The Cobb Board of Elections on Friday announced that Mary Frances Williams is the official Georgia House District 37 winner after a recount.
The recount was requested by her opponent, incumbent Republican State Rep. Sam Teasley, after he finished 137 votes behind Williams, a Democrat from Marietta.
Teasley, a real estate agent, has represented the district that includes a portion of Northeast Cobb since 2010.
Williams, who was running for elected office for the first time, is the daughter of a former Marietta mayor and legislator and has been a lobbyist for children’s issues at the General Assembly.
She is one of three Democratic challengers to defeat Republican incumbents in East Cobb races on Nov. 6. Lucy McBath ousted U.S. Rep. Karen Handel in the 6th Congressional District election, while Charisse Davis beat Scott Sweeney for a seat on the Cobb Board of Education.
Cobb Elections also has released a precinct-by-precinct breakdown of state and local races, as well as ballot issues, that were on the general election ballot.
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Police need the public’s help locating a Sandy Plains Road bank robbery suspect who got away after a holdup on Halloween.
UPDATED, Nov. 20, 2:20 P.M.: Police say the suspect apparently shot himself this morning as they attempted to serve him with a search warrant.
On Friday Marietta Police released surveillance photos of the man they say held up the SunTrust Bank branch at 1840 Sandy Plains Road.
The robbery took place at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, according to police, who said the man handed a teller a note demanding cash and saying he had a gun.
He left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash, police said.
The suspect is described as a slender white male, between six feet and 6-foot-5, with police adding that he bears “unique physical features including birthmarks and his distinct chin structure.”
Police also said the circumstances of this robbery resemble a similar bank robbery at a Wells Fargo Bank at 2687 Sandy Plains Road on June 22.
Anyone with information about the Oct. 31 robbery is asked to contact Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS or Marietta Detective Greene at 770-794-2365.
Call Cobb Police at 770-499-3945 with information about the June robbery.
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The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday adopted a set of legislative priorities for the 2019 session, and the contentious issue of school calendars tops the list.
Scott Sweeney
The board voted 6-0 to endorse Superintendent Chris Ragsdale’s recommendation that the Cobb County School District determine when school years should begin an end.
The issue came up this year with the creation of a special State Senate study committee.
Some within the Georgia tourism industry have indicated that starting school in early August has had a detrimental effect on their business.
The study committee has held hearings around the state and is meeting now during a special session. Among the bills being considered would call for a statewide school start after Labor Day.
As far as Cobb schools are concerned, that should be a matter of local control.
“Whether it is giving Cobb the flexibility to test a new assessment system that has the potential to benefit all students in Georgia or allowing local communities, like Cobb, to approve school calendars that best serve the needs of their students and staff, local control is a must,” Ragsdale said in a statement.
Earlier this decade members of the Cobb school board sparred over setting the calendar. In recent years, however, it’s adopted what’s called a “balanced” calendar, with an early August start date and more breaks than a calendar with a later start time.
The balanced calendar also is strongly supported by the Cobb County Association of Educators.
The board also included in its legislative priorities proposed changes to the “Local Fair Share” component of the Georgia Quality Basic Education Act.
In this provision, school districts are levied five mills of their local property tax rate, with the funding going to the state.
East Cobb board member Scott Sweeney noted at a work session earlier Thursday that Cobb sends $144 million annually to the state, and advocates capping the Local Fair Share amount at $100 million.
Cobb schools said that getting $44 million in return would enable it to hire 488 teachers or build two new schools.
Other priorities include changing graduation rate calculations “that more accurately reflect schools’ academic process” and pushing for a return to local control of K-12 dual enrollment programs.
Current graduation rate guidelines require school districts to count all students enrolled in a four-year period, regardless of how long they attended classes in that time.
In 2018, Cobb reported a countywide graduation rate of 85.18 percent. While that’s a record, district officials said the graduation rate would be 97.1 percent if only students who attended high school in Cobb all four years were counted.
