Government Archive

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40 Days at the Capitol- Installment 5

– February 25, 2012Posted in: Government


 

To our readers:   State Senator Buddy Carter (R- Pooler) will be reporting each week during the Legislative Session.  The session began January 9, 2012 and is expected to last until the latter days of March. .

Day 19 (Wednesday, February 15, 2012): Without question, in my eight years that I have served in the legislature, this has been the busiest that I have ever experienced.  While I am happy that leadership is trying to get us out by the end of March, the pace by which we have been operating has been very trying and exhausting.  Having last Friday through Monday off was a welcome relief so that we could get back home to our families and businesses.

Although we were not in session yesterday, as a member of the Appropriations Committee, I was at the Capitol as we are currently reviewing the FY12 amended budget.  Being the Chairman of the Criminal Justice Subcommittee, it is my responsibility to oversee the budget for the Department of Corrections as well as the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. We start our day off today with an early morning meeting of the 1st Congressional District Coastal Delegation, chaired by Rep. Ron Stephens.  The two hour meeting includes presentations by Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens regarding the difficulty coastal property owners east of I-95 are having obtaining homeowner’s insurance.

We also hear from Todd Long, Director of Planning for Transportation in our state regarding the upcoming TSPLOST referendum as well as presentations from the Board of Regents, DNR and Georgia Ports Authority. As we go into session today, we have three bills on the calendar including SB 246 which increases the employee contribution for new members (as of July 1, 2012) of the Employees Retirement System from $4 per month to $10 per month.

We also pass SB 286 which prohibits future tax commissioners and their employees from becoming members of the Employees Retirement System if they become a tax commissioner on or after July 1, 2012.  SB 269, dealing with voluntary corrective actions for water violations, turns out to be somewhat controversial and is pulled off of the calendar by the author.

Among the many committee meetings that I have this afternoon is a Health and Human Services Committee meeting where I pass out SB 378, a bill I am sponsoring that updates the Controlled Substances Act. Also this afternoon, I meet with Liberty County Officials, including County Commission Chairman John McIver, Hinesville Mayor James Thomas and Governor Nathan Deal regarding education issues.

Day 20 (Thursday, February 16, 2012):  I drop (submit) two more bills today as we go into session bringing my total number of bills that I am sponsoring at this point to 14 for the year.  Counting the bills left from last year, I have a total of 25 bills that I am working on. SB 331, a bill that defines which tasks and duties title insurers are authorized to execute, is one of three bills to pass today. We also pass SB 358 which requires local governments in Georgia to reciprocate the preferences granted by out of state local governments for vendors in their own states to Georgia’s vendors.

The final bill to pass is SB 366 which prohibits certain acts in regards to Juvenile Detention Centers and Youth Development Centers, specifically persons would not be authorized to bring drugs or weapons across the guard line and the sale and trade of contraband is banned.  During our daily time of “personal privilege” today, a number of Senators from the minority party speak out critically of the HOPE scholarship, prompting me and other members of the majority party to go to the well to speak in support of this great scholarship program.  I am honored this afternoon to meet with representatives from North Georgia College as they are here visiting the Capitol.

Day 21 (Friday, February 17, 2012): We start out early today with a caucus meeting at 8AM and session at 9AM.  I present and pass my first bill of the session today as SB 369, extending the repeal date of the Georgia Geospastial Advisory Council (GGAC) from June 30, 2012 to June 30, 2015.  The GGAC was created by a bill I passed in 2010 (HB 169) while I was still in the House for the purpose of auditing Georgia’s geospatial capabilities at the county, regional and state levels.  GGAC is charged with making recommendations for utilizing those capabilities to meet FEMA floodplain notification requirements.

We also pass SB 107, increasing the maximum fine for contempt of court in Superior Court from $500 to $1000, and SB 395 which authorizes the collection of SPLOST revenues to be fractionally collected up to a full one percent.  SB 362, the Deadhead Logging bill, also passes today.  This bill has been around for many years but has never finished the complete process and is therefore being brought up again.  I am joined at the Capitol today by Matt Cadella, a good friend and community activist from Hinesville.  After enjoying a visit with Matt and catching up on paper work, I head to God’s country- beautiful southeast Georgia- for the weekend.

 

Senator Buddy Carter can be reached at Coverdell Legislative Office Building (C.L.O.B.) Room 301-A, Atlanta, GA, 30334.  His Capitol office number is 404-656-5109.

 

 

Tags: Atlanta, Capitol, Government, State Senator Buddy Carter (R- Pooler)
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40 Days at the Capitol- Week 4

– February 17, 2012Posted in: Government, Headlines


To our readers:   State Senator Buddy Carter (R- Pooler) will be reporting each week during the Legislative Session.  The session began January 9, 2012 and is expected to last until the latter days of March. .

 

Day 15 (Monday, February 6, 2012):  After what had to have been the shortest weekend ever, we’re back up here today with everyone’s analysis of yesterday’s Super Bowl being the topic of discussion.  Although we don’t go into session until the afternoon, my day starts with a meeting at 8 AM with a department head of one of the agencies that is under my purview in Appropriations.

After two more meetings with department heads, I catch up with the Leadership Liberty group visiting from Hinesville.  It is always good to welcome groups from home, especially such a great group of civic leaders as this.  After running downtown to speak to the Board of Trustees of Georgia Southern University and give them an update on Higher Education issues in our state, I’m back at the Capitol as we go into session at 1PM.  I am honored to have 10 pages from the 4-H programs in Bryan and Chatham counties to help us in the Senate today.  Since we don’t have any action items on our calendar, we adjourn after less than an hour and committee meetings begin immediately afterwards.

