Advance in-person voting starts today, Monday, June 10, for the General and Nonpartisan runoff election. Three voting locations will be open 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday -Friday, June 10-14:
Elections Main Headquarters, 995 Roswell Street NE, Marietta
East Cobb Government Center, 4400 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta
Ben Robertson Community Center, 2753 Watts Drive, Kennesaw
The May election resulted in two runoffs in the Democratic contest:
Cobb Commission District 2 (Includes East Cobb, Smyrna and Vinings. See the District 2 map here: https://bit.ly/3z1qsDt)
The runoff date is Tuesday, June 18.< Only those who voted using the Democratic ballot in the May 21 race, voted nonpartisan, or did not cast a ballot in the May 21 election are eligible to vote in this runoff.
Last week East Cobb News profiled Taniesha Whorton, one of the Commission District 2 Democratic runoff candidates. Shortly we’ll be posting our interview with her opponent, Jaha Howard.
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!
Connecting Cobb Veterans will be holding its Q2 Meeting at VFW Post 2681 at 140 Powers Ferry Rd SE, Marietta, GA 30067.
Doors open at 8:30 AM on June 12th for sign-in, breakfast pastries and coffee as well as an opportunity to network with other advocates/supporters of the Veteran community. Our meeting starts at 9 AM and ends promptly at 11.
This quarter’s topic is the services that the Georgia Department of Veterans Services (GDVS) provides to Veterans. Our guest speaker will be Kareem Reddick, a GDVS certified Veteran Service Officer (VSO) who will share what GDVS can do for Georgia Veterans. He is also quite knowledgeable about VA benefits. I can promise that you will come away from this meeting with information you did not have before the meeting.
There will also be an opportunity for all attendees to give a 30-45 second introduction of themselves, want they do and if you have an upcoming event you would like to share. Also, feel free to bring a one-page literature sheet
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!
The following East Cobb residential real estate sales were compiled from agency reports and county property records. They include the street address, subdivision name, high school attendance zone and sales price:
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!
The Cobb Transit Tax Advisory Board has endorsed putting a referendum on the November ballot for a 30-year transit tax in Cobb County.
Cobb commissioners on Tuesday are expected to take action on an agenda item to ask voters for approval of what’s being called the Cobb Mobility SPLOST (Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax).
The advisory board’s endorsement, plus a recommendation from the ATL, the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority this week, were the final requirements before commissioners can formally consider putting a referendum to the public.
Another prerequisite was releasing a project list for the proposed 30-year, one-percent sales tax, which would collect an estimated $11 billion to build out a countywide bus transit system, including high-capacity routes and transfer stations.
Among the priorities is re-establishing a bus route through the heart of East Cobb, from Marietta and along Roswell Road to the Johnson Ferry Road area, where a transit center would be built.
Bus routes to Roswell and the MARTA Dunwoody Station would link with the East Cobb transit center, according to the project list (you can read it here).
There hasn’t been a public bus route in East Cobb since a previous Roswell Road route, and another linking to Dunwoody, were discontinued in the early 2010s when commissioners made recession-related budget cuts.
If the referendum is approved, it would restore bus service to East Cobb that was eliminated in county government budget cuts during the recession.
At the time, that route, bus line No. 65, had one of the lowest ridership figures in the Cobb Community Transit system.
The only CobbLinc route in the East Cobb area for now is along Powers Ferry Road.
Cobb DOT officials haven’t estimated any ridership numbers for the proposed routes.
But last month, commissioners approved the spending of $23,000 for a consultant to provide ridership projections. Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. also is being paid $287,000 by the county to develop an education program for the public ahead of the referendum.
Earlier this year, the MDJ reported that ridership across the overall Cobb bus system has plummeted from 3.7 million annual trips in 2014 to just under 1 million trips in 2022, and that the decline began well before COVID-19.
But commissioners are likely to approve placing the referendum on the Nov. 5. Democrats hold a 3-2 majority, and the two Republicans have said a 30-year tax is too long.
ATL required Cobb to conduct a ridership survey, and at this week’s meeting projected an average ridership of more than 40,000 a week, a substantial increase from current figures.
