East Cobb Politics & Elections

Former Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee dies of cancer

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Former Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee, who lived in East Cobb and was best known for stadium negotiations to bring the Atlanta Braves to the county, died Sunday after a battle with cancer.Tim Lee dies

He died early Sunday afternoon at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, according to multiple reports.

Lee, who was 62, had been diagnosed with cancer last year. The MDJ reported that the esophageal cancer had returned, and that there was a dinner in Lee’s honor at the Delta Club at SunTrust Park on Monday that included political and Braves luminaries.

The report said Lee had been hospitalized this week but that he hoped to be released.

Current Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce said Sunday that flags at all county government facilities will fly at half-staff this week through Lee’s funeral. Those arrangements have not been announced.

“The county has lost a true leader and statesman who will long be remembered for his accomplishments and love of Cobb County,” Boyce said in a statement issued by the county.

Lee was first elected to the Cobb Board of Commissioners from District 3 in Northeast Cobb in 2002, when Sam Olens left that post to become chairman. In 2010, he stepped down from that post to run for chairman when Olens resigned to campaign for Georgia Attorney General.

Lee won a full four-year term as chairman in 2012, staving off former chairman Bill Byrne in the Republican primary.

It was during the summer and fall of 2014 that Lee became a central figure in the controversial Braves deal.

He announced a partnership with the Braves, contingent upon commission approval of a memorandum of understanding to provide $300 million of public financing.

But commissioners had only two weeks from the time of the announcement before voting, prompting questions about secrecy. The vote to approve the financing passed 4-1, but the Braves deal ultimately led to Lee’s departure from office.

The process over the Braves deal was a leading campaign issue in the 2016 chairman’s race for Boyce, a retired U.S. Marine colonel who lives in East Cobb and who ran for chairman in 2012.

Boyce overcame a lack of name recognition and was outspent, but defeated Lee in the Republican primary.

In 2017, Lee was named executive director of economic development for Habersham County in the North Georgia mountains.

District 2 commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb had plenty of differences with Lee, including the latter’s push for a property tax increase in 2011, during the recession.

On Sunday, Ott said in the Cobb government statement that “Tim guided Cobb County through some difficult economic times.

“His love for our county was seen from his early days as a commissioner and was even more evident when he became chairman. He always wanted the best for Cobb, and it is a true tragedy his life has been cut short.”

Said current District 3 commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who succeeded Lee: “He was a great leader and visionary for Cobb County. He always had the county’s best interest at heart and served with his entire being.”

 

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McBath to hold town hall meeting Sunday in Sandy Springs

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U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath will hold a town hall meeting Sunday afternoon in Sandy Springs to meet with 6th Congressional District constituents.U.S. Rep Lucy McBath, gun violence research funding, McBath border-funding vote

The meeting is from 1-2 p.m. Temple Emanu-El, 1580 Spalding Drive.

McBath, a first-term Democrat from Marietta, said the the town hall will be about “hearing about the issues that matter most in our community. ”

McBath has taken a visible role in gun-control issues, and during the August recess took part in a “Protect Our Care” bus tour in Georgia to advocate for greater health care access.

She also sponsored the Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need Act, which allows disabled veterans greater relief from financial hardship by amending bankruptcy laws. That bill passed Congress and recently was signed by President Donald Trump.

If you’re interested in attending the town hall, you’re asked to RSVP here. Seating is limited.

McBath is the only Democrat thus far who’s declared an intention to run for the 6th District seat in 2020. Her win last year helped tilt control of the House to the Democrats, and the 6th District—which includes East Cobb, North Fulton and Sandy Springs and north and central DeKalb—is considered a battleground race again for next year.

Former Rep. Karen Handel, whom McBath defeated last year, is one of four Republicans vying to regain the seat that had been in GOP hands for 40 years. Also running are State Sen. Brandon Beach of Alpharetta, Nicole Rodden, a former Merchant Marine and Marjorie Taylor Greene, owner of a Milton commercial construction company.

According to the latest federal campaign finance reports, McBath has raised $1.15 million for her re-election bid this year.

Among the individual contributors include actress Jane Fonda, who made contributions of $2,200 and $2,800 in June, and former Gov. Roy Barnes of Marietta, who contributed $1,800 in June.

She also has received political action committee contributions from the American Federation of Teachers ($5,000), NARAL Pro-Choice America ($5,000) and the campaign committees for various House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Greene has raised $523,351 (with $500,000 coming from the candidate), Handel $460,132, Beach $359,067 and Rodden $158,926.

 

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The admirable legacy of Johnny Isakson

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Sen. Johnny Isakson and his wife Dianne in Normandy in June for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. (Isakson office photo)

As the legacy of Johnny Isakson was being assessed this week by statewide media, and in Washington, D.C., news outlets, the view from home isn’t all that different, but with a few parochial twists.

Even before he became Georgia’s senior senator, a key leader in an emerging Republican majority in the state and a political elder statesman, Isakson was known simply as “Johnny.”

A personable, eager, hardworking real estate agent, he moved to what was to become East Cobb under the auspices of Northside Realty, founded by his father. This was in the mid-to-late-1960s.

He got involved in many business and civic activities, including the Marietta-Cobb Jaycees, the younger division of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.

That’s how my father became acquainted with Isakson during that time, as Cobb County was going through its first boom period. The Jaycees also included George Lankford, later to become the first Republican elected to the Cobb County commission.

The Jaycees attracted many aspiring and ambitious types, some drawn to seeking political office. Isakson ran for the commission but lost in his first stab at elected office. My dad volunteered in the Lankford campaign but didn’t get involved in politics after that, as he built his own successful career as a home contractor.

