debate in the House was recorded by a documentary crew making a film on concussions for the National Football League. The NFL supports the bill, part of its effort to address growing concerns about the effects of head injuries on its players.

Rep. Demetrius Douglas, D-Stockbridge, gave moving support of the bill. A former All-American linebacker at the University of Georgia, Douglas said he knows he suffered concussions during his playing career.

“This bill was nowhere to be found,” Douglas said. “I’ve had times when I lose my train of thought. … I have played with people who can’t tie their shoes.”

The Georgia Tourism Development Act (HB 318), which was amended to include the $100 million state-backed venture fund won a vote in the State House to agree to the Senate version and is on its way to Governor Deal for his signature.

Supporters argue that Georgia’s lack of venture capital compared to competing states is prompting technology startups incubated at Georgia Tech and other research centers to move elsewhere just as they’re beginning to mature.

The state-backed VC fund, which cleared the House 135-28, would be phased in over five years, with most of the money back loaded into the final two years.

The Georgia Senate, which took the lead on the issue this year, has earmarked $10 million in the fiscal 2014 state budget to jump-start the fund.

Once implemented, the Georgia Tourism Development Act will provide sales tax refunds on purchases of construction materials and other costs associated with tourism projects.

Besides the VC fund, the final version of the legislation also would extend state tax credits to “angel investors” through 2015. The Senate also added that provision to the bill.

House Bill 122, to shield information on death penalty drugs from Open Records request is also on Gov. Deal’s desk awaiting signature or veto after the House agreed to Senate amendments.

House Bill 372, which is part of Governor Deal’s legislative agenda and would lower the requirement for receiving the HOPE Grant to technical college continues to ping-pong between the warring chambers as the House stripped the Senate’s amendment and sent it back.

The Speaker’s bill to regulate lobbyist gifts to legislators is in conference committee, with the Senate appointing Senators Ronnie Chance (Majority Leader), David Shafer (President Pro Tem) and Jeff Mullis (Dark Lord of Rules Committee); the House conferrees are Majority Leader Larry O’Neal, Rep. Rich Golick who chaired the Rules Subcommittee that marked-up the bill initially, and Rules Committee Chair John Meadows. From the AJC:

The key sticking points remain whether volunteer advocates will be required to register as lobbyists and which plan on limiting gifts will prevail.

The Senate insists that Georgia voters prefer a $100 cap on gifts with limited exceptions, while the House claims Georgians would be better served by an outright ban on most individual spending with exceptions for committees and other groups.

For the second day in a row, Gov. Nathan Deal said he wants legislators to come up with a “workable, clearly defined” reform bill.

“I think that is what the public wants and that is what I think all of us want,” [Deal] said. “How they arrive at it and whether it be a cap or an absolute prohibition — that does not matter to me.”

House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, who sponsored the bill, supports expanding lobbyist registration requirements to capture people who spend significant time at the Capitol trying to influence legislation on behalf of an organization regardless of whether they are being paid. The current version of the bill would require registration if a volunteer spent at least five days at the Capitol working for an organization.

Debbie Dooley, co-founder of the Atlanta Tea Party and a regular face at the Capitol on ethics reform and other issues, called the measure “hurtful” to conservative activists who worked to get Republicans elected.

House spokesman Marshall Guest said the lobbyist registration provision is meant to protect the public and lawmakers by clearly identifying who is at the Capitol and whom they represent.

“As much as Ms. Dooley may think this provision is about her, it isn’t about her or any other individual,” he said.

Senate Republicans have opposed broadening registration requirements. Sen. Josh McKoon, R-Columbus, who has emerged as the legislative spokesman for ethics reform, said the issue is non-negotiable for him.

“This is the third session that we’ve been down here talking about ethics reform, and the first I ever heard about anything to do with folks who are not compensated being asked to subject themselves to some government bureaucracy was a few weeks ago,” he said. “That’s outrageous.”

“To be stabbed in the back like this as House members are doing,” she said, holding back tears. “This vote is pivotal. It will follow them no matter where they go. We are not going to forget this. By God, the line is in the sand.”

Local Politics

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis has padded his ~~imperial court~~ staff with employees paid by other departments to the tune of nearly a quarter-million dollars per year.

At least four people on DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis’ staff are paid from other department budgets – essentially allowing Ellis to exceed his budget by more than $237,000.

Those salaries – for an administrative assistant and three different levels of managers – come from Watershed, economic development and the planning department, according to county records released Tuesday.

Those jobs, along with a spokesman position, make up 26 percent of the salary funding for the CEO’s staff. And that’s without adding another $132,000 from the county Police department for two officers who serve as Ellis’ drivers and security at events.

“To me, this is half a million dollar problem that needs a solution,” Commissioner Elaine Boyer said. “They work for the CEO. They need to be moved to the CEO’s budget.”

This comes on the heels of Ellis hiring a new flack for $120k per year to be paid from the Parks department.

Jill Strickland began Jan. 23, effectively becoming the manager of the existing county spokesman, Burke Brennan. Brennan’s $121,500 salary is included in the CEO’s budget, while Strickland’s $125,000 pay comes from parks.

Loganville Mayor Ray Nunley has resigned to continue treatment for cancer. A special election in June is being eyed, with the regular Election in November.

Alpharetta City Council member Donald Mitchell claims to only play a drunken lout on television.

Some local residents say Councilman Donald Mitchell embarrasses the city by portraying himself as a drunken chauvinist on “Big Rich Atlanta,” which premiered in January on the Style Network. In one scene circulating the Internet but that was never aired, Mitchell crawls under a woman’s dress.

“I feel the way he portrays himself is demeaning to woman and rather crude,” said Lee Guy, who operates the blog, “Roots in Alpharetta.” “I think it tarnishes the reputation of Alpharetta to have a sitting councilman behave like that.”

“If anyone was offended by this, I apologize,” Mitchell said. “Those who know me understand the character I play on the show is merely a character and is different than how I conduct myself elsewhere.”

Not everyone is critical. Some members of the downtown business community say what Mitchell does on his own time is his business.

Wendy Vogt, co-owner of Sis and Moons art and antique shop, said Mitchell is one of the most engaged people in the community.

“I think people should be more concerned with what he’s doing when he’s seated on council,” she said.

Dear Alpharetta: it could be worse, you could have Snellville’s Mayor.