East Cobb News

How East Cobb voted in the U.S. Senate runoffs, by precinct

August 25, 2021January 8, 2021 by Wendy Parker

East Cobb precinct votes Senate runoffs

With just a few hundred votes left to account for in Cobb County, here are the latest results in Tuesday’s U.S. Senate runoff elections.

On Thursday, Cobb Elections broke down what’s left to be done this way:

Absentee Ballots being adjudicated – less than 100
Valid Provisional Ballots – up to 682
Overseas ballots received by Friday – up to 1089
Signature Cures received by Friday – up to 325
Those ballots deemed valid will be uploaded to the state system on Saturday.

The statewide results show Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock with narrow victories over Republican incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, respectively.

As of 3 p.m. Friday, Ossoff has received 2,252,599 votes statewide, with 2,207,626 for Perdue, or 50.5 to 49.5 percent.

In the other Senate runoff, Warnock has 2,271,672 votes to 2,188,610 for Loeffler, or 50.93 to 49.07 percent.

Neither of those margins is within the 0.5 percent that would allow a recount under Georgia law.

Once the results are certified by the state, the new senators will be sworn into office. For the time being, Loeffler remains Georgia’s only senator, since Perdue’s term expired on Dec. 31.

Ossoff, who will be the youngest member of the Senate at age , will serve a six-year term. Warnock will serve out the remaining two years of the term won in 2016 by retired Sen. Johnny Isakson.

Both of Georgia’s new senators will be making their debuts in public office.

Loeffler conceded defeat on Thursday, and late Friday Perdue did the same. These are unofficial results and have not yet been certified, which must take place by Jan. 22.

In Cobb County, Ossoff and Warnock both won with roughly 56 percent of the vote. The last update was Wednesday.

Ossoff got 200,557 votes to 157,470 for Perdue in Cobb; Warnock has 203,426 votes to 154,531 votes for Loeffler.

Cobb’s results are expected to be certified by next Thursday, Jan. 14.

East Cobb precinct vote Senate runoffs — *Click the links for details of Cobb precinct maps (Democrats in turquoise and Republicans in blue): **Perdue-Ossoff** at left; **Loeffler-Warnock** at right.*

In East Cobb, the Republicans won most of the precincts, but the Democrats picked up 40 percent of the vote or more in most of them, which is a significant gain in what has been a GOP stronghold.

We’ve broken down the precinct vote in East Cobb as shown below, with an asterisk noting the precinct winner.

[wptg_comparison_table id=”31″]

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Enchanted Woodland Trail returns to Chattahoochee Nature Center

January 8, 2021 by Wendy Parker

CNC Enchanted Woodland Trail

Submitted information and photo:

Nature and whimsy collide this holiday season at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. More than forty Fairy Houses and Gnome Homes will line the woodland trails at CNC to February 28, 2021 as a part of the Enchanted Woodland Trails Special Exhibit. These tiny structures await the curious visitor who will discover them tucked up against the trees and hidden amongst the fallen leaves.

CNC’s mission is to connect people with nature, and Enchanted Woodland Trails provides an opportunity for visitors to make that connection through imagination and a little bit of magic. The fairy houses are built by local artists with an emphasis on the use of natural material in the design. Families and children can study the natural elements incorporated into each house while engaging with the fantastical stories behind each creation.

This year, the exhibit includes a 7-foot fairy and gnome lodge, handmade pottery treehouses, and a twinkling glass fairy ring. Legend has it if you stand exactly in the middle, you will be transported to fairies’ magical realm!

Visitors are invited to slow down, enjoy the outdoors, and notice the little things as they search for these tiny dwellings. If they feel inspired, they can create their own houses in the free play area on CNC’s grounds. Visitors can also purchase fairy-related gifts and wares in the Discovery Center Nature Store during this time.

To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for our visitors, visitors should purchase admission tickets in advance, which include a date and time to visit the center, and members should make a reservation for their visit to guarantee admission. Walk-ups may be accommodated based on daily visitation. Center-wide policies and procedures have been implemented to offer the best experience possible. Updates can be viewed on the “Plan your Visit” page on the CNC website.<

Free to Chattahoochee Nature Center Members.

General Admission: $10 adults, $7 seniors (65+) and students (13-18), $6 children (3-12)
Children 2 and under are free.

Purchase admission tickets in advance, which include a date and time to visit the center, and members should make a reservation for their visit to guarantee admission. Walk-ups may be accommodated based on daily visitation.

For more information, visit www.chattnaturecenter.org.

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East Cobb food scores: Marietta Fish Market; Pappadeaux; more

January 8, 2021January 8, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Marietta Fish Market, East Cobb food scores

The following East Cobb food scores from Dec. 28-Jan. 9 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Hoagie Bros.
3595 Canton Road, Suite 330
December 29, 2020 Score: 93, Grade: A

Marietta Fish Market
3185 Canton Road
December 29, 2020 Score: 96, Grade: A

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
2830 Windy Hill Road
December 28, 2020 Score: 98, Grade: A

Waffle House
4797 Canton Road
December 29, 2020 Score: 90, Grade: A

New Cobb Commission Chairwoman Cupid takes oath of office

January 7, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Lisa Cupid, Cobb Commission Chair candidate

After a long line of speakers—more than two hours’ worth—had come before her, new Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid offered brief remarks Thursday at her official swearing-in ceremony.

