Some technical issues affected voting at Murdock ES Tuesday morning, but lines were scant by the afternoon. (ECN photo)
Due to technical issues that resulted in a late start to primary voting, 19 precincts in Cobb County will be staying open an hour later Tuesday.
County government spokesman Ross Cavitt said Cobb is abiding by a local court order to keep precincts open where technical and other issues have occurred.
The polls will remain open until 8 p.m. at the following precincts in East Cobb:
Sope Creek 02 (Sope Creek Elementary School, 3320 Paper Mill Road).
If you’re in line at any of those precincts by 8 p.m., you will be allowed to vote. Here’s the rest of the list.
All other precincts close at 7 p.m.
The Cobb order, requested by Cobb Elections officials, was signed by Cobb Superior Court Judge Robert D. Leonard, and was done so due to “significant voting machine complications” at the affected precincts.
Tuesday’s primary is delayed from May 19 due to COVID-19, and this is the first election with new electronic voting machines.
Long lines also were projected because of a lack of poll workers stemming from the virus and social distancing and sanitizing measures, as well as a lengthy ballot for most voters.
More than 80,000 Cobb voters have cast absentee ballots, and more than 11,000 people took place in in-person early voting.
All precincts in Fulton are open until 9 p.m., and Secretary of State Brad Raffensparger is investigating problems there and in DeKalb County. Elected officials in those counties have blamed the state for problems with the new voting machines, but Raffensparger said local elections officials have had time to test them and to prepare for the unusual circumstances surrounding this election.
A total of 15 Gwinnett precincts with technical problems were open until 7:30 p.m..
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“This resolution gives us an opportunity to get it right,” commissioner Lisa Cupid said before the board approved an anti-racism resolution Tuesday.
After some testy public clashes and behind-the-scenes wrangling, the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a revised resolution decrying racism in the county.
The vote was a unanimous 5-0, as was a companion resolution to support a proposed state hate crimes bill.
After a draft resolution of the anti-racism measure was proposed late last week, a revised resolution was the subject of heated discussion at a board work session Monday morning.
Commissioner Lisa Cupid of South Cobb, the only Democrat and lone black member of the board, said then that she could not support the revision, proposed by commissioner Keli Gambrill of North Cobb, who shared it with her colleagues minutes before the work session.
But later Monday night, a third proposal was circulated and Cupid sent out an e-mail saying she would back that version, which while it “has some deviation from the original, this is a version I can support.”
The resolution that was approved (you can read it here) differed from the original near the end, declaring that commissioners “stand with all citizens of Cobb County against racism and reaffirm our commitment to provide an environment that supports civil rights for all.”
That final portion replaced initial language that called for “fighting for racial and economic justice, gender equality and human and civil rights for all.”
When she posted the initial draft to her Facebook page on Thursday, Cupid said she had heard that some thought the language was too strong, and urged citizens to contact their commissioners to express their views.
That’s why Gambrill said she didn’t send out her revision until right before the work session. Her version included specific language about Cobb Police Department community outreach activities, including the Police Athletic League, faith forums and a community affairs unit that “works daily with all our diverse communities to make their neighborhoods a safer, happier and more productive place to live.”
Cupid didn’t like any of that being included, but she was upset by the whole process, saying she was bearing a heavy burden as the only black commissioner. “I wanted the community to see the stress level I had to deal with and see the boldness of these modifications,” she said.
East Cobb citizens have shown support for Black Lives Matter at roadside rallies over the last week (ECN file).
On Monday night, Cupid—a candidate for Cobb Commission Chairman—sent out word via her campaign e-mail that “although this process has been an uphill battle, I am confident that citizen communication to commissioners have resulted in us now having a resolution that has better likelihood of passing unanimously.”
She reiterated that sentiment during the commission’s virtual meeting Tuesday.
“This resolution gives us an opportunity to get it right,” Cupid said before the vote. Near the end of the meeting, Cupid said the resolution “presents an opportunity for a new day” in Cobb County. “A lot of people are watching us.”
Before the vote, several citizens spoke in favor not only of the resolutions but also urged the county to improve procedures for complaints about law enforcement excesses, and some called for the creation of a citizens’ review board.
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb, the board’s public safety liaison, made some emotional remarks about the issue while a video played of Cobb police officers last week retaking their oath of office in a stand against brutality and racism.
She pledged to “take the lead” in continuing county-led efforts to forge stronger ties with Cobb’s minority and ethnic communities.
“We are a diverse county,” Birrell said, “but more importantly, we are all children of God, created equal in the likeness and image of God. We all deserve to be treated equally, with mutual respect and love for one another.”
But commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb said he was “both disheartened and disappointed in the members of this board” for how the process over the anti-racism resolution unfolded.
“It is unbelievable to me the week we’ve spent haggling over the language in the resolution over racism,” said Ott, who supported Gambrill’s revisions. “Every member of this board supports removing racism from community.”
Ott said that Cobb County, while “not perfect,” has been working to address racial issues, and referenced a community-based outreach program by former public safety director Michael Register.
“I am concerned that this past week’s wasted opportunity will cause more harm than good,” Ott said. “If this board can’t immediately agree on the language in this resolution, I fear it will take far too long to take the steps forward.”
Ott then read a letter written last week by Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams, the black superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy, as an ideal of what he thinks the board should follow.