I pass my first bill out of subcommittee today as SB 370, the annual Drug Update bill for Pharmacy.  Later I also pass SB 368, a bill allowing the state board of nursing to set up rules to require nurses in our state to have continuing competency as a condition of licensing.  It is a pleasure to welcome Armstrong Atlantic State University President Linda Blieken to the Capitol today as I join her and other members of the Chatham County delegation in a meeting with Governor Nathan Deal.

Day 16 (Tuesday, February 7, 2012):  Today is a very special day at the Capitol as we celebrate Girl Scouts of America Day.  Obviously, Savannah and the Girl Scouts have a strong bond and I am honored to be invited to the podium in the Senate to help welcome them.  We also celebrate Catholic Day as well as Columbus Day at the Capitol. Although we have many different celebrations most days we are in session, they are all special and the pride that each group takes in being honored at their state capitol is inspiring.

As we get down to business we pass 3 bills including SB 337, which will prohibit requiring a dentist or physician to participate in any public or private health insurance, public healthcare system, public service initiative or emergency room coverage as a condition of granting a state license to practice medicine.

We also pass SB 339 which transfers people and planes from the Georgia Aviation Authority back to DNR and the Forestry commission.  We also pass our first House bill of the year, HB 675 which removes the requirement that a non-accredited institution must be a four-year nonprofit institution in order to be accepted as an approved nursing program.

Day 17 (Wednesday, February 8, 2012): After an early morning breakfast honoring University of Georgia Alumni currently serving in the legislature, I head over to the office to meet with Dr. Cheryl Dozier, the interim President of Savannah State College, who is doing an excellent job in guiding this important part of our community into the future.  Before heading to caucus, I stop by the Lt. Governor’s office to request a bill I dropped yesterday be assigned to a certain committee.

The Lt. Governor and members of the Committee on Assignments meet each morning before session to decide where bills introduced the previous day will be placed.  This can be crucial to the fate of a bill.  Unfortunately, my bill is assigned to another committee making my work even tougher.

We have 3 more bills on the calendar today as we pass SB 343 removing the title and duties of the Comptroller General from the Commissioner and Department of Insurance and creating a new office under the State Accounting Office.  With the passage of this bill, the State Accounting Officers will serve as the Comptroller General of the State of Georgia. SB 351 also passes and will require municipal court judges over traffic courts and misdemeanor courts to have the same training as other judges. Later in the afternoon I am fortunate to pass SB 369, a bill to extend the automatic repeal date of the Georgia Geospatial Advisory Council to June 30, 2015.

Day 18 (Thursday, February 9, 2012):  Today we welcome over 400 pharmacist and pharmacy students to the Capitol as we celebrate VIP (Very Involved Pharmacist) day.  As I join this wonderful group for breakfast and we hear from some of our state’s top officials, such as Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens and Attorney General Sam Olens, I can’t help but be proud of my profession for such a great showing.  Later in the morning as we are in session, I am honored to be able to welcome them to the Senate and am all smiles as what seems like the entire gallery is wearing white lab coats.

We pass 3 bills again today as SB 333, which call for broader notification for foreclosure sales, and SR 715 urging Congress to expand the eligibility requirements of the guest worker program and allow states to administer their own guest worker programs monitored by the USDA both pass.  SB 357, authored by freshman Senator John Wilkinson from Toccoa, is a relatively simple bill that deals with the sale of treated timber products but receives much scrutiny as it is the freshman’s first bill.  After much harassment from the senior members of the Senate, the freshman’s bill passes with no opposition. The afternoon is filled with one meeting after another as we are in full swing now in Atlanta.

 

Senator Buddy Carter can be reached at Coverdell Legislative Office Building (C.L.O.B.) Room 301-A, Atlanta, GA, 30334.  His Capitol office number is 404-656-5109.

 

 

Tags: Atlanta, Government, Pooler, state capitol, State Senator Buddy Carter
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40 Days at the Capitol- Week 3

– February 13, 2012Posted in: Government, Headlines

 

 

Day 10 (Monday, January 30, 2012): Much of what we do in the legislature is related to preparation and this morning is a perfect example as I am at the Capitol at 8 AM to review the Criminal Justice Appropriations budget with the Senate budget analyst.  I will be chairing a subcommittee this afternoon to hear testimony from the department heads from Corrections and Pardons and Paroles and this is an opportunity for me to familiarize myself with their budget requests before the meeting.

After our usual morning caucus meeting, we go into session at 10AM and have two items on the agenda.  SB 117, sponsored by Sen. Jessie Stone from Waynesboro, increases the homestead exemption on a person’s home for bankruptcy purposes from $10,000 to $21,500 for an individual and from $20,000 to $43,000 if the property is in the name of one of two spouses.  Also today we agree to a conference committee report worked out by members of the Senate and House on SB 223, a bill that will set up a legislative “sunset” panel to review and eliminate state agencies.  The panel, made up of 14 legislators, would be given the responsibility to recommend whether an agency or program should continue to operate or be eliminated through a “sunset” provision.

Later in the day, I meet with Dr. Ralph Swearngin, Executive Director of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA), and 14 other legislators to discuss the recent decision by the GHSA to have a private and public school playoff in Class A football.