In remarks this week at the ATL meeting, Lamberton said that “sadly, without that requirement, there is no doubt in my mind that the County would not provide those projections—which I regard as bizarre given the scope and length of the proposed tax increase. I say this because I and other concerned citizens have repeatedly been asking for that information and have been completely stonewalled by the County.”
He wanted a different firm from Kimley-Horn to do the projections, citing a conflict of interest.
“My concern is that data can be manipulated to produce ridership forecasts designed to support specific agendas such as persuading the public to endorse an increased sales tax over the next 30 years,” he said.
Cobb has cited Atlanta Regional Commission estimates that the county will have a population of more than one million people by 2050, compared to more than 766,000 in the 2020 census.
As Brad Humphry, a a mobility member of Commissioner Jerica Richardson’s citizen “cabinet” said last fall at a town hall meeting in East Cobb, “We’re in the transit environment that was envisioned 30 years ago.
“The opportunity is now to envision the transit system of the future.”
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Cobb County District Attorney Flynn D. Broady Jr. is proud to announce that Kim McCoy, former director of the Victim Witness Unit, has been named as the executive director for the newly established Cobb Family Advocacy Center. This significant milestone comes after McCoy’s unwavering dedication and advocacy to bring a justice center to Cobb for the past 25 years.
The journey to establish a family justice center in Cobb County began in 1999 when McCoy, alongside Jason Saliba, now deputy chief assistant district attorney, toured San Diego’s center for victims. Inspired by what they saw, McCoy and Saliba were determined to bring a similar resource to the Cobb community.
Through persistent effort and overcoming numerous challenges, the vision has finally become a reality. “It took us years to get here, obviously, through struggles, through challenges, through a lot of different things,” said McCoy at the Cobb Family Advocacy Center grand opening on Dec. 15, 2023.
The FAC, located at 277 Fairground St. SE in Marietta, serves as a comprehensive hub for victims and survivors of abuse, providing essential help and resources under one roof. Navigators at the FAC will coordinate services for victims and collaborate with local victim service providers to offer trauma-informed, holistic, and comprehensive services in one central location, alleviating the need for victims to travel to multiple agencies to receive help.
The establishment of the FAC was made possible in part by a $400,000 grant from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, marking it as the first of its kind to officially open in Georgia. District Attorney Flynn Broady highlighted the center’s anticipated positive outcomes, stating, “Family advocacy centers in communities lead to significant reductions in domestic violence homicides and childhood trauma, resulting in better outcomes for families overall.”
In addition to county and grant-funded staff, the center partners with several well-established nonprofits, including LiveSAFE Resources, the Center for Family Resources, SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center, and Legal Aid of Cobb County. These organizations, along with public safety and prosecutorial partners, will have representatives on-site to provide comprehensive support to those in need.
Reflecting on the long journey to this achievement, McCoy remarked, “The FAC represents not only a promise kept to the victims and survivors in our community but also ensures a future commitment to building stronger collaborations among our partners to provide comprehensive services to victims. I am honored to lead the FAC and to continue advocating for the safety and well-being of our community.”
For immediate dangerous situations, the public is urged to call 911. Any victim is encouraged to contact their local police department to file a report. Additional resources for child abuse victims are available through SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center at 770-801-3465. Victims of domestic violence and adult sexual assault can receive additional services through LiveSAFE Resources at 770-427-3390.
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!
For the 10th time in school history, Walton High School has won the Directors’ Cup trophy from the Georgia Athletic Directors Association.
That honor goes to high schools that finish with the most points in their respective competitive classifications in the Georgia High School Association during an academic year.
Walton’s 1,289 points led Class 7A, which consists of the largest high schools in the state according to enrollment.
The Raiders won just one state championship during the 2023-24 school year—boys swimming—but finished runners-up in five other sports.
Buford and Lambert followed Walton in Class 7A, which also includes Wheeler, which came in 30th with 412 points.
Walton has won the Class 7A Directors’ Cup for the third time since 2019, and previously won 6A crowns in 2017 and 2017, Class 5A honors from 2007-2009 and the Class 4A title in 199-2000.
That was the first year of the Directors’ Cup.