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She noted that the non-profit she started to help people in need with basic, everyday items is holding an open house Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
They’ve got a warehouse in the Marietta area, and will be giving tours, discussing their programs and asking for volunteers to help them help families in need. Here’s more from Rhodes:
“We’re inviting everyone in our community to stop by the warehouse to chat, grab a bite to eat, meet some clients and learn about our mission. The open house is a great opportunity to see for yourself what Simple Needs GA does for people in need in Cobb County and to learn how you can get involved. Those who take the tour always learn something new about our programs.”
The open house coincides with a donation drive in which SNGA is collecting household items, winter wear and more. For more details, visit simpleneedsga.org.
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Our dreary weather week has a new twist tonight: A freeze warning that includes Cobb and north Georgia.
The National Weather Service in Atlanta issued the warning from 11 p.m. Thursday through 8 a.m. Friday.
The watch area is on a line north from West Point to Macon to Louisville.
The freeze warning comes as most of the metro Atlanta area and north Georgia has been enduring heavy rains this week that came with flood and flash flood watches and warnings.
The rain had largely stopped by Thursday afternoon but roads are still wet, with some minor flooding and tree and other debris.
Temperatures also have dropped into the mid-30s and tonight’s low could fall into the high 20s.
There could be some patchy black ice on roads where residual water freezes over.
Friday could see the return of the sun, with clear skies forecast and high temperatures in the low 50s.
The weekend is expected to be the same, with sunny days and highs reaching into the 60s through Monday.
UPDATED, 7:50 P.M.
The Cobb County School District issued this message a short while ago:
We are aware of low temperatures tonight leading to possible ice on the roads in the morning. We are currently working with the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) to monitor the weather, looking for any impacts on school operations. If necessary, an update will be provided in the morning should there be any delays or closures. Remember it’s going to be cold tomorrow, make sure to bundle up. Stay warm!
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This weekend’s events in East Cobb aren’t all about the holidays, which will be kicking into full gear around Thanksgiving and beyond. But the Sprayberry Craft Show, which returns for its 36th year, gives early-bird shoppers another chance to stock up before season begins in earnest.
The Sprayberry Craft Show takes place from 9-5 Saturday and from 10-4 Sunday on campus (2525 Sandy Plains Road), features more than 200 vendor booths with artisanal goods, photography, Christmas decorations and more. There will be food trucks and other things to eat, and Santa Lane also returns with crafts and face-painting for kids. The show is the Sprayberry PTSA’s lone fundraiser benefits student scholarships, teacher grants and other programs at the school.
This is billed as the Men’s Book Club, but it’s not just limited to the fellas: Saturday’s meeting at the East Cobb Library (4880 Lower Roswell Road) goes from 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., and the work being discussed is George Orwell’s novel “1984.”
Kids of all ages are invited to the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road) for a special rendition of Little Red Riding Hood, starting at 2:30 p.m. It’s a special presentation of the Wheeler High School Drama Club, and the show takes place in the library’s community room.
On Saturday night, the Georgia Philharmonic will present the “Impressions of the New World” at the Lassiter Concert Hall (2601 Shallowford Road).The featured composers include Smetana and Dvorák as th show celebrates music’s power to bridge divides. Tickets are $10-$25, and the show starts at 7.
Did we miss anything? Do you have a calendar item you’d like to share with the community? Send it to us, and we’ll spread the word! E-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com, and you can include a photo or flyer if you like.
Whatever you’re doing this weekend, make it a great one! Enjoy!
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On Saturday, Nov. 24, the East Cobb Honest-1 automotive repair business is having its fifth anniversary celebration.
The festivities are from 10-4 and include door prizes, games for kids, a cookout with free hamburgers and hot dogs and a photo opportunity with Cousin Eddie from the “Christmas Vacation” movie.
There also will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. with the East Cobb Business Association.
Owner Butch Carter is active in the community as a member of the ECBA and the Rotary Club of East Cobb.
As part of the celebration, Honest-1 also is collecting items for the food pantry at Brumby Elementary School.
