East Cobb News

Cobb extends deadline for absentee voters not mailed ballots

by

A Cobb Superior Court judge on Monday issued an emergency consent order that will enable several hundred voters who didn’t get absentee ballots to return them after Tuesday’s general election deadline.Cobb absentee ballots

Judge Kellie Hill said those voters will have the same Nov. 14 deadline as military and overseas voters to return their ballots.

The Cobb Board of Elections and Registration was the subject of a lawsuit filed Sunday by the American Liberties Union of Georgia and the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of four absentee voters who were never mailed ballots they requested.

The suit sought the deadline extension and replacement ballots sent to affected voters, and Cobb Elections agreed in a Monday hearing before Hill.

The court order instructs Cobb Elections to count returned absentee ballots that are postmarked by 7 p.m. Tuesday and received on or before Nov. 14.

Those affected voters also can vote in person on Tuesday and have their absentee ballot request cancelled at their precinct.

They also can fill out a federal write-in absentee ballot and mail it in by 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Cobb Elections acknowledged over the weekend that a total of 1,036 requested absentee ballots were not mailed on Oct. 13 and Oct. 22 because elections workers failed to upload ballot information to a mailing machine.

At a press conference Monday, Cobb Elections director Janine Eveler repeated her apology for what she called “a human error” and Daniel White, the agency’s attorney, said “we were being transparent” in working quickly to identify the affected voters and get ballots sent to them.

The ACLU blamed a new Georgia elections law that reduces the window for requesting and receiving absentee ballots.

“The anti-voter law put tremendous pressure on elections officials to accomplish a number of responsibilities under a very tight deadline, and in Cobb County, that pressure has resulted in a huge error and hundreds of voters at risk of being disenfranchised,” ACLU of Georgia senior voting rights attorney Rahul Garabadu said in a statement.

Dozens of those affected voters cancelled their requests and cast ballots in-person during the early voting period. Cobb Elections has already sent 247 absentee ballots via overnight delivery and more were being sent Monday in similar fashion.

The consent order indicated that “as many as 469 voters” may not have received their replacement ballots.

Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said in a release late Monday afternoon that the latter figure is now 276, after Cobb Elections analyzed in-person early-voting figures.

The only place to deliver an absentee ballot on Tuesday is at the Cobb Elections office (995 Roswell Road) between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

East Cobb business anniversaries: Olea Oliva! celebrates 7 years

by
Olea Oliva business anniversary
Smita Daya treats customers to homemade soup and salad from her kitchen at Olea Oliva! for the store’s anniversary.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Olea Oliva! owner Smita Daya had to pivot, like many business owners did.

Her gourmet spices, olive oil and balsemic vinegar “taproom” at The Avenue East Cobb is an expansion of the initial space she leased at what is now the Vanilla Café e Gelato.

Equipped with a full kitchen for her cooking workshops, Daya used it to prepare meals for health care workers at the Wellstar East Cobb Health Park.

This past weekend, to mark four years in the new space and seven years in business, Daya offered complimentary tastings of the plant-based, olive oil-rich diet she has been passionate about spreading since she first opened her doors.

She served roasted butternut squash soup and salad to anyone who sat down at the table during a special anniversary celebration on Saturday.

She got the squash from nearby Martin’s Garden at Coleman Farms, blending in fresh ginger and turmeric and a homemade pesto of arugula, basil and smoked olives, then topped it with some seed oil.

Her husband Dilip greeted customers in the front who peruse the counter tops with a wide variety of olive oils, balsamic vinegars, spices, herbal teas and other artisanal food items.

The kitchen is where she offers cooking workshops. The author of a 2018 book on healthy cooking, Daya said being able to offer more of those in-person events has been a big part of the evolution of Olea Oliva! into what she first envisioned.

The store also carries some boutique wines, and has started a wine club that includes in-store tasting events.

While adaptations have been continuous, she said her formula for success is a simple one:

“You just keep at it, you just keep working,” Daya said.

Olea Oliva! business anniversary

Olea Oliva! business anniversary

Olea Oliva! business anniversary

Olea Oliva! business anniversary

Olea Oliva!
4475 Roswell Road
Suite 1725
Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

This is the first in an occasional series of stories about East Cobb businesses marking anniversaries, and how they’ve adapted to changes prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and closures.

If you’d like to suggest a business for East Cobb News to profile, contact us: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

Related posts:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

East Cobb restaurant update: Cherokee Chophouse, Chopt openings

by

Cherokee Chophouse

More than two years after the Cherokee Cattle Co. closed on Canton Road, its long-promised successor is set to open.

Cherokee Chophouse will serve its first meals Wednesday for dinner, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page on Sunday.

Updates on that account have been picking up in recent weeks as final permitting and licensing took place.

“It’s the final countdown!⏳Enjoy all the classic dishes and extraordinary new ones at the ALL NEW Cherokee Chophouse!” said another post on Sunday.

Cherokee Chophouse got an “A” score in a health inspection last week, and released a menu that emphasizes, as the new name implies, steaks and specialty meats.

Among them are “signature cuts” supplied exclusively to Cherokee Chophouse from “specific Midwestern ranches.”