Pope, the only other high school from East Cobb to win the Directors’ Cup (Class 6A in 2017, Class 5A in 2014), also had another strong season in 2023-2024, placing third in Class 6A behind Marist and Blessed Trinity.
The Greyhounds, who compiled 1,146 points, won a state championship in girls flag football and were second in five other sports. Lassiter had 948 points for 7th place and Sprayberry was 32nd with 302 points.
In Class 5A, Kell was 15th, tallying 641 points, including a second consecutive state championship in boys basketball.
In Class 1A Division 1, Mt. Bethel Christian Academy was 25th with 173 points.
Every two years, the GHSA conducts reclassification based on enrollment. The organization consolidated classifications for the 2024-25 period by eliminating Class 7A.
Starting in August, Walton and Wheeler will still be paired together, but in Region 5 of Class 6A, along with Cherokee, Etowah, Marietta, North Cobb and North Paulding.
In Class 5A, Lassiter, Pope and Sprayberry will be in Region 6, with Creekview, River Ridge, Riverwood, Sequoyah and Woodstock.
Kell is in Class 4A, Region 6, with Blessed Trinity, Cambridge, Centennial and Westminster.
Fall sports include football, girls volleyball and girls and boys cross country.
The Corky Kell Classic, which features top football teams, will once again include Walton and Kell.
Kell is the host of a doubleheader on Aug. 14 and the Longhorns will be playing North Atlanta to start their season.
Walton, which finished state runner-up in 7A, will kick off the season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta against Brookwood on Aug. 17 at 10 a.m.
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!
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 DOT is seeking condemnation authority for right-of-way needs in front of a retail center at 4811 Lower Roswell Road.
After years of delays, revised changes, negotiations with property owners and other issues, the Cobb Department of Transportation on Tuesday is coming back to Cobb commissioners to approve a contract to make sweeping improvements to the Lower Roswell Road corridor in the Johnson Ferry Road area.
Several agenda items for Tuesday’s Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting include the recommendation of a low bidder, condemnation proceedings with two parcels at that intersection and preliminary utility relocation work.
Cobb DOT is recommending that a low bid of $7 million from Baldwin Paving Co. Inc. be approved. Five other bidders were involved, with the highest coming in at $10.1 million.
It’s not the first time Cobb DOT has sought to get started with a project that’s been more than a decade in the making.
Transportation officials say the Lower Roswell-Johnson Ferry intersection has a high number of crashes.
The project, with funding from the Cobb 2011 SPLOST, would add turn lanes, install a multi-use trail and make other changes along Lower Roswell between Woodlawn Drive and Davidson Road.
Cobb commissioners approved a conceptual plan in 2022. Further public feedback prompted DOT later in 2022 to redesign the project, including removal of a planned bike path and expanding a multi-use trail.
According to a project update issued in March, the median remains one of the key components, along with intersection changes at Lower Roswell Road and Woodlawn Drive.
There is a proposed shared-use path extension of between 8 and 10 feet added on Lower Roswell between Davidson Road and Woodlawn Drive, for pedestrians and cyclists.
A proposed median along Lower Roswell from Johnson Ferry to Davidson Road has been the big stumbling block.
The project would add turn lanes from Lower Roswell into Parkaire Landing Shopping Center and the McDonald’s across the street.
In February, some business owners told commissioners the median remains “a bad idea.”
Joel Gilmer of the Barista’s Coffee Shop said traffic already threatens his employees in the Parkaire Triangle retail center at Lower Roswell and Davidson because it’s what he calls “the bypass.”
He predicted that motorists aren’t going to use the traffic light at that intersection as they are coming out of Parkaire Landing.
At that time, Cobb DOT officials said they were still negotiating with several business owners for right-of-way acquisition.
According to an agenda item for Tuesday, Cobb DOT is asking for condemnation authority for right-of-way at 4811 Lower Roswell Road.
That’s at the Johnson Ferry intersection and has three businesses—a dentist, a pizza place and a bagel shop. Another condemnation seeks right-of-way and temporary easements at the adjacent McDonald’s at 4819 Lower Roswell Road.
Cobb DOT said discussions are continuing with the property owners, but “additional rights-of-way and easements are needed to construct this project” and funding is also available in the 2011 SPLOST.
The commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta), and the full agenda can be found by clicking here.
You also can watch on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.
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!
Jackson Frangos, a rising senior at Wheeler High School, is among 100 students across the country chosen for a virtual internship this summer with the NASA Student Enhancement in Earth and Space Science (SEES) program.
The internships are sponsored by NASA and the Center for Space Research at the University of Texas at Austin. According to a Cobb County School District release, the interns “will work with scientists and engineers to conduct authentic research using data received from NASA’s earth-observing satellites to study air quality, landforms, mosquito-borne diseases, and astronomy.”
More than 2,000 students applied for the internships, which focus on aerospace or space science themes.
“Students work remotely with their project scientist to conduct hands-on activities, field investigations, collaborate with NASA scientists and engineers through science presentations, and work on various NASA missions,” the release said,
The interns will meet virtually in late July for a NASA SEES symposium to present their research findings to NASA engineers, researchers, scientists and others.
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’s Seed Kitchen & Barrecently completed a remodeling of its outdoor patio that has been weatherproofed for the summer season.
The 74-seat space includes a louvered roof and vinyl panels, fans, and built-in heaters for year-round outdoor dining. It also can acccommodate special celebrations.
Seed owner Doug Turbush said in a release this week that the re-opening will kick off on Saturday, June 8. Every Saturday during the summer, the menu will feature a “Lobster Camp” menu with Connecticut- and Maine-style lobster rolls, served on a brioche roll with chips and a pickle spear, along with white sangria.
Seed opened in 2011 at Merchants Walk and two years later, opened the Stem Wine Bar next door. His seafood restaurant, Drift Fish House and Oyster Bar, closed at Avenue East Cobb at the end of 2023.
ICYMI:East Cobb News interview in 2020 with Seed owner Doug Turbush: Click here.
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!
A van that was unloading supplies for the Georgia Celebrates Quilt Show at the Cobb Civic Center accidentally crashed into glass windows near the main entrance on Wednesday.
That’s prompted county and show organizers to set up an alternate entry for those attending when the event begins Thursday morning.
Cobb government said an exhibitor lost control of her van as she was trying to drop off the supplies. The woman was unhurt, and the building’s structural engineer said the crash didn’t impact the safety of the building.
The vehicle was removed from the scene and doors were boarded up by the main lobby as repairs got underway.
The show is presented by the East Cobb Quilters’ Club and continues through Saturday, featuring more than 300 quilts, bed coverings and other homemade quilted works.
Handmade ribbons and over $4,000 in cash prizes will be awarded by nationally certified judges.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all three days, and admission is $10 daily.
The Cobb Civic Center is located at 548 South Marietta Parkway.
Cobb government screen grab
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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!
Eight recent high school graduates from the East Cobb area were named recipients of National Merit Scholarships this week.
Jay Natu, Pope High School
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced a nationwide list of scholarships provided by the colleges and universities where the recipients will be attending in the fall.
The scholarship amounts range from $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study.
The recent recipients include Jay Natu, the salutatorian at Pope High School, who intends to study biochemistry at the University of Georgia.
Two of his Pope classmates also will be receiving National Merit Scholarships, and also are bound for UGA. They are Simon O’Connor (mathematics) and Michael Soule (business).
Two Wheeler recipients also will be headed to UGA in the fall: Diya A. Garrepally (pharmaceutical science) and Katherine Carter (health care).
Receiving a National Merit Auburn University Scholarship is Sarah Clark of Walton, who is interested in studying environmental engineering.
Zara Khan of East Cobb, who recently graduated from Campbell High School, has received a National Merit Scholarship to attend the University of Southern California, with a probable career field of linguistics.
Claire Petersen of East Cobb, who graduated from Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, will be attending Vanderbilt University, where she plans to study applied mathematics.
Applicants had to reach the National Merit Scholarship finalist stage, were required to submit essays and detail extracurricular activities, awards and leadership positions.
Their academic records included threshold scores on the SAT or SAT and students had to be recommended by a high school official.
The NMSC awarded scholarships to more than 6,870 high school seniors in 2024 totaling nearly $26 million.