Isakson continued taking an active role in community leadership as Northside Realty became a cornerstone of an East Cobb residential market that was just beginning to lay the foundation for the desirable homebuying market that it is today.

He took to politics like he took to selling real estate, utterly determined to succeed. That doggedness would serve Isakson well as a Republican because of the Democratic stranglehold on state, local and federal politics.

As a young legislator, he benefitted from Democrats who weren’t afraid to work across the aisle. When Republicans became the majority party, Isakson returned the favor without hesitation.

After losing a nasty battle for governor to Zell Miller, Isakson was called upon by Miller to head up a state board of education in disarray. Isakson took on the job.

Bipartisanship was never a dirty word to Isakson, a rarity given the increasingly polarized times that paralleled his ascent.

He would succeed combative Speaker Newt Gingrich in the East Cobb-based 6th U.S. House District.

After losing a U.S. Senate GOP primary, Isakson in 2004 won the first of three elections to that body, becoming the first Georgia Republican to ever do so.

That he won’t be able to finish out that third term due to health reasons has saddened many, including those who don’t agree with him politically.

That’s because for Isakson, a person’s politics aren’t a reflection of who they are as a human being. He’s unlike too many of his Congressional colleagues in both parties, as well as the current commander-in-chief, who exploit those differences for the purpose of intentional division.

Isakson is a committed conservative, to be sure, and he has fought hard for those positions and has been a loyal member of his political party. Some observers, especially those with a more liberal perspective, think he could have done more to publicly decry the tenor of the Tweets and other outbursts coming from the White House, among other things.

Earlier this year, Isakson did give Trump a tongue-lashing for comments about the late Sen. John McCain, one of Isakson’s closest colleagues and friends. That the president didn’t Tweet something in return, or respond in any other way, is noteworthy.

In an age of political showhorses, Isakson has always been a workhorse.

Treating people with respect has been a hallmark of his service as an elected official, something he cultivated as a young real estate agent in East Cobb many decades ago.

Eight years ago this month, on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, Isakson stood in the pulpit at East Cobb’s Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, where he has taught Sunday School for many years.

He delivered remarks during an ecumenical service there that summed up so much of what Isakson has embodied in public life. He was resolute about U.S. objectives in cracking down on terrorism, but in doing so reached out to the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faithful in attendance.

That was one set of remarks among the many thousands of speeches he has given in more than four decades on the public stage, but it’s one I heard as so thoroughly decent and devoid of an agenda.

It was refreshing, as was Isakson’s example in so many other ways. He spoke out against an anti-gay resolution adopted by the Cobb commission in the early 1990s that prompted Atlanta Olympic organizers to cancel related events in the county.

The county has come a long way since Isakson stepped into the spotlight, and that’s not a coincidence.

Whether you agreed with his votes and politics or not, his humble leadership style and the personal values he put into practice every day will certainly be missed, especially in these fractious times.

More on Isakson from the AJC‘s Jim Galloway and with MDJ editors. Isakson also spoke this week to longtime Atlanta newsman Denis O’Hayer at WABE-FM.

 

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Sen. Isakson retiring due to ‘mounting health challenges’

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The office of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson announced Wednesday that due to health reasons, he will be resigning his seat with three years left in his term.Isakson blisters Trump

Here’s the message from Isakson, 74, an East Cobb Republican, who’s been rehabbing from a fall in his Washington apartment and has been battling Parkinson’s disease.

He also announced he had kidney surgery this week:

“After much prayer and consultation with my family and my doctors, I have made the very tough decision to leave the U.S. Senate at the end of this year. I have informed Georgia Governor Brian Kemp today that I will resign my Senate seat effective December 31, 2019.

“I am leaving a job I love because my health challenges are taking their toll on me, my family and my staff. My Parkinson’s has been progressing, and I am continuing physical therapy to recover from a fall in July. In addition, this week I had surgery to remove a growth on my kidney.

“In my 40 years in elected office, I have always put my constituents and my state of Georgia first. With the mounting health challenges I am facing, I have concluded that I will not be able to do the job over the long term in the manner the citizens of Georgia deserve. It goes against every fiber of my being to leave in the middle of my Senate term, but I know it’s the right thing to do on behalf of my state.

“I look forward to returning to Washington on September 9 when the Senate goes back into session. And after December 31, I look forward to continuing to help the people of Georgia in any way I can and also helping those who are working toward a cure for Parkinson’s.”

Isakson’s term ends at the end of 2022. Under Georgia law, the governor will appoint a successor until a special election in 2020.

That means both Georgia senate seats will be on the ballot next November. Republican Sen. David Perdue, the junior senator, has indicated he will be seeking a second term.

The winner of the special election for Isakson’s seat would serve two years, with that office then being up for a six-year term in 2022 elections.

Here’s the letter Isakson wrote to Kemp.

Walton High School

An East Cobb civic icon

Isakson was a pillar of the East Cobb business and civic community before he ever ran for public office. The founder and president of Northside Realty, Isakson was called upon by Cobb school superintendent Kermit Keenum in the early 1970s to help the district find land for a badly needed middle school and high school in fast-growing East Cobb.

As he noted in 2017 at the ribbon-cutting for the new Walton High School building (in photo above), the properties he located on Bill Murdock Road for what were to become Walton and Dodgen Middle School cost less than $5,000 combined.

He and his wife Dianne, whom he married in 1968, raised three children, who attended school in the Walton cluster. They have eight grandchildren and are members of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church on Johnson Ferry Road.