“Consider how your words, actions and attitudes impact other people,” Williams wrote in remarks to cadets. “Muster the moral courage necessary to confront and solve problems with effective, honest and empathetic dialogue that seeks solutions rather than sowing seeds of division and disunity.”
Ott said that “until all members of this board are extending forgiveness and actively listening to other points of view, and are color-blind, we cannot move forward.”
The hate-crimes resolution (you can read it here) supports a bill introduced in the Georgia legislature following the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a black Brunwick man, who was shot to death while jogging in a residential area in February. Three white men have been charged with murder.
Georgia is one of the few states without a hate-crimes law. The bill has been endorsed by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police.
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East Cobb restaurateur Doug Turbush is reopening two of his three restaurants, Seed Kitchen & Bar and Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar, for dining room service starting Wednesday.
Serving hours at both restaurants will be from 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday and 5-10 Friday and Saturday.
Diners are encouraged to make reservations and when they arrive, they should not congregate at the entrances or bars. Dining parties will be limited to 10 people or less.
Delivery and curbside service remain available.
Safety measures for employees include wearing masks, temperature checks and health screening questions before each shift and frequent handwashing.
The dining rooms also will have hand sanitizer stations and increased space between tables.
“We are confident guests will appreciate our newly implemented safety standards and will feel safe while dining at our restaurants,” Turbush said in a statement. “While our guests will notice modifications to the dining room and procedures, they will quickly recognize our signature style of service and award-winning food. We are thrilled to be back!”
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The Fitch Ratings has given Cobb County government its highest possible financial rating, AAA. That’s the 24th consecutive designation for Cobb, per a county release issued late Monday afternoon:
The Fitch Ratings analysts cited Cobb County’s history of conservative budgeting and proactive measures in the face of an uncertain economic future caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“The county is well-positioned to withstand the current period of economic weakness due to its sound reserves and superior inherent budget flexibility,” the agency said in a news release.
“The fact that we had our AAA rating reaffirmed during the most challenging economic time in a dozen years shows the fiscal soundness of the county,” said Cobb County Commission Chairman Mike Boyce. “It is a tribute to our staff, the board, and our work with the community to make sure we continue to show diversity in our county’s economic base.”
Fitch pointed to the county’s reaction to the last recession as one of the reasons it has confidence Cobb County can weather whatever lies ahead.
What the AAA rating means above all is that when the county saves money on interest rates when needs to borrow—particularly the short-term loans it takes out to bridge from one fiscal year to another.
On Tuesday, the Cobb Board of Commissioners will be asked to approve in $65 million TANS—tax anticipation notes—to fund county government operations until it can collect property sales tax revenues in the fall.
Here’s more from Fitch’s analysis. Other rating agencies are expected to follow suit and maintain Cobb’s AAA status.
Boyce has said the fiscal year 2021 budget he will propose this summer will keep the current millage rate.
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Here are the latest figures in our periodical update breaking down COVID-19 cases in Cobb County, and specifically in map form by ZIP Code, per Cobb and Douglas Public Health.
The first figure after the ZIP code is the number of cases as of Sunday, and the numbers you see in parenthesis are from updates on May 7 and May 28, respectively
30067: 174 (150, 93)
30062: 172 (160,113)
30066: 140 (126, 95)
30068: 109 (98, 68)
30075: 13 (14, 11)
The highest number of cases in Cobb continues to be Marietta 30060, which is reporting 400 as of Sunday. There are 301 cases in 30127, in the Powder Springs area, and 296 in Marietta 30008, southwest of the city.
As we noted in previous mapping posts (here and here), none of those figures, which come from the Georgia Department of Public Health, State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (SENDSS), include the number of deaths by ZIP Code.
You can hover over that map, which is regularly updated, by clicking here.
As of 3 p.m. Monday, there were 3,298 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Cobb County, with 196 deaths and 718 hospitalizations.
The case total is fourth-highest in the state and the death total trails only the 256 deaths that have been reported in Fulton County.
Across Georgia there have been 52,497 confirmed cases, 2,208 deaths and 8,746 hospitalizations.
A total of 544,372 viral tests have been conducted in the state, and another 105,013 antibody tests. DPH had come under scrutiny for combining both of those figures but in recent weeks has begun reporting them in separate columns.
The number of positive viral tests is 47,493, or 8.7 percent of those tested.
The state data also breaks down cases and deaths by race, sex and ethnicity.
For more data from Cobb and Douglas Public Health, click here.
Cobb government has a COVID-19 dashboard using data from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
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The YMCA of Metro Atlanta today announced registration for all sessions of summer day camp is open to the public on the organization’s website.
In adherence with the governors’ executive order, camps will have a reduced camper to staff ratio, enhanced drop-off procedures, including in-car temperature wellness checks for campers, temperature checks and face masks for staff, social distancing for campers and increased cleaning protocols.
Capacity numbers for camps have also been significantly reduced to maintain social distancing and to monitor campers’ wellness. Due to these new requirements, the Y will not offer specialty sports camps this year; instead, each branch will operate traditional day camps, which include arts and crafts, outdoor exploration, group games, indoor learning experiences and more.
“The safety of our campers, staff and community is our highest priority,” said Lauren Koontz, president and CEO of YMCA of Metro Atlanta. “Despite new protocols in place, one thing won’t change. Our camps will offer a fun environment for children to learn, explore and grow over the summer.”