Day 11 (Tuesday, January 31, 2012):  Today is a fairly busy day in the chamber as we have five bills on the calendar, all of which pass.  SB 136 provides condominium owners with a process to go to court if a developer fails to complete certain responsibilities such as following an association’s bylaws or preparing an annual operating budget and establishing the annual assessment.

SB 300 allows for the private boiling, bottling and sale of sugar cane or sorghum syrup as long as the bottles contain a label with the producer’s name, address, all ingredients, net weight or volume and a statement that the product was not produced by a Department of Agriculture licensed facility.

Silencers on hunting firearms is allowed under SB 301 with stiff penalties for those hunting without the permission of the landowner, hunting in an area that has been closed to hunting or out of season, or hunting big game at night.

The other two bills taken up today are SB 307 which creates a one-day saltwater fishing license and SB 309 which allows the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to issue a special authorization to hunt big game/alligators to a person under 21 years of age with a terminal illness.  Also today I welcome Bryan County commissioner Carter Infinger to the Capitol as he is in town for business with the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG).

Day 12 (Wednesday, February 1, 2012):  Once again the day starts early with a meeting of the Chatham County legislative delegation as we discuss local issues including new maps for the school board and county commission. We are pleased to have the Lieutenant Governor visit with us at our daily caucus meeting today as we discuss budgetary issues with him.

The only bill on our calendar today is SB 302 which increases the bonding authority for the Georgia Higher Education Facilities Authority from $300 million to $500 million.  These are facilities such as parking decks and student centers that schools build and pay for through student fees.

Later in the day, I attend the Higher Education Appropriations subcommittee meeting to review their budget requests.  Although we do a great deal of work on other things, our work on the budget is without question the most time consuming.  All together I serve on five different Appropriation sub committees, each with the responsibility of reviewing the department’s proposals in detail.

Day 13 (Thursday, February 2, 2012):  After two early morning meetings, I head into session this morning as we take up six bills.  HB 477 sets all insurance licenses issued by the state to a two year term while HB 683 allows an authorized officer or employee answer garnishment summonses.  SB 225 creates the crime of false reporting of a crime by anyone who knowingly and intentionally sends a false claim that they have committed a serious violent felony.

Two other bills, SB  227 which allows a home study program to submit online attendance records to the Georgia Department of Education, and SB 319 which allows DNR to post a sign or other form of notice restricting the use of boats on waters of any park, historic site, or recreational area, also pass easily.

However, the day is not void of suspense as SB 305, a bill to increase the Lemon Law fee collected by dealers of new motor vehicles from the consumer from $3 to $5 passes by the slimmest of margins.  Although the fee hasn’t been raised since 1990, some members are upset at any increase in fees, regardless of the purpose.  In one of my busiest afternoons this session, I attend meetings solid from 1 PM till 6:30 PM including a Regulated Industries meeting that lasts for 3 and a half hours.

Day 14 (Friday, February 3, 2012): As is the case on most Fridays when we are in session, we convene early today and therefore our caucus meeting is bumped up as well.  Although we don’t have any bills on our calendar today, I sense a growing concern among leadership that our FY13 budget is going to be more difficult than expected.  While the FY12 amended budget seems to be settled at this point, lower than expected revenue numbers from December ‘11 and January ‘12 have gotten the attention of budget analyst and, although panic has not set in, there seems to be a genuine concern about our ability to meet our revenue estimates.  While the Governor and legislature desperately want to achieve certain things in the proposed FY13 budget, such as a much deserved pay increase for our teachers and elimination of taxes on energy in manufacturing, because of the lower revenue figures, achieving these goals is becoming more of a challenge.

 

To our readers:   State Senator Buddy Carter (R- Pooler) will be reporting each week during the Legislative Session.  The session began January 9, 2012 and is expected to last until the latter days of March.

Senator Buddy Carter can be reached at Coverdell Legislative Office Building (C.L.O.B.) Room 301-A, Atlanta, GA, 30334.  His Capitol office number is 404-656-5109.

 

 

Tags: Atlanta, Capitol, Government, State Senator Buddy Carter
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40 Days at the Capitol- Week 2

– February 1, 2012Posted in: Government


To our readers:   State Senator Buddy Carter (R- Pooler) will be reporting each week during the Legislative Session.  The session began January 9, 2012 and is expected to last until the latter days of March. .

 

Day 6 (Monday, January 23, 2012):  Although we were not in session last week, as a member of the Appropriations committee I was at the Capitol most of the week for budget hearings.  We began on Tuesday of last week with the Governor presenting an outline of both his amended FY12 as well as FY13 budgets.

For the remainder of Tuesday, all of Wednesday and Thursday morning, we reviewed each departments proposals and studied the budget in detail.  After a long weekend, we’re back in session today.  Today is Mayor’s day at the Capitol sponsored by the Georgia Municipal Association and we welcome mayors and city councilman from around the state to Atlanta.  After joining this fine group of local leaders for a breakfast featuring Governor Nathan Deal, we go into session at 10AM and get right to work by debating two bills.

HB46, the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act, will streamline discovery in cases involving out of state decisions by allowing depositions and discovery taken in other states to be admissible in Georgia courts.

While HB46 passes easily, SB203, a bill that was passed by the Senate last year but had changes made by the House, is disagreed to by the Senate today.  The bill will now go back to the House where they will either accept the bill as is or disagree and have a conference committee appointed to work out the differences between the two chambers.