You’re asked to bring like peanut butter, jelly, canned meats, beef stew, spaghetti noodles and sauce and granola or breakfast bars.
Anyone who brings a bag with those items to the event will receive a voucher for a free synthetic blend oil change.
Honest-1 is located at 1391 East Cobb Drive, next to the East Cobb Station post office and behind Pinestraw Plaza (Trader Joe’s and California Pizza Kitchen).
Tell us about your business
Do you have business news to share? We’ll post your openings and non-sales events here, including charitable activities. E-mail us at editor@eastcobbnews.com.
If you want to promote your business (including sales and specials other than grand openings), email us at advertising@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll be glad to send you a media kit.
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The Cobb Board of Elections will conduct a recount into one of the closest legislative races in the state this year, in Georgia House District 37.
The district includes part of Northeast Cobb, as well most of the city of Marietta and some of west Cobb.
The recount was requested by Republican State Rep. Sam Teasley (pictured), who according to results certified Monday by Cobb Elections lost to Democrat Mary Frances Williams by 137 votes.
According to official numbers, Williams received 11,928 votes (50.34 percent), to 11,755 votes for Teasley, or 49.61 percent.
Teasley, first elected in 2010, is a real estate agent who works out of the Atlanta Communities office on Roswell Road in East Cobb.
Williams is a first-time candidate who has been a children’s advocate at the Georgia General Assembly. Her late father was the mayor of Marietta and served in the legislature.
According to Cobb Elections Supervisor Janine Eveler, her agency will conduct the recount at its offices on Whitlock Avenue in Marietta. The Cobb Board of Elections, which is appointed, is tentatively set to meet to certify the recount at noon Friday, according to county spokesman Ross Cavitt.
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Karen Hallacy of East Cobb was reappointed to serve on the Cobb Development Authority this week.
She was reappointed by a 4-0 vote on Tuesday by the Cobb Board of Commissioners. Her new term will run through March 13, 2022.
The development authority is a seven-member board that oversees some economic development activities, including financial incentives for expanding or relocating businesses, and to market Cobb County to businesses and industries.
It considers tax abatements requested by companies seeking to redevelop or reoccupy properties on the county’s redevelopment list.
Among them is the MarketPlace Terrell Mill development that commissioners approved earlier this year. The developer, which is including a Kroger superstore as an anchor, has been seeking a tax break that was granted by the development authority.
Hallacy was opposed, concerned about setting a precedent for retailers getting abatements.
That tax break is being contested by East Cobb resident Larry Savage, whose successfully appealed in Cobb Superior Court. The developer and development authority have appealed that denial to the Georgia Supreme Court.
Hallacy has been active in many community activities in East Cobb, the county and the state and is the president-elect of the Georgia PTA.
She is the development authority appointee of District 2 commissioner Bob Ott.
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Local youth will be performing in “The Nutcracker” at the Cobb Civic Center on Thanksgiving weekend. (Photo: Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre)
It won’t be long now, and already we’re getting all kinds of notices we’ve been adding to our special calendar for a special time of year: The East Cobb Holiday Guide is your one-stop community resource.
We’ve got all the holidays here: Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah, as we keep adding to our calendar listings, and provide coverage of holiday events.
They include Santa visits, religious services, arts and entertainment events, caroling, tree lightings, holiday sales, meals, fundraisers and more.
If you have holiday events to share with the public, e-mail us at calendar@eastcobbnews.com.
For photos and news related to the holidays, get in touch with us at editor@eastcobbnews.com.
If you’re interested in running holiday advertising, let us know at advertising@eastcobbnews.com.
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The rain lightened up on Tuesday, but more is expected before a flash flood watch is due to expire Thursday morning.
At 4 p.m Tuesday, the National Weather Service in Atlanta expanded the watch for most of central and north Georgia, including Cobb County.
The area under the watch could get between an inch to three inches of rain through Wednesday and into Thursday, worsening already-soggy conditions that include flooding of rivers, streams and some roads.
In Cobb, Sope Creek was flooding during Tuesday’s heavy rains, and some roads were affected.