To better accommodate families’ unique needs, individuals may register for a full week of summer camp or on a daily basis. Registration must be completed online at spirtionline.ymcaatlanta.org.
Those locations include:
McCleskey–East Cobb Family YMCA, 1055 East Piedmont Road, (770) 977-5991
Those interested in more information, can visit ymcaatlanta.org or contact their local Y branch.
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Director Kimberly McCoy (front) and Victim Advocate Adriene Grey assembling the kid kits.
Submitted information and photos:
Cobb District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes announces that her office is distributing 250 “kid kits” in a further effort to raise awareness of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The event is usually marked each April but has been extended this year due to health concerns.
Earlier this year, the Cobb DA’s Office received $5,000 in funding from the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators (NAVAA) through a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), within the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, to promote community awareness of crime victims’ rights and services during the 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
Some of those funds were used to purchase items for the kid kits, which include a pencil pouch, coloring book, crayons, and hand sanitizer. The kits include contact information for the Victim Witness Unit of the Cobb DA’s Office.
The kid kits are being distributed through Cobb and Marietta City School districts, and at Cobb Fire Stations.
First designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week increases general public awareness of and knowledge about the wide range of rights and services available to people who have been victimized by crime. The 2020 theme is “Seek Justice, Ensure Victims’ Rights, and Inspire Hope.”
Since 2004, the NCVRW Community Awareness Project has provided financial and technical assistance to more than 977 community projects that promote victim and public awareness activities, and innovative approaches to victim outreach and public education about victims’ rights and services during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. Cobb’s was one of the 109 recommended by NAVAA and selected for funding by OVC for 2020 from the 262 applications that were submitted nationwide.
For additional information about 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities or about victims’ rights and services in Cobb County, please contact the Victim Witness Unit in the DA’s Office at 770-528-3047 or visit our website at www.cobbda.com.
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Volunteers load up cars for food distribution at the Reflections of Trinity pantry in Powder Springs.
Submitted information and photos:
Cobb Community Foundation (CCF) is pleased to announce the Cobb Community Food Fleet, an initiative where they have brought together Noonday Association, Athena Farms, the Atlanta Braves, Ryder Trucks, S.A. White Oil Company, Mobilized Fuels, and numerous Cobb County non-profits to ensure that lack of storage space does not hinder Cobb non-profits’ food distribution efforts to those in need.
This initiative began, unnamed, in mid-March when CCF reached out to United Way of Metro Atlanta – NW Region and Cobb Collaborative to assist in pulling together a group of non-profit, school district and county government leaders to share the challenges each group and their constituencies were facing, make known the resources each group had available, and determine the best path forward to meet needs in Cobb County. The original group, labeled the Cobb Crisis Response Team, began with daily 7:55 a.m. calls on March 23rd which have been slowly whittled down to one call a week. One of the many outcomes resulting from this group’s efforts is that in an environment where over 100,000 Cobb Countians have lost their jobs, more than half of them being in the lowest paying industries, Cobb’s non-profits are providing boxes of food to over 5,000 families each week.
Howard Koepka of Noonday coordinates the communications among twenty-plus separate organizations distributing food in Cobb County, ranging from MUST Ministries to the two school systems to Cobb Senior Services to smaller organizations such as H.O.P.E. Family Resource Center in Mableton. “Many of these organizations did not know that each other existed,” Koepka says. “Now, they not only are aware of each other, they are eliminating duplications of services, identifying and serving areas unserved, and literally sharing food, box trucks and other resources to make sure that everyone in Cobb County has access to food, regardless of whether or not they can pay for it.”
One of the greatest challenges facing these organizations is limited access to large quantities of food as a result of the disruption to the supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the USDA’s new Farmers to Families Food Box Program has created an abundance of certain foods, primarily produce, which Cobb’s food providers want to take full advantage of. The issue, according to Koepka, is storage. “Produce needs to be refrigerated, and no single organization has enough space to accommodate the two and soon three thousand boxes that are now coming in each week from Athena Farms.”
Athena Farms, located in Forest Park, is one of over 40 contractors in the South East Region that was awarded funds from the USDA to distribute food boxes. Jessica Brantley, Director of Purchasing for Athena Farms, explains why they reached out to Cobb Community Foundation. “We really liked that they are working to help resource non-profit food providers serving Cobb, so working through them is helping to feed much more than just the clients of a single organization.” Last week, Athena delivered 2,000 boxes of produce, and even larger shipments will be coming at least through the end of June. As is the case for many farms, Athena’s primary customer base is restaurants. “The Farmers to Families Food Box Program has put all of our employees back to work,” says Brantley.
“While at least some of the immediate food shortage challenges have been resolved, we had to resolve the storage issue if food was going to make its way to those who need it,” says Shari Martin, President and CEO of Cobb Community Foundation. “Our mission statement includes the phrase, connecting donors who care with causes that matter.” She continues, “The Atlanta Braves stepped up to provide the refrigeration space that avails all of Cobb’s non-profit food providers of the produce coming in, at a time when members of our community need it most.”
The one remaining need, however, was to be able to accommodate the scarcest item of all right now: meat. Poultry, pork, beef and fish all require a freezer, and the Atlanta Braves’ storage space was already full. What was not full, however, was their loading dock. Enter Kim Gresh, owner of S.A. White Oil Company and Cobb Community Foundation board member. “So many of our customers want to help right now, so we reached out to one that we knew would want to be involved.” Enter Huddle House and one of their vendors, Ryder Trucks. Ryder has made available a 53’ freezer container and trailer which Huddle House transported to the stadium. Alongside was Mobilized Fuels, S.A. White’s sister company, that will provide the diesel fuel needed to keep the freezer running between now and the end of August.