Cherokee Chophouse is part of a restaurant group owned by Gus Tselios that includes the nearby Marietta Fish Market, the Marietta Diner and Yeero Village on Sandy Plains Road at Highway 92.

He closed Cherokee Cattle Co. at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, then said he would reopen under a new name and new menu after some remodeling, according to ToNeTo.

But the remodeling on an older building was extensive, according to that report, and it looks very different from its predecessor.

Cherokee Chophouse (2710 Canton Road) will be open from 4-9 p.m. daily and is accepting reservations via OpenTable.

Chopt Gives Charity precedes opening

We’ve reported previously that the salad concept chain Chopt is set to open on Wednesday in the former California Pizza Kitchen space in Pine Straw Plaza (4250 Roswell Road, Suite 630).

On Tuesday, it will hold a Chopt Gives Charity event that will benefit HOPE Atlanta, its designated charity, wich helps people challenged by food and housing insecurity.

The restaurant will donate 100 percent of the proceeds during designated times on Tuesday.

Patrons can dine in in from 11:30 a.m.—2 p.m. or 5—7:30 p.m. or by ordering online or via the Chopt mobile app.

Chopt’s normal business hours will be Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m.—9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.—8 p.m.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

East Cobb residential real estate sales, Oct. 17-21, 2022

by
Lafayette Square, East Cobb real estate sales
Lafayette Square

The following deeds for residential East Cobb real estate sales were filed Oct. 17-21, 2022 with the Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s Office Real Estate Department

The addresses include ZIP Codes; subdivision names and high school districts are in parenthesis:

Oct. 17

4806 Calais Court, 30067 (Lafayette Square, Walton): Excellent Flooring LLC to Michele Curtis McMurray Revocable Trust; $890,000

2451 Stockton Drive, 30066 (Stocktons Ford, Lassiter): Johnny Lynn Crum to Nancy Salloum; $430,000

4211 Loch Highland Parkway, 30075 (Loch Highland, Lassiter): Edward Krolikowski to Daniel and Natalie Delgado; $615,000

2957 Perrington Place, 30066 (Northampton, Lassiter): William Melson to Christopher and Jarrod Crocker; $876,000

2761 Georgian Terrace, 30068 (East Valley Estates, Wheeler): Vivica Richardson to Cory Hobbs and Elizabeth West; $450,000

912 Burns Drive, 30067 (Tuxedo Estates, Wheeler): Irana do Couto to Matthew and Jacob Czerwonka; $515,000

Oct. 18

653 Dover Street, 30066 (Dover Downs, Kell): Eric Jack to Miguel Perez; $310,000

4365 Chapel Grove Court, 30066 (The Highlands at Wesley Chapel, Lassiter): Christoper Camerieri to Jermaine Walker and Faith Flack-Walker; $1.175 million

2053 Longford Club Drive, 30066 (Longford, Kell): Emily and David Osborne to Alyssa and Austin DeVore; $433,000

Oct. 19

4792 North Sound Street, 30066 (North Landing, Kell): Raivo Sams to Christopher Miletto; $397,500

3762 Ebenezer Road, 30066 (Magnolia Court, Sprayberry): David Wain to Nicole and Alan Curtis; $745,000

1911 Kinridge Road, 30066 (Sandy Plains Estates, Sprayberry): Terry Stancil to Steven and Vicky Andrews; $331,900

1901 Kinridge Road, 30066 (Sandy Plains Estates, Sprayberry): Terry Stancil to Steven and Vicky Andrews; $331,900

1891 Kinridge Road, 30066 (Sandy Plains Estates, Sprayberry): Terry Stancil to Steven and Vicky Andrews; $331,900

645 Smithstone Road, 30067 (Dogwood Station, Wheeler): Louise Farmer to Lynda Kenney; $373,900

Oct. 20

4765 Outlook Way, 30066 (Highland Ridge, Lassiter): Joseph Zummo to Catherine Spencer; $740,000

3042 South Meadow Court, 30062 (Rolling Acres, Pope): Yali Lu to Joshua and Cristina Lett; $560,000

3032 Fredrick Drive, 30062 (Rogers Acres, Sprayberry): Timothy Michael, trustee to Narrow Gates Homes LLC; $200,000

3436 Clubland Drive, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): Capital Acres Homes LLC to Sajal and Yogi Patel; $1.723 million

127 Ridgetree Lane, 30068 (Sentinel Lake, Wheeler): Sandra Deebel to Luke and Corinne Jackson; $975,000

Oct. 21

4747 Outlook Way, 30066 (Highland Pointe, Lassiter): Thomas Will to Thomas and Claudia Will; $745,000

3471 Cochran Shore Cove, 30062 (Cochran Lake Shores, Lassiter): Bercher Homes LLC to Eric and Crystal Rood; $1.244 million

2142 Tully Wren, 30066 (Cork Wren, Lassiter): Tracy Turpin to Robert and Samantha Tuttle; $520,000

814 Daisy Drive, 30066 (Noonday, Sprayberry): Melanie Smith and John O’Callaghan to Hayley Rutherford and Joseph Purcell; $320,000