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From a Cobb County government release Tuesday afternoon:
A contractor replacing a sewer line along East Piedmont Road will close some travel lanes during this week The project will take place between Mainsail Drive and Piedmont Forest Court, which is just east of Sandy Plains Road.
The project has started and is expected to run through Tuesday, June 12. Weather could impact the length of the project as well as the times when lanes are closed off.
No detours are necessary, but some delays are expected.
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Taniesha Whorton said she’s focusing her campaign efforts on the East Cobb area of District 2 in the June 18 runoff.
There were only a few upsets in Cobb results in the May 21 primary elections, and Taniesha Whorton’s finish in a five-way race for an open seat on the Cobb Board of Commissioners was among them.
A former administrative assistant in the Cobb County Police Department, the Smyrna-area resident finished second in the Democratic race for District 2 in her first-ever political campaign.
She outpolled former State Rep. Erick Allen and will face former Cobb school board member Jaha Howard in the runoff, which culminates on June 18.
The District 2 boundaries that are being observed by the Cobb Board of Elections include some of East Cobb, and are those adopted by Cobb’s Democratic commissioners in a home-rule dispute that continues in the courts.
Here’s Whorton’s campaign website; East Cobb News also has arranged an interview with Howard through his campaign and will be publishing that next week.
Advance runoff voting begins next week, and Whorton was out campaigning on Sunday at East Cobb Park, handing out fliers and meeting with potential voters during a concert.
In the primary, she won several East Cobb precincts, including Roswell 1, Hightower 1, Sewell Mill 1, Sewell Mill 3, Sope Creek 1, Sope Creek 2, Fullers Park 1, Mt. Bethel 4, Powers Ferry 1, Terrell Mill 1 and Chattahoochee 1.
A precinct map shows polling stations won by Howard in Green, Whorton in brown, Allen in blue and Kevin Redmon in turquoise. Click here to see precinct details.
Whorton said she worked on political campaigns in her native Michigan. An ordained minister, she moved to Georgia in 2016 to work with the Faith Christian Center Church in Austell, and also got involved in the Cobb Police Athletic League.
Now a senior executive with Bader Scott Injury Lawyers, Whorton—who holds an economics degree as well as an MBA and a master’s in government affairs—said she decided to get out from a behind-the-scenes role in a campaign and offer up herself as a candidate.
“People have told me that I have a lot to offer the county,” Whorton said. “I wanted to step out of the shadows.”
Whorton ran a bare-bones campaign in the primary, raising less than $3,000 (with nearly half of that sum a loan from herself).
Fewer than 12,00 votes were cast in District 2. Howard got 33 percent of the vote, and Whorton edged Allen with 25 percent, to his 23 percent.
She didn’t have the name recognition of Howard and Allen (who drew the disputed District 2 maps that are being used).
But low turnout may have helped some of the other candidates who upset incumbents, including Cobb legislative delegation chairwoman Teri Anulewicz, who was defeated in a Smyrna State House race.
Whorton said that based on some interactions with voters, “I think people related to me. I get up and got to work every day, and I know how to stretch my resources.”
What she said she’s hearing from voters are frustrations over stormwater issues (a proposed fee was delayed by commissioners until August after citizen opposition) and transit issues.
As for the former, Whorton said she favors “a sustainable plan where residents are not bearing all the burden.”
Whorton has lived in Detroit, Dallas and Chicago, and said she appreciates that mobility concerns are important in some parts of Cobb.
She didn’t offer an opinion on the proposed Cobb Mobility Transit Tax referendum that could be on the November ballot.
Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid favors a 30-year, one-percent sales tax that would generate an estimated $11 billion.
Whorton said she “hasn’t dug into the issue to see if it could be shorter” and admitted that a 30-year tax might be regarded as being too long.
She said she’s focusing on reaching out to voters in East Cobb, mindful that the boundaries could still be in limbo.
Current District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson was drawn out during reapportionment and decided to run for Congress (losing to U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath in the 6th District Democratic primary).
The only Republican candidate to qualify is Pam Reardon, but she resides in the District 3 that was redistricted by the legislature. Another GOP hopeful, Alicia Adams, is challenging her disqualification by the Cobb Elections Board, also based on the disputed maps.