Over these next two months, Noonday will be coordinating the logistics of food delivery by Athena Farms and other providers and the subsequent pick-up by five of the larger food non-profits:
MUST Ministries, Storehouse Ministries, Reflections of Trinity, Sweetwater Mission, and Family Life Restoration Center. These organizations will be picking up food not for their clients, but also for other smaller non-profit food providers. The involvement of the for-profit community, the non-profit community, and even the local and Federal governments to provide, store and deliver food throughout Cobb made Cobb Community Food Fleet the ideal name for the initiative.
In the meantime, Cobb Community Foundation continues to identify resources, financial and otherwise, to help feed Cobb. “Thanks to the Cobb Board of Commissioners grant of $1 million for food last month,” notes Martin, “these organizations will be able to purchase additional food needed in bulk.” Martin says this will allow the non-profits greater access and preferred pricing. “And thanks to these great partners, we’ll have a place to store it.”
Frozen meat and canned and dry goods remain in demand, and Martin and her team are on the hunt. “This is just another opportunity to connect donors who care with causes that matter.”
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Thanks to Matthew Poer for sending along photos from Saturday’s Black Lives Matter rally near Lassiter High School in East Cobb.
He estimated around 400 people lined up along Shallowford Road to bring attention to racism and police brutality in the wake of the death last week of George Floyd, a black man, in police custody in Minneapolis.
“I’ve been a law abiding and taxpaying resident of Cobb County and Marietta for eight years,” Matthew told us. “I’m a white man and I am sick of my friends, neighbors, coworkers and fellow Americans living in fear of systemic and individual discrimination.”
Saturday’s event at Lassiter was one of several rallies and protests to take place in East Cobb and around the county this week, as local elected officials and law enforcement agencies also responded to the issue.
All of the demonstrations thus far in Cobb County have been peaceful.
On Friday Cobb police officers retook their oaths promising to fight brutality and racism.
On Tuesday, Cobb commissioners will consider an anti-racism revolution similar to what passed in Smyrna and Acworth.
Many of the protests around the country also have been held in honor of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man shot to death while jogging near Brunswick, Ga., in February. Three white men have been charged with murder, and Cobb District Attorney Joyette Holmes has been appointed to prosecute the case.
Poer told us he also showed up Saturday in honor of Breonna Taylor, a black woman in Louisville, Ky., who was killed in March after police crashed into her apartment with a no-knock warrant related to a narcotics investigation.
Her boyfriend opened fire on officers, and Taylor was shot eight times during the exchange. Police did not find any drugs and no charges have been filed, but her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
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On Tuesday Georgia’s delayed primary elections take place, after weeks of absentee balloting and early voting.
Voters who turn out at the polls at their designated precinct will be asked to choose one of three ballots: Democratic, Republican and non-partisan.
In East Cobb, voters will be choosing party nominees in a variety of federal, state and local offices, and judges in non-partisan races for state and local court positions.
Precincts will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at all locations.
Because of social distancing guidelines and shortages of precinct workers due to COVID-19, lines are expected to be longer than usual.
Voters are encouraged to factor in longer times when they arrive at their precincts.
What’s on the ballot?
East Cobb voters have several contested primaries in partisan races, including Republican primaries for Cobb Commission Chairman and Cobb Commission District 2, as well as Democratic and Republican primaries for Cobb school board Post 5.
There’s also a Republican primary for the 6th Congressional District race and a Democratic primary for State House District 46.
In countywide races, contested primaries include Democrats in the Cobb Sheriff’s race and Democrats and Republicans for Superior Court Clerk. Non-partisan races are taking place for three seats on Cobb Superior Court and one on Cobb State Court.
There’s a large field of Democrats pursuing their party’s nomination to face Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. David Perdue in November.
U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to succeed the retired Johnny Isakson, won’t be on the primary ballot. The election to determine who fills the final two years of Isakson’s term will be decided in a jungle primary in November, with candidates of both parties. She’s one of them, along with Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Collins.
The Democratic presidential primary also is scheduled Tuesday, and like the local and state primaries has been delayed by COVID-19 closures. Former vice president Joe Biden wrapped up the party nomination earlier this week in terms of needed delegates.
He’ll be listed as one of a dozen candidates on the Democratic ballot, most of whom dropped out not long after the primaries began in February.
Candidate profiles and related information for local races can be found at the East Cobb News2020 Elections Guide resource page.
These ballots are countywide composites and contain candidates who may not appear on your actual ballot. You can download a precise sample ballot at the My Voter Page from the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.
If you choose a ballot from one of the major parties, you’ll also be asked questions that respective party leaders, either local or state, have formulated to gauge where their constituency stands on certain issues.
The respective party sample ballots include the questions that will appear on the ballot you’ll get at the polls.
Early voting concluded on Friday, including all this past week at the East Cobb Government Center. According to Cobb Elections, 1,699 people voted at the East Cobb venue, with 1,045 asking for Democratic ballots, 640 Republican and 14 non-partisan.
Across the county, 11,527 voters cast early in-person ballots: 8,122 Democratic, 3,317 Republican and 88 non-partisan.
