State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick

East Cobb 2020 Elections Preview: Georgia Senate District 32

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Georgia Senate District 32 preview

For the third consecutive election, the same two candidates are on the ballot for the Georgia State Senate seat that covers most of East Cobb.

Republican Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (at left) is being challenged by Democrat Christine Triebsch (at right) in District 32, which also includes a portion of Sandy Springs.

Kirkpatrick, a retired orthopedic surgeon, defeated Triebsch in a 2017 special election runoff to succeed longtime Sen. Judson Hill, who resigned to run for Congress.

In 2018, Kirkpatrick won 58 percent of the vote against Triebsch in the general election to earn a full two-year term.

At a candidates forum this week sponsored by the East Cobb Business Association, Kirkpatrick said she’s “worked regularly across the aisle to solve problems,” both at the state and local level.

Her proudest piece of legislation, she said, was the “Save Our Sandwiches” bill that changed a provision in state law to allow non-profit organizations—especially Cobb-based MUST Ministries—to make sandwiches in church and similar kitchens as part of their efforts to feed those in need.

Triebsch is part of a wave of Democratic candidates in the county, including a number of women in East Cobb, who never been involved in politics until the election of Donald Trump as president.

“I think every race should be contested,” said Triebsch, a family law attorney whose husband is a Cobb County School District teacher. They have two children, a college senior and a daughter who who attends Pope High School.

As of Sept. 30, Kirkpatrick reported having raised $383,535 overall and $95,875 in the third quarter, with $248,345 cash on hand.

Triebsch has received a total of $32,617 in contributions with $10,960 in the third quarter, and has $21,886 in cash on hand/

Here are the latest campaign disclosure reports filed by Kirkpatrick and Triebsch respectively.

Candidate websites

Kirkpatrick, who contracted COVID-19 right before the legislative session was suspended in March, said continued efforts to get the virus under control is the top issue for her, especially following accepted public health guidelines while aiding the state’s economic recovery from shutdowns.

“We have a lot of businesses that have been devastated,” said Kirkpatrick, who has received the endorsements of the National Federation of Independent Business and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

In order for business and economic growth to take place, said Kirkpatrick, “we have to get out of the way.”

Triebsch said her top priorities are education funding and expanding health care access, including state Medicaid options.

She said supports fully funding K-12 education and is “totally against [private school] vouchers, and my opponent voted for it,” Triebsch said.

With reapportionment coming up in 2021, Triebsch also supports a non-partisan, independent panel to redraw congressional, legislative and local government and school board lines, a measure supported by Georgia Democrats in general.

“We need to get rid of gerrymandering,” Triebsch said.

She’s been endorsed by a variety of labor, pro-choice and gun-control organizations, including Georgia AFL-CIO, NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia and Moms Demand Action.

Both candidates are against East Cobb cityhood (see previous post here) and in response to another question at the forum, both also said they’re against defunding the police.

“I’ll always back the blue,” Kirkpatrick said. “Cops don’t want bad cops in their ranks.” She said she’s confident that a special legislative committee on police reform that met earlier this year will produce “some good legislation” in 2021.

Triebsch said defunding the police isn’t the way to reform. “I support better funding so we’ll have better-qualified candidates, and we need more funding for training.”

She emphasized her approach as a candidate as “running as your neighbor” and not a politician. Of Kirkpatrick, Triebsch said, “her values and voting are very different from me.”

Kirkpatrick said she’s “got a proven track record” in the legislature and pledged she would continue to be responsive and accessible if re-elected.

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Georgia House passes MUST Ministries-inspired sandwich bill

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State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick

Both houses of the Georgia legislature have easily approved a bill by an East Cobb lawmaker that would allow non-profit organizations to make sandwiches in church and similar kitchens as part of their efforts to feed those in need.

The House on Monday passed SB 345, the so-called “Save Our Sandwich Bill” by a 150-12 vote, after passing the Senate 53-0 in March, before the legislative session was shut down due to COVID-19.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, an East Cobb Republican, changed a provision in state law that allowed only sandwiches that had been prepared in certified, licensed kitchens.