Our Chaplain of the Day today is Chaplain Major Jeff Struecker, a decorated member of the U.S. Army whose character was featured in the book and movie “Black Hawk Down.”  Later in the day, I participate in the Right to Life rally on the Capitol steps and we enjoy a visit with friends from Effingham County as today is “Effingham Day at the Capitol.”

Day 7 (Tuesday, January 24, 2012):  While we didn’t have any action items on the calendar today during session, we had quite a number of groups that we honored including the Class AA state champion Burke County Bears football team.

Most of my day is taken up by committee meetings including a Higher Education Committee meeting where we hear presentations from Dr. Lamar Veatch with the Public Libraries and Chancellor Hank Huckaby and Technical School Commissioner Ron Jackson who make a presentation on the Complete College Georgia Plan.  This innovative and much needed plan creates new forms of collaboration and accountability between the University System and Technical Colleges in our state to help increase the number of students in Georgia who complete college.

Day 8 (Wednesday, January 25, 2012):  Today is a very busy day and I start with a meeting with representatives from The Living Vine, a Christian Maternity Home in Savannah that does outstanding work in our community.  As our state faces continued budget constraints, we will be depending on religious groups such as this fine organization to provide services to our citizens.

Once in session, we recognize Sheriffs from across our state who are at the Capitol today before we join the House for the State of the Judiciary address given by Chief Justice Carol Hunstein.  After meeting with the Community Bankers Association members, the afternoon is filled with committee meetings including a Health and Human Services, Ethics and Higher Education meeting.  The Higher Education meeting is a joint meeting with the House committee members and we hear a presentation from the Georgia Student Finance Commission updating us on the HOPE scholarship.  The HOPE scholarship is the finest merit based program in the nation and we are committed to helping sustain its success in the future.

Day 9 (Thursday, January 26, 2012):  Today is Savannah-Chatham Day at the Capitol and it is a welcome site to see so many friends from home.  We begin the day with a meeting of the Chatham County legislative delegation where we are joined by Mayor Edna Jackson and members of the Savannah City Council to review their legislative agenda for the year. Also this morning I have the honor of speaking to the Georgia Alumni Association of Historically Black State Universities.  This is a fine group with representatives from Albany State, Fort Valley State, and Savannah State and I am privileged to address the group.

Today is a very special day for me personally as my Chatham County colleague, Senator Lester Jackson and I welcome the Class A state football champion Savannah Christian Red Raiders to the Senate.  Led by Coach Donald Chumley and Upper School principal Ashley Barnwell, we honor this outstanding group of young men and have our picture taken with them and Governor Nathan Deal.  We are very, very proud of this fine group.

The afternoon is filled with meetings with different groups and, of course, the traditional meeting with Savannah-Chatham leaders that is moderated by former State Representative, and current WTOC news anchor, Sonny Dixon. Later that evening the “event of the year” the annual Savannah-Chatham seafood fest is held at the Depot.  What a great event and what a wonderful asset for us as legislators representing this area to have.

 

 

Senator Buddy Carter can be reached at Coverdell Legislative Office Building (C.L.O.B.) Room 301-A, Atlanta, GA, 30334.  His Capitol office number is 404-656-5109.

 

 

Tags: state capitol, State Senator Buddy Carter
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Dorothy Hubbard era begins

– January 9, 2012Posted in: Government, Headlines, Walter L. Johnson II

Mayor-elect Dorothy Hubbard will take office next week as Albany’s first female mayor.

 

Written by Walter L. Johnson II

 

Monday, Jan. 9, 2012 will be a history-in-the-making moment for Albany.

On that date, Dorothy Hubbard will be sworn in as the city’s first-ever female mayor.  She replaces Willie Adams, who served as Albany’s first African-American chief executive for the last eight years.

Despite being a pioneer in Albany politics, Hubbard—who is a former city commissioner representing Ward II—doesn’t dwell on that fact very often.

“I know there are times when you want to think about it, but you don’t dare, because you know that you need everybody’s help, and everybody’s support,” Hubbard said. “So, it’s not just a matter of being a female as much as it about working together, and all of us working together, males and females.”

Additionally, Hubbard added, that men and women in general should support each other as often as possible.

“It’s also about knowing that in the past, we as females have supported our male leaders, and what we are asking for is (the) male leaders support.

“I’m suggesting that I want the same respect and support that has been given to the male counterparts coming forward.”

Mary Ligon, who served as one of Hubbard’s campaign manager, believes Hubbard will be a solid public servant as Albany’s mayor.

“Dorothy will serve our community well,” Ligon said. “She is patient, listens to multiple perspectives, analyzes the options, and chooses the best plan of action.”

Within the first 50-100 days of her term in office, Hubbard plans to address the multiple issues she addressed during her campaign, which include, but aren’t limited to, education, demolishing blighted properties, and even homelessness.

“I will go on to set up my community councils, which will actually be formed around my four major areas and platforms, which will be education, crime, jobs and economic development, and blighted properties,” Hubbard said.

Additionally, Hubbard added, getting with expertise in dealing with such issues—especially economic development and unemployment—will be a major priority during her first year in office.

“We will look at the jobs and economic development,” she said, “How that affects Albany, and how they’re all interwoven, interlinked, and how that affects the other.

“Certainly, we’re going to have to assess where we’ve been.  We’re going to have to assess where we are, and then get on the same page, and going in the same direction, to determine where we need to go.”