When Isakson was elected to the Georgia House in 1976, he was one of the first Republicans in what was becoming known as East Cobb to win public office. While in the lower house, he ran for governor in 1990 but lost.

Two years later, he won a seat in the Georgia Senate, where he served for one term, then left to run for the U.S. Senate. Isakson lost a GOP runoff to succeed the retiring Sam Nunn, who was followed by Max Cleland.

Serving in Washington

After U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich announced in 1998 he would not seek re-election, Isakson ran for and won the 6th District seat that includes East Cobb, serving until he won his first U.S. Senate term in 2004.

While in the Senate, Isakson has been chairman of the Veterans Affairs and Ethics committees.

In 2015, Isakson announced he had Parkinson’s disease, but ran for a third term the following year and won the general election with 54 percent of the vote.

He is the first Republican in Georgia history to win three U.S. Senate terms and is the only Georgian to be elected to the Georgia House and Senate, as well as the U.S. House and Senate.

Isakson also has served as chairman of the Georgia Board of Education.

Georgia has become a more competitive state politically since his last election. The 6th District seat that had been in GOP hands since 1979 was narrowly won by Republican Karen Handel in a special election in 2017 that was the most expensive race in U.S. House history.

But she lost last year to Democrat Lucy McBath. Statewide, Democrats ran close races, including governor.Sen. Johnny Isakson

A fiscal and social conservative, Isakson has been hailed for his moderate temperament and earned a reputation for working across the aisle during his political career.

Earlier this summer, Isakson led a bipartisan Senate delegation to Normandy to observe the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Perdue has been a staunch and unapologetic defender of President Donald Trump. Earlier this year, Isakson blistered the president for his comments about late Sen. John McCain, a close friend of Isakson, making good on remarks from the Senate floor he had made earlier that anyone who “tarnishes the reputation of John McCain deserves a whipping.”

“I never worry about what I’m doing politically or practically in the Senate as long as I think I’m doing what’s right,” Isakson said in an interview on Georgia Public Radio.

In 2017, Isakson was named the East Cobb Citizen of the Year by the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.

Isakson was unable to attend due to duties in Washington, but then-Chamber president David Connell remarked that “if you looked up a definition of a statesman and a public servant, you’ll see a picture of Johnny Isakson.”

Local, state, national reaction

McBath issued the following statement about Isakson Wednesday afternoon:

“Sen. Johnny Isakson’s last 4 decades in public service show his deep commitment to serving the people of Georgia and this country. He will be missed in our delegation & Sen. Isakson and his family are in my prayers.

Gov. Kemp’s office issued this statement with First Lady Marty Kemp, the daughter of a former legislative colleague of Isakson, that says in part:

“Georgia should be most thankful for is the high standard that Johnny held as a true gentleman, a fighter for his constituents, a trusted advocate for our nation’s veterans, and one of the greatest statesmen to ever answer the call of service to our country. Marty and I are forever grateful for the friendship that Johnny and Dianne have shown us over the years and wish them the very best in the years to come. I will appoint Senator Isakson’s replacement at the appropriate time.”

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, Isakson’s former chief of staff and a possible appointee to fill his seat:

“I will be forever grateful that he was willing to take a chance on me in 2004 and that he has served as a mentor to me ever since. Whenever I am confronted with a tough decision, I often ask myself, ‘What would Johnny do?'”

New York Democrat Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, issued this statement:

“One of the many fine adjectives to describe Johnny Isakson is a word not used enough in the halls of Congress these days: kind. Not only is Johnny a diligent and successful legislator, he is one of the kindest, most thoughtful senators. Independent of any party or politics, everyone will miss Johnny.” 

We’ll add more reaction from elected officials and others as we get it.

 

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Loudermilk: Solution to gun violence won’t be in Washington

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After nearly being the victim of a mass shooting two years ago, Georgia Congressman Barry Loudermilk says he’s been asked frequently about whether he would support more stringent gun control legislation at the federal level.U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, gun violence

“I’m a survivor,” Loudermilk says in reference to the attempted assassination of Republicans in June 2017 at a Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Va.

A gunman who supported Democratic presidential candidate and Sen. Bernie Sanders opened fire with a military-style weapon, seriously wounding then-House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and five others before being shot by U.S. Capitol Police.

During the 10-minute shootout, Loudermilk took cover behind an SUV, and figures he was shot at around 20 times by the gunman, who later died and was identified as James Hodgkinson.

“He knew what he was doing,” said Loudermilk, recalling the incident as the guest speaker at the East Cobb Business Association luncheon on Tuesday. “He didn’t have mental health issues. He was radicalized.

“And there wasn’t a single thing we could have done to change that.”

Law enforcement later found that Hodgkinson had left behind some strident social media messages against President Donald Trump and was particularly upset about Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare.

“He had no respect for the law,” Loudermilk said about the shooter. “He intended to commit mass murder.”

In light of recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, Loudermilk still believes federal legislation won’t properly address issues of gun violence and mass shootings.

“We have a cultural crisis and a moral crisis in this country,” said Loudermilk, a third-term Republican from Cartersville who represents the 11th Congressional District of Georgia that includes part of Cobb County.

“There’s nothing that we in Washington can do about that.”

He made his remarks in the 6th District, where first-term Marietta Democrat Lucy McBath narrowly won last November with a strict gun-control message. McBath’s son was shot and killed by a motorist at a Florida gas station, sparking her activism.

She’s been a sponsor of federal background check and related legislation, and secured $50 million in federal funding for the Centers for Disease Control to study the effects of gun violence.

