I wish the Georgia General Assembly had not drawn Jerica Richardson out of her seat on the Cobb Board of Commissioners during reapportionment in 2022.
It was unfair and unprecedented, as she stated many times during a two-plus-years legal battle over county electoral maps that confused citizens and cost them fruitless taxpayer-funded court challenges.
But it was not illegal.
When Cobb Republican lawmakers sidestepped local courtesy in ignoring county delegation maps and filed their own maps, it smelled of the partisan odor that comes with redistricting.
As it has for decades, and always will.
Richardson, an articulate and intelligent thirty-something Georgia Tech graduate, entered office in December 2020 full of new energy, new ideas and a younger generational vibe, and was stepping in the very big shoes left behind by Bob Ott.
She was conscientious in forming a “community cabinet” of citizen advisors on such topics as education, land use and traffic, and held online “community huddles” to preview meeting agendas.
She brought young people into the fold in myriad ways, including inviting high school students to conduct “capstone” projects on pressing local issues.
Richardson also worked with the local Brazilian community, a sizable contingent of citizens in the East Cobb and Cumberland-Smyrna area in particular.
These were admirable and endearing efforts to invite greater participation in civic life, and they are a positive part of the legacy she leaves behind in her sole term in office.
Halfway through, the District 2 Richardson had been elected to serve no longer included her East Cobb home.
But when Richardson and her two fellow Democratic colleagues conjured up dubious “home rule” claims in adopting those unapproved delegation maps, and using them to conduct county business, those actions were just as wrong.
They were also violations of the Georgia Constitution–as ruled by two judges in Cobb County–which gives sole county reapportionment powers to the legislature.
Richardson’s final appeal to remain in office—her term officially expired Dec. 31, and she didn’t seek re-election—was ignored Tuesday by the Georgia Court of Appeals.
She was trying to hold on until a special election to decide her successor is determined in April.
In recent months, following those emphatic court rulings of unconstitutionality, Richardson chose her most bristling rhetoric of the whole saga.
While she said at times her legal battle wasn’t about her but the rights of communities to draw electoral maps, at the very end Richardson claimed she had been the primary target all along:
“For the last four years, this office has been under attack by the entire state infrastructure because change is scary for so many. Unfortunately, the unknown is exploited so that power can be transferred from the hands of many to the hands of few.”
That three black Democratic women formed the ruling majority on the commission in a Cobb County dominated for decades by white male Republican elected officials is hard to ignore.
For most of her time in office, Richardson didn’t play to those or other cultural issues.
But at the height of the tensions in August, Democratic Commissioner Monique Sheffield referred to the partisan sparring on the all-female board, especially over the maps, as “political Bloods and Crips.”
Richardson’s vague comments this week are a bit much to absorb. “The entire state infrastructure” was out to get her. Really? In a state with 159 counties? And what exactly is the change that is feared?
We are left to guess.
As for the charge of transferring power, it’s very likely Democrats will still hold a 3-2 majority after the special elections.
The new District 2 includes areas along I-75, from Kennesaw and Marietta to Smyrna, which are not very Republican.
What I wish Richardson would have had done as she took her final bows was to offer an apology.
To those residents of East Cobb who for the last two years were uncertain over who their commissioner was supposed to be.
And for what’s estimated to be $1.5 million for the special elections in District 2 and District 4, after the primaries last year were voided because the “home rule” maps were used.
Acknowledging the chaos and turmoil that was caused by this dispute was a missed opportunity for Richardson.
When Republican Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of East Cobb, who’s not one to relish conflict or use profanity, called this episode “two years of hell,” it’s worth noting.
Yes, Richardson had the right to appeal her removal.
And yes, as Cupid once claimed, “a great harm” was done to Cobb by the legislature in bypassing local delegation courtesies during reapportionment.
But Cupid, who also has a law degree, had to have known where this dispute would end.
In decrying norm-breaking, you don’t break other norms. Especially the law.
That will also be a part of Richardson’s legacy, and that’s disappointing.
The opinion was a fair analysis of Commissioner Richardson’s legacy!
The only bias related to this article are the comments from certain people who clearly show their own bias on both sides of the argument. The majority board members had 2 legal choices to oppose the Legislative Map… Change local enabling legislation to allow elected officials to remain in their seat due to redistricting or they could have piled on to all of the other lawsuits (total of around 8 in Cobb) challenging the legality of the Maps based on racial gerrymandering. They obviously couldn’t prove that case so instead they unconstitutionally challenged Home Rule authority as it would set a precedence that in the future would allow for many additional power grabs not currently granted to County Governments. They cost Cobb Taxpayer millions all in the name of Power. That isn’t a favorable legacy. It doesn’t matter how many good deeds the Commissioner is credited for.