“Everything that could be shared has been shared,” Cupid said at the Cobb County Civic Center.

Other elected officials, business and community leaders and members of her family took the podium before her.

Cupid, who for two terms was the sole Democratic commissioner representing District 4 in South Cobb, officially became the head of government on Jan. 1, after defeating former chairman Mike Boyce in November.

“I never thought this would be in the cards for me,” Cupid said of her career in politics and public service. “But I am so grateful and honored and humbled.”

As she was listening to the other speakers, Cupid said, “my heart was filled with love. And anybody who knows me know I never want to let those I love down. I kept hearing all these people who were expressing love and I don’t want to let you or any citizen of Cobb County down.”

During her campaign, she ran on a platform of “moving the county forward” by expanding relationships and partnerships across broader sections of Cobb County.

She will lead an all-female, five-member Cobb Board of Commissioners that will have a black Democratic majority.

Cupid is the first woman and the first African-American to lead the county government. Two of her predecessors, both Republicans, spoke on her behalf.

“The voters couldn’t have made a better choice for a difficult time,” said Bill Byrne, who served as chairman in the 1990s and ran unsuccessfully against then-chairman Tim Lee in 2012.

“Cobb needs her today more than any chairman in the past. She has the focus, the ability and the support to do that.”

Sam Olens, who was the chairman when Cupid was first elected, noted how she’s the latest in a long line of elected officials in Cobb who’ve come from somewhere else.

“Cobb is a community open to new ideas and new leadership,” Olens said. “She desires to make a difference and she will.”

Cupid is a native of Michigan who earned an engineering degree at Georgia Tech, then stayed to attend graduate and law school and is raising two sons she and her husband are home-schooling.

“I’ve always had people supporting me, to help get me on this path,” Cupid said after taking the oath of office.

Let’s all help to remove that burden and weight together,” she said. “Nobody here can shoulder all the work that it’s going to take for us to continue to move this county forward.

“It always has been and always continue to be about teamwork.”

Cupid will preside over her first public meetings as chairwoman next Tuesday during a business meeting that starts at 9 a.m.

You can view the agenda by clicking here.

Cobb school board swears in members; elects 2021 officers

January 8, 2021January 7, 2021 by Wendy Parker

David Banks, Cobb school board member — *David Banks was sworn in for his fourth term representing the Pope and Lassiter clusters on the Cobb Board of Education.*

During a brief and unusually uneventful organizational meeting Thursday, the Cobb Board of Education elected officers for 2021 and four newly elected members were sworn in.

The seven-member board also passed its 2021 meeting calendar unanimously.

The board has a 4-3 Republican majority, and that majority voted along partisan lines for third-term member Randy Scamihorn to serve as chairman, and David Banks of East Cobb to serve as vice chairman.

Their duties include presiding over board meetings and representing the board in an official capacity.

Scamihorn, whose Post 1 includes the Allatoona, Kennesaw Mountain and North Cobb high school clusters, was re-elected in November.

Banks, who represents the Pope and Lassiter clusters, is beginning his fourth term and his second year in a row as vice chairman. Banks, Scamihorn, outgoing chairman Brad Wheeler and new member Tre’ Hutchins were sworn in individually before the board elections.

For the third consecutive year, Democrat Charisse Davis of the Walton and Wheeler clusters was nominated for board chair, but failed to gain a majority in a party-line vote.

Hutchins, of South Cobb, was nominated for vice chair, but only gained the votes of his two fellow Democrats. Before graduating from Pebblebrook High School, he attended Brumby Elementary School.

Unlike the two previous years, there were no discussions about the board elections, although Davis and Democrat Jaha Howard asked to give comments. They were turned down by Wheeler.

In November, Howard accused the Republican members of “systemic racism” for voting to abolish a committee to examine school name change policy and to require a board majority for members to place items on meeting agendas.

He and Davis have protested repeatedly in their two years in office that the GOP members are trying to silence them. In 2019, the Republican majority also voted to bar members from making comments during board meetings.

Later Thursday, Davis posted a response on her Facebook page:

“It was pretty obvious that the superintendent didn’t want Brad Wheeler to allow a request I made for chair nominees to make some remarks. Why bother? They already knew they had the votes to make Randy Scamihorn, chair and David Banks, vice chair.

“While this is my 3rd time being nominated and subsequently not receiving the support of the board majority, we nominated our newest board member, Leroy Tre’ Hutchins (a former student of Mr. Wheeler) for vice chair. But the board majority chose Mr. Banks, again. This is just getting silly at this point.

“If I had been allowed to make my remarks, I would have said:

“Cobb is a large and diverse school district and all of our board posts have their own distinct character and needs. Sharing leadership opportunities strengthens our board, and subsequently, the district. I do not believe it best serves the district to recycle leadership opportunities amongst the same couple of people.