926 Blackwell Court, 30066 (Blackwell Road, Sprayberry): Gregory Spence to Victor McRae and Andrew Johnson; $369,900

2705 Wendy Lane, 30062 (Creek Park, Pope): Samantha Tuttle to Russell and Phyllis Duke; $425,000

1061 Stoneridge Drive, 30066 (Ramblewood, Sprayberry): Ray Taylor to David Lottie and Kristin Nelson-Dorrance; $360,000

2671 Salzburg Drive, 30062 (Alpine Forest, Pope): Richard and Michelle Greenblatt to William and Lois Livingston; $593,900

2910 Prince Howard Drive, 30062 (Corinth, Pope): Karen and Niles Roberts to John and Carly McCain; $550,000

572 Hidden Hills Court, 30066 (Hidden Hills, Sprayberry): Ann Swanlaw to Christina and Robert Hurd; $375,000

2345 Brownstone Court, 30062 (Brownstone, Pope): Jared Kee to Megan and William Bass; $525,000

2030 Kinridge Place Court, 30066 (Kinridge Place, Sprayberry): EK Real Estate Fund LLC to MCH SFR Property Owner 1B LLC; $428,000

3007 Asheton Place, 30068 (Ashebrooke, Walton): Lucil Truong Phillips to Judith Dugan and Jerry Berndt; $680,000

1152 Rebel Ridge Drive, 30062 (Rebel Ridge, Sprayberry): Fred Royals Jr. to Seed Enterprises LLC; $178,000

353 Indian Hills Trail, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): Joseph and Karen Neely to Jeremy Edwards and Adriana Miu; $728,500

4486 Winged Foot Circle, 30067 (Paper Mill at ACC, Walton): Eyal Postelnik to Maripoma Enterprise LLC; $3.85 million

2720 Suwanee Way, 30067 (Bentley Ridge, Wheeler): Thomas Wainman to Kurian Thomas; $191,500

1355 Old Virginia Court, 30067 (Salem Ridge, Wheeler): Opendoor Property Trust to Denise Mutombo; $316,500

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Scene in East Cobb: The return to standard time

by

Headlights are on vehicles leaving East Cobb Park around 5:30 p.m. Sunday as an early dusk approaches on the first day of Eastern Standard Time.

Warm temperatures will remain at the start of the week, with highs in the 80s Monday and Tuesday.

Fall-like weather is in the forecast by the end of the week.

PHOTOS, VIDEOS: A salute to veterans at East Cobb Park

by

East Cobb Park veterans salute

Military veterans going back nearly 70 years turned out at East Cobb Park Saturday for an early Veterans Day tribute.

They were treated to hot dogs, hamburgers and other picnic fare, a local band playing Vietnam-era popular music and the thanks of an East Cobb and Marietta community for their service.

“It takes 10 seconds to thank the people who served to make our country a better place,” said Kim Scofi, executive director of United Military Care, which put on Saturday’s event.

It’s an East Cobb-based non-profit that assists veterans in need of food, housing and other assistance with such things as getting their veterans benefits.

The event included World War II-era memorabilia on display from the personal collections of local volunteers called Kelly’s Zeroes.

Several veterans were honored individually, including two veterans of the Korean War.

Walt Cusick Jr., who served in an Army transportation unit in Vietnam and later as an MP, is a longtime member and a commander in the Horace Orr American Legion Post 29 in Marietta.

Like UMC, Post 29—named after the first Mariettan killed in action in World War I—works to keep veterans connected and provides resources and services to those in need.

“It’s really good to see some of those guys,” he said, looking around at the assembled tables of veterans, many of them also from the Vietnam era.

“Think about it, you’re 18, 19 years old and then suddenly you’re in combat. A lot of guys came back and they just went to hide,” Cusick said, referencing anti-war sentiment that greeted some of the returning veterans.

He mentioned the case of Army Lt. William Calley, who was court-martialed for the My Lai massacre of nearly 400 Vietnamese civilians in 1968, who “gave a lot of good people a bad name.”

Veterans from later conflicts, Cusick said, “have more respect.”

He said his experiences in the military—which included stints in the Army Reserves and the National Guard—served him well.

“I grew up a lot,” Cusick said. “I learned a lot about trust and loyalty.”

Post 29 junior commander Tom Blackstock also saluted the families and employers of veteran reservists “who allowed them to go out and take care of our freedom.”

The Tunnel Rats, which has played at previous UMC events, also paid tribute with their rendition of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”

Blackstock said Post 29’s Veterans Day 5K Run and Trot next Saturday at the Marietta Square will benefit the Legion’s Service Officer Training program, Shepherds Men and the Georgia National Guard Family Support Program.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb Elections: More than 1K absentee ballots never mailed

by

Cobb Elections director Janine Eveler said that 1,046 absentee ballots requested by Cobb voters were never mailed because elections workers failed to upload ballot information to a mailing machine.

Those procedures were not followed on two days in what Eveler called a “human error.”

Absentee ballots must be received at the Cobb Elections office by 7 p.m. Tuesday to be counted.

“Last call” absentee ballots also can be hand-delivered to several Cobb library branches from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, including the East Cobb and Mountain View branches.

A release sent by Cobb government Saturday afternoon said that absentee ballots were overnighted to 83 out-of-state addresses of voters who didn’t get those ballots and included pre-paid overnight return envelopes.