But Loudermilk says background check measures and “red-flag” proposals—in which law enforcement can confiscate guns from those considered to be a a danger to others or themselves—will be more effective at the state and local levels.

A total of 15 states have such red-flag laws, but Georgia is not one of them.

‘The George Patton of presidents’

In wake of the attempted shootings that affected him, Loudermilk has called for greater civility in American life, and not just politics.

He said that given the “unusual time” in the country, and especially in Washington, he’s also asked a lot about a figure who’s at the center of much of that divisive rhetoric—Trump.

“He says some things that I wish he would say differently,” Loudermilk said of the president. “I don’t always like the way he does things. But I try to judge Trump by what he is actively doing.”

Loudermilk says he thinks that Trump—”the George Patton of presidents”—will go down as an effective president, and that his “shock and awe” approach is part of the reason why.

On the subject of the Mueller Report—an investigation into alleged Russian government influence on the influence American elections—Loudermilk is certain the 2016 Trump campaign didn’t act in collusion, as many of the president’s opponents still believe.

“If he had colluded with the Russians,” Loudermilk said of Trump, “he would have already bragged about it.”

The Trump Administration’s renegotiating trade policy with China includes the threat of tariffs because, Loudermilk said, “that is the stick he has to use.”

He said the benefits of tax cuts in 2017 pushed by the White House are continuing to boost the economy. While some changes had to be made to address the concerns of small-business owners, Loudermilk said “I want to think it’s because it’s nothing we did. We got out of the way, so you can do what you do.”

 

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Isakson recuperating at home after being discharged from Kennestone

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After less than a week in physical rehabilitation at WellStar Kennestone Hospital, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson is recuperating at his home in East Cobb.Isakson blisters Trump

His office said he was discharged Friday after undergoing physical therapy. He fractured four ribs in a fall at his apartment in Washington.

The Republican, Georgia’s senior senator who is 74 years old, said the following in a statement issued by his office:

“I am doing much better thanks to the excellent medical care and rehabilitation services I have received. I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and will remain focused on making a full recovery so I can get back to work. All of the thoughtful messages of support have kept my spirits high, and I thank everyone who has lifted me up during this time.”

His spokeswoman said Isakson is expected to return to Washington in August, after a Congressional recess that includes work and appearances around the state.

 

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Jerica Richardson declares as Cobb commission District 2 candidate

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Jerica Richardson, Cobb commission candidate

After working to get a new member of the Cobb Board of Education elected last year, East Cobb resident Jerica Richardson has decided to run for public office in 2020.

Richardson, who lives in the Delk Road area, is a candidate for the District 2 Cobb Board of Commissioners seat held by 11-year incumbent Bob Ott.

She said she’s formally launching her campaign in August (her campaign website is here) and is running “because it is time that the community has a seat at the table.”

On her personal website, Richardson describes herself as a “hacktivist” who’s writing a book on the subject. In it, she urges those who are “tired of being ignored” to “pick up those dreams again and inch closer to being who you were meant to be.”

In an interview with East Cobb News, Richardson didn’t offer many specifics about what her priorities would be for now. She admits to being a “firebrand” who dates her interest in politics to the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, which took place when she was 12.

“Running for office has always been something that’s been in the back of my mind,” she said. “The impact our elected representatives have can serve as an empowerment tool for the community.”

Richardson, who works in an enterprise transformation unit at Equifax, serves on the Facilities and Technologies Committee, a SPLOST advisory board, for the Cobb County School District. She was appointed by school board member Jaha Howard, whose campaign she worked on and who was elected last year to represent the Osborne and Campbell clusters.

Richardson, who’s running as a Democrat in what’s been long-held Republican territory, is the only declared candidate thus far in District 2. It includes most of East Cobb below Sandy Plains Road, as well as the Cumberland-Vinings area and portions of Smyrna.

(story continues below the map)

Cobb commission District 2
Map via Cobb Elections. For enlarged map click here.

Ott, a Republican and the dean of the five-member Cobb Board of Commissioners, has not yet indicated whether he’s running for a fourth term. He’s also downplayed speculation he’s interested in running for commission chairman, or possibly mayor of a proposed City of East Cobb should such a referendum be on next year’s ballot.

Current chairman Mike Boyce and South Cobb commissioner Lisa Cupid have announced their candidacies for chairman next year.

Richardson and her family moved to Atlanta from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Her brothers attended Walton High School. She graduated from the North Springs arts and sciences charter school in Fulton County and earned a biomedical engineering degree from Georgia Tech.

She said that community “disconnections” between citizens and their elected officials promoted her to consider running. Who are those individuals?

“People who live and work here and who want to see Cobb grow,” she said.

As for specific issues, Richardson said “I’m keeping my finger on that. I want to be very careful how I look at these issues.

“It’s not about me being any kind of savior,” she said. “It’s about bringing people together. I want to be a real representative.”

Richardson declined to comment on what she thinks of Ott’s record, saying that “my campaign is fresh, and he hasn’t made a decision.”

Among the challenges she sees are those the commissioners are dealing with now, including getting a long-term handle on budgeting, taxes and public safety.

She said she will have more detailed comments on policy issues when she unveils her campaign next month.

“There’s a lot there,” Richardson said. “How to articulate what direction we need to go is very important to me. Words matter.”

In mid-June Richardson filed a campaign declaration form with the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission. Since then, she said her campaign has raised around $10,000 (the current reporting period must be filed by the end of September).

Ott’s latest campaign disclosure form, dated July 1, indicates he raised $55,000 in the second quarter of 2019, and lists the office being “held or sought” as District 2.