“Regarding my experience, I taught for 15 years as both a classroom teacher and media specialist and have a Specialist in Education degree in Media with a focus on Instructional Technology. I have two sons that attend our schools and so have been a very committed school volunteer serving on PTA, parent foundations, and local school councils. I am entering my 3rd year as a board member, and while my experience might be questioned, I will remind everyone again that there have been board members, including Mr. Scamihorn, who became chair in their very first term or served without any experience in education.

“Much of this was included in an email I sent to the entire board before the chair vote in 2020, and I never received a response from any members of the board majority. Keep in mind it’s not a requirement that anyone have any teaching experience or anything when seeking the chair or vice chair positions, but Brad Wheeler told me in 2019, I ‘don’t have the experience.’ “

The board holds its first work session and business meeting of the new year on Jan. 21.

McBath ‘safe’ after U.S. Capitol attack; Kemp condemns violence

January 7, 2021January 6, 2021 by Wendy Parker

6th District Congresswoman Lucy McBath said Wednesday afternoon that “my staff and I are safe” after supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington and clashed with police.
U.S. Rep Lucy McBath, gun violence research funding, McBath border-funding vote

The Marietta Democrat, who recently was sworn in for a second term, didn’t indicate in a Facebook message whether she was in the House chamber as members of Congress were going through the process of certifying Electoral College results in the presidential election.

Their deliberations were interrupted as pro-Trump protesters broke into the Capitol, including both the House and Senate chambers.

They had been attending a “Save America” rally to reject the Electoral College results, which gave the Nov. 3 presidential victory to Democratic former vice president Joe Biden.

A group of Republican senators, including Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, were lodging objections, but members of Congress, as well as Vice President Mike Pence, were evacuated.

“The actions of those seeking to overturn the will of the people are dangerous and destructive, but they will not succeed,” McBath said in her statement.

Loeffler, who lost her runoff election Tuesday to Democrat Raphael Warnock, posted a brief message Wednesday evening saying that “violence is abhorrent and I strongly condemn today’s attacks on our Capitol. We must stand united as one nation under God. I’m grateful for our brave men and women of law enforcement.”

Some members of the House were seen hiding as police attempted to barricade protesters from entering, with some law enforcement drawing guns.

Protesters were seen smashing windows attempting to get into the Capitol, and police responded by firing tear gas and pepper spray. The building was eventually placed on lockdown, and a 6 p.m. curfew was ordered by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

News reports said a woman who was shot inside the Capitol later died, but it wasn’t initially known who she was. Several other people were injured, according to news reports, but details are sketchy.

Protesters made themselves at home in the Congressional chambers, and one was seen sitting in a desk in the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Trump eventually told protesters to go home, but he continued to insist the presidential election was stolen and that he won in a landslide.

On social media he also blasted Pence, who said he didn’t have the authority to reject the electoral votes of states.

“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify,” Trump wrote on his Twitter account. “USA demands the truth!”

In a subsequent message, McBath said she would be requesting Pence invoke the 25th Amendment “and begin the process of removing President Trump from office.

“The eyes of the world are upon us, and the President’s incitement of violence, his inducement of chaos, and his inability to faithfully ‘discharge the powers and duties of his office’ make it clear. The President has refused to protect our democracy and must be removed.”

In Atlanta, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and some of his elections officials were evacuated from the Georgia Capitol on Wednesday, and Gov. Brian Kemp and other state Republican leaders condemned the violence in Washington.

Both had come under fire from Trump, who demanded they resign for not intervening to overturn Georgia’s presidential election results in favor of Biden.

Kemp said of Wednesday’s violence that “this is absolutely disgraceful and un-American, and must stop immediately. The rule of law matters.”

Trump and his supporters had wanted a special legislative session in Georgia to address the election results. Kemp said Wednesday that “you can now see what that would have looked like.”

State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, an East Cobb Republican, said “it’s a sad day for our country. There’s no excuse for violence. We are all Americans. In the words of Ronald Reagan, ‘Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.’ ”

Congress returned to session to take up the Electoral College certification, and Loeffler withdrew her objections.

“I cannot now, in good conscience, object to this certification,” she said on the Senate floor.

In a joint session overnight Thursday, Congress certified Biden’s election by a 306-232 vote, with Pence presiding.

Related coverage

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Election update: Cobb has nearly 6K absentee votes to count

January 6, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Cobb Absentee Ballot Envelope

Cobb Elections said Wednesday morning that a total of 5,896 absentee ballots are being scanned today that came in by Tuesday’s 7 p.m. deadline.

That activity is taking place at Jim Miller Park.

The results will be posted at the Georgia Secretary of State’s office at this link.

The last Cobb Senate runoff update was at 11:44 p.m. Tuesday. It showed Democrat Jon Ossoff with 195,600 votes in Cobb County to 155,245 votes for Republican Sen. David Perdue, a margin of 55.75-44.25 percent.

In the other runoff, Democrat Raphael Warnock received 198,376 votes in Cobb County to 152,409 for Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, or 56.55 percent to 43.45 percent.

Most East Cobb precincts went for the Republican candidates.

Another 668 provisional ballots are being investigated in Cobb County, and those determined to be valid will be uploaded by Saturday. Any overseas ballots must be received by Friday.