Cobb Elections also issued 143,061 absentee ballots, and 80,164 have been returned: 41,702 Democratic, 36,139 Republican and 2,323 non-partisan.
Runoff elections would take place Aug. 11. That date also was delayed from its originally scheduled date of July 21.
Where and how to vote
Your voter registration card has the location of your voting precinct. If you are unsure of your precinct, Cobb Elections has them listed by precinct name and by venue name.
Earlier this year several precinct venues were changed, three of them in East Cobb: Dickerson, Dodgen and Marietta 6A.
Right before the primary, Cobb Elections announced that the venue for the Roswell 02 precinct was being switched from Mt. Zion United Methodist Church to the Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, across the street at 1795 Johnson Ferry Road.
When you arrive at your polling station, you will be asked to fill out a form and show a government-approved photo ID.
Absentee ballots
If you received an absentee ballot and haven’t filled it out, you can do so on election day, as long as you deposit it at one of several designated drop boxes in the county, including the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road), by 7 p.m. Tuesday.
For more local voting-related information, please visit the Cobb Elections page.
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Following up an announcement earlier this week from Cobb schools about what had been student-only graduation ceremonies comes this update, with a substantial change reflecting the district’s desire for parents to attend:
As of today, Friday, June 5th, strict guidance from state and local public health officials, which is specific to Cobb County, allows for a ceremony with graduates only in attendance.
Current examples of public health recommendations for Cobb County graduation ceremonies include:
Only allowing graduates to be in attendance
Observing strict social distancing guidelines as defined in the Governor’s most recent Executive Order
Performing temperature checks and symptom screenings of all attendees
Recommending all attendees wear face masks
Providing multiple hand hygiene stations
The District continues to work with state and local public health officials to pursue every option to allow parents and graduates to celebrate together. We are targeting late July for the graduation ceremonies. This will hopefully allow more flexible guidance to be provided by state and local public health officials.
Graduates and parents should monitor communications from their respective high schools and check this page often for updates.
Once confirmed, graduation information for both graduates and parents will be provided which includes:
Schedules
Directions to venues
Graduate arrival, parking, and entry instructions
Video players for the live stream
For the most up-to-date information from the District related to COVID-19, please visit www.cobbk12.org/covid
When the student-only announcement was made earlier this week, that decision was roundly panned on a Facebook page devoted to Cobb schools topics.
If a late July window is enacted for graduation ceremonies, that would run close to the start of a new school year, scheduled to start on Aug. 3.
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The Cobb Police Department has released a video with officers and Chief Tim Cox reiterating previous statements the department has made condemning racism and police brutality.
Standing on the front steps of department headquarters in Marietta, a number officers also retook their oath of office.
Newly appointed Cobb Public Safety Director Randy Crider also spoke in the video, which is a little more than six minutes long.
Crider said the statements were not forced on the officers by any of their superiors, and Cox said the oath ceremony was even the idea of officers “to show the community the symbolism of how serious they are.”
In prepared remarks, Cox said he recently had a conversation with a pastor who told him that if one part of the body is hurting, then all the body is hurting.
“I think that’s what we’re experiencing in society,” Cox said. “All of society is hurting because one part is hurting.
“Our department will not stand for it, we will not tolerate it in any form,” Cox said, referring to racism and police brutality, “and we will not have it in the ranks of our department.”
On Tuesday, Cobb commissioners will consider a resolution to condemn racism in the county.
Thus far, several peaceful protests have taken place in Cobb to decry the death of George Floyd, a black man who was in Minneapolis police custody.
That incident sparked protests around the country that in many cases turned violent, including the city of Atlanta, which has had a curfew for nearly a week.
On Friday, an interfaith coalition of Atlanta clergy urged Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to “demilitarize” the law enforcement presence in the city, including removing Georgia National Guard troops ordered by Gov. Brian Kemp.
More protests are taking place over the weekend in Cobb County.
On Saturday, several Marietta churches are holding a “Prayer & Peaceful Protest Rally” at 10 a.m at Zion Baptist Church, 165 Lemon Street, near downtown Marietta.
A group called Cobb County BLM Resources said there will be a rally at 2 p.m. Saturday at Lassiter High School, near the Smoothie King.
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The Cobb Board of Commissioners, with a 5-0 vote, approved funding for a $50 million Small Business Grant Program designed to help struggling businesses recover from the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding will come out of the $132 million allocated to Cobb in the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
The agenda item provides $500,000 to the “Select Cobb” division of the Cobb Chamber to administer the grant program. That group will educate, advertise and administer the program with a board comprised of a diverse group of business interests. Only companies with fewer than 101 employees will be able to apply.
The applications will be reviewed by commission district so all areas of the county are equally represented in the number of companies approved for grants. The amount of funding awarded to an individual small business will vary based on business size:
One to ten employees – up to $20,000
11 to 50 employees – up to $30,000
51 to 100 employees – up to $40,000
A Cobb Chamber survey recently found that 32% of Cobb businesses worry the COVID-19 situation will put them out of business and 60 percent say they will need some sort of financial assistance to continue.
The process for the application is as follows:
The application will be uploaded at 10:00 a.m. on June 8
The application portal will be open until June 26 at 5:00 p.m.
All grants submitted in that time frame will be evaluated. This is not first come first served.