 

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Isakson to continue recovery at WellStar Kennestone Hospital

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After being released from a Washington hospital on Saturday, U.S. Sen. Johny Isakson will continue his recovery close to home. Isakson robocall legislation

That what the East Cobb Republican’s spokeswoman said Saturday afternoon. Isakson, who fractured four ribs in a fall in his D.C. apartment, will enter an inpatient rehabilitation program at Kennestone.

Isakson, 74, will receive “an intensive physical therapy program” to help regain stamina and mobility, according to his spokeswoman, Amanda Maddox.

“Part of the challenge that Isakson will face is the coupling of his injury with the symptoms of his Parkinson’s disease, which could lead to a longer recovery process,” according to her statement. “He is in good spirits and is determined to face this challenge head on so he can return to doing what he loves: representing Georgians in the Senate.”

Said Isakson:

“I’m on the mend and looking forward to fully healing my fractured ribs through intensive rehabilitation. I thank everyone who has lifted me up through prayer and well-wishes.”

 

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Isakson hospitalized in Washington after fracturing ribs

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A spokeswoman for Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson said Wednesday night the East Cobb Republican was taken to a hospital Tuesday after fracturing several ribs during a fall at his apartment in Washington.Isakson robocall legislation

Amanda Maddox said Isakson was admitted to George Washington University Hospital after fracturing four ribs. She said “he is in pain, but resting and doing well. Senator Isakson looks forward to fully recovering and getting back to work for Georgians.”

Isakson, who is 74, is in his third term in the Senate. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2015 and occasionally walks with the assistance of a cane.

He was re-elected in 2016, and the following year underwent two back surgeries for a stress fracture and to address spinal deterioration due to arthritis.

Congress is back in session after the July 4 holiday.

Isakson has kept a heavy schedule since his diagnosis, and is the only senator to lead two committees: Veterans Affairs and the Select Committee on Ethics. He also serves on the foreign relations and health, education, labor and pensions committees.

Last month, Isakson led a Senate delegation to France for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

 

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McBath votes for border-funding bill that divides House Democrats

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U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, a Marietta Democrat who represents East Cobb, was one of 129 House Democrats to vote for $4.6 billion in supplemental funding this week for humanitarian aid for migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border and to address overcrowding at detention centers there.U.S. Rep Lucy McBath, gun violence research funding, McBath border-funding vote

The House supported the measure 305-102, after the Senate passed the special appropriations 84-8 (with Georgia Republican senators Johnny Isakson and David Perdue voting in favor).

The Senate had earlier rejected a different House version of the bill.

The second House vote on Thursday was contentious, with more progressive Democrats accusing moderates in their caucus of child abuse. In one instance, there was a confrontation between Democrats on the House floor over heated social media messages.

The only Georgia House member to vote against the bill was John Lewis of Atlanta.

The Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act of 2019 (summary here) would fund operations for the departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Commerce and Defense in the following ways:

  • $2.88 billion for the HHS Unaccompanied Alien Children program for the safety and welfare of children under its care;
  • $1.1 billion for migrant care and processing facilities, medical care and transportation, and data systems;
  • $793 million for establishing and operating migrant care and processing facilities to improve conditions at border stations and ports of entry;
  • $220 million to hire additional personnel to expedite immigration court proceedings;
  • $209 million for medical care and transportation of unaccompanied alien children and migrants between facilities, counter-human trafficking operations, detention alternatives and migrant processing;
  • $145 million for Defense operations and maintenance in support of multiple missions at the border.

The bill is awaiting the signature of President Donald Trump, who is in Asia at the Group of 20 Summit.

 

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McBath applauds $50M in gun violence research funding

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Submitted information: U.S. Rep Lucy McBath, gun violence research funding

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) applauds the House passage of $50 million in funding she requested for important firearm injury and mortality prevention research at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, including critical projects at the Centers for Disease Control National Center for Injury Prevention and Control in Chamblee that would improve understanding of the solutions to prevent gun deaths.

“I was proud to lead my colleagues in asking for this funding because I believe I have the responsibility as a survivor of gun violence to stand up to stop these tragedies,” McBath said. “The CDC and NIH need this funding to better understand how to prevent gun deaths. When I visited the Injury Center in my district, I was heartbroken to hear about the severe lack of funding for gun-related injury research. This critical funding will save lives.”

These federal dollars will provide for the first gun violence prevention funding in more than twenty years and allocates $25 million each to the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health to study firearm injury and mortality prevention. The funding passed as part of the Labor-Health & Human Services-Education Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2020.

 

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Isakson co-sponsors legislation targeting abusive robocalls

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Submitted information:Isakson robocall legislation

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., cosponsored bipartisan legislation this week to combat illegal and intrusive robocalls.

Amid an ever-increasing number of robocall scams, the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, S.151, would give regulators more time to find scammers, increase penalties for those who are caught, promote call authentication technology, and bring relevant federal agencies and state attorneys general together to address delays in the criminal prosecution of robocallers.

“Beyond being a nuisance, robocalls can be dangerous when the callers are criminals trying to steal personal data and money. This legislation would help reduce the number of unsolicited calls and hold the perpetrators of these scams accountable,” said Isakson. “It is time for Congress to take action to provide relief for consumers.”