Sponsored in the House by Rep. Bart Reeves of Marietta, the bill still prohibits the distribution of sandwiches made in private homes.

(You can read the bill here.)

The bill will be sent to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature. The legislature, which returned to action Monday, still has to pass a state budget.

Last summer, right before its summer lunch program began, Cobb-based MUST Ministries was told by the Georgia Department of Public Health it could not distribute homemade sandwiches, even those that had been made for years in church kitchens, and by other civic organizations.

MUST scrambled to raise money to purchase sandwiches made in approved kitchens, and is doing the same this summer.

Since COVID-19 shut down schools in March, MUST has teamed up with the Cobb County School District to provide meals for students, and is continuing that program through the end of June.

MUST also is providing summer meal kits through July in East Cobb at Blackwell Elementary School (Mondays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church (Fridays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

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State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick tests positive for Coronavirus

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State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick

State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, a Republican from East Cobb, said Friday night she has tested positive for the Coronavirus.

In a Facebook posting, Kirkpatrick said she felt a fever last Saturday and said she immediately began self-quarantine in what she called “COMPLETE isolation.”

A retired orthopedic surgeon, Kirkpatrick said she called her doctor and is feeling fine, but took a test and the results came back positive.

“I have followed the strict protocol recommended by [Georgia] DPH and am comfortable that I have not put anyone at risk,” she said in her message, adding that she’s following the state health agency’s instructions to quarantine for another week.

“We will not be out and about until we have completed the protocol.”

Kirkpatrick is the third member of the Georgia Senate to have tested positive for Coronavirus, or COVID-19.

All 236 members of the Georgia legislature were ordered to self-isolate until March 30 after State Sen. Brandon Beach of North Fulton, who also had been screened for the virus over the weekend, attended Monday’s special legislative session called by Gov. Brian Kemp following his declaration of a statewide public health emergency.

More than 30 State House members and seven senators were absent from those proceedings due to self-quarantine.

Beach been criticized by colleagues and the governor for showing up for the session after his screening. He was awaiting the test results but said his doctor’s initial diagnosis was negative.

Kirkpatrick told her Facebook following that “although I am in the at-risk age group, I am blessed to be very healthy and thankful that I am recovering without complications. I will be happy to have immunity to this awful virus.”

Earlier on Friday, she said she and her staff were working from home, urged constituents to heed the advice of public health officials and provided the following information:

Georgia has a new hotline number for Covid-19 questions, 844-442-2681. There are some official websites that are useful as follows:

For health info:
CDC.gov and DPH.georgia.gov.

Governor’s office:
Gov.georgia.gov

Schools including meal info:
cobbk12.org and Fultonschools.org

Business:
Unemployment- dol.georgia.gov
SBA loans- sba.gov

Insurance:
OCI.ga.gov

Emergency needs:
MUSTministries.org
Unitedwayatlanta.org

Please continue social distancing, surface cleaning and hand washing. If you are sick, stay home!

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East Cobb state senator co-sponsors bill to cut school tests

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State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick of East Cobb is a co-sponsor of a bill backed by Gov. Brian Kemp that would eliminate some mandated state standardized school tests.State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick

Kirkpatrick is one of six Republicans, including two of the governor’s floor leaders, who submitted SB 367 (you can read it here).

Kemp announced the legislation at a news conference Tuesday with legislative leaders and Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods.

The bill would cut five current tests: High school end-of-year tests in American literature, geometry, physical science and economics and fifth grade social studies.

The number of required standardized tests in Georgia would go down from 24 to 19 (the federal government mandates a minimum of 17 tests) and the state could decide whether to factor in end-of-course test results as part of a students’ grade.

Those tests are included in the state’s Milestones tests, which include a wide range of test scores and other academic performance metrics for students in grades three through 12.

End-of-course test results currently amount to 20 percent of a high school student’s Milestones score.

More background here about SB 267 from the Georgia Recorder.

The bill has received the support of Woods as well as the Georgia Association of Educators and several public school districts in Georgia.

A Cobb County School District spokeswoman told East Cobb News that “we broadly support the reduction in testing and Gov. Kemp’s bill. We look forward to the next steps in a redesign of how Georgia assesses students and empowers teachers to better understand what students know.”