Other Georgia counties, mostly in metro Atlanta, also are finishing absentee ballot counting, and those figures are expected to benefit the Democratic candidates who have been declaring victory.

As of 12:50 p.m. Wednesday, Ossoff led Perdue by 17,567 votes across the state. Although no news outlet has called that race, Ossoff has declared victory.

Ossoff’s margin for now is 50.2 percent to 49.8 percent for Perdue.

Late Tuesday night, Warnock declared victory over Loeffler. The latest results show him with a lead of 54,729 votes, and 50.6 percent of the vote, to her 49.3 percent.

Neither Perdue nor Loeffler has conceded as of Wednesday afternoon.

A losing candidate can request a recount if the final margin is 0.5 percent or less.

Before the runoffs, Republicans held 50 seats in the Senate and Democrats 48. If current results hold, the Senate would effectively become controlled by Democrats.

That’s because the vice president—the president of the Senate—can vote to break ties, and that will soon be Democrat Kamala Harris.

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Ga. Senate races too close to call; Democrats lead in Cobb

January 6, 2021January 5, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Georgia Senate runoff election day

Real-time updated results

UPDATED, 11:55 P.M.

With 100 percent of Cobb’s election-day voting reported, Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock received 55 and 56 percent of the county vote, respectively.

Those tallies were added to a statewide total that remains too close to call, with substantial absentee voting to be counted, especially in Democratic-heavy metro Atlanta.

As of now, Republican Sen. David Perdue holds a lead over Ossoff of less than 2,000 votes across Georgia, while Warnock leads Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler by a little more than 35,000 votes.

That’s with 98 percent of election-day, early voting and early absentee votes counted.

Some national media outlets have called the latter election for Warnock, but have not made any such calls on the other.

In East Cobb, the Republican candidates were leading in most precincts, after the Democrats were head early based on strong absentee ballot results.

GOP voters flipped the results with strong turnout on election day, as well as in-person early voting.

Absentee voting will continue into Wednesday in Cobb County. Final results are expected to be announced next week.

UPDATED, 10:20 P.M.:

Perdue and Loeffler hold slight leads statewide, but Ossoff and Warnock lead in Cobb with 55-56 percent of the vote and 44 percent of the votes counted. In East Cobb, the precincts are roughly split for now, and many of them are very close.

The rest of metro Atlanta, like Cobb, has not fully reported, and they strongly favor the Democrats: Gwinnett 60 percent; Fulton 72 percent and DeKalb 80 percent of the vote for the time being.

Across the state, 80 percent of the vote is in, including nearly 130 of Georgia’s 159 counties.

UPDATED, 8:30 P.M.:

With 16 percent of the statewide vote reporting, all three Democrats on the runoff ballot—Ossoff, Warnock and Blackman—lead the Republican incumbents with between 53 and 55 percent of the vote.

Only 30 counties out of 159 and 266 precincts out of 2,656 have fully reported.

Initial results from Cobb County have the Democratic candidates with 65-66 percent, but those are absentee ballots only.

You can also check precinct totals for each of the three races.

ORIGINAL POST, 7:01 P.M.:

The polls have closed in Georgia, and the counting has begun for the runoffs for both U.S. Senate seats and a seat on the Georgia Public Service Commission.

Republican Sen. David Perdue is facing Democrat Jon Ossoff for a six-year term in the U.S. Senate.

Kelly Loeffler, a Republican appointed in 2020 by Gov. Brian Kemp, is being challenged by Democrat Raphael Warnock in a race to fill the final two years of former Sen. Johnny Isakson’s term.

Daniel Blackman is aiming to become the only Democrat on the Georgia PSC in a runoff against longtime Republican incumbent Bubba McDonald.

Voters who were in line by 7 p.m. Tuesday will be able to vote. Absentee ballots must have been received by Cobb Elections—including at designated drop boxes—by 7 p.m.

According to a message from Cobb County Government late Tuesday afternoon, “No major issues or lines were reported today. Some lines formed before the precincts opened, and there were some shorter lines during the lunch hour, but most voters reported little or no waiting.”

Absentee ballots are being processed at the Jim R. Miller Park Event Center, and that work is expected to continue into Wednesday.

The first returns have come in—a combination of early, absentee and election-day voting—and Ossoff leads Perdue 53-46 percent. Perdue has more early and election-day votes, while Ossoff easily has more absentee votes.

Perdue leads in around 30 mostly rural counties, while Ossoff leads in four.

The other senate runoff has similar results, with Warnock leading Loeffler 54-46 percent.

East Cobb News will update this post all evening and into early Wednesday. Certification of results is not expected until next week.

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Cobb COVID-19 vaccinations start Thursday at Jim Miller Park

January 11, 2021January 5, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Cobb coronavirus statement

UPDATED MONDAY, Jan. 11: The Cobb and Douglas Public Health COVID appointment page crashed Monday morning, due to “overwhelming response.” We’ll update when the page comes back online.

ORIGINAL POST

Cobb and Douglas Public Health announced Tuesday that COVID-19 vaccinations will be available for residents according to a priority list starting Thursday at Jim Miller Park.