Another 194 residents had overnighted absentee ballots that they requested, and 271 other residents in that group cancelled their request and voted during the early voting period that ended Friday, the Cobb release said

The other 498 residents identified, the Cobb release said, “are urged to vote in person on election day.”

The Cobb release said Cobb Elections is attempting to contact them by phone or e-mail to inform them of the issue and direct them to their correct voting precincts.

The errors were discovered after voters who had requested absentee ballots but not received them contacted the Cobb Elections office.

Early voting ended on Friday, with a record of nearly 175,000 Cobb in-person votes cast.

Eveler wrote a note explaining the situation to the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration, a five-member appointed body, saying that “I am sorry that this office let these voters down. Many of the absentee staff have been averaging 80 or more hours per week, and they are exhausted. Still, that is no excuse for such a critical error.”

Tori Silas, the chairwoman of the elections board, said in the Cobb statement that “I am very disappointed that we have placed these voters in a position where they may not have an opportunity to cast their ballots in this general election.”

She pointed to the reduced time for absentee ballots to be requested and returned under a new Georgia elections law and staff turnover in the Cobb Elections office.

“With only three days until election day, we are constrained in what we can do,” Silas said. “That being the case, we are taking every possible step, notwithstanding those constraints, to ensure these voters have an opportunity to cast their ballots.”

As early voting got underway earlier this month, Cobb Elections discovered that 1,112 voters registered in the Sandy Plains 1 precinct in East Cobb were incorrectly given ballots to vote in the Cobb Board of Education Post 4 race.

They live in Post 5, and Eveler said 111 of those voters cast ballots that cannot be changed.

That race features Republican incumbent David Chastain and Democrat Catherine Pozniak in what’s become an intense campaign.

It’s unclear what might happen if the margin of difference in that election is less than 111 votes, but the results could be challenged and a new election could be called.

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

East Cobb 2022 general election day voters guide and info

by

Georgia runoff elections

On Tuesday voters will be going to the polls in the 2022 general elections.

This post rounds up everything we’ve put together before you head to your precinct—if you haven’t already voted. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at all precincts.

Absentee ballots must be received at the Cobb Elections office, either in person or via mail, by 7 p.m. on Tuesday (more details about that below).

Voters in East Cobb will be deciding on a county commissioner and a school board seat, two seats in the U.S. Congress and eight legislative members among local elections.

There’s just one countywide seat being contested, for Cobb Solicitor.

Statewide offices will be decided, including governor, and a U.S. Senate seat is on the ballot.

You can find a consolidated Cobb ballot by clicking here. To get a sample ballot customized for you, and to check which races you will be able to vote in and precinct information, visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page portal by clicking here.

Cobb Elections estimates that more than 175,000 Cobb voters took part in three weeks of early voting at a dozen locations, slightly more than the record numbers of early voters in 2020.

More than 21,000 people voted at bot the East Cobb Government Service Center and the Tim D. Lee Senior Center, trailing only the Smyrna Community Center (22K+) among satellite polling stations.

Cobb Elections has sent out more than 30,00 absentee ballots, with a little more than 19,000 returned and 18,706 accepted, as of Thursday.

But the AJC reported Saturday that around 1,000 absentee ballots that had been requested were not mailed, due to what Cobb Elections director Janine Eveler said were election workers not uploading ballot information to a mailing machine.

Those voters will have to vote in-person at their precinct on Tuesday. So will anyone who received an absentee ballot but either didn’t mail it or cannot deliver it in-person at designated “last call” return locations.

Cobb Elections said absentee ballots can be brought to several library branches, including the East Cobb Library and the Mountain View Regional Library, until 5 p.m. Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday.

Each location has a registrar who will prepare the ballot on-site for electronic tabulation that will commence with the closing of the polls on Tuesday.

The only way to return an absentee ballot in-person on election day is at the main office for Cobb Elections (995 Roswell Street), from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voters must present a valid photo identification or a special voter ID card with them to the polls.

Any general election runoffs, if necessary, are scheduled for Dec. 6.

For more local information, visit the Cobb Elections website.

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Marietta History Center interviews chronicle black veteran experience

by

The Marietta History Center is continuing its series of “Diverse Cobb” programming in November with interviews chronicling the experiences of black military veterans.Marietta History Center black veterans interviews

“Color My Soldier” is a new series of oral history interviews featuring black Cobb veterans by Tim Penn. He’s the creator of previous Diverse Cobb programming, including “Lemon Street Chronicles” and “Color My Teacher.”

The veterans featured are Clinton Jones, Army; Rev. Jerry Dodd, Army; Vonna Wallace, Air Force; Jessie Bonner Sr., Air Force; and Commander Napoleon Parker Jr., Army.

The interviews can be seen every Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 30 at the Marietta History Center (1 Depot Street).

Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors 55 and older and students; and free admission for Marietta History Center members, children under 5, and those with a military ID.

The veterans interviews will be available to watch on the Marietta History Center YouTube channel in the future.

For information call 770-794-5710 or the center’s website.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

KSU to feature Dignity Museum exhibit for homelessness awareness

by

KSU Dignity Museum exhibit

Kennesaw State University will kick off its observance of National Homelessness Awareness Week with an exhibit from the Dignity Museum.