Ligon believes there’s no one specific issue that Albany faces going into 2012 and beyond.

“There are many issues in our community that need focused attention,” Ligon said. “Because not everyone agrees on the priorities or the solutions, it is important for everyone to seek understanding of others’ perspective and not just push their own view.”

“With sincere effort and respect of one another’s views,” Ligon added, “I believe we can work together to address many of the issues in our community.”

     While most of Georgia’s population grew within the past decade, many of the state’s cities and counties south of Macon—especially those in southwest Georgia—lost population between 2000 and 2010.

As a result, Hubbard says, co-operation between multiple communities in the region will be critical.  She thinks that such collaboration can benefit not only Albany, but also the cities and counties surrounding Dougherty County.

“I think that the people in Albany and Dougherty County want their elected officials to work together,” explained Hubbard.  “They want us to understand just locally, within this city and county, how important it is for all of us to work together.

“When you take that, and move it regionally, then you start talking about Leesburg, Colquitt, and Cordele, and Sylvester, that’s going to be crucial.

“It’s going to be really important for all of us not only to work together, but to understand how important regionalism, to understand that if Sylvester can get some jobs, then Albany will benefit, if Albany could get some jobs, Sylvester will benefit.

“What we have to understand is if Albany loses, then southwest Georgia loses.  The other counties surrounding Albany lose.  If Colquitt loses, or Sylvester loses, or Lee County loses, we all lose.

“Because a lot of those people that are moving (to), or living in Sylvester, or are living in Lee County, actually come back to Albany and Dougherty County to work.

“So, it’s going to be crucial, (and) it’s going to be a challenge, to help us to understand why regionalism is actually important.”

     With confidence in local government appearing to be at an all-time low, both Hubbard and Ligon think winning the trust of Albany citizens will be a task that must be worked on tremendously.

“In my opinion, the basic issue is a lack of trust across our community, which makes all other issues difficult to resolve,” Ligon explained.

“If we each take responsibility for our own words and actions so they contribute to developing an environment of trust, then we work through differences and accomplish positive changes more quickly.”

Hubbard says earning the trust of the citizens will take time and effort.

“I’m going to do everything I can to see that we all work together, that we all understand the importance of our moving our city forward.

“There are some challenges, real challenges for us.  But I think that if really, really work together, then we’ll understand how one affects the other that we understand that we can do this, if we really, really work at it.

“It’s not going to be easy, but we will have to work at it.”

 

Tags: dorothy hubbard, Local Politics, Mayor of Albany, Walter Johnson
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Allen to challenge Bishop

– December 12, 2011Posted in: Government, Headlines

Rick Allen explains his reasons in an exclusive announcement interview with The Albany Journal

 

Written by Tom Knighton

 

Rick Allen came late to the party.  That was the essential verdict of everyone who looked at the Georgia Second’s Republican primary.  Allen entered the race late and never could catch up with eventual winner Mike Keown, who went on to lose to Representative Sanford Bishop. However, Allen did earn a great deal of respect from area Republicans.

That respect turned to enthusiasm as Allen announced to supporters via email that he was going to run again.

Social media sites had numerous people expressing their pleasure that the business owner from Columbus was coming back into the political arena.  Allen himself feels that he could have had a better showing last time around had he entered the race sooner. “I got into the race very late last time, in mid March I believe. Mike Keown was running a strong race with a lot of support and funding already in place. Mike had already been campaigning seven months when I came into the race. As a political novice I had a lot of ground to make up in a short time,” Allen said.

So why run this time? One local report describes Allen’s defeat in the primary as him being “crushed”, so why run again?

“More than anything I believe our Country is heading into national decline at an alarming rate, and I am very passionate about standing with other patriots to stop this decline. I’m also running because Georgia District Two needs a strong conservative voice in Washington,” Allen said.

Allen has already come out swinging against Bishop, who is currently seeking his 11th term in the House of Representatives. “We are currently represented by a pawn of the Obama Administration, which has shown itself to be the most radical, leftist and ineffective Presidency in US history. Sanford Bishop’s tenure in the Second District has sewn a path of corruption and his actions and voting record endorse a Democrat Party agenda which is leading us headlong into big government European style socialism and class warfare, which voters of the Georgia Second do not want, and will hasten our downfall as a nation,” said Allen.

Allen says his platform will include specific positions on overturning President Obama’s healthcare reform law, cutting spending, cutting the national debt, and a push for a balanced budget amendment. In addition, Allen says he will also campaign on the idea of American Exceptionalism.

“My campaign platform will center on the idea of American exceptionalism. That is that we are the exception to the history and condition of man, in that we are the first serious country to prove that man can govern himself, without a powerful governmental authority, dictating and controlling every facet of human activity. Along with our Founding Fathers, I believe we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, and that it is the responsibility of the Government to protect these rights, and our liberty is best served when government is limited. I will also stress the ideals of self reliance, individual liberty, fiscal responsibility, the restoration of traditional American values, and a strong national defense,” Allen said in an email to The Albany Journal.

Allen’s fight is bound to be uphill.  Redistricting efforts to protect Congressman Austin Scott has created a strong Democrat leaning district in the Second District, with now parts of Macon as part of the district.  However, it was thought that Bishop was fairly safe at this point in the last election, only to have a strong challenge from Keown that nearly toppled the long time Congressman.

 

Sources also indicate that Lee Ferrell, who finished third in the last election behind Keown and Allen, is planning on running as well.
Tags: featured, House of Representatives, politics, Rick Allen, sanford bishop
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Ward 2: No end in sight.