Cobb DOT said today that the heavy rains were clogging drains, including an area of Davidson Road in East Cobb.
The possibility of more flooding of roads remains for the rest of the week, after the watch expires.
The NWS said another two or three inches of rain is possible on Wednesday, with the heaviest rainfall expected in the afternoon and evening.
In Cobb, the chance of rain will be between 60 to 100 percent on Wednesday, mainly after 11 a.m.
For now, the local forecast is between three-quarters of an inch to an inch of rain. On top of that, it’s going to get colder, with highs expected in the high 40s and lows Wednesday night in the high 30s.
The rain is expected to continue into Thursday morning, with a 60 percent chance of remain. Cold temperatures will linger, with highs only in the mid 40s and lows hovering near freezing Thursday night.
Friday is expected to be sunny and warmer, with highs in the low 50s, but wet conditions and flooded areas may not recede by then.
The rest of the weekend and the early part of next week also are forecast to be clear and warmer than this week.
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The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved an agreement to continue a joint school bus camera program with county courts and public schools for another five years.
The automated enforcement system issues citations to motorists who ignore school bus “stop arm” signs. The cameras, equipped on about 100 of nearly 1,000 buses in the Cobb County School District, take photos of the license plates of violating vehicles.
The agreement (agenda item here, formal agreement doc here) includes the Cobb County State Court Clerk, the camera manufacturer American Traffic Solutions and the Cobb Board of Education, which also must approve the agreement.
Cobb State Court judges had not been enforcing the violations for a time earlier this year, questioning their legality. Enforcement resumed in February, but the county said the burden of handling stop arm violations required additional staffing.
In September, commissioners approved the creation of three positions in Cobb State Court and two more in the Cobb Solicitors office to start with the fiscal year 2019 that began in October.
County officials estimate more than 8,000 such cases are generated annually. Each violation comes with a fine of $300.
The fine money, which exceeded $2 million in 2017, is split evenly between the county, Cobb schools and ATS, which provides the cameras at no charge.
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Roberts, pictured in the middle above, is the son of Jodi and Tim Roberts, Kol Emeth congregants. He is an 11th grader at The Weber School, a private Jewish school in Sandy Springs.
Here’s more about what happened from the Center for Israel Education:
The weekend featured a mix of activities, discussions and educational games designed to expand students’ knowledge and understanding of Israel and Zionism and to help them plan learning programs back home.
Center for Israel Education Vice President Rich Walter introduces the teens to the card game Atzmaut, which teaches early Israeli history.
The 24 teens came from Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Michigan and California. Interactive sessions included having teens develop a program goal and craft a program outline.
For example, the students formed a human timeline representing Zionist and Israeli events from 1881 (the start of the First Aliyah) to 2007 (Hamas’ takeover of Gaza), picked out the eight prime ministers among 16 head shots, identified the Israeli locations of cat photos, and played a version of the Food Network show “Chopped” in which six teams made hummus that had to include such ingredients as wheat crackers, hot sauce and orange Gatorade.
“I have a lot of Jewish friends in NFTY. Every one of them supports Israel, but I don’t think a lot of them know about Israel too much,” Roberts said. “I feel like I’m going to be able to teach them and also talk to my friends in Israel.”
CIE and ISMI emphasize context and documentary evidence in the study of Israel’s issues and history but do not advocate specific views, allowing students to reach their own conclusions. To that end, CIE President Ken Stein led two sessions to help the teens own Israel’s story and confront the Israeli-Arab conflict, and the teens got to choose among two or more programs several times during the weekend.
The program included the Abrahamic Reunion, a team of Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze leaders, and explored different perspectives on Israel’s independence in 1948 and diverse elements in modern Israeli culture.
Although Israel was the focus of the weekend, it also addressed anti-Semitism, a topic that took on unexpected immediacy when the massacre occurred at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha synagogue while the institute teens were worshiping and studying at Emory’s Marcus Hillel Center.