It’s a traveling project of Love Love Beyond Walls, and illustrates the stigma of poverty in Atlanta and around the country with interactive technology, research and storytelling.

Exhibit tours will take place Monday, Nov. 7 to Friday, Nov. 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the KSU East Parking Deck (305 Hopkins Drive, Kennesaw).

Admission is free but tickets for the tour are required and can be reserved by clicking here.

Terence Lester, founder of Love Beyond Walls and the Dignity Museum, explains that the “one of the most distinguishable characteristics of our organization is our focus on telling the stories of the unseen. We are committed to the people that the world passes by because we believe the people struggling with poverty and sleeping on the streets have lives and stories that are just as valuable as ours.”

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Open-seat campaigns headline East Cobb legislative elections

by

East Cobb 2022 legislative elections, Solomon Adesanya
Solomon Adesanya

Reapportionment carved up East Cobb substantially across the board for the 2022 elections, including legislative seats.

Two of them—one each in the Georgia House and Senate—are guaranteed to have new representatives.

The Senate District 6 seat was vacated by Jen Jordan, who is the Democratic nominee for Georgia Attorney General. It’s a district that now includes some of East Cobb and the Cumberland area but is mostly in Buckhead, and the two candidates are both from the city of Atlanta.

They are Democrat Jason Esteves, the former chairman of the Atlanta Board of Education, and Republican financial services business owner Fred Glass.

You can see the new District 6 map by clicking here.

House District 43 has been represented by GOP Rep. Sharon Cooper since 1997, but she was drawn into District 45 (map here), where Republican Matt Dollar served until resigning early in the 2022 legislative session.

A special election was held in April that was won by Republican Mitch Kaye, a former lawmaker who said he would not be running for the seat this fall.

His Democratic opponent, Dustin McCormick, is challenging Cooper, the chairwoman of the House Health and Human Services Committee and who had close calls in the 2018 and 2020 elections.

District 43 (map here) has been redrawn to include much of the East Marietta area, Wheeler attendance zone and the Powers Ferry Road corridor.

East Cobb legislative elections, Anna Tillman
Anna Tillman

The candidates vying for that seat are running for office for the first time in a race that could determine party control of the Cobb legislative delegation.

Cobb Democrats hold a one-seat advantage in House representation, and District 43 is in an area of East Cobb that has produced stronger Democratic results in the last two election cycles.

Democrat Solomon Adesanya is a restaurant owner whose priorities are expanding Medicare, protecting abortion rights and addressing climate issues.

Republican Anna Tillman is a retired geologist who is campaigning to support small business, promote job training and technical education and champion public safety, saying she would “oppose radical efforts to defund the police or any other Public Safety organization.”

Two Republican House members from East Cobb are seeking re-election in districts that include some of Cherokee County. They are Don Parsons of District 44 (map here), who was first elected in 1994 and who is the chairman of the House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee.

His Democratic opponent is Willie Mae Oyogoa, who owns a travel business in Woodstock.

In District 46 (map here), GOP incumbent John Carson is seeking another term against Democrat Micheal Garza, who owns a web development business.

District 37 (map here) retains some portions of Northeast Cobb. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Mary Frances Williams is seeking re-election against Tess Redding, who works in the criminal justice field.

State Senate District 32 (map here), which had included most of East Cobb, also has been redrawn to include Woodstock and other areas of Cherokee.

Republican incumbent Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick is seeking a third full term after winning a special election in 2017. The Democratic candidate is Sylvia Bennett, an ordained minister and former social worker.

Georgia Senate District 56 has been expanded from its North Fulton base to include some of East Cobb (map here). Incumbent Republican Sen. John Albers of Roswell, who has been in office since 2011, is running for another two-year term.

His Democratic opponent, also from Roswell, is Patrick Thompson, a clean energy entrepreneur with technology sales and marketing experience.

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb school district to hold job fair for support positions

by

The Cobb County School District will be conducting interviews for a number of staff support positions at a job fair in early December.Campbell High School lockdown

The fair takes place on Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cobb Energy Centre (2800 Galleria Parkway).

Open positions include bus drivers, food nutrition workers, school nurses, substitute teachers, custodians, and campus police. The job fair will also include positions with the maintenance, fleet maintenance, and special education departments.

Ahead of the job fair, candidates can preview current vacancies by clicking here.

Online registration is available by clicking here; and a district job application can be completed in advance by clicking here.

Cobb school district staffers will be at the fair to assist those who are unable to submit an advance application.

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb police chief to speak to East Cobb Area Chamber Council

by

Cobb Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer is the featured speaker at the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s East Cobb Area Council breakfast next Thursday.Stuart VanHoozer, Cobb Police Chief

A 32-year department veteran, VanHoozer was appointed in May. He will provide updates about the department, including the construction of a new precinct in East Cobb, as well as policing issues that include gang activities in schools.

The Council meeting begins at 7:30 a.m. next Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Indian Hills Country Club (4001 Clubland Drive).

The event also includes the announcement of the 2022 East Cobb Citizen of the Year.

Tickets are $25 for Cobb Chamber members and $35 for general admission. Registration closes and refunds will no longer be available after November 8. Walk-up admissions and payment cannot be granted.