I wonder if Lisa Cupid and Richardson would have gone on with their coup attempt if they were held responsible for the $1.5 million and had to pay it back out of their own pockets?
Is it really over? Notice Maladministration by three (3) Commissioners. (See evidence below).
State of Georgia Constitution Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 1. Origin and foundation of Government. All government, of right, originates with the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole. Public officers are the trustees and servants of the people and are at all times amenable to them. Notice Three (3) commissioners violated their Trust Indenture contract, the Constitution(s), bound to by Oath. Maxim of Law: An oath is indivisible, it is not to be held partly true and partly false. Maxim of Law: The law is not to be violated by those in government. Three commissioners violated the highest laws, the Constitution(s). Maxim of Law: An unconstitutional Act is not a law; it confers no rights; it imposes no duties; it affords no protection; it creates no office; it is, in legal contemplation, as inoperative as though it had never been passed. Maladministration continues.
Irony? I have heard you speak at meetings this past year and your positions are clearly far to the right of the Dems. But kudos for playing the politics. You grow the tax base (smart development) or you grow the millage rate to pay for the expected services. If you can’t explain where to cut $100million from the budget then you are stuck with the taxes to pay for it.
The fact that you have heard me speak sets me apart from those that you support, since the only way to speak at a BoC meeting is to actually ATTEND one…which Erick Allen and Jaha Howard do not do, therefore you cannot even comment on what their actual positions are. Please take the time to back up your claims with quotes of my ‘far right’ commentary. I have spoken against tax increases…that is true…but that is hardly a far right position. Have you ever considered that maybe we could have a more efficient government? Why do you assume that more spending is always the solution? Why not charge your developer friends impact fees to offset some of the infrastructure costs that the government bears for the sake of profits for you and your cronies? The People have not had income raises of 30% over the last 3 years, yet you think it is fine to increase the burden on them apparently. You have no rebuttal, just the same tired old rhetoric of political division.
Cupid is such a political hack that she should have known better than to start this nonsense knowing she convinced her partner in crime that the law would win out! Thank her for all the property tax money she has raised by just having property values raised instead of saving money on unnecessary spending. Cobb government is in need of a Doge committee to investigate the reckless spending in Cobb County government!
ROFL!! People claiming the article is biased when it clearly begins Editor’s Note i.e. Editorial i.e. the Editor’s opinion. But missing from the discussion is the Dem’s started it with their partisan map that made D3 blue and the board 25% red and 75% blue. And they thought it might slide as a ‘courtesy’. So the R’s drew a map to keep D1 and D3 red so the districts were split 50/50. Granted Cobb has vote majority blue lately it has been more 46%/54%. 50% of the districts red seems closer to the vote split than the Dem’s 25%/75%. With the chair blue it is rather bold faced to say the legislatively approved map denies the majority.
Tony, agree with your points on the Dems attempt to draw maps that would lead to permanent Democratic control, then claiming the Republican controlled legislature did not follow normal “courtesy”. That’s what Dems do… accuse everyone else of exactly what they are doing.
However, I disagree with your first point about bias and an Editor’s Note or Editorial or Editor’s Opinion. Just because it’s an opinion does not mean it cannot contain bias. Editors and editorial boards often display bias, hence all the internet bias ratings on the various news organizations’ editorial boards. IMO, if a reporter, editor, or editorial board desires to maintain public trust, they need to do their best to present everything (facts, stories and even opinions) as objectively as possible. Clearly the Editor of East Cobb News wanted to present Commissioner Richardson in a positive light, even though Richardson’s most noteworthy achievements were to trash the state constitution and waste $Ms of taxpayer funds, and that makes the Editor biased.
Jereca and Wendy both seemed to confuse traditional political courtesy with the law. Richardson, enabled by her other two democratic commissioners disenfranchised the voters in her district and wasted taxpayer money. It all reeks of pride and selfishness.
The Cobb County commissioners attempted a coup against the state constitution. It failed.
Working with young people is a good thing but by ignoring the state constitution she set a bad leadership example for those same young supporters. Wasting millions of taxpayer dollars in legal fees should be criminal. Yes the county could have obtained the enabling legislation for no taxpayer money but then there would have been no drama going into a presidential political season. In my opinion the divisiveness was planned. Our county lobbist Sam Olens is well paid to work the legislature and last year he also became the DC lobbist. The tragedy is durring the shifting boundaries for district 2 the long Abandoned Lower Roswell road project was revived by Jerrica Richardson and as it turns out illegally voted on by her. Will all her deciding 3-2 votes can be vacated. Partisan politics has consequences.