(Photos courtesy of the Center for Israel Education)
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Sam Teasley finished 173 votes behind Mary Frances Williams in the State House District 37 race.
On Monday, Cobb election results were certified from last Tuesday, with the possibility of a recount looming in a legislative seat that includes part of Northeast Cobb.
Tuesday 5 p.m. is the deadline for all county elections boards in the state to certify their results and report them to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, which was closed Monday for the Veterans Day holiday.
Stacey Abrams won Cobb but Brian Kemp took most East Cobb precincts.
Most counties, including Cobb, have finished. DeKalb and Gwinnett county elections boards are the subject of a lawsuit filed Monday by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
Abrams, who won Cobb County, has not conceded to Republican Brian Kemp, who holds an unofficial lead of under 60,000 votes and who has declared victory. She is vying for a runoff.
A runoff could take place in State House District 37, where Republican incumbent Sam Teasley trailed Democratic challenger Mary Frances Williams by 137 votes. That seat includes part of Northeast Cobb, much of the city of Marietta and a portion of West Cobb.
The re-elections of Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell and Cobb school board member David Chastain (Kell and Sprayberry) were certified, as was Charisse Davis’ win for another Cobb school board seat in East Cobb that had been held by Scott Sweeney (Walton and Wheeler).
David Chastain was re-elected to the Cobb Board of Education.
Other East Cobb legislative incumbents all won last Tuesday, but final results have to be certified in some of those races since they include more than one county.
The same goes for the 6th Congressional District race, which includes East Cobb, North Fulton and north and central DeKalb. Democrat Lucy McBath edged Republican incumbent Karen Handel by a little more than 3,000 votes.
Also certified by Cobb elections on Monday was the biggest landslide winner of them all: the so-called “Sunday brunch bill,” which would allow for Sunday alcohol sales as early as 11 a.m., instead of the 12:30 p.m. start currently permitted.
In unincorporated Cobb, voters approved the measure with a whopping 71 percent of the vote. The measure passed in Cobb cities by similar margins.
Georgia Governor
Brian Kemp (R)
Stacey Abrams (D)
Ted Metz (L)
Statewide
1,976,614
1,918,847
37,173
State %
50.26
48.79
0.95
Cobb only
138,850
168,764
4,194
Cobb %
44.50
54.09
1.34
6th District Congress
Lucy McBath (D)
Karen Handel (R-I)
Districtwide
159,945
156,752
District %
50.50
49.50
Cobb only
40,807
51,297
Cobb %
44.26
55.63
Cobb Commission 3
JoAnn Birrell (R-I)
Caroline Holko (D)
Total Votes
36,450
34,290
Vote %
51.46
48.41
Cobb school board 4
David Chastain (R-I)
Cynthia Parr (D)
Total Votes
20,630
17,907
Vote %
53.50
46.43
Cobb school board 6
Charisse Davis (D)
Scott Sweeney (R-I)
Total Votes
21,771
20,640
Vote %
51.29
48.63
State Senate 32
Includes most of East Cobb and portions of North Fulton.
Kay Kirkpatrick (R-I)
Christine Triebsch (D)
Total Votes
52,870
39,288
Vote %
57.37
42.63
Cobb Votes
47,558
33,718
Cobb %
58.49
41.47
State House 37
Mary Frances Williams (D)
Sam Teasley (R-I)
Total Votes
11,928
11,755
Vote %
50.34
49.61
State House 43
Sharon Cooper (R-I)
Luisa Wakeman (D)
Total Votes
13,122
12,379
Vote %
51.52
48.41
State House 44
Don Parsons (R-I)
Chinita Allen (D)
Total Votes
14,170
11,422
Vote %
55.33
44.60
State House 45
Includes parts of East Cobb and North Fulton.
Matt Dollar (R-I)
Essence Johnson (D)
All Votes
17,003
11,681
Vote %
59.28
40.72
Cobb Votes
15,896
9,574
Cobb %
62.39
37.57
State House 46
Includes part of Northeast Cobb and Cherokee.