For information and to register, click here.

This event is sponsored by Series Presenting Sponsor, Kaiser Permanente, and Program Sponsor, Cobb EMC.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

‘Give Thanks to Those Who Served’ returns to East Cobb Park

by

The Tunnel Rats
The Tunnel Rats have performed Vietnam-era pop tunes and country/bluegrass songs at previous United Military Care events. (ECN file photo)

United Military Care, an East Cobb-based non-profit, is holding its sixth annual free picnic to salute veterans at East Cobb Park (3322 Roswell Road)  on Saturday.

The event is free to veterans and takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and includes Kelly’s Zeroes, military memorabilia, and re-enactors from Columbus as well as The Aviation Museum in Marietta.

The Tunnel Rats, a Vietnam Veteran band, and Jason Von Stein will debut “She Cried Douglas,” a song written about a photograph found in an old basement of a military couple and a soldier who didn’t come home.

It’s the second consecutive year for the event to be staged at East Cobb Park, after initially being held at the UMC office on Old Canton Road.

For more information about United Military Care, click here.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

East Cobb Food Scores: Marietta Fish Market; El Rodeo; more

by

Marietta Fish Market, East Cobb food scores

The following food scores for the week of Oct. 31 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Beer Barrel
1294 Roswell Road
October 31, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Captain D’s
2811 Canton Road
November 1, 2022 Score: 95, Grade: A

Cherokee Chophouse
2710 Canton Road
November 4, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

East Cobb Fit Nutrition Club
2145 Roswell Road, Suite 130
November 1, 2022 Score: 99, Grade: 

El Huarache Veloz
1157 Roswell Road
November 1, 2022 Score: 92, Grade: A

El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant
2719 Canton Road
November 1, 2022 Score: 83, Grade: B

Heritage of Sandy Plains
3039 Sandy Plains Road
November 3, 2022 Score: 93, Grade: A

Hoagie Bros.
3595 Canton Road, Suite 330
November 4, 2022 Score: 92, Grade: A

Marietta Fish Market
3185 Canton Road
November 2, 2022 Score: 94, Grade: A

Mr. Wonton
3595 Canton Road, Suite 328
November 4, 2022 Score: 85, Grade: B

Related posts:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb school board member blasted for comments about Catholics

by

David Banks, Cobb school board member

A social media comment by a Cobb Board of Education member that “the Roman Catholic Church cannot be Christian” is being used by the political opponent of one of his colleagues in next week’s general election.

David Banks, the board’s current vice chairman who represents Post 5 in East Cobb, was the subject of an MDJ political insider’s column on Tuesday after making the remarks.

The newspaper reported in an unsigned piece on its editorial page that Banks was responding to a Facebook post by Jason Shepherd, the former Cobb Republican Party Chairman, about Martin Luther and the Reformation.

The report carried a screen shot of Banks saying that Catholicism is “more paganism in its beliefs. If Roman Catholics read the Bible They would realize the false doctrines. Only Jesus Christ is the head of the church.”

The comment either has been hidden or removed from the Facebook thread. The MDJ quoted Cobb school board Chairman David Chastain saying that he couldn’t comment because “Mr. Banks is expressing an opinion, and it has nothing to do with school board business. All of our board members are free to express their opinions on social media.”

A school district spokeswoman echoed similar comments in a statement that the personal views of board members don’t reflect the school district or its policies.

Banks didn’t respond to the paper’s request for comment.

Chastain, a Republican, is seeking a third term representing Post 4 in Northeast Cobb in what’s become a testy campaign with Catherine Pozniak, a Democrat who’s running for public office for the first time.

On Wednesday, Pozniak denounced Chastain’s comments on her Twitter account, saying that “here’s what Chair #theotherDavid Chastain misses time and again: it’s OK to say hate is wrong. That’s the leadership test Chastain fails when he says this is a board member simply expressing an opinion. Well, so can you, Mr. Chair.

“Whether formal action follows, condemnation of such remarks should be clear and unequivocal. Families and staff should hear that @CobbSchools welcomes and embraces all faiths/religions/beliefs. And that message should come from leadership, not an anonymous spokesperson.”

East Cobb News has left messages with Chastain and Banks seeking comment.

In 2021 the Cobb school board approved a social media policy that limits the public comments that can be made by the nearly 18,000 Cobb school district employees.

One provision bans employees involved with official social media accounts from sharing content “containing personal or political viewpoints, or any information unrelated to the District or school it was created to serve.”

The provisions also include refraining from making comments that “place in doubt the reliability, trustworthiness, or sound judgment of the district, the Cobb County Board of Education, or any of its employees.”

Employees also can’t post anything on social media “that may discredit the district,” including comments that violate privacy laws or that use any type of “hate speech.”

There are no such provisions for board members in their adopted code of ethics.

This isn’t the first time Banks has made comments that caused a storm. He sent out a newsletter from his official board member account last year urging people not to get the COVID-19 vaccines, and previously dismissed the disease as the “China Virus.”

He also came under fire in 2017 for sending out an e-mail about immigrants in California, saying that 95 percent of murder warrants in Los Angeles were for illegal immigrants.

