Gingrey Campaign Staffers leave

In a move reminiscent of what happened to the Newt Gingrich presidential campaign in 2011, top staffers left the Phil Gingrey for Senate campaign in a mass exodus, according to the Daily Caller.

Gingrey’s general consultant Chip Lake, campaign manager John Porter, political director David Allen and political adviser Justin Tomczak, left the campaign Monday, a source close to the campaign told The Daily Caller.

Allen, reached by phone Monday evening, confirmed that he and the other staffers had left.

“We just had a difference of opinions,” he said, saying that the disagreement was something “we couldn’t overcome.”

Allen said that while he could not speak for the other three staffers who resigned Monday, it was his opinion that they had all left the campaign for the same reason.

That probably moves him one step closer to the “go home” part of his “Repeal Obamacare or go home” pledge.

Runoff Elections

In the runoff election for House District 104 in Gwinnett County, Chuck Efstration adds Gwinnett County Commission Chair Charlotte Nash to a full slate of endorsers that already includes Sheriff Butch Conway, District Attorney Danny Porter, and Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks.

State Representative Scot Turner (R-Cherokee) has endorsed Bruce Thompson in the runoff election for Senate District 14.

“In getting to know Bruce Thompson I have seen the clarity of vision that is rooted in the foundational conservative principles that we need in the State Senate. His maturity and keen awareness of what it is like to do business in Georgia would be a valuable asset in the General Assembly,” said Representative Turner. “Bruce understands why we need a small government, conservative leader because he has lived under a government that has been growing in scope and size. I am proud to endorse Bruce Thompson for the State Senate because Georgia needs a fighter that has the experience to make a difference.”

In Bartow County, early voting for the Senate District 14 runoff between Bruce Thompson and Matt Laughridge “should” begin today at noon “but we’re not certain,” according to the nice lady I spoke to in the elections office yesterday. She recommended calling the Elections Office, which is at 770-387-5098 to check first.

On Wednesday, Fulton County will open runoff voting for four Atlanta School Board seats, two of which are citywide at-large seats. Also up for runoff are a seat on Johns Creek City Council, a runoff between Bauman and Stoj for Sandy Springs City Council, a runoff for Mayor of East Point and two at-large council seats. Early voting locations include:

• Fulton County Government Center, 130 Peachtree Street, SW, Suite 2186, Atlanta, GA
• South Fulton Government Service Center, 5600 Stonewall Tell Road, Room 105, College Park, GA
• North Fulton Government Service Center, 7741 Roswell Road, NE, Room 209, Sandy Springs, GA

All voters who were registered to vote before the October 8, 2013 deadline and who live within the municipalities where Run-Off Elections are taking place are eligible to vote in the December 3, 2013 run-off, even if they did not vote on November 5, 2013.

Cobb County building a boxing arena instead of a stadium?

Yesterday, Gary Reese wrote on InsiderAdvantage.com that the lack of a fight over the Cobb County stadium deal might be the death knell of the Tea Party in Georgia.

Revelations that Cobb will rely on a hodgepodge of taxes or taxpayer-backed bonds to build a new Braves stadium brought no immediate response or reaction from prominent tea party personalities.

[Matt] Towery added that we will find out in the next two weeks if there is any life left in the tea party movement in Georgia. “If one of the many tea party activists wants to cease the baseball stadium issue, and they can produce more than two dollars’ worth of real effort, they will become the true leader of what remains of the tea party movement.”

Later in the day, an announcement came that the Atlanta Tea Party would oppose the financing and secrecy surrounding the proposed stadium financing.

The Atlanta Tea Party is gearing up to oppose the new Atlanta Braves stadium being planned in Cobb County, arguing the $672 million project is a bad deal for taxpayers.

The statewide group will be reaching out to county voters through emails and automated calls detailing its opposition and urging them to contact the county commission ahead of a key vote Nov. 26, said Debbie Dooley, co-chair of the Atlanta Tea Party. The group is also organizing an event for early next week, looking to call attention to the financing details of the project that calls for public funds to be used to cover 45 percent of costs.

“This is another example of the good ol’ boys getting rich and the taxpayers getting the shaft,” Dooley said in an interview. “They are going to have to raise property taxes.”

Anthony-Scott Hobbs, a tea party activist in Cobb County, said it’s unfair that an existing tax on property owners set to expire in three years will instead continue as a funding source for the stadium.