– December 2, 2011Posted in: Government

Judge Joe Bishop called an end to proceedings late Friday afternoon, but the question of what to do about the controversial Ward 2 race is still to be decided.  Attorneys for Melissa Strother and Ivey Hines, as well as City Attorney Nathan Davis, asked plenty of questions, but little in the way of new information was learned.

One key component of today’s proceedings were whether signs were prominently displayed.  Strother’s attorney, Bo Dorough, called forth campaign workers who held signs outside of various Ward 2 precincts.  Each had entered their respective precincts and saw no signs.  This was countered by Davis calling up the precinct manager from each Ward who expressed where the signs were placed.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Albany Dougherty County Election Board, Cheryl Calhoun, Ivey Hines, Judge Joe Bishop, Melissa Strother
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Investigation

– December 2, 2011Posted in: Government

The Secretary of State’s office is looking into the Ward II election.  Here’s a glimpse at some of what they might find.

 

Written by Tom Knighton

 

Last week, Melissa Strother handed reporters a 2,400 word report outlining “irregularities” in the election process.  Among those were many aimed squarely at the elections office. One, however, wasn’t. That was the complaint about the sheer numbers of absentee ballots filed in favor of Ivey Hines in the Ward II election, primarily from Jackson Heights. Now, the Secretary of State’s office is investigating these “irregularities”. Though they refuse to comment on particulars in their investigation, sources indicate that contact has been made with at least one of the principle parties in the Ward II debacle.

However, is there really anything for the investigators to find?

The Journal looked at the percentages last week and found that Jackson Heights accumulated a significantly higher percentage than the other three precincts, in fact about twice the percentage as the other three’s average.  However, upon further digging, the disparity in numbers becomes even more obvious.

Based on absentee ballots alone, Ivey Hines garnered 67.63 percent of those votes.  Strother? Just 31.4 percent, despite taking 47.46 percent of the vote after election supervisor threw out all votes for former Ward II candidate Cheryl Calhoun. Meanwhile, Hines only got 51.45 percent after Calhoun’s votes were removed.  This looks somewhat out of balance, but is it unusual?

Judging the other races that took place on November 8, the disparity becomes clearer. For example, the more high-profile mayor’s race featured three candidates. In that race, the top absentee vote getter was Dorothy Hubbard at 39.31 percent.  She’s followed by B.J. Fletcher at 37.08 percent and John White at 23.52 percent.  In the overall vote, Fletcher was the leader with 39.37 percent (a difference of only .29 percent), followed by Hubbard with 36.35 percent( -2.96 percent), and John White with 24.14 percent ( a difference of only .62 percent).

Each candidate was within three percentage points from their total of absentee votes when compared to the total votes gathered. However, a mayor’s race involved the entire city, so perhaps a better comparison can be made looking at city commission races.  There are two that can serve as examples.

First, Ward IV featured two candidates.  Roger Marietta won handily, defeating first time candidate Jason McCoy.  Marietta took 80.72 percent (84.07 percent absentee) to McCoy’s 18.97 percent (15.75 percent absentee).  The difference between percentages of votes case is greater than in the mayor’s race, but is still only 3.35 percent difference.

Ward VI may give an even clearer picture.  After all, it also boasted three candidates.  Here, the disparity is a bit greater.  After all, Commissioner Tommie Postell only got 47.01 percent of the vote overall, but received 53.72 percent absentee.  A 6.71 percent difference is greater than the normal difference.  Number two finisher Victor Edwards garnered 29.43 percent overall, but only got 26.54 percent absentee. His difference is only 2.89 percent.  Former school teacher Kowana McKinney finished with 23.29 percent overall, but only got 19.42 percent absentee; a 3.87 percent difference.

Among the 8 candidates in other races, the average difference is a mere 2.99 percent.  However, Ivey Hines boasts a difference of 16.18 percent.

To further muddy up the waters, there is the fact that absentee ballots can be divided up into two categories.  One is called “absentee in person”, which is where a voter files their absentee ballot in person with the elections office.  The other is “absentee by mail”, in which the ballot is mailed in.  Voters turning in absentee ballots in person have their identifications checked to insure they are who they claim to be.  Voters mailing their ballots in have their signatures checked by election office staff.

In all races, including the two questions Albany voters got to cast ballots on, the number of voters turning in absentee ballots in person outnumbered mail-in votes by pretty strong margins except in one race.  Ward II candidate Ivey Hines received 75 total absentee by mail votes, compared to 65 absentee in person.  Melissa Strother? She received 54 absentee in person votes, compared to just 11 by mail. In Jackson Heights alone, Hines received 62 absentee by mail votes, and 40 absentee in person.  In fact, of the 140 absentee votes Hines received in the Ward II election, 102 did indeed come out of Jackson Heights Elementary School precinct.

While the numbers in question do not necessarily implicate anyone in any wrongdoing, Hines in particular, they do hold up to Strother’s allegations.

Meanwhile, Strother seems to be garnering a great deal of community support.  At the elections board meeting, held November 16, multiple voters from Ward II stepped in front of the board to let their displeasure be known.  Johnny Williams said, “I have great concerns” regarding the 247 votes being thrown out. “In America, you threw them away.”