 

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Georgia ‘heartbeat’ abortion bill signed into law by Gov. Kemp

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One of the most controversial bills to come up in the Georgia legislature this year was signed into state law Tuesday

State Rep. Sharon Cooper, Georgia heartbeat abortion bill
State Rep. Sharon Cooper

Gov. Brian Kemp signed HB 481, the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, to go into effect next January, amid promises that there would be legal challenges.

(Read the text of the bill here.)

The law bans abortions in Georgia once a doctor can detect a heartbeat, which is usually around six weeks from conception.

The exceptions are for rape and incest, if the life of the mother is endangered and if a doctor determines a fetus is not viable for medical reasons.

Women also must file a police report in the case of rape or incest.

Previous Georgia law, passed in 2012, banned abortions after 20 weeks. HB 481 was sponsored by Rep. Ed Setzler, an Acworth Republican, but two of his fellow GOP colleagues from East Cobb did not support it.

Both State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick and State Rep. Sharon Cooper, who are pro-life Republicans, opposed the bill. Kirkpatrick was out of town attending a funeral when the bill came up for final Senate action and was excused from voting. Cooper, the chairwoman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, voted no on final passage.

They said the bill is unconstitutional, and as retired medical care providers, they opposed provisions to punish OBGYNs, physician assistants and nurses (women and pharmacists also could face criminal charges).

The bill included “personhood” language for fetuses, lets parents claim an embryo as a dependent on their taxes and could order fathers to pay child support for unborn children during pregnancy.

East Cobb’s other Republican state House members, John Carson, Matt Dollar and Don Parsons, voted for the bill. Mary Frances Williams, a Marietta Democrat who represents part of East Cobb, opposed HB 481, as did Democratic senators Jen Jordan and Michael Rhett, who have slivers of East Cobb in their districts.

Georgia is one of several states whose legislatures have enacted abortion legislation in anticipation of possible action regarding Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1973 that legalized abortion nationwide.

Some of those laws have been struck down by courts.

 

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Georgia private school voucher bill rejected by Senate in close vote

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In one of the more closely watched issues in the state legislative session this year, the Georgia Senate on Tuesday narrowly voted down a bill that would allow public school funds to be diverted for private school vouchers. State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick

The vote was 28-25 against a substitute version of SB 173 (read the summary or full bill), which was decided strongly along party lines.

All Democrats and several Republicans were opposed, including Lindsey Tippins of West Cobb, a former Cobb school board member. Among the Republicans voting for the bill was Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick of East Cobb (in photo).

The bill’s sponsors indicated they may try for another Senate vote later this week. Thursday is crossover day in the Georgia General Assembly, which means bills must pass at least one chamber to have a chance to become law this year.

Dubbed the Georgia Educational Scholarship Act, SB 173 and HB 301 are identical pieces of legislation. The bills would allow parents to use funds earmarked for public education to pay for qualified education expenses, including private school tuition, tutoring and transportation, as well as home-schooling curriculum.

Existing laws in Georgia allow indirect contributions for private school vouchers that are good for tax credits and for tuition for students with disabilities.

SB 173 has moved fast through the Senate, introduced only on Feb. 22 with the support of Gov. Brian Kemp. It was reported out of subcommittee without a vote, and passed out of the Ways and Means Committee Thursday. On Monday, the Senate Rules Committee placed the bill on Tuesday’s floor schedule.

Both bills are opposed by many public-school advocacy groups, including teachers organizations and the Georgia PTA. The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, which also is opposed, estimates that the voucher program could deprive the state of more than $540 million a year for public schools if fully implemented over the next 10 years.

In favor of the bills are school-choice interests, including the Georgia Center for Opportunity, which says the bill would allow parents to tailor their child’s educational needs.

 

 

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East Cobb Elections Preview: District 32 Georgia State Senate

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District 32 Georgia State Senate, Kay Kirkpatrick, Christine Triebsch

The District 32 Georgia State Senate race is a rematch from last year’s special election.