“It’s a great economic development opportunity as long as you do it right,” Hobbs said. “We were promised that property taxes would go down to pre-2010 levels and they haven’t.”

Fox 5 Atlanta reports that Common Cause has joined the fight against the proposed stadium financing on the basis that insufficient information has been made public. The two groups are said to want a referendum on the stadium financing.

Reason magazine ran a report last month on how the financing of the Gwinnett Braves stadium has worked out for taxpayers in the county.

A consultant’s study had pitched a stadium costing $25 million to $30 million. The price soon climbed to $45 million. By the time construction was complete, the cost had jumped to $64 million.

That wasn’t the only sticker shock. “G-Braves Ticket Prices Steep,” ran a 2008 story in the Daily Post. “Even the cheapest section of the Braves’ season tickets cost more than what fans are paying for the most expensive seats in the team’s final season in Richmond,” the paper reported. Fans, it said, were not pleased.

Perhaps because of those steep ticket prices, attendance has fallen short of projections. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the team was supposed to average more than 6,000 fans per game. Actual attendance: 4,800 in 2010 and 5,000 in 2011, when the Braves ranked “24th out of 30 AAA teams in average attendance.” At a typical game, less than half the stadium seats are filled.

Three years later, the story hasn’t changed. “Gwinnett officials said the stadium would pay for itself,” noted the AJC in September. Yet “they later approved a 3 percent car-rental tax to help repay” the stadium debt. What’s more, “even that might not be enough: An AJC investigation last year showed the tax—along with parking, rent and other stadium revenue—won’t be enough to cover the debt when principal payments begin in 2014.”

But what about all the fancy development? Plans originally called for 300 hotel rooms, 600 residences, more than 300,000 square feet of retail space and twice that much office space. As of last month, the principal developer had broken ground on fewer than 250 apartments—and was so discouraged he wanted to sell part of his holdings to another developer who would build more apartments.

County officials said no. For one thing, nearby homeowners worried about the effect on their property values: “They said they were promised an upscale commercial area,” writes the AJC, “not apartments and car washes.” Besides, Gwinnett officials “say the original plans are worth waiting for.” The chairman of the county planning commission admits the original vision “may not be viable at the moment, but I think it was a good plan originally.”

Economists, who usually disagree about nearly everything, are united on one point: Public subsidies for sports stadiums are win-lose propositions: The teams win, and the taxpayers lose.

Duck Dynasty becoming political dynasty?

In Louisiana, Republican Vance McAllister claimed a seat in Congress after being endorsed by Duck Dynasty star Willie Robertson.

“When Willie and Jep and Jase did what they did for me, I’m sure it didn’t hurt at all,” the Louisiana Republican said on “Fox & Friends” Monday, referring to the endorsements he received from the folks on the popular TV reality show.
McAllister beat fellow Republican state Sen. Neil Riser in a runoff election for the seat in the state’s 5th Congressional District. Both self-described conservatives, Riser ran on the endorsement of the the Tea Party of Louisiana.

“Duck Dynasty” patron Phil Robertson endorsed McAllister, a businessman and political newcomer, because he had “the least political experience,” Raw Story reports.

McAllister also said the barrage of negative campaign ads against him also contributed to his win.
“It was 100 percent negative campaign against 100 percent positive campaign. And, I stayed true to my faith and maintained my integrity,” he said. “We kind of shocked the world.”

Among RollCall’s “Eight things to know about Vance McAllister” is that he’s never set foot in Washington, DC before.

Events and Shameless Self-Promotion

Today at 10:30, Senator Renee Unterman will hold a press conference to recognize Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Joining Senator Unterman will be State Reps. Sharon Cooper and Tommy Benton to highlight Governor Deal’s proclamation and discuss developing a Georgia Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Response Plan.

Tonight, I will be joining Baker Owens of That’s Just Peachy on a panel to discuss social media with the Buckhead Young Republicans. Drinking networking begins at 7 PM, with the panel to begin at 7:30. We’ll be at the Taco Mac Lindbergh, located at 573 Main St NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30324-6252. This is all off-the-record, right?

Tonight, the Savannah Area Young Republicans will elect new officers for the coming year in their last regular meeting of the year at Tubby’s Tank House in Thunderbolt.

Thursday night from 5-6 PM, some of the biggest stars in Buckhead restaurant history, Pano Karatassos and Hal Nowak will join Gary Bremer in hosting a fundraiser for Angelic Moore in her campaign to succeed State Rep. Ed Lindsey. The fundraiser will take place at 103 West.