John Carson (R-I)
Karin Sandiford (D)
All Votes
17,458
10,783
Vote %
61.82
38.18
Cobb Votes
11,679
7,707
Cobb %
60.22
39.74
Cobb ‘Brunch Bill’
To allow Sunday alcohol sales at 11 a.m. instead of 12:30 p.m.
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Cobb Police said a motorist was thrown from a pickup truck Monday morning in a collision with another vehicle at Canton Road and Piedmont Road.
Officer Sarah O’Hara, a spokeswoman for Cobb Police, said Patrick Bruce, 38, of Marietta, was driving a maroon 1998 Ford F-150 north on Canton Road when the truck left the road.
The truck struck a utility pole and a stone wall before returning to Canton Road, then hit a black 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer SS, also heading north, according to police.
O’Hara said the Chevrolet driver was able to bring her vehicle to a stop at Canton and Old Piedmont Road, while Bruce was ejected during the collision.
O’Hara said Bruce was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the Chevrolet, Donna Kelley, 53, of Marietta, was not injured, police said.
O’Hara said the crash is still being investigated and that police expect to file charges. Anyone with information is asked to Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.
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Thanks to Sharon Renaud for the photo and information about the very first East Cobb Tour of Homes, which is taking place April 27-28, 2019.
Organizers Kelly Lamb and Todd Barney (above) have issued a call for entries for the tour, which will feature private residences featuring “exquisite interior design, architecture, landscaping and the art of good living.”
Here’s more from Lamb:
“East Cobb has a well-established reputation as a great place to raise families and enjoy a high quality of life at a superior value. It’s also increasingly recognized for elegant new housing and beautifully maintained older homes. We’re inviting homeowners to ‘share their flair’ during the East Cobb Tour of Homes, which will showcase the qualities that make our community unique in metro Atlanta.”
Owners of homes that will be included in the tour will get complimentary admission to a gala opening night party on April 26.
The theme for the tour is “Share Your Flair!” and the application deadline is Dec. 31.
For more information and to apply, visit the tour website or e-mail: info@eastcobbtourofhomes.com.
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Cobb government officials said late this afternoon that Cobb County is now under a flash flood WARNING, and some areas, including Sope Creek in East Cobb, are experiencing some flooding.
The warning was due to expire at 10:30 p.m., but heavy rains are expected the rest of the evening and into Tuesday.
Here’s the message that was sent out around 5:30:
Cobb’s EMA is watching the situation that includes at least 6 roadways with flooding reports and Allatoona and Sope Creeks reporting minor flooding.
The rain is expected to continue for several days.
IF YOU LIVE IN A FLOOD ZONE please review your emergency plans and take precautions for continued rainfall.
Do not attempt to drive through a flooded roadway.
A message from the Catholic Church of St. Ann said that due to the rains, parts of Bishop Lake Road are under water, between entrances to the Chimney Lakes neighborhood.
Cobb DOT is reporting flooding on a number of roads throughout the county, including Davidson Road in East Cobb. Downed trees also are affecting traffic.
If you notice flooding, power outage or other weather-related issues where you are, let us know (and send photos too): e-mail editor@eastcobbnews.com or phone/text 404-219-4278.
ORIGINAL POST, 12:30 P.M. MONDAY
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch from 3 p.m. Monday through 7 a.m. Wednesday that includes Cobb and much of North Georgia, as a heavy downpour soaks a good bit of the state.
A watch means that conditions exist for flooding based on weather forecasts.
The metro Atlanta area and Cobb have already gotten between 2-3 inches of rain, according to the NWS. Creeks and rivers could rise out of their banks and possibly close roads and impact homes and other buildings.
Thus far we have not heard any reports of any such issues in Cobb but we will update this story with pertinent information.
The Cobb area could ultimately get around four inches or more through the end of the week, as we’re not likely to see the sun until late in the week.
It’s also expected to be cold, with highs reaching 50 only on Tuesday. Lows most nights this week could get into the 30s.