Kay Kirkpatrick (pictured at left), a Republican retired orthopedic surgeon who won that election to succeed Judson Hill, is once again facing family law attorney Chrstine Triebsch, a Democrat (pictured at right).

Kirkpatrick won a runoff against Triebsch by 57-43 percent for the seat that covers most of East Cobb and some of Sandy Springs.

Neither of them faced primary opposition in May. They were part of a candidates forum in early October sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Cobb-Marietta.

They discussed health care, taxes, public safety and other issues on a panel with candidates in other Cobb senate races.

Triebsch said that in the Republican-dominated Georgia state government, “we need a two-party system.” She said her platform is comprised of “common sense and compassion” and fresh approaches for jobs, health care, education and the environment.”

Kirkpatrick said her objective has been to “bring a voice of reason to state government” and has focused on improving health insurance options, public safety and services for military veterans.

Candidate websites

At the League of Women Voters forum, they differed on tax issues. Kirkpatrick voted for a state tax cut for individuals and businesses and said “I would like to look for more savings [in places such as state agencies] and cut taxes further.

Triebsch said that before cutting taxes, new sources of revenue must be found. She’s also against eliminating the state income tax.

On health care issues, Triebsch supports expanding Medicaid in Georgia and preserving the Affordable Health Care Act, or Obamacare.

A member of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Kirkpatrick said she hears more from constituents about health insurance issues than just about anything else, especially the costs of premiums on the individual market.

“There’s a lot we can do to rein in the big carriers,” she said.

As for Medicaid expansion, Kirkpatrick said a problem bigger than expansion is that “we have to fix a system that is broken.”

On education matters, Triebsch advocates a new funding formula to replace the Quality Basic Education Act, which is more than 30 years old. She opposes vouchers for private schools.

School choice, she said, “is not a choice if the choice is not a public school.”

Triebsch says she supports better pay for teachers and efforts to reduce class size.

Kirkpatrick said she wants to “support teachers in a different way” with funding also being directed to address social issues, including more support for counselors. She also is stressing school safety and has been appointed to a special Senate study committee on the subject.

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East Cobb Elections Qualifying: Birrell, state legislators have primary foes

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Qualifying for 2018 state, federal and local races is ending on Friday, and in East Cobb a number of incumbents will have party opposition in the May 22 primary.

JoAnn Birrell
District 3 commissioner JoAnn Birrell

The most-watched race figures to be the District 3 seat on the Cobb Board of Commissioners. Republican incumbent JoAnn Birrell has qualified, and is being opposed in the primary by Tom Cheek, who recently moved into the Northeast Cobb district.

Cheek, a software account manager, is campaigning on a platform favoring low taxes and reduced spending to solve the Cobb government budget deficit, and opposes high-density development. He stepped into the public spotlight after filing ethics complaints against former Cobb commission chairman Tim Lee for his handling of the Atlanta Braves stadium deal.

Tom Cheek, Cobb commission candidate
Tom Cheek

Birrell has served as District 3 representative since 2011, when she succeeded Lee, and has been highly visible in the community. She has been active with Keep Cobb Beautiful, the Northeast Cobb Business Association and Superior Pets for Patriotic Pets. She also was a strong advocate for the creation of Mabry Park, which recently began construction.

The Democrats to qualify are retiree James Smith and Caroline Holko, a stay-at-home mother.

Congress

First-term U.S. Rep. Karen Handel is the only Republican to qualify for the Georgia 6th District seat that includes East Cobb.

Lucy McBath, Georgia 6th Congressional District candidate
Lucy McBath

Handel, elected last June to succeed Tom Price in a special election, will await the winner of a four-way Democratic primary in May. She won’t be facing Jon Ossoff, whom she beat last summer in the most expensive Congressional election in history. He has opted not to run for a seat that also includes north Fulton and north and central DeKalb.

The Democratic candidates include Bobby Kaple, a former news anchor at CBS 46, technology consultant Kevin Abel, management consultant Steven Knight Griffin and gun-control advocate Lucy McBath, a former Delta flight attendant who lives in East Cobb.