Specifically, the TRACED Act would:

  • Broaden the authority of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to levy civil penalties of up to $10,000 per call on people who intentionally flout telemarketing restrictions.
  • Extend the window for the FCC to catch and take civil enforcement action against intentional violations to three years after a robocall is placed. Under current law, the FCC has only one year to do so, and the FCC has told the committee that “even a one-year longer statute of limitations for enforcement” would improve enforcement against willful violators.
  • Bring together the Department of Justice, FCC, Federal Trade Commission, Department of Commerce, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and other relevant federal agencies as well as state attorneys general and other non-federal entities to identify and report to Congress on improving deterrence and criminal prosecution at the federal and state level of robocall scams.
  • Require voice service providers to adopt call authentication technologies, enabling a telephone carrier to verify that incoming calls are legitimate before they reach consumers’ phones.
  • Direct the FCC to initiate a rulemaking to help protect subscribers from receiving unwanted calls or texts from callers.

The TRACED Act is supported by all 50 state attorneys general, board members of the FCC and the Federal Trade Commission, and a number of other industry associations and consumer advocacy organizations.

U.S. Sens. John Thune, R-N.D., and Edward Markey, D-Mass., led the legislation in the Senate. Full text of the legislation is available here.

To block telemarketing calls, register your number on the Do Not Call List at www.donotcall.gov. Legitimate telemarketers consult the list to avoid calling both landline and wireless phone numbers on the list.

The FCC has provided consumer tips to stop unwanted robocalls and avoid phone scams online at: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/stop-unwanted-robocalls-and-texts.

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Georgia ‘heartbeat’ abortion bill signed into law by Gov. Kemp

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One of the most controversial bills to come up in the Georgia legislature this year was signed into state law Tuesday

State Rep. Sharon Cooper, Georgia heartbeat abortion bill
State Rep. Sharon Cooper

Gov. Brian Kemp signed HB 481, the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, to go into effect next January, amid promises that there would be legal challenges.

(Read the text of the bill here.)

The law bans abortions in Georgia once a doctor can detect a heartbeat, which is usually around six weeks from conception.

The exceptions are for rape and incest, if the life of the mother is endangered and if a doctor determines a fetus is not viable for medical reasons.

Women also must file a police report in the case of rape or incest.

Previous Georgia law, passed in 2012, banned abortions after 20 weeks. HB 481 was sponsored by Rep. Ed Setzler, an Acworth Republican, but two of his fellow GOP colleagues from East Cobb did not support it.

Both State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick and State Rep. Sharon Cooper, who are pro-life Republicans, opposed the bill. Kirkpatrick was out of town attending a funeral when the bill came up for final Senate action and was excused from voting. Cooper, the chairwoman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, voted no on final passage.

They said the bill is unconstitutional, and as retired medical care providers, they opposed provisions to punish OBGYNs, physician assistants and nurses (women and pharmacists also could face criminal charges).

The bill included “personhood” language for fetuses, lets parents claim an embryo as a dependent on their taxes and could order fathers to pay child support for unborn children during pregnancy.

East Cobb’s other Republican state House members, John Carson, Matt Dollar and Don Parsons, voted for the bill. Mary Frances Williams, a Marietta Democrat who represents part of East Cobb, opposed HB 481, as did Democratic senators Jen Jordan and Michael Rhett, who have slivers of East Cobb in their districts.

Georgia is one of several states whose legislatures have enacted abortion legislation in anticipation of possible action regarding Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1973 that legalized abortion nationwide.

Some of those laws have been struck down by courts.

 

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East Cobb resident elected NRA president after Oliver North resignation

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Turmoil within the National Rifle Association has thrust East Cobb resident and longtime conservative activist Carolyn Meadows into the organization’s presidency.Carolyn Meadows, NRA president

Meadows was elected president at the NRA convention in Indianapolis on Monday after Oliver North, the former adviser to President Reagan and Iran-Contra figure, resigned.

The shake-up occurred as North was trying to oust longtime NRA executive director Wayne LaPierre, who is staying on with Meadows’ election.

Meadows, 80, had been the second vice president of the NRA, which has five million members, as well as the American Conservative Union, the national and Georgia Republican Party and Stone Mountain Memorial Association Board.

She said in an interview with the AJC one of her primary objectives is to have her own Congresswoman, Lucy McBath, defeated. McBath, a Marietta Democrat, was elected to the 6th Congressional District seat in November as a strong gun-control advocate.

Whoever runs against McBath, Meadows said, “will get an endorsement from the NRA.”

The NRA is being investigated by the state of New York, where the non-profit organization is chartered, for alleged financial mismanagement.

 

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U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath to hold community listening session at East Cobb church

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Submitted information:

Georgia 6th Congressional District candidate Lucy McBath
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath

On Saturday, Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-06) will host a listening session to hear from constituents about issues affecting the communities and residents of the Sixth District.

“My work in Washington is guided by the priorities and concerns of the residents of Georgia’s Sixth, so I value the opportunity to hear directly from the people I represent,” McBath said. “I am honored to have the opportunity to listen and have an open dialogue on the issues that are important to my constituents.”

Rep. McBath’s community listening session will take place on Saturday, April 13, 2019 from 11:30am to 12:30pm at the Pilgrimage United Church of Christ in Marietta. This event will help to inform McBath’s actions in Washington and help her to set her long-term legislative agenda. The listening session will be immediately preceded by a Meet and Greet at 11:00am in the church’s fellowship hall.

Constituents can RSVP here and are encouraged to sign up for newsletter alerts on McBath.House.Gov and to follow Rep. McBath on Facebook  at Facebook.com/RepLucyMcBath.