In that instance, Chastain, who also was chairman at the time, said the comments didn’t fall under the purview for the school board to address.

When Banks ran for re-election in 2020, he said in an East Cobb News interview that the biggest challenge facing the Cobb County School District is for it “not to become a school system like Atlanta, DeKalb and Clayton” that he says have declined due to “white flight.”

In response, Post 6 board member Charisse Davis, who also represents part of East Cobb, charged Banks with spewing “racist trash.”

Banks, who attends Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, has not weighed in on religious topics.

Last year, after swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti were scrawled on bathroom walls at Lassiter and Pope high schools—both in his Post 5—Banks condemned the acts, saying the perpetrators have “no Christian values.”

Some citizens, parents and educators unsuccessfully requested the Cobb school board to reinstitute a “No Place For Hate” program prepared by the Anti-Defamation League that the district had dropped.

Those individuals included Cobb resident Hershel Greenblat, a Cobb resident and Holocaust survivor, but the board hasn’t discussed or taken up the matter since then.

Banks, a retired technology consultant, is serving his third term, which ends in 2024.

The newly redrawn Post 5 includes most of the Walton, Pope and Wheeler attendance zones.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Avenue East Cobb donating holiday event proceeds to Habitat

by

The Avenue East Cobb holiday events

The Avenue East Cobb is donating all proceeds from special holiday event ticket sales to the Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Metro Atlanta.

The Habitat branch announced the news on Wednesday, with the retail center set to put tickets on sale starting next week. Sales begin at 9 a.m. next Monday, Nov. 8.

Those events include Experiences With Santa and Storytime With Santa, which runs from Dec. 1-23.

“We are so grateful Avenue East Cobb selected us as its holiday giveback partner, which will help empower the families we serve during a season that can be tough for many to enjoy,” Jessica Gill, CEO, Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Metro Atlanta, said in the release.

Other ticketed events at The Avenue East Cobb include Letters to Santa on Dec. 1, Christmas Crafts With Santa on Dec. 8, Canvases + Cocoa on Dec. 15 and Milk + Cookies on Dec. 22.

The Habitat chapter will participate in each event, offering more information on the organization’s mission and how to get involved.

“Everybody loves a reason to get together for the holidays, and what could be better than celebrating the season while also supporting those in need,” Madison Murphy, marketing manager at Avenue East Cobb, said in the release. “We’re thrilled to bring these experiences back to AEC and look forward to contributing toward the wonderful work Habitat for Humanity does in the community.”

For more about The Avenue East Cobb’s holiday programming and to purchase event tickets click here.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

4 East Cobb high schools among state 2022 ACT score leaders

by

Wheeler name change

Walton, Wheeler, Pope and Lassiter students in the Class of 2022 posted average scores on American College Testing (ACT) exams that are among the best in Georgia.

According to a Cobb County School District release, they were among the five Cobb high schools with average scores of 25 or higher.

Walton High School led the district with an overall score of 26.0, followed by Wheeler (25.2), Pope (25.0) and Lassiter (24.7).

The district said those four schools, along with Kennesaw Mountain (24.0) were among the top 30 in the state.

The composite score at Sprayberry was 21.4 and Kell’s was 21.2 (see table at bottom).

The Cobb district’s average score was 23, down from 24.3 in 2021, as were most individual school composites, including those in East Cobb.

Cobb students averaged scores of 22.7 in English, 22.0 in math, 23.9 in reading, and 22.7 in science.

The district’s composite score is tied for the top in metro Atlanta along with Fulton County Schools, according to the release, and 1.4 points higher than the statewide average of 21.6.

Marietta City Schools had a composite score of 22.9, comprising students at Marietta High School.

The ACT is a standardized test similar to the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) that is taken by college-bound high school students.

The ACT tests students in English, mathematics, reading and scientific reasoning on an overall score range of 1-36.

The Georgia Department of Education released district- and school-level numbers on Wednesday, with more detailed numbers from ACT testing in the six high schools in East Cobb.

Avg. Composite Avg. English Avg. Math Avg. Reading Avg. Science
Kell (95) 21.2 20.7 20.9 22.1 20.9
Pope (214) 25.0 25.2 23.6 26.2 24.4
Lassiter (231) 24.7 24.5 24.2 25.4 24.3
Sprayberry (72) 21.4 21.4 20.2 22.4 21.2
Walton (294) 26.0 26.1 25.2 26.6 25.5
Wheeler (101) 25.2 24.9 24.6 25.9 25.0

The state released statewide data in October showing that Georgia students surpassed the national ACT average in 2022.

The 21.6 statewide average is a point below 2021 scores. More than 35,000 Georgia students took the ACT in 2022, compared to more than 29,000 last year.

Walton (294), Lassiter (231) and Pope (214) were among the small number of schools that had 200 or more students taking the ACT in 2022, according to the Cobb release.

Four Cobb students had perfect scores of 36, the district said, including one at Walton and another at Wheeler.