Several more claimed that they saw no signs at their voting precinct.  One was Anne Mitchell, who says she voted at Palmyra Road Methodist Church. “There was not a sign prominently displayed that Cheryl Calhoun was removed from the ballot,” she said.  Strother’s report claims as much.

Another Ward II resident, William Livingston, had questions about those who voted early while Calhoun was still a valid candidate. “Were people allowed to revote?”

In all cases, the board referred to potential pending legal action, saying all of the questions asked would be answered in court.  County attorney Spencer Lee outlined the process for legal action, saying that an administrative judge would appoint a judge from outside of this circuit to hear the case.

Strother asked if the board had the authority to handle this and were just choosing to hand this off to the courts, something she said would be fine with her but wished for them to just put it in the record.  Lee refused to give a straight yes or no answer, and then refused Strother’s request to find out and get back with her.

Many in the community are upset by the events in Ward II, even without potential irregularities.  Their sentiments were best summed up by a comment Mitchell made to the board when she said, “Something’s going on.”  Several members of the community have made similar statements around town as well.  The elections board has apparently decided that the next “something” to go on will require additional expenditure of taxpayer’s money in the form of legal costs.

Tags: Investigation, secretary of state's office, Ward II election
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SCREWED UP!

– November 25, 2011Posted in: Government, Headlines

Candidates allege that election officials screwed up and now voters are paying the price

Written by Tom Knighton

 

It would be easy to say that Ward II was a mess, but candidate Melissa Strother and former candidate Cheryl Calhoun might take exception to the use of the past tense.  In their minds, it’s still very much messed up, and the only solution is a runoff between declared winner Ivey Hines and Strother.

“We want your voices to be heard, and that hasn’t happened in this election,” Strother told reporters Monday outside of the Government Center.  The contention stems from election officials’ decision to throw out 259 votes cast for Calhoun, some of which were cast prior to her disqualification from the race due to an issue with residency.

The story first begins in August, when Calhoun attempted to qualify in the Ward I race to challenge commissioner John Howard.  She reports that election supervisor Ginger Nickerson told her that she didn’t reside in Ward I, but Ward II and would need to qualify during the special election qualifying period for the seat Dorothy Hubbard vacated in her bid to be Albany’s next mayor.

Calhoun and her husband Randall say they argued the point, even showing Nickerson on a map that they did indeed live in Ward I. Nickerson held her ground, and eventually Calhoun relented and eventually qualified for the Ward II race.

Several weeks ago, the Journal reported that was in fact a Ward I resident.  A meeting of the Election Board was held and Calhoun was disqualified.

Election officials claimed that it was too late to change the electronic ballot and proceeded along with the election.  Election night, early numbers showed Strother with a clear lead, when suddenly things changed. By the time the votes were all counted, Calhoun had garnered 259 votes. The decision was made to throw out all of Calhoun’s votes. “I was blindsided when they said they were going to throw her votes away,” said Strother.

Strother could have just shrugged and walked away, but there were factors at play that made her decide to dig in and fight.

In a 2,400 word report distributed to reporters at Monday’s press conference, there were many allegations made to what are described as “irregularities” in the voting process.  One allegation, which the Journal also received from Ward II voters, regarded signs.  According to state law, signs must be place prominently to inform voters that a candidate is no longer a valid selection.  However, voters in one precinct report that the sign regarding Calhoun was located on an exit door.  In another precinct, the sign was reportedly placed on a bulletin board full of papers having nothing to do with the election.

Ward II voter Robin Goodson says she didn’t see anything at her precinct.  “I did not see anything saying she was not a candidate. The room you vote in at the church on Palmyra is a very small room and I don’t see how I could have missed it,” she said.

Still other allegations stem from an unusual number of absentee votes cast at Jackson Heights precinct.  The report states that Hines received a staggering 102 votes by absentee ballot, 62 of them mailed in, at Jackson Heights.  These are far fewer than the total he received at Palmyra Road Methodist Church (17), Phoebe Educational Building (7), or at Albany Middle School (14).  In fact, the totals of all absentee votes at these three (39) are far fewer than the absentee ballots filed in person at Jackson Heights.

The percentage of votes by absentee ballot is also rather lopsided.  Palmyra Road Methodist Church totaled just 3.8 percent, Phoebe Educational Building totaled 3.31 percent, and Albany Middle School totaled 4.04 percent of their votes coming from absentee ballots.  Compare that to Jackson Heights 7.93 percent.

So what can be done to make this right? As far as Strother and Calhoun are concerned, a runoff between Strother and Hines is the only option. “You can’t just throw away 259 people’s votes,” Calhoun said.  “It’s not her fault,” Calhoun went on to say. “They took our rights away.”

“I’m asking for a runoff,” Strother said.  When reporters asked about Calhoun’s place in Strother’s challenge, Strother replied, “Cheryl’s backing me.”

“1 million percent,” Calhoun followed up.

Calhoun and Strother weren’t the only ones taking issue with the race.  Also at the press conference was Ward II resident Johnny L. “Rabbitman” Williams, who had harsh words for the Elections Board. “Something’s wrong with the officials running this election.”

Williams also attests that he didn’t see a sign regarding Calhoun no longer being a valid candidate. When a reporter asked him when he first learned Calhoun had been disqualified, Williams responded “I learned it from reading the Herald, the next day.”

“These people are constantly making mistakes,” Williams said.  He too asked for a runoff election to settle the matter. “I’m questioning the Civil Rights Act,” Williams said about votes being discounted.