On Wednesday, June 10 from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m., join Select Cobb to have your questions answered and to discuss the application and review process for the SelectCobb Small Business Relief Grants. Speakers for the webinar will include:
John Loud, President, LOUD Security & 2020 Cobb Chamber Chairman
Commissioner Bob Ott, District 2 Commissioner, Cobb County
Kevin Greiner, President & CEO, Gas South & SelectCobb Chairman
Jason Gaines, Planning and Economic Development Division Manager, Cobb County Community Development Agency
Dana Johnson, COO, Cobb Chamber & Executive Director, SelectCobb
Sharon Mason, President & CEO, Cobb Chamber
Please note that you do not have to be a member of the Cobb Chamber to apply or receive funding as part of the SelectCobb Small Business Relief Grant Program. No preferential consideration will be given for Cobb Chamber members. For more information on the SelectCobb Small Business Relief Grants, visit selectcobb.com/grants.
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Cobb commissioners will be asked Tuesday to consider a resolution to condemn racism.
Commissioner Lisa Cupid, of South Cobb, and the only black member of the five-member board, admitted on Thursday when she posted the proposed resolution on her Facebook page (see below) that “I have been informed that some think this language is too strong, indicates something of the past, and is not reflective of how people feel today or in all districts of the county.”
“It is imperative that we have our citizens weigh in on this else I fear it could not pass or be worded in such a way that loses its intent and purpose.”
She urged citizens to contact their commissioner and let them know their thoughts.
Cupid said an online meeting she organized on Tuesday, entitled “Cobb Forum: Recent Deaths, Race and Response,” attracted more than 600 people, and she invited a number of elected and law enforcement officials and community leaders to participate.
Cupid, a Democrat who’s running for Cobb Commission Chairman, issued a follow-up message via her campaign e-mail Wednesday night highlighting the discussion, and suggested the following actions:
Be compassionate and mindful of others
Recognize the challenges some African Americans may have in just showing up, at work and in your organizations
Don’t back down from conversations about race and do not ostracize African Americans and others for discussing race and relating race to policy, practices, and outcomes
Have a conversation or lunch with someone who does not look like you
Reach out to local and state leaders to pass a resolution to support the Hate Crimes Bill
Reach out to leaders to pass a resolution denouncing racism or discrimination in your organizations, city and county
Support local nonprofit organizations and organizations that address issues of equity and race like the Cobb NAACP, Cobb SCLC, and the Georgia Community Coalition
Send an email or letter to school board members letting them know you support them addressing racial disparities in educational outcomes, teaching staff, and school resources
Support your African American leaders who are minorities in majority elected bodies
“I think we can only go up from here as I have heard from you and others that this was just a start,” Cupid said.
She is not the sponsor of the proposed resolution, which is listed on the agenda as being an item to be brought by board chairman Mike Boyce and is being presented for consideration by County Manager Jackie McMorris.
Tuesday’s commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. and will be available online only, but citizens are invited to participate in a public comment session via phone at the start of the meeting. You can sign up at this link.
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Unicyclists from Mt. Bethel Elementary School are a regular participant in the EAST COBBER parade. (ECN file)
The 25th annual EAST COBBER magazine parade and accompanying festival won’t take place in September due to COVID-19, publisher Cynthia Rozzo said in her June-July issue.
She said after weighing various planning and preparation scenarios, and because of continuing public health restrictions stemming from the virus, calling everything off is “the right thing to do. I hated to do it, it was a very hard choice to make.”
Hundreds of community organizations and businesses march down Johnson Ferry Road before thousands of spectators in mid-September, and after the parade a festival is held at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church.
Large public gatherings and community events in Georgia are still prohibited, even as other restrictions on business and social activity are beginning to be lifted.
“We’re in a situation that nobody has been in before,” Rozzo wrote, “and there’s just too many facets of the parade and festival that have to happen that could not be finalized because of the coronavirus situation.”
Rozzo, who founded the magazine in 1993, also has been affected by the loss of advertising due to business closures as a result of COVID-19. For the first time in her magazine’s history, she suspended an issue in May.
The June-July EAST COBBER issue, which was published Thursday, is 24 pages. Most issues range between 44-52 pages.
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East Cobb resident Alice, at left, joins in asking motorists to honk their horns in support of Black Lives Matter. (ECN photos and videos)
At one of East Cobb’s busiest intersections, Alice I. found herself in an unusual situation. A local resident who’s a yoga instructor, she said she’s never gotten involved in politics or any kind of demonstration of any kind.
Until now.
She took part in a mostly-white rally of around 30 to 40 people Wednesday in front of Trader Joe’s.
A few dozen others were positioned at all quadrants of the intersection of Roswell Road and Johnson Ferry Road, asking motorists to honk their horns in support of Black Lives Matter.
A good number of them did.
“I’m doing this because I stand with black people,” said Alice, who declined to give her last name.
Black Lives Matter is the activist group that has staged protests around the country after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police last week.
BLM started several years ago and grew around similar deaths, but the Floyd case has caused sustained shock waves around the country.
The officer seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes has been charged with murder, and three other officers on the scene also have been charged. They were immediately terminated.
But peaceful protests designed to draw attention to police brutality quickly turned violent in Minneapolis, Atlanta and other cities. Many of those incidents are being blamed on outside groups having nothing to do with the initial protestors.
Alice said she abhorred the video she saw of Floyd, who was face-down on the ground and handcuffed in the moments before his death.