Whorton—who like Howard resides in District 2 either way—said she hopes the matter will be resolved by November.
“It will be good for the voters” to have some clarity when they go to the polls, she said.
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U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk and local legislators are the hosts of a fundraiser next week for three Republicans running for the Cobb Board of Education.
According to a “Cobb County School Board Town Hall Newsletter” sent out Monday by GOP school board member David Chastain, the event, dubbed “Keeping Cobb Schools Strong,” will take place Monday, June 10, at the 1885 Grill (4975 North Main Street, Acworth) from 6:30-8 p.m.
The host committee includes State Sens. Kay Kirkpatrick and John Albers (who have East Cobb constituencies) and Ed Setzler, as well as State Reps. Ginny Ehrhart and Devan Seabaugh.
Chastain is not up for re-election, but the other three school board seats held by Republicans are. The GOP has held a 4-3 majority since 2019 as partisan antagonisms have grown on a number of issues.
That includes Post 5 in East Cobb, where four-term incumbent David Banks is retiring from office. The lone Republican to qualify for the Nov. 8 election is Walton cluster parent John Cristadoro.
Cristadoro will face Democrat Laura Judge, also a Walton parent. Both are first-time candidates and declared their intent to run last spring.
In the May 21 primary, in which they were both unopposed, Cristadoro received 6,369 votes to 5,262 for Judge.
Until the 2018 elections, Republicans held a firm grip on local control in Cobb County government and the school board (6-1 majority) as well as the Cobb legislative delegation.
But the school board is all the GOP controls today.
Monday’s e-mail message from Chastain (from a Google e-mail address outside of the Cobb school district and referencing his Post 4 in Northeast Cobb) alluded to what’s at stake.
Cristadoro appeared in a short video thanking supporters for campaign contributions and noting the legislators who will be in attendance, especially Loudermilk, whose 11th District includes East Cobb.
“We’re bringing out the big guns,” Cristadoro said. “Why? They truly believe, as do I, of the importance of our schools, and what the future holds for our youngsters. That needs to be protected.
“There are lots of outside influences, national groups, that are going to come in and push their political agenda. It’s already being seen.”
He didn’t specify the groups or what those issues might be (East Cobb News has left a message seeking comment), but similar charges were made in 2022 when Chastain defeated Democrat Catherine Pozniak in a bitter campaign.
Two GOP incumbents are seeking re-election. Chairman Randy Scamihorn of Post 1 in North Cobb is being opposed by Vickie Benson in a rematch from the 2020 election, and he received only 96 more votes in their unopposed primary.
Brad Wheeler of Post 7 in West Cobb had a close re-election in 2020. His foe is Democrat Andrew Cole, and in their unopposed primary, Cole 6,637 votes to 5,602 for Wheeler.
Cole is a member of the Cobb Community Care Coalition that is highly critical of the Republican majority and Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.
Scamihorn, a former Cobb educator who is completing his third term, is pledging his commitment to “keeping our students safe” as well as “keeping inappropriate books out of schools.”
That’s a reference to several books that were removed from Cobb school libraries during the 2023-24 school year due to sexually explicit content.
Wheeler, also a former Cobb teacher, is touting the same priorities.
The only Democrat on the November ballot is Post 3 incumbent Tre’ Hutchins, who is unopposed and had no primary opposition.
In his e-mail Monday, Chastain said that “I urge you to support leaders who embody common sense and a steadfast commitment to our community’s well-being.”
For information and to RSVP contact KeepStrongSchools4Cobb@gmail.com.
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Cobb residents upset about speeding traffic through their neighborhoods will have more options to get help, thanks to a recent revision of the county’s traffic calming plan.
The Board of Commissioners approved the revisions at its May 28, 2024 meeting. The plan consolidates the Department of Transportation’s prior policies on speed humps and traffic dynamic speed display devices. It lowers the speed thresholds on residential streets and allows residents to ask the county for help if 65% of residents sign a petition.
The policy dramatically increases the options available to the county to slow speed on roadways where most traffic significantly exceeds the posted speed limit.