Meet and Greet Details:

Saturday, April 13, 2019

11:00am – 11:30am

Listening Session Details:

Saturday, April 13, 2019

11:30am – 12:30pm

Pilgrimage United Church of Christ

3755 Sandy Plains Road

Marietta, GA 30066

 

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Cupid announces campaign to become Cobb Commission Chair

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Lisa Cupid of South Cobb, the only Democrat on the five-member Cobb Board of Commissionrs, announced Tuesday she’ll be seeking the countywide office currently held by Republican Mike Boyce of East Cobb. Lisa Cupid, Cobb Commission Chair campaign

She said on her Facebook page she decided to run after “much prayer and conversation with my family,” and offered a brief explanation why:

“Cobb County is on the move. We have new challenges and new opportunities and as we move forward, we must do so in the best interest of all the county.

“We have an opportunity to embrace what is to come and continue to make our county the best place in Georgia to live, work and play. We cannot allow the comfort of the present to scare us from the possibilities of tomorrow.”

The official campaign kickoff event is next Wednesday, April 10, at the Embassy Suites Hotel on Akers Mill Road.

Cupid also has launched a campaign website, Cupid for Cobb.

Cupid was first elected in 2012 after defeating incumbent Woody Thompson. Her background is in mechanical engineering and she is an attorney.

She was the only vote against the 2013 memorandum of understanding with the Atlanta Braves to build what’s now known as SunTrust Park, mainly because of the way the deal was handled.

Since Boyce was elected in 2016, Cupid has been his most reliable ally on the commission, vocally supporting his call for a property tax millage increase. It passed 3-2, over the objections of East Cobb commissioners Bob Ott and JoAnn Birrell.

Cupid, who has advocated for greater economic and business development, transit and community-based policing, also has been Boyce’s vice chair for the last two years.

But the political profile of Cobb, which has been Republican-dominated for years, is changing. Hillary Clinton carried the county in the 2016 presidential campaign. Last year, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams easily won Cobb, as did most other statewide candidates in her party.

Even East Cobb, which has been heavily GOP, now has Democratic representation in Congress (Lucy McBath), one post on the Cobb school board (Charisse Davis) and a State House seat (Mary Frances Williams).

The last Democratic county chairman was Ernest Barrett, who served 1965-1984, shepherding Cobb through dramatic change as it was becoming suburbanized.

Cupid also would become the first female and the first African-American to lead the county government.

Boyce has said he is seeking a second term but has not formally announced his campaign. Ott, who is the longest-serving commissioner, first elected in 2008, will be completing his third term in 2020.

He has not indicated whether he will be running again for his current District 2 seat, which includes some of East Cobb and the Smyrna-Vinings-Cumberland area.

 

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Handel announces bid to regain Georgia 6th Congressional District seat

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Karen Handel said Monday she’s running for the Georgia 6th Congressional District seat she lost last November. Karen Handel, Georgia 6th Congressional District

The Roswell Republican and former Georgia Secretary of State held the seat for a little more than a year following a 2017 special election, then was defeated by Democrat Lucy McBath.

In a brief message on her website, Handel said she’s running because the 6th District—which includes East Cobb—”deserve[s] better than a Pelosi pawn as our representative in Washington. We need someone who works for our best interests, not just for the Pelosi agenda or to gain national celebrity.”

Those were references to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who regained that position when Democrats took the House in the November elections, and to McBath, who’s gained national attention for her gun-control efforts.

McBath, who lives in Marietta, became the first Democrat elected to the seat once held by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in 40 years after she narrowly defeated Handel.

McBath used Handel’s announcement to make a fundraising pitch on her campaign Facebook page, saying “we know we’re in for a tough re-election fight… but when the going gets tough, #TeamLucy hasn’t failed me yet.”

No other candidates have announced to run for the 6th District seat, which includes North Fulton, Sandy Springs, and north and central DeKalb.

 

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Isakson blisters Trump for critical remarks about McCain

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U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson blasted President Donald Trump’s critical remarks about the late Sen. John McCain on a radio interview Wednesday afternoon.

Isakson, a Republican from East Cobb, was interviewed on the Georgia Public Broadcasting program “Political Rewind.”Isakson blisters Trump

(A recording of the interview can be accessed at the program’s website.)

Isakson said he was prompted to speak out not only because of his friendship with McCain, but because of what he thinks is the negative impact of Trump’s remarks, especially by those serving in the military.

McCain, a former Vietnam POW who preceded Isakson as the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee chairman, was a strong critic of Trump, and the enmity was mutual.

Over the weekend, Trump renewed accusations he’s made before that McCain forwarded to the FBI a dossier regarding possible compromising information about Trump before he was elected president in 2016.

“Spreading the fake and totally discredited Dossier ‘is unfortunately a very dark stain against John McCain,’ ” went one Tweet from Trump.

Another Tweet continued the criticism: “So it was indeed (just proven in court papers) ‘last in his class’ (Annapolis) John McCain that sent the Fake Dossier to the FBI and Media hoping to have it printed BEFORE the Election.”

“It’s deplorable what he said,” Isakson said, referring to Trump, during the interview conducted at the GPB studios in Atlanta. “It will be deplorable in seven months if he says it again, and I will continue to speak out. We should never reduce the service that people give to this country.”

The Bulwark, a new conservative political website, reported early Wednesday that Isakson, Georgia’s senior senator, was making good on a pledge he made from the Senate floor after McCain’s death that anyone who “tarnishes the reputation of John McCain deserves a whipping.”

On Tuesday, he said this in an interview with The Bulwark, which is highly critical of Trump:

“I just want to lay it on the line, that the country deserves better, the McCain family deserves better, I don’t care if he’s president of United States, owns all the real estate in New York, or is building the greatest immigration system in the world. Nothing is more important than the integrity of the country and those who fought and risked their lives for all of us.”