Monday’s forecast into the evening calls for 100 percent chance of rain, and it’s going to rain into Tuesday morning, with patchy fog and highs only in the high 40s. There’s a 40 percent chance of rain Tuesday night.
Heavier rain is forecast on Wednesday, with a 70 percent chance during the day and 90 percent by Wednesday night.
Thursday is expected to be mostly cloudy, with the rain tapering off Thursday night.
The sun is expected to come out by Friday, and the weekend should be clear and sunny as well, with high temperatures rising back into the 50s.
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Thanks to Donna Goldenberg for the photo and information about her son Trevor, who for the second year in a row organized the For Three Basketball Clinic for exceptional youth, and a few adults.
She says 18 participants, ranging in age from four years old to 39 years old, turned out for the clinic last Tuesday at the Mt. Bethel Christian Academy high school gym on Post Oak Tritt Road.
In addition, around 20 volunteers took part in helping run the clinic, which was held on Election Day, when Cobb schools are closed.
Donna says the clinicians are selected in various ways, usually by word of mouth. She says Trevor, who’s circled at the bottom left of the photo, began the clinic last year as a bar mitzvah project (the family attends Temple Beth Tikvah in Roswell). He is an 8th grader at Dodgen Middle School and is a member of the school’s Beta Club.
She adds that East Marietta Basketball, a youth organization, and president Clark Humble, is involved as a sponsor of the event.
“We are going to do it again next year and will continue to do it with their help,” she said. “Hopefully, we can get more sponsors next year to make it even bigger and better.”
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It’s the week before Thanksgiving, and holiday-themed events are popping up on our East Cobb events calendar, including the Ecumenical Thanksgiving Celebration. on Thursday.
It’s the 14th annual service starting at at 7 p.m. at Temple Kol Emeth (1415 Old Canton Road), and this year’s theme is “Harmonizing the Voice of Humanity.” Representatives of Jewish, Christian, Muslim and other metro area faith communities will participate in readings, music and fellowship.
The public is invited to stay for dessert and is asked to bring canned food donations for Must Ministries and an offering for Give-a-Gobble. Overflow parking is at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3155 Trickum Road.
The elections are over, but the League of Women Voters of Marietta-Cobb is delving into lingering political matters with a discussion Monday night about gerrymandering. It starts at 7 p.m. at WellStar East Cobb Health Park (3747 Roswell Road), and the guest speaker is Elizabeth McNamara, the former president of the League of Women Voters of the U.S.
Cobb Police are continuing their community outreach events with citizens on Tuesday. Cookies With a Cop goes from 6-8 p.m. at the Great American Cookies/Marble Slab Creamery in Providence Square Shopping Center (4101 Roswell Road). Bring your questions about crime and public safety for Precinct 4 community officers to answer in an informal setting.
Check our full calendar listings for more, including a number of public library book club and other events going on during this week, and beyond.
Did we miss anything? Do you have a calendar item you’d like to share with the community? Send it to us, and we’ll spread the word! E-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com, and you can include a photo or flyer if you like.
Whatever you’re doing this week, make it a great one! Enjoy!
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A “Blue Wave” tent on election day in front of Eastvalley Elementary School urged voters to support Democratic candidates. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
Cobb County may be trending for the Democratic Party in major elections, but East Cobb remains reliably Republican ground in the county and metro Atlanta area.
But it could be argued that East Cobb’s stronghold status has been dented to some degree in Tuesday’s elections.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams carried the county by 54-46 percent, following Hillary Clinton’s 46-44 margin over Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential race.
Brian Kemp won precincts in blue; Stacey Abrams in green; click map for precinct details.
Voters in East Cobb stuck with Republicans in those races, just as they did for the most part this week. (The results of all races are to be certified Monday by the Cobb Board of Elections.)
Yet for the first time in a long time, Democratic candidates were on the ballot in every race in the East Cobb area, which no longer has all GOP elected officials.
Lucy McBath, a Democrat from East Cobb and a gun-control advocate with a national profile, unseated Republican incumbent Karen Handel in a close 6th Congressional District race. Handel won East Cobb precincts decisively, getting in some cases more than 60 percent of the vote.