The vaccinations will be administered by appointment only, and starting Thursday only for those eligible under Phase 1A—healthcare workers on the front lines. Here’s what the health agency is saying about those in that group:

“A vaccination appointment system has been created exclusively for Phase 1A participants and they will receive an email from CDPH on how to register after they complete the enrollment form. Participants in Group 1A will be asked for proof of healthcare personnel status and priority will be given to Cobb and Douglas County residents.”

Starting Tuesday, Jan. 12, those in Phase 1A+ will be able to get vaccinations. Those include public safety workers and any individuals age 65 and older. Cobb and Douglas Public Health said it will open an appointment system on Monday on its website.

For both of those groups, here’s how the vaccinations will take place:

“Participants will be asked to remain on-site for 15 minutes for post-vaccination observation. No walk-up appointments are available—participants must remain in their vehicle to receive the vaccine and be accessible to clinical staff providing the shot.”

Jim Miller Park is located at 2245 Callaway Road, Marietta. It’s been a full-time COVID-19 testing location for Cobb and Douglas Public Health since April and is conducting tests there and at other locations in Cobb; you can sign up to get tested by clicking here.

More vaccine information from CDPH can be found here.

Shortly before Christmas, Cobb and Douglas Public Health workers received the Moderna vaccine as part of an initial shipment of more than 150,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Georgia.

Private and other health care providers are also preparing to administer the vaccine starting next week.

Cobb schools return amid COVID-19 spread, teacher’s death

January 5, 2021January 5, 2021 by Wendy Parker

The Cobb County School District spring semester begins Wednesday with community spread of COVID-19 continuing to grow, along with safety concerns following the death of a teacher over the holidays.

Wednesday’s start to the new semester will be like other Wednesdays during the current school year—a remote learning day—followed by face-to-face classes starting on Thursday for parents who chose that option for their children.

The final two days of the fall semester ended online-only as the “community spread” metric for COVID-19 in Cobb County reached its highest point—a 14-day average of more than 600 cases per 100,000 people—and has continued to rise since then.

As of Tuesday, that figure was 727 per 100,000, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. “High community spread” is anything more than an average of 100 cases per 100,000 people over a two-week period.

On Christmas Day, Patrick Keys, a teacher at Hendricks Elementary School in Powder Springs, died after being hospitalized with COVID-19.

In a message sent out to district parents and staff following his death, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said that “I am asking for you to maintain your commitment to your students in a very actionable way.”

He said the district “will continue to take every possible step to keep our hallways safe, our classrooms healthy and our schools open both remotely and face-to-face.”

But a group of parents has begun an online petition requesting an all-online return for the start of the spring semester, saying the conditions at schools are not safe for anyone.

That petition has more than 4,000 signatures, including Karin Lefler of East Cobb, who told East Cobb News that going virtual is needed “in order to save lives and teachers’ jobs.”

The community spread figure was one of nine points made in the petition, along with reduced local hospital capacity, risk of transmission from students to staff and the arrival of vaccines.

“Cobb schools are just not safe enough as it relates to Covid,” the petition states.

The Cobb school district has prepared a daily wellbeing checklist for parents regarding symptoms, contacts and other health measures.

A slight majority of Cobb school parents have chosen the face-to-face option for the spring semester, and Ragsdale has said there may be another choice window for parents over the winter.

For the six months from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2020, there were 1,570 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Cobb school district among students and staff, with 1,283 coming after a phased-in return to face-to-face classes began in October.

Those cases weren’t broken down further, and the district has not provided information on how many more individuals had to undergo quarantine due to exposure or possible exposure to someone with the virus.

Cobb Chamber to hold free business recovery webinar Thursday

January 5, 2021January 5, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

The Cobb Chamber is hosting its first business recovery webinar of 2021 on Thursday, Jan. 7 at 10 a.m. covering the $900 billion stimulus package recently signed into law by President Trump. The webinar brings together a panel of experts to provide better understanding of how to navigate the $325 billion in relief for small businesses, including a second round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

“We’re committed to leading the business recovery efforts for Cobb County,” said Sharon Mason, president and CEO of the Cobb Chamber. “For this next business recovery webinar, our panel of experts will help local business owners and professionals navigate this next round of PPP.”

Guided by business experts and community leaders, the webinar will walk attendees through the stimulus package, the resources available for small businesses, and the Cobb Chamber’s strategy and resources to help businesses recover. In addition, attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions.

Speakers for the webinar include, Jonathan Crumly, Founding Principal of Taylor English Decisions; Jeff Fucito, Partner in Charge at Mauldin & Jenkins; Clark Hungerford, President and Chief Credit Officer at Vinings Bank; Drew Tonsmeire, Area Director of the Georgia Small Business Development Center; John Loud, 2021 Cobb Chamber Chairman and President of LOUD Security Systems; and Sharon Mason, Cobb Chamber President & CEO.

To register for this virtual event, visit https://bit.ly/3bb9zZd. There is no cost for the webinar, and Chamber members and non-members are welcome to attend.

For more information, contact Stephanie Cox at [email protected].

Loeffler objects to Electoral College certification process

January 5, 2021January 5, 2021 by Wendy Parker

The day before her runoff election, U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler said Monday she would be among the Republicans objecting to the Electoral College certification process that takes place in Congress on Wednesday.