Calhoun believes that there were more mistakes in this election than just the Ward I race. “Even Ward I wasn’t fair because I wanted to run. I deserve a chance to run,” she said.

Also at play in the report are the 55 votes cast for Calhoun prior to her disqualification.  While it is uncertain who those voters would have backed, the fact remains that they voted for a valid candidate for the Ward II race at the time, only to have their votes be thrown out without cause.

Strother and Calhoun will meet again at the Government Center on Wednesday at 4:00 pm.  The Albany Journal will be there as well.  Look for details on our website (http://thealbanyjournal.com) to find out more.

 

Former Ward II candidate Cheryl Calhoun  stands behind one-time opponent Melissa Strother as a show of support as Strother speaks with reporter outside the Government Center to outline problems with the election process.

Tags: Cheryl Calh, election, featured, Melissa Strother, voters, Ward II
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Elections Board passing the buck

– November 16, 2011Posted in: Government, Politics

Several citizens spoke out, as did Ward II candidate Melissa Strother, mayoral candidate B.J. Fletcher, and former Ward II candidate Cheryl Calhoun.  The results of their efforts? Nothing.

From the beginning, county attorney Spencer Lee made it clear that the board saw this ordeal culminating in legal action, and seemed to welcome the action.  “I think that it [legal action] should be done, the board thinks it should be done, and the community thinks it should be done,” he told a standing room only crowd at the Government Center earlier this afternoon.

Lee seemed willing to concede the facts, as reported, are correct.  “No one can disagree with the fact,” he said. “No one denies that a mistake was made.”

However, many of the speakers wanted answers that the board refused to give.

Johnny Williams, who spoke at Strother’s press conference earlier this week, was the first to speak.  “I have great concerns,” he said.  He noted that Calhoun did nothing wrong, saying, “Ms Calhoun did not cause this, officials caused this.”

Williams placed the blame squarely on the elections board and the elections office. “Officials made a mistake, and I haven’t heard officials say them made a mistake.”

Next to speak was B.J. Fletcher, who started by saying, “I have respect for the process.”  She then asked, “How did this happen?”  The elections board, as well as Lee, began the first of several times claiming that this would all come out in court.  She then asked if it would happen again, and was told that while it may happen again, it wouldn’t be intentional.

“I’ve tried to stay out of this because I respect the system,” Fletcher continued, saying “this community is healing, but this community feels it has been wronged.”

Melissa Strother spoke next, outlining events that lead to her filing to run for the Ward II race.  She claims that, after learning of Calhoun’s disqualification, that she asked elections supervisor Ginger Nickerson what would happen with Calhoun’s votes from early voting.  Strother reports that she was told that those votes would be thrown out.  She was also told that it was to late to change the ballot that signs would be placed at precincts to tell voters that Calhoun was no longer a valid candidate.

Strother then recounted events on election night, when WALB had interviewed her giving an acceptance speech as she had been leading the race.  She says she recieved a phone call saying she needed to come to the elections office. “I knew it wasn’t good,” she recalled.  It was there that she was told it would go to a runoff election, and then the situation changed and Ivey Hines was declared the winner.

“I’m not trying to blame anyone for the original mistake.  We’re all human,” Strother said.

A woman who referred to herself as “Miss Mary” said, “I didn’t see no signs,” regarding claims from the election office that signs were prominently placed at precincts.  “Y’all need to go on and make this right,” she later declared.

Another Ward II resident, Anne Mitchell, says that she voted at Palmyra Road Methodist Church. She said,  “there was not a sign prominently displayed that Cheryl Calhoun was removed from the ballot.”

She furthered her thoughts, saying “Something’s going on.”

The next Ward II resident to speak was William G. Livingston.  He argued that several issues needed to be addressed.  He took particular care to mention “negligence regarding where people live.”

Cheryl Calhoun stood up to speak, still somewhat emotional after the events over the last month.  She pulled out two voter registration cards, one saying she was in Ward II, and another saying she was in Ward I.  “You say this is a computer error, but how am I supposed to know if that was right?” she asked.  Calhoun continued to speak about the confusion for just herself and her neighbors, who the elections office had also erroneously listed as being in Ward II.

Calhoun then went on to outline her cause as to how the laws on the books are inadequate.  “You come with a law that doesn’t apply to me, because I’m innocent.”  Calhoun noted that the laws on the books that were used to disqualify her are written with the belief that the mistake is because of the candidate and not election officials.  “I am an innocent woman,” she declared.

She then said, “I just want the board to have integrity, and we will get our city back.”

After Calhoun was finished, Melissa Strother asked a question of the board.  She stated her understanding that the Secretary of State’s office gave the County Election Board authority over this matter, and if they were deferring that over to the courts she would like it on the record.  The question was given over to Spencer Lee, who said that he would have to research that but that at this point there “is a process”, again citing pending legal action.  Strother asked if her would research that and get back to her, when Lee interrupted, holding up his hands saying “I’m not going to argue.”  He then said, “You’ve got your own lawyer.”

The pertinent part of the meeting adjourned, and Strother spoke to the press.  She said, “The board of electiosn has the jurisdiction to do the right thing, but based on Spender Lee’s response, they are deferring to the courts.”  She went on to say that it would cost taxpayers thousands of dollars to settle this in court.

Strother has five days after the election is certified to file a complaint.  The election was certified yesterday afternoon at 1 pm.

 

Tags: Cheryl Calhoun, featured, Melissa Strother, Spencer Lee, Ward II
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