“This is about white people no longer being silent,” Alice said. “We have to stand up and say, ‘Enough is enough,’ that we’re coming from a place of love.”
There have been several protests in Cobb County over the weekend and into the week and expanding into East Cobb.
Alice said she heard from neighbors about Wednesday’s rally and decided to attend. She was also upset that some have confused peaceful protests with looting, burning and property destruction that have prompted arrests and curfews in a number of cities, including Atlanta.
“Everyone’s here wearing a smile, just showing support” for black citizens,” she said, and was hopeful that “African-Americans [will] see how much white people are supporting them.”
Some of the participants Wednesday shouted chants that have been heard frequently at other protests.
“Say his name!” they shouted.
“George Floyd!”
Rallies are scheduled for the same intersection the rest of this week from 5-7 p.m.
Other rallies are taking place from 2-4 p.m. at the intersection of Canton Road and Jamerson Road, and from 7-9 p.m. at the intersection of Sandy Plains Road and East Piedmont Road.
On Saturday morning, several Marietta churches are holding a “Prayer & Peaceful Protest Rally” at 10 a.m at Zion Baptist Church, 165 Lemon Street, near downtown Marietta.
A group called Cobb County BLM Resources said there will be a rally at 2 p.m. Saturday at Lassiter High School, near the Smoothie King.
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Near the end of his third term on the Cobb school board, David Banks said he’s seeking another four years because “I just feel like there’s more to be done.”
A retired computer and technology consultant and business owner, Banks has lived in East Cobb for 50 years and has represented Post 5, which represents the Pope and Lassiter clusters, since 2009.
He said that kind of experience is vital during a time in which the Cobb County School District, the second-largest in Georgia with 112,000 students, is undergoing rapid change.
“It takes a few years to get acclimated to how the system works,” said Banks, who’s serving as the school board’s vice chairman this year.
He ran unopposed four years ago, but Banks has drawn a crowd of opposition in both parties, including Matt Harper and Shelley O’Malley, whom he’ll be facing in next Tuesday’s Republican primary.
O’Malley has been openly critical of Banks (as have Democrats Tammy Andress and Julia Hurtado), saying that “I hope voters recognize that when an incumbent is being challenged by other people there ought to be a reason for that.”
To which Banks asks of the others on the ballot: “Why are you running?” He said from what he’s read and learned about his opponents, “it tells me nothing about what they want to do.”
In addition to some of his most impassioned topics—advancing STEM and virtual reality instruction in schools—Banks said he hasn’t heard those trying to unseat him discuss such items as the education SPLOST, which funds construction and maintenance projects.
Nor does he think they’ve said much about how they would address what could be an $80 million Cobb schools budget shortfall due to heavily reduced state funding from COVID-19.
(The board hasn’t yet adopted a fiscal year 2021 budget because the legislative session was disrupted before it finalized education funding.)
“Where’s the meat?” Banks asked about his opponents’ campaign platforms. “What have they proposed that I’m not already doing?”
As for what he would do with a fourth term, Banks said more of the same: Advance more technological learning opportunities for students at every possible level, and broaden Capstone and AP curriculum.
He said he’s proud that more Cobb elementary schools are becoming STEM-certified. He wants to see more virtual reality and robotics options for students at the younger grade levels as well.
Emerging virtual reality fields “can open up a lot of doors for young people,” Banks said. “We’re just getting started with this.”
Among his initiatives would be to set up a test and demonstrate a proof of concept that could be expanded across the district.
Andress and Hurtado have advocated that the Cobb school district hire a chief equity officer to address inequities including race and ethnicity and special needs, but Banks said he is opposed to that (as are Harper and O’Malley).
“We have one of the best special ed programs in the state,” said Banks, who thinks the notion of an equity officer is “a buzzword, something the Democrat party uses a lot. But it doesn’t work.
“What’s it going to accomplish that we’re not doing already?”
He’s also against changing or even revisiting the Cobb schools senior property tax exemption (which he takes), an issue that also has come down along partisan lines.
Democrats, he said, “actually want to get rid of it,” which would require a change in state legislation. “Which representative or senator [in the Cobb delegation] is going to commit political suicide?”
A legislative idea he’s pushed before, and is advocating again in times of economic distress, is a 10-year local education sales tax (LEST), which would be one penny on the dollar to help fund Cobb schools operations.
Banks floated a measure during the recession, and it went nowhere. He says now, as he did several years ago, it would raise more than enough money ($150 million by his count) to overcome budget deficits, and return 30 percent of that funding to taxpayers in the form of a millage rate reduction.
“We need another source of income,” Banks said, admitting “it’s not easy to change a constitutional amendment. But if you can it frame right, and it shows the public benefit of having it, it’s a win-win.”
Should Cobb schools have to make dramatic cuts in teaching positions due to a reduced budget, Banks advocates laying off high school and middle school teachers in elective subjects, then rehiring them as paraprofessionals and have them teach students at multiple schools via teleconferencing.
“I might be an older person,” Banks said, referring to an opponent’s mention of his age, “but I try to find what’s coming and visualize what’s not even there now.”
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The latest round of National Merit Scholarship Corporation awards announced Wednesday include 16 more students from East Cobb high schools.
(Previous recipients were announced here and here.)
They’re among more than 3,300 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities where the students will be attending.