Loeffler, who is facing Democrat Raphael Warnock in Tuesday’s runoff, appeared with President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Dalton on Monday.

Before that, her office released the following statement from her:

“Elections are the bedrock of our democracy and the American people deserve to be 100% confident in our election system and its outcomes. But right now, tens of millions of Americans have real concerns about the way in which the November Presidential election was conducted — and I share their concerns.

“The American people deserve a platform in Congress, permitted under the Constitution, to have election issues presented so that they can be addressed. That’s why, on January 6th, I will vote to give President Trump and the American people the fair hearing they deserve and support the objection to the Electoral College certification process. I have also already introduced legislation to establish a commission to investigate election irregularities and recommend election integrity measures, which I will be working to get passed in the Senate. We must restore trust, confidence and integrity in our election system.”

Loeffler’s statement said she will be objecting individually, and not as part of a group of Republican senators led by Ted Cruz of Texas who have supported Trump’s claims of election fraud, including in Georgia.

Over the weekend, Trump spoke to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, asking him to “find” 11,780 votes, the difference in the certified state results won by Democratic president-elect Joe Biden.

On Monday, Gabriel Sterling, a top elections aide to Raffensperger, said at a news conference that Trump continues to engage in “misinformation” and “disinformation” about presidential voting in Georgia.

He urged Georgia voters who believe their vote isn’t being counted to make sure they vote in the runoffs.

“Throwing it away because you believe it doesn’t matter is a self-fulfilling prophecy,” said Sterling, a Republican.

At Monday’s rally in Dalton, Trump repeatedly claimed he won Georgia and the national election handily.

In November, Loeffler sponsored the Securing America’s Future Elections and Votes (SAFE Votes) Act that would create a bipartisan commission to review the 2020 election.

For the moment, Loeffler is Georgia’s only senator.

The term of Sen. David Perdue, a Republican in a runoff battle against Jon Ossoff, technically expired on Dec. 31, and he will not be able to take part in the Congressional Electoral College certification on Wednesday.

Richardson seeking applicants for Cobb boards and authorities

January 4, 2021 by Wendy Parker

During her swearing-in last week Cobb District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson said she’s conducting an open process to fill the many appointed roles citizens play on various county boards and authorities. Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson

Here’s what she posted on Monday:

Happy to say that over 100 people have applied to be appointed to a board- a major milestone. We are wrapping up round 1 of interviews and selections for the immediate appointments, but still have multiple rounds to go!

We want at least 500 people to apply (there are at least 100K eligible applicants in the district and even more in the county), so please apply. We will interview you and identify your best fit!

https://staff315236.typeform.com/to/ksrEgYu0

There are more than 40 such boards and authorities, most with positions appointed by commissioners, and include the Cobb Planning Commission, the county’s library and recreation boards, neighborhood safety commission, cemetery preservation and animal services board.

Richardson, who officially assumed office on Jan. 1 (official bio here), will be holding a Facebook live event Monday to introduce her staff. That event takes place from 6:30-7 p.m. and can be viewed by clicking here.

The first meeting of the Cobb commissioners for the year takes place next Tuesday.

Richardson contact info:
Phone: 770-528-3316
E-mail: [email protected]

Staff Assistant Aliye Korucu
Phone: 770-528-3315
E-mail: [email protected]

Curbside services closed at 5 Cobb library branches on Election Day

January 4, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Cobb absentee ballot drop boxes — *You can drop off an absentee ballot at the Sewell Mill Library through 7 p.m. Tuesday, but curbside services will not be available.*

Submitted information about Cobb library services being suspended for Tuesday’s U.S. Senate runoff elections:

Curbside service will be closed Tuesday at the five Cobb County Public Libraries serving as polling places for the January 5, 2021 run-off elections. The five libraries are Mountain View, South Cobb, Sewell Mill, Vinings and West Cobb. Curbside service for library patrons to pick up reserved items will resume at the five libraries on Wednesday.

For information on Cobb County library resources and services, visit www.cobbcat.org or call 770-528-2320.

The Sewell Mill and Mountain View branches have absentee ballot drop boxes available through Tuesday at 7 p.m., when the polls close.

More here in our runoff election guide.

And here are details on library services that have been reduced to curbside pickup only since Dec. 21.

On Monday, the Cobb County Public Library launched its revamped website.

New Cobb District Attorney Flynn Broady takes office

November 27, 2021January 4, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Cobb District Attorney Flynn Broady

If you’re looking for Cobb DA Flynn Broady’s statement on the Arbery murder convictions, please click here.

ORIGINAL POST:

Submitted information and photo:

Flynn D. Broady Jr., an Army combat veteran and prosecutor, has taken office as District Attorney of the Cobb Judicial Circuit with a vow to hold violent criminals accountable while restoring nonviolent offenders to productive lives. DA Broady was elected to the position in November 2020. Prior to his election, DA Broady was a prosecutor in the Cobb Solicitor General’s Office and served as the prosecutor for Cobb State Court’s DUI Court, the court’s only accountability court. He also was previously employed and served as coordinator of the Cobb Superior Court’s Veterans Treatment and Accountability Court.