Cobb DOT Director Drew Raessler told the board that his staff would receive the request, study the data, formulate a proposed solution, and then return it to the residents. “We would coordinate with the community and say this is what the department recommends,” Raessler said. “We would ask if this would match what they think would work in their community, understanding they know their neighborhood better than we do.”
Once the department and the community formulate a solution, the proposal would be brought back to the Board of Commissioners for ultimate approval.
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June is Pride Month! These books celebrate diversity, community, inclusivity, and understanding!
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is celebrated each June. President Bill Clinton declared June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in 2000. In 2011, President Barack Obama expanded the observance to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. According to the Library of Congress, “The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.” The month-long celebration has its origins in the Stonewall Uprising in NYC’s Greenwich Village in Manhattan, which turned into a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement. Stonewall involved several days of conflict between police and patrons of a gay bar and onlookers in violent clashes beginning June 28, 1969. Visit loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month/about to learn more.
Click on a title to find it in our catalog; and find many more titles at cobbcat.org.
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!
The location at 1420 Terrell Mill Road, Suite 100, is located near the Los Abuelos Grill.
Monday was the first day of business for the location operated by Raj and Meghl Patel, brothers in their 20s from a family of entrepreneurs, who have operated gas stations and businesses in the hospitality industry.
They’ve signed on to open several more locations in metro Atlanta for Tampa-based franchise chain, which has Atlanta-area locations at Perimeter Center, Milton and Hapeville for the time being.
Brass Tap is one of the finishing touches on the mixed-use development that includes a Kroger superstore that opened last summer and market-rate apartments at the intersection of Powers Ferry and Terrell Mill roads.
More than 150 craft beer choices on draught and in bottles are featured at Brass Tap, ranging from the (512) Bock deep amber from Austin, Texas to five varieties of Pennslyvania’s famed Yuengling Brewer, including a Hershey’s Chocolate Porter.
Georgia beers include Terrapin, Sweetwater, and Marietta’s own Red Hare.
The main food menu includes a wide selection of starters, nachos, chicken wings, burgers, pizzas, salads, subs and desserts.
The restaurant includes a loyalty program called the Brew Crew, and online delivery and pickup ordering is also available.
Hours are from 11 a.m. to midnight daily. Phone: 813-226-2333.
June Biz Association events
The East Cobb Business Association will hold its monthly women’s luncheon, Professional Women of East Cobb, on June 14 at J. Christopher’s at Woodlawn Square (1205 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 114).
The event is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the cost is $20-$25.
The organization’s main luncheon is June 18 and the featured speaker is leadership coach and branding consultant Stacey Ruth, whose topic is: “Brand You: Breakthrough thinking to fast-track growth.”
The event includes networking and lasts from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Rich Hart Global Studios )2030 Powers Ferry Road, Suites 270-280). The cost is $20-$30.
ECBA also has weekly open networking meetings Friday at IHOP (3130 Johnson Ferry Road) and monthly Toastmasters sessions, also at Rich Hart.
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The following East Cobb residential real estate sales were compiled from agency reports and county property records. They include the street address, subdivision name, high school attendance zone and sales price:
May 13
3415 North Hembree Road, 30062 (Pope): $930,000
4101 Riverlook Parkway Unit 102, 30067 (Willows by the River, Walton): $285,000
3140 Indian Hills Drive, 30068 (Indian Hills, Wheeler): $750,000
545 Barnes Mill Drive, 30062 (Marietta): $267,500
1430 Helena Drive, 30066 (Trojan Hills, Sprayberry): $250,000
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 are asking for the public’s help in investigating the death of a young metro Atlanta woman who was last seen in the East Cobb area.
Police said on Friday that they’re tracking leads in the case of Maury-Ange Faith Martinez, 20, of Alpharetta. She was reported missing in Gwinnett County last fall and her skeletal remains were identified in January in an area near Chattanooga, Tenn.
Cobb Police said in a release Friday that Martinez was last seen in unincorporated Cobb, “near Powers Ferry Road,” but didn’t elaborate further.
They’re asking for anyone who may have seen her or had any contact with her around the time of the disappearance to contact them at their Crimes Against Persons unit at 770-499-3945 or Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at 770-577-TIPS (8477).
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!