The Top 15 ACT scores by school in Georgia is as follows:

  • Gwinnett School of Science, Mathematics and Technology—30.2
  • Northview (Fulton)—26.5
  • Alliance Academy for Innovation (Forsyth)—26.4
  • Lambert (Forsyth)—26.3
  • Walton (Cobb)—26.0
  • South Forsyth—25.5
  • Decatur—25.4
  • Johns Creek (Fulton)—25.3
  • Columbus, Wheeler, McIntosh (Fayette), North Forsyth, North Gwinnett, Savannah Arts Academy—25.2

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Developer sues Cobb officials, East Cobb Civic Association for $100M

by

Christopher Hunt, Kinridge Court rezoning
Christopher Hunt of Green Community Development

A developer whose plans for a “sustainable” subdivision in Northeast Cobb was recently rejected is suing Cobb commissioners and a prominent civic group.

Christopher M. Hunt of Green Community Development LLC of Atlanta filed what he said is a $100 million class-action suit on Oct. 20 in Cobb Superior Court that also names the East Cobb Civic Association and its current president, Richard Grome, as defendants.

Hunt claims in the court filing (you can read it here) that the rezoning rejection is “an unconstitutional denial” that has caused “economic devaluation of property” and “extreme financial damages” to the plaintiffs.

Commissioners voted 4-0 in September to turn down his request to build 13 eco-friendly homes on 7.5 acres on Kinridge Court.

The case was frequently contentious, as Hunt accused the East Cobb Civic Association of sabotaging his efforts to build what he initially declared would be an award-winning development.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who represents the area, held a public meeting before the vote but said she left when “name-calling began” that was directed at Cobb zoning staff and the ECCA.

She didn’t specify Hunt by name but said that comments were made that “I don’t appreciate or tolerate.” During the rezoning process, he spoke in often animated and at times confrontational fashion, especially toward those who opposed his case.

In his lawsuit, Hunt referred to Birrell—whom he misspelled as “Burrell” throughout the court filing and who is up for re-election Nov. 8—of “whoring herself to gain a few ECCA votes to the detriment of 700,000 citizens of Cobb County. ECCA does not represent homeowners but own agenda.”

Also named as a defendant in the lawsuit is Brian Johnson, the Cobb County Senior Associate Attorney.

The ECCA is a citizens group that represents roughly 9,000 homeowners that makes advisory recommendations on zoning cases. The group assigns caseworkers to examine cases and frequently speak at public meetings about them

The ECCA was opposed to the Green Community Development rezoning due to traffic, density and stormwater runoff concerns that were echoed by zoning staff in recommending denial.

According to Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s records, Hunt is representing himself in the lawsuit, which thus far has not received a formal reply from the county.

When East Cobb News asked for the county’s response to the lawsuit, a Cobb government spokesman said “per legal we will have no comment.”

East Cobb News also left messages with the ECCA and Grome. He replied that neither he nor the organization would be commenting.

The lawsuit accuses Grome of “unethical hypocricy[sic]” and is demanding that he resign his position.

He also said the ECCA and Grome “have proven to have a private unethical and illegal anti-development agenda of ‘means justify the ends’ against any development even when super sustainable, legally mandated and net positive to existing!”

He complained during the rezoning process that he wasn’t invited to attend a community meeting at which, he claimed, the ECCA “unethically and illegally gave patently false and misleading information to trusting neighbors to gain petitions of opposition” to the rezoning request.

While Hunt focused much of his ire in the court filing at Birrell, he said “the other commissioners were unethical and proved incompetent by abiding by unwritten but proven rule of ‘whatever a commissioner votes in their district the rest support’ no matter how crazy illegally bad!”

He said he wouldn’t pursue the $100 million in damages he is seeking if all of them decline to run for re-election.

In his lawsuit, which included several other spelling errors and incorrect e-mail addresses, Hunt said he will be asking for a jury trial.

He also wants homeowners’ associations to be “mandated to provide a list for rezoning approval at least 30 days in advance of any BOC hearing and agreed perjury will be prosecuted—there can be objections but not lying nor slandering.”

Related stories

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb strategic plan hearings set; online survey released

by

Cobb County Government is holding what it’s calling community listening sessions in each of the four commission districts to gauge citizen input into its Comprehensive 5-Year Strategic Plan.Cobb strategic plan hearings set

It’s a chance for the public to provide feedback on various county priorities and services and what county officials are saying is “the primary strategy to lead the ongoing vision and priorities of Cobb County.”

A public session for District 2 starts at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 10 at  the Boy Scouts of America Atlanta Area Council (1800 Circle 75 Parkway). That’s followed at 6:30 p.m. by Commissioner Jerica Richardson’s quarterly town hall meeting.

You can RSVP for both by clicking here.

Another strategic plan session will take place at 6 p.m. on Nov. 15 at the Mountain View Community Center (3400 Sandy Plains Road).

An online survey for the strategic plan also is available and can be downloaded and filled out by clicking here. The survey will be open through Dec. 23, and paper copies will be available at library branches and senior centers.

Cobb commissioners recently voted to spend $1.45 million to hire Accenture LLP, an outside consulting firm, to conduct a comprehensive long-range strategic plan that includes a shorter-term element for the years 2023-2027.

A county release said Accenture helped formulate the survey, which takes about 10 minutes to complete.

“A significant component is getting input from those who live or work in Cobb about what they see as the county’s priorities,” the release said. “Residents can provide feedback to formulate initiatives based on community needs and help the county develop and deliver better services.”

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!