As a veteran, DA Broady understands and is committed to the need for law and order. “People who are dangerous will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said. However, as a proponent of the benefit of accountability courts, he believes those nonviolent offenders, especially those with substance-abuse problems and mental-health issues, need to have rehabilitative options alternatives other than incarceration.

“There are people caught up in our criminal justice system who can be, and who want to be, rehabilitated,” Broady said. “In a lot of cases, locking a nonviolent individual away and saddling them with a criminal history is more punishing to the community at large — by consuming taxpayer dollars, destabilizing families, and in other ways. When we can, we need to do better.” He believes wider community engagement, including expanded access to accountability courts and more visible victim advocacy, are essential to that effort.

DA Broady plans to concentrate on restorative justice and community engagement projects such as regular record restriction (expungement) events, a citizen’s DA Academy, school literacy programs, and community mental health crisis training.

As one of his first restorative justice initiatives, DA Broady has organized a ‘New Year, New Start’ event for some former graduates of Cobb’s Veterans Court the week of the Martin Luther King holiday. Due to Covid, attendance will be restricted and media who wish to attend should email Inv. Kim Isaza, Public Information Officer, in advance.

DA Broady is a native of Birmingham. He spent more than two decades in the Army as an instructor, a recruiter and a combat infantryman serving in Operation Iraqi Freedoms, in Anbar Province. He earned his law degree at Seton Hall University, where he also led ROTC. Flynn and his wife reside in Marietta. Flynn’s daughter is a graduate of Armstrong State University and resides in Savannah.

In November, Broady defeated Joyette Holmes, a Republican appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp, and will serve the remaining two years of the term of former Cobb DA Vic Reynolds, who is now the head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

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!

Georgia Senate Runoff Election Day: Voting info, candidates, more

January 2, 2021 by Wendy Parker

On Tuesday Georgia voters will be going to the polls in U.S. Senate runoffs that will determine party control of that chamber.

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at all precincts, and if you vote in person you must go to your assigned precinct.

If you have an absentee ballot, that must be dropped off at a designated drop box location by 7 p.m. Tuesday.

After three weeks of early voting, Cobb Elections reports that 114,096 people voted early in-person at several locations around the county.

Those figures included 20,782 at the East Cobb Government Service Center and 7,370 at The Art Place.

Of the 146,875 absentee ballots requested by Cobb voters for the runoffs, 112,484 have been returned; more early/absentee voting details can be found here.

CANDIDATES

Both of Georgia’s Republican senators were forced into runoffs after the Nov. 3 general election.

Incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue will need to win their races in order for the GOP, which currently has a 50-48 edge, to maintain control of the U.S. Senate.

The extended Senate runoff campaign has attracted record amounts of money, expected to surpass $500 million, which has led to a slew of ads, mailings, text messages and other communications with voters.

Polling for both races since the general election has been all over the map, and some national polling firms have declined to canvass for the runoffs.

Most of that money is coming from out-of-state donors, and campaign appearances have included those on both Democratic and Republican presidential tickets.

Loeffler’s race with Democrat Raphael Warnock is a special election to fill the remaining two years of Johnny Isakson’s term.

She was appointed a year ago by Gov. Brian Kemp after Isakson, from East Cobb, retired for health reasons. His term expires at the end of 2022.

Warnock, the minister at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, received the majority of votes in the all-party “jungle primary” in November, and Loeffler finished second.

Perdue, who is finishing his first term, got just under 50 percent of the vote in a three-way general election, prompting the runoff with Ossoff, a Democrat who is in his second electoral campaign.

Ossoff lost to Karen Handel in a 2017 special election for the 6th Congressional District in what was the most expensive U.S. House race ever, with more than $30 million in spending.

Republicans, both state and national, have been in an uproar over Georgia’s presidential election results that have spilled over into the Senate runoffs.

Democratic president-elect Joe Biden was certified as the winner of Georgia’s 16 electoral votes, but Republican President Donald Trump has contested those results, charging election fraud.

Biden’s win after two recounts was less than 12,000 votes.

Loeffler and Perdue demanded GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger resign, and in recent days Trump has called on Kemp—whom he endorsed in 2018—to resign, for not intervening in the elections.

Raffensperger and Kemp have both declined, saying they are following their constitutional duties.

On Friday Trump called the runoffs “illegal and invalid” but he is scheduled to campaign with Loeffler and Perdue at a rally on Dalton on Monday. Biden will campaign for Ossoff and Warnock in Atlanta, and vice president-elect Kamala Harris will appear with the Democratic candidates in Savannah on Sunday.

Candidate Websites:

Another runoff on the ballot is for the Georgia Public Service Commission between Republican four-term incumbent Bubba McDonald and Daniel Blackman, who would become the only Democrat on the five-member state utility regulating board.

CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION

Georgia Secretary of State website

WHERE TO VOTE

Precinct list

Any voters in line at the polls by 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

If you’re dropping off an absentee ballot, here are the locations. In East Cobb, they’re located at the following:

East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road)
Sewell Mill Library (2051 Lower Roswell Road)
Mountain View Regional Library (3320 Sandy Plains Road)
Gritters Library (880 Shaw Park Drive)

Absentee ballots must be dropped off by 7 p.m., when the polls close. If you have an absentee ballot but wish to vote in person, you’re asked to bring your absentee ballot to your precinct. That must be cancelled before you get a ballot at your polling location.

The Georgia Secretary of State’s office has created an absentee ballot tracker that lets you follow the status of your absentee ballot after you have returned it.

FOLLOW ELECTION COVERAGE

East Cobb News will have real-time coverage of the runoff results on Tuesday.

If you have questions about voting, or photos or impressions to share of your experience at the polls, let us know: [email protected].

Scene in East Cobb: Favorite photos from 2020, ours and yours

January 1, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Favorite East Cobb 2020 photos — *A hopeful sign on a neighborhood fence on Holly Springs Road in the spring.*

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The year 2020 was obviously marked by the COVID-19 response, and in spite of the lack of usual community events, there was so much more going on.

Enjoy the above photo gallery and accompanying stories below as we look ahead to a better and brighter 2021. Happy New Year East Cobb!

The stories behind the photos

Sprayberry Community Group giving out free bread and pastries

January 1, 2021 by Wendy Parker

The Sprayberry Community Group, which formed during the pandemic to help those in need with food, is having a free bread and pastry giveaway to anyone in the public on Sunday.

The event lasts from 2-4 p.m. in the parking lot of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (2922 Sandy Plains Road), and they say they have a lot to give away:

This is for ANYONE in the Community!!! This is for anyone (regardless of what their income or status is) who would like to take home a special treat for the family or an extra loaf of bread (rolls, bagels, muffins count) for themselves or their kiddos. If you don’t need anything but someone in your neighborhood or community needs something COME GET SOME FREE FOOD!!!

Please SHARE this everywhere as we have TONS (almost literally) of food that needs a home!

Masks required and if there’s a crowd we will be forming a line or asking people to wait in their cars to keep things safe and socially distanced for everyone. Send a representative to pick up for a few families at the same time if you can!! COME GET FREE FOOD and we will be very happy to give it to you!!!!!!!!!

Sprayberry Community Group

The Sprayberry Community Group updates its activities on its Facebook page.

New Cobb Commissioner Richardson: ‘So much room for opportunity’

December 31, 2020 by Wendy Parker

New Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson

Promising to “connect Cobb” with a collaborative approach, new District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson took the oath of office Thursday morning embodying the change in political leadership in the county.

The 31-year-old Equifax technology manager made that pledge with her hand on her grandmother’s Bible, and with another new Cobb commissioner, Monique Sheffield, and incoming chairwoman Lisa Cupid, also in attendance at the Cobb Civic Center.

They’ll make up a Democratic majority of African-American women on the five-member Cobb Board of Commissioners, which also will be all-female.

But for Richardson, whose family came to metro Atlanta from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, she spoke of how she wants to represent her adopted home community in broader terms.

“Every time there’s an historical moment, it gives you that opportunity to recalibrate and set a new standard,” Richardson said. “Because everyone has the opportunity to reflect, and there’s so much greatness that comes out of those pauses.”

Those remarks echoed the theme of her first campaign for public office, which touched on what she saw was the need to make connections not just with those in other commissioner districts, but also with Cobb’s cities, local school boards and other components of the community.

Richardson invited outgoing Republican District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott, who is retiring after three terms, to speak.

Before handing her the keys to his office, he said he was he was pleased with “a smooth transition” that’s been taking place since she won the Nov. 3 election.

Although they’re from different parties and have different outlooks on politics, Ott said the citizens of District 2—which stretches from Mabry Park in Northeast Cobb to the Cumberland-Vinings-Smyrna area— “want to see harmony, not political infighting.

“I like to say that potholes do not have parties,” he said. “People don’t care whether you have a D or an R by your name. They just want it fixed.”

Cobb Board of Education member Jaha Howard said of Richardson, his campaign manager for his 2017 campaign for the state senate: “She thinks big.”

“Imagine if we pushed on the same path, at the same time and in the same direction,” Howard said. “She gets ready to get down and do the work. We need more people like Jerica.”

Former State Sen. Doug Stoner said Richardson represents what has made Cobb dynamic over the years—an infusion of newcomers.

“We need new folks with new ideas and new perspectives,” he said. “It helps Cobb County keep up with a changing world.”

Richardson will be only the third District 2 commissioner. Before Ott’s 12 years in office, Joe Lee Thompson was commissioner for 16 years.

She has formed what she calls a a community advisory cabinet, and she’s taking applications for individuals to serve on boards appointed by commissioners.

Richardson also said she has a list of 14 priorities that she’ll be releasing in detail soon. At the top of that list is a spirit of collaboration, done with the understanding that while the county has had a past that hasn’t been fully inclusive, there has been progress along the way.

“We think of where we’ve been, where we are today and where we want to be,” she said, “and that should be inspirational.

“Reflect on what this means and dream again. Dream of the possibilities. This is our opportunity to set a whole new standard.”

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CANDIDATES

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CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION

WHERE TO VOTE

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