It is shameful that the citizens of Cobb county are forced to endure the “politics” of this issue. The costs associated with the decisions made by our government are real and they affect every taxpayer. This is the “cost” of our democracy. And, if you desire to control your costs as a taxpayer, you need to get out and vote!
However, if you really want to control the way your government spends your tax dollars, after you vote, contact your representatives and let them know how you feel. Stay engaged!
“But it was not illegal.”
So it is assumed by those unfamiliar with the Truth, contrary to established precedent under the inalienable rights doctrine of Jeffersonian Democracy.
Ask not that there be only Justice, which is by legal definition nothing less than the absence of injustice, but also Peace, which is of natural course the underlying legal principle of the “Common Good.”
United We Stand !
There is no other option.
I really truly do not understand what “legacy” Jerica Richardson would have other than the unconstitutional lawlessness mentioned in the article. The author is clearly biased, and nevertheless could only provide three immaterial “positives” that could help form Richardson’s legacy. All these points “sound good”, but in reality, they were theater at best, and they are insignificant to the majority of the district and the county.
In reality, Richardson was a partisan and steadfast supporter of Lisa Cupid’s agenda, who made a decision to move during the census-driven redistricting process. Maybe she thought she was safe given the partisan maps drawn by the Democratic local delegation, but the state legislature saw through their corrupt intent. As another commentor noted, all they had to do was the modify the county charter to keep Richardson in her seat. Perhaps that wasn’t even required. As we saw, Richardson stayed in her seat through and beyond the end of her term simply by ignoring the law.
Richardson will be remembered appropriately as a polite but lawless partisan who ignored the state constitution, county charter, and multiple decisions of Cobb County Superior Court.
Your article is a fair depiction of the process, but leaves out one key fact. All of the legal wrangling was unnecessary since all that the Board needed to do was to modify the county to charter that anyone drawn out of their district midterm be allowed to complete their term. This is exactly what state law governing state seats says, so it would have been ratified by the Legislature most assuredly. This is what serious people would have done IF it was ONLY about her keeping her seat and finishing her term. The actions of the leadership show that there was something more nefarious in motion…they were testing the waters of how far they could expand Home Rule powers and they wasted at least $3-4 million taxpayer dollars on legal fees and this special election debacle along the way. I agree that any decent attorney would have known how this was going to end, and that a resounding legal defeat was imminent. And that is exactly how it ended.
Very well said Tracy Thank you
What do you think the Republicans would have done… besides storm the Capitol?
Clearly you didn’t check, but Tracy is a Democrat running for Richardson’s vacated District 2 seat.
Not surprised you brought up the Capitol, also not surprised you didn’t bring up the 574 protests and riots instigated by Democrats in the summer of 2020, or the 2,385 incidents of looting, 624 incidents of arson, 97 police vehicles burned, 2,035 law enforcement officers injured, or the 35 people killed. Let’s not forget the $2B in property damage.
To answer your question, name one Republican County Commission anywhere in Georgia or the US that tried to create their own district maps when that function is given solely to the legislature by the state constitution.
Bo Didley Bo Didley have you heard? Tracy is an R per the mocking bird. Kudos that he has recognized the new D2 is drawn blue and that the path to election is having a D by the name. Just gonna be a tough road with two true blue Dems.
The irony here, Tony, is that folks like you still can’t get the message. I am running ON policies and unity, and NOT on politics of division like you. I embrace being ‘not Democrat enough, nor Republican enough” and I feel like that is what most folks are in reality. I reject the politics of division that you emabrace. How come your ‘true blue’ candidates don’t show up to BoC meetings regularly? Why do they raise over $10,000 each from a single developer…as well as other zoning attorneys and related parties? Why do they gobble up Republican donor money if they are so ‘true blue’? I say that, in particular, Erick Allen is a sellout with no policy positions, just slogans. I HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT taken a penny from developers since, with he UDC vote on the horizon, it is a clear potential conflict of interest…but you know that since you worked behind the scenes to line up those ‘donations’.
You are the most amazingly uninformed man or a she, him, it, CNN fool
This article exhibits significant bias and raises questions about East Cobb News’ impartiality. Notably, the article omits an essential fact: it was the Democratic legislators who compromised courtesy by redistricting in a manner that would ensure future Democratic dominance in the maps, electing only Democrats to the commission seats. The author’s evident political bias undermines the objectivity necessary for a fair report.
Well said…