More recent information unsealed by a judge last week includes testimony that McCain passed along the dossier to the FBI in December 2016, after the election.

The dossier contents are part of an investigation by former FBI director Robert Mueller into alleged Russian political interference in U.S. elections. Trump’s former campaign manager and personal lawyer have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the probe.

When asked to clarify his comments on Tuesday, Trump said that “I was never a fan of John McCain’s and I never will be.”

Isakson is one of the few Republican senators who’s spoken publicly about Trump’s McCain comments. Thus far he is the only one who is directly challenging what his spokeswoman said is “the president’s continued disparagement” of McCain, who died last summer from brain cancer.

“I want to elevate John. John was better than I am, and I know it,” Isakson told The Bulwark. “John was the best of my generation. John McCain was and is a great human being.”

Last month Isakson was named the inaugural recipient of the John McCain Service to Country Award.

During the GPB interview, Isakson was asked if he was concerned about his legislative priorities being affected by his criticisms of Trump, and not for the first time.

“I never worry about what I’m doing politically or practically in the Senate as long as I think I’m doing what’s right,” Isakson said.

The Bulwark was launched in December and is co-founded by William Kristol, a former White House aide and conservative writer who has been highly critical of Trump, especially on social media.

 

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Georgia private school voucher bill rejected by Senate in close vote

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In one of the more closely watched issues in the state legislative session this year, the Georgia Senate on Tuesday narrowly voted down a bill that would allow public school funds to be diverted for private school vouchers. State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick

The vote was 28-25 against a substitute version of SB 173 (read the summary or full bill), which was decided strongly along party lines.

All Democrats and several Republicans were opposed, including Lindsey Tippins of West Cobb, a former Cobb school board member. Among the Republicans voting for the bill was Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick of East Cobb (in photo).

The bill’s sponsors indicated they may try for another Senate vote later this week. Thursday is crossover day in the Georgia General Assembly, which means bills must pass at least one chamber to have a chance to become law this year.

Dubbed the Georgia Educational Scholarship Act, SB 173 and HB 301 are identical pieces of legislation. The bills would allow parents to use funds earmarked for public education to pay for qualified education expenses, including private school tuition, tutoring and transportation, as well as home-schooling curriculum.

Existing laws in Georgia allow indirect contributions for private school vouchers that are good for tax credits and for tuition for students with disabilities.

SB 173 has moved fast through the Senate, introduced only on Feb. 22 with the support of Gov. Brian Kemp. It was reported out of subcommittee without a vote, and passed out of the Ways and Means Committee Thursday. On Monday, the Senate Rules Committee placed the bill on Tuesday’s floor schedule.

Both bills are opposed by many public-school advocacy groups, including teachers organizations and the Georgia PTA. The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, which also is opposed, estimates that the voucher program could deprive the state of more than $540 million a year for public schools if fully implemented over the next 10 years.

In favor of the bills are school-choice interests, including the Georgia Center for Opportunity, which says the bill would allow parents to tailor their child’s educational needs.

 

 

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Isakson awarded inaugural John S. McCain Service to Country Award

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Submitted information and photo:Isakson John McCain Award

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., was awarded the inaugural ‘John S. McCain Service to Country Award’ from Voices for National Service on Tuesday in recognition of his life-long devotion to citizen and public service and for his exceptional leadership in advancing national service to solve community problems. Video footage of Isakson’s acceptance is available online here.

The award was presented to Isakson by Ben Domenech, who is the son-in law of U.S. Senator John McCain, for whom the award was named, at the 16th annual ‘Friends of National Service Awards.’ Domenech is married to McCain’s daughter, Meghan.

“John McCain’s life and work left an indelible mark on history, and I learned a lot from him,” said Isakson as he accepted the award. “He was ferocious in his commitment to his life, to his friends, to his country and to others who needed help. He meant a lot to me, and I’m incredibly honored to have earned this prestigious award named in his honor from an organization that is so highly respected. To have a member of the McCain family, Ben Domenech, present this special award was particularly meaningful to me. We are in this together for the betterment of mankind. We are better people when we give a little bit of ourselves to others.”

“Senator Isakson firmly believes that service is an obligation of citizenship, and that by giving back to your country, Americans can learn something about themselves, each other, and the world around them,” said AnnMaura Connolly, president of Voices for National Service. “Like his friend and colleague, the late Senator John McCain, Senator Isakson has worked to protect, expand and improve service opportunities at home and abroad.”

Isakson earned the award for his work as a champion of both the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. The organization pointed to his 2011 sponsorship of the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act to provide better security and protection measures for Peace Corps volunteers. In 2018, Isakson also worked on the Sam Farr and Nick Castle Peace Corps Reform Act of 2018, which built on these reforms to further protect Peace Corps volunteers. Both measures were enacted into law.

Also in 2018, Isakson introduced legislation with Senator Michael Bennet, D-Colo., to exclude the AmeriCorps education award from federal income tax and help ensure that the post-service scholarship remains a valuable and compelling incentive for young people to serve.

Additionally, the organization recognized that Isakson’s “commitment to making sure America takes care of those who dedicate their lives to serving our country extends to veterans too.” Voices for National Service highlighted his work as chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs’ Committee, where “he is working to improve the quality of care at [U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs] healthcare facilities, protect veterans’ benefits, and provide access to education and training to help veterans make a successful transition to civilian life.”

Also honored during the evening with other awards were distinguished leaders in government, business, and journalism from across the nation. The full list of 2019 award winners is available here.

 

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