The award amounts range between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study. More scholarship recipients will be announced in July.
The following East Cobb students are listed in alphabetical order, with their college and probable career field:
Jordan Bass, Walton, Northwestern University, Computer Science;
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Kevin Nicholas, one of three Republicans running in next week’s primary for District 2 on the Cobb Board of Commissioners, says he’s opposed to a possible sex shop in East Cobb.
In a note written in response to organizers of an online petition against what they claim will be an adult retail store on Johnson Ferry Road, Nicholas said “this is not the business we want in our family-based community.”
The note was sent to Amy White, who’s leading a change.org campaign against what’s being planned at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road, in a former mattress store building.
A business license issued by Cobb County in March states it’s for a clothing store; the individual listed in state incorporation documents for 1290 Clothing Co. LLC is Michael Morrison, who owns the Tokyo Valentino adult retail store chain in metro Atlanta.
Retiring District 2 commissioner Bob Ott has said that since rezoning isn’t required, the county has little recourse as long as the new business meets code requirements. The general commercial zoning status of the land dates back to the 1970s.
Ott said he also is against an adult store coming to the community, and reminded citizens that opposition to a We Buy Gold store several years ago prompted it to close, citing a lack of business.
Nicholas, who’s running to succeed Ott, said he’s “been in lengthy discussion with many neighbors about this and what we need to do” and at the very least thinks the county should review the business license application.
Some opponents of an adult store have claimed that Morrison has misrepresented his business aims as well as his own identity and want the business license invalidated.
Morrison, who’s been ordered to jail for a contempt citation in Brookhaven and is suing the city of Atlanta in legal battles over his businesses in those municipalities, has said he isn’t sure what the East Cobb store will end up being (There’s a Tokyo Valentino store on Marietta, on Cobb Parkway near the Big Chicken).
Nicholas, an East Cobb resident, said he advocates a “check list” for the county that would require applicants to provide more details on a business license application, a review of the county code and “to make amendments that fit the community while preserving good business growth. I reject the notion that there is nothing that can be done.”
East Cobb News contacted the other Republicans in the District 2 race. Andy Smith, who also lives in East Cobb and was Ott’s appointee to the Cobb Planning Commission, referred East Cobb News to Ott’s statement issued on Memorial Day with no additional comment.
UPDATE: On Wednesday Smith issued a videotaped message and a written statement which reads in part:
“The application for this business has been gone through with a fine-tooth comb and found to comply with existing code; this doesn’t surprise me because of the battalion of very well-paid lawyers the applicant has on staff. So let’s put that myth to bed.
“Cobb has had a long history of having one of the strongest adult industry codes and has been the model for most if not all of metro Atlanta. So, as with all things, it is time to look at the current code and update it, and I can assure you that is being done. I am well aware of the research and effort being put forth firsthand, and the all-hands-on deck approach that’s ongoing. Just like the duck swimming across the lake, all looks calm on the surface but we are paddling with all our might underneath. This is just another example of where having a commissioner who understands the code and how to strengthen and enforce it really matters. I have the experience and knowledge to preserve our community and don’t think for one minute I’m not working like that duck to cross the lake.”
East Cobb News also has left a message with Fitz Johnson seeking comment.
UPDATE: Here’s what Johnson sent us Wednesday morning:
“My wife and I are appalled at the idea of a sex shop going into our neighborhood. I am firmly opposed if this shop were to open in the old Matress Firm store or anywhere. I will leave no stone unturned as I investigate my powers under the U.S. Constitution to make this right.
“It is unfortunate we are put in this position by law, but it doesn’t mean we can’t educate ourselves, organize as a community, and fight to keep this from happening. I am against having this type of establishment in our neighborhoods so close to schools and churches. If elected, I will do everything within my U.S. Constitutional powers to discourage these types of establishments.
“We have to be mindful that commissioners do not have the authority under the U.S. Constitution to alter existing zoning or add stipulations. Again I will encourage our citizens and neighbors to organize, and work together to stop this from happening. I absolutely will join in and lend my voice to that cause.”
ORIGINAL STORY CONTINUES:
Dan White, another online campaigner against an adult store, contacted East Cobb News Monday to note that more than 2,700 people have signed a petition.
He also took exception to comments in an East Cobb News commentary over the weekend from citizens imploring opponents to lighten up about a possible adult store. A few noted that for those who’d want to patronize such a store, it would be convenient to have it nearby.
“Having a dump close by would be convenient as well but not in the middle of our community,” he said. “This business will affect crime, the statistics that retail companies use to choose their expansion opportunities and property value.”
White also noted that while Ott has “served this community fairly well over his tenure,” his retirement “makes doing nothing but saying that there is a law from 1975 an easy way out.
“Tell him it’s not OK to give up.”
A signer of the change.org petition said “if this store opens, I’m voting against all my local incumbents who didn’t stop it.”
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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!
As noted on Monday, the Cobb County School District is making plans, to be announced later this week, for limited in-person graduations.
Last week, members of the Class of 202 got a personalized tribute video, tailored for each high school, with messages from Superintendent Chris Ragsdale and their principal, as well as photos of the senior class in action.
Here are the videos for the six high schools in East Cobb:
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 Board of Commissioners, with a 5-0 vote, approved funding for a $50 million Small Business Grant Program designed to help struggling businesses recover from the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding will come out of the $132 million allocated to Cobb in the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
