Some more political campaign news to round up here, after yesterday’s announcement of a Democratic candidate for the Cobb Board of Education Post 5 race:
The battle to succeed Bob Ott on the Cobb Board of Commissioners gained a Republican candidate last week. T. Fitz Johnson, a Vinings resident, filed a declaration of intent to accept campaign contributions.
Johnson is CEO of ASID Group International, a prison healthcare company, and was a GOP candidate for Georgia Superintendent of Schools in 2014. His community service work includes serving on the WellStar Health System Board of Trustees and the board of the Cobb Hospital Authority.
A former collegiate wrestler at The Citadel, Johnson is a military veteran and was the owner of the Atlanta Beat women’s professional soccer team from 2009-11.
He’s the third Republican to announce after Ott’s decision not to seek a fourth term to represent District 2, which includes some of East Cobb and the Smyran-Vinings area. The others are East Cobb residents Shane Deyo, an Army veteran and software consultant, and Andy Smith, Ott’s appointee to the Cobb Planning Commission.
Smith hasn’t formally declared his candidacy and will have to resign from the planning board once he does.
Last week, East Cobb real estate agent Pamela Reardon told the MDJ she would be running too, as a Republican. On Monday, however, she left a message on the Cobb Central Facebook page that she has decided against that, citing stress and a previous bout with cancer.
The only Democrat to announce for the District 2 seat thus far is Jerica Richardson, who campaigned for current Cobb school board member Jaha Howard.
6th District Congress update
After several Republican candidates withdrew for the 6th Congressional District seat before the holidays, another has jumped into the fray.
Mykel Barthelemey, who runs Barthelemy Commercial Capital in Atlanta with her husband, is the third GOP hopeful seeking to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath.
She joins former Congresswoman Karen Handel in the Republican primary and recently launched her campaign website.
Barthelemey, who hails from Louisiana, was a sub-contractor for the Small Business Administration in Atlanta and was involved in the Reform Party. She’s the author of a new book, “Trump Is Not A Racist! Here’s Why” and is the founder of Coming Out Red USA, a grassroots conservative organization.
In her mission statement, she said Trump is “the greatest President in the history of our country that ever lived” and that “I’m the Left’s worst nightmare because my nonconformity destroys their narrative.”
The 6th District includes East Cobb, North Fulton and Sandy Springs and North DeKalb.
Dem roundtable on crime, opioids
Next week two Democratic candidates will hold a roundtable event in East Cobb on criminal justice reform and opioids.
The roundtable takes place next Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 6 p.m., at Seed Kichen and Bar (1311 Johnson Ferry Road)
The hosts are Sarah Riggs Amico, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican David Perdue, and Jimmy Herndon, a candidate for Cobb County Sheriff.
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