Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson is no longer in office after the Georgia Court of Appeals declined to hear her appeal.
Richardson, a one-term Democrat whose tenure representing District 2 expired at the end of 2024, is no longer a “de facto” commissioner, as she described herself in taking up the appeal last month.
A Cobb Superior Court judge ruled on Dec. 31 that Richardson could no longer serve, due to Cobb residency requirements.
Her district lines were changed in 2022 during reapportionment and drew her out of her East Cobb home, triggering a legal battle lasting more than two years.
On Wednesday, Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid issued a statement saying that “I respect the decision of Georgia’s Court of Appeals and look forward to moving beyond the divisive issues of the past few years.
“Unfortunately, this process has temporarily left residents of one district without their commissioner on the board. However, our intent from the beginning has been to uphold the rights of our citizens and ensure that those they elect have the opportunity to serve.”
For the time being, the five-member commission is down to four members, and will likely stay that way until the end of April, at the conclusion of special elections for District 2 and District 4.
Early voting in those primaries began on Saturday. District 2 formerly included some of East Cobb, which is now mostly in District 3.
Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said Wednesday there wouldn’t be an interim appointment to fill the District 2 seat, since the special elections fall outside a 180-day window for such action.
District 2 includes some areas of East Cobb near I-75, as well as most of the city of Marietta, Smyrna and the Cumberland-Vinings area.
The special elections were ordered by another Cobb judge following May 2024 primaries that followed “hone rule” maps approved by Cupid, Richardson and Monique Sheffield, the other Democratic commissioner, that differed from the legislative maps signed into law.
Court rulings rejected the “home rule” maps, since the Georgia Constitution requires that county redistricting be approved by the legislature.
District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, a Republican, said last month that “it’s time to put an end to ignoring the Constitution and the laws of this state and the county and go back to the real business of the county at hand.”
Richardson hasn’t commented on the appeals court’s decision not to hear her appeal. Her colleagues declared her seat vacant in December, but she had the right to appeal.
But when Richardson resumed her seat in January, she was adamant that it was important to fight a “precedent” in the legislature not honoring a local delegation redistricting map.
“This fight was never about me but about protecting American values,” she said.
Commissioners meet for their first business meeting without Richardson on Tuesday, with split 2-2 partisan lines.
Related:
- Richardson resumes seat as Cobb commission drama continues
- Richardson’s Cobb commission seat declared vacant by judge
- East Cobb-area resident qualifies for special election
- MORE: Visit the East Cobb News Politics & Elections Page
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I’m sure she is hard at work figuring out a new way to stay on the dais. Don’t be surprised if she is sitting there during the next meeting. You know, to protect American values and all.
“Unfortunately, this process has temporarily left residents of one district without their commissioner on the board. However, our intent from the beginning has been to uphold the rights of our citizens and ensure that those they elect have the opportunity to serve.”
You mean, YOUR activities have caused the people of that district to be without representation, Jerica?
What an inane, lying idiot you are.