But McBath cruised in DeKalb and nearly drew even with Handel in North Fulton, following some suburban trendlines in Congressional elections that are favoring Democratic candidates.
That it happened in a district that has been in Republican hands since Newt Gingrich was first elected in 1978 is notable.
McBath’s unofficial victory was less than 3,000 votes, a year after Handel fended off Jon Ossoff by four points in a special election that was the most expensive ever for a U.S. House race.
Close calls in county, legislative races
In the Cobb Board of Education Post 6 election, Republican incumbent Scott Sweeney was defeated by Democrat Charisse Davis (in photo) in another close race. The post covers the Walton and Wheeler attendance zones and some of the Campbell area.
Sweeney ran strong in most East Cobb precincts where he lives, but Davis got most of her votes in the Smyrna and Vinings area that is her home.
Longtime legislator Sharon Cooper, the chairwoman of the Georgia House Health and Human Services Committee, was re-elected with only 52 percent of the vote for the District 43 seat in East Cobb she has held since 1997.
That 52 percent number is also is what Republican Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell received in her election to a third term representing District 3. She defeated Caroline Holko, a Democratic first-time candidate like many others in East Cobb, but this was Birrell’s closest margin since she was first elected.
Republican State Rep. Sam Teasley, who represents part of Northeast Cobb in District 37, was defeated also by the slightest of margins by Democrat Mary Frances Williams.
Otherwise, Republican incumbents prevailed in East Cobb, which is looking like territory of last resort for the county GOP.
Wake-up call for Cobb GOP
In a statement, the Cobb Republican Party said on Wednesday that “while the Blue Wave did not turn out to be the tsunami Democrats hoped for, it did hit Cobb County and did wash out a couple of our great Republican elected officials.”
Sam Teasley was the lone Republican legislator representing East Cobb who was defeated Tuesday.
Noting that Abrams won won Cobb by nearly 30,000 votes, the GOP added that “we all now see exactly how much we must fight for every vote, or concede Cobb to Democrats along with higher taxes for less services.
“Nothing in politics is ever permanent and sometimes a wake-up call what is needed to spur good people to action,” said the Cobb Republican statement.
Demographic changes are part of the reason why Cobb is becoming more “blue,” and not just in South Cobb. Marietta and points north in Acworth and Kennesaw also are voting more with Democrats.
Some precincts in East Cobb closer to the city of Marietta are also trending purple, if not blue. Some Republicans were getting closer to 50 percent than the 55-and-up margins they enjoy in easternmost precincts.
The Cobb school board, which has had a 6-1 Republican majority for several years, will now be a 4-3 split, with Democrats picking up two seats on Tuesday. Republican David Chastain, who represents the Kell and Sprayberry areas, was re-elected.
The Cobb state house delegation will have a Democratic majority, holding eight of the 15 seats come January.
The Ossoff effect?
In East Cobb, last year’s special Congressional election inspired Ossoff volunteers to launch candidacies of their own.
None of them won on Tuesday, but they did make entrenched Republican incumbents, some of whom see little competition, campaign more than usual.
All of the Democrats were women, and some of them, including McBath and Davis, are minorities. A number of them were outspokenly progressive in their views, which is also unusual for those running for office in East Cobb.
Holko (in photo) was among them, as she advocated for more transit options and other positions that aren’t heard much on the campaign trail in this community. The day after the election, she told supporters that “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and change comes in steps.”
Whether this year’s Democratic surge in Cobb is part of a permanent movement or not remains to be seen.
What seems fairly clear is that with a presidential race looming in 2020, East Cobb will be eyed for further gains by Democrats, and doubling-down efforts by Republicans.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Sweeney ran strong in most East Cobb precincts where he lives, but Davis got most of her votes in the Smyrna and Vinings area that is her home.
None of them won on Tuesday, but they did make entrenched Republican incumbents, some of whom see little competition, campaign more than usual.