Her son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed in 2012 at a gas station in Jacksonville, Fla., by another motorist in an altercation over loud music. The killer received life in prison. McBath had intended to run for the Georgia legislature but changed her filing to Congress after the deadly Feb. 14 school shootings in Parkland, Fla.

Georgia legislature

There will be a rematch of last year’s special election in State Senate District 32. Incumbent Republican Kay Kirkpatrick, a retired orthopedic surgeon, will be opposed by her 2017 opponent, Democratic attorney Christine Triebsch, in November. The district covers most of East Cobb and part of north Fulton.

State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick
State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick

In State House District 37, incumbent Sam Teasley is the only Republican to qualify. The Democratic primary will include computer consultant Bill Bolden, social worker Mary Frances Williams and sales manager Ragin Edwards.

Longtime Republican State Rep. Sharon Cooper of District 43 has a Republican opponent in Kevin W. James, who owns a media production company in East Cobb. The lone Democrat to qualify is Luisa Wakeman, a flight attendant.

Don Parsons, incumbent in State House District 44, also has opposition from retiree Homer Crothers in the GOP primary. Chinita Allen, a teacher at Chalker Elementary School, has qualified as a Democrat.

State Rep. John Carson
State Rep. John Carson

In State House District 45, Republican incumbent Matt Dollar will not have a primary challenger. His Democratic opponent in November will be Essence Johnson, a human resources and operations manager.

Another East Cobb legislative seat also will pit a Republican incumbent against a Democratic foe in November. District 46 State Rep. John Carson has qualified and will face Karín Sandiford, a technology consultant and entrepreneur.

Cobb school board

Two of the three East Cobb members on the Cobb Board of Education are up for re-election this year. In Post 6, two-term Republican incumbent Scott Sweeney, who represents the Walton, Wheeler and part of the Campbell high school attendance zones, has qualified and has no primary opposition. His general election opponent in November will be Democrat Charisse Davis of Smyrna, a public librarian and former school teacher.

Charisse Davis, Cobb Board of Education candidate
Charisse Davis

Republican David Chastain of Post 4 in Northeast Cobb has qualified to run for a second term and has not drawn any party opposition in an area that includes the Kell and Sprayberry attendance zones.

His Democratic opponent in November will be Cynthia Parr.

Judgeships

Several Cobb judicial posts will also be decided this year in non-partisan elections.

Three Cobb Superior Court posts are up for election this year, and incumbents Ann Harris, Robert Leonard and Robert Flournoy are the only qualifiers.

For Cobb State Court Judge Div. 2, Post 4 incumbent Bridgette Campell is the only candidate to qualify. The same goes for incumbent Post 3 judge Henry Thompson and Jason Fincher in Post 1. The only candidate qualifying for State Court Judge Post 5 is incumbent David Darden.

Republican incumbent Cobb Solicitor General Barry Morgan is the lone qualifier for that office, which prosecutes cases in State Court.

 

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Georgia State Senate runoff culminates successful elections for female candidates

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State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick
Kay Kirkpatrick of East Cobb won a special election runoff in June to succeed State Sen. Judson Hill. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)

Atlanta attorney Jen Jordan won a Georgia State Senate runoff special election Tuesday that includes a portion of Cobb County. Her election also wound up a successful year of political campaigns in metro Atlanta and Georgia by female candidates.

In an all-Democratic race, Jordan easily defeated Jaha Howard, a Vinings dentist, to claim the Georgia State Senate District 6 seat vacated by Republican Hunter Hill, who is running for Georgia governor. Jordan received 10,681 votes, or 64 percent, to 6,017 votes for Howard, or 36 percent (full results here).

The district includes south Cobb, the Terrell Mill precinct in the Powers Ferry area and part of the city of Atlanta. Howard won the Cobb portion by a 60-40 margin, but Jordan, a self-described progressive, won her home base in Fulton by a 74-26 percent margin.

She was endorsed by former Cobb state representative Stacey Evans, who also is running for governor.

Tuesday also saw the second female elected mayor of Atlanta, as city council member Keisha Lance Bottoms edged fellow council member Mary Norwood in a hotly-contested runoff. Norwood, who was supported by Shirley Franklin, Atlanta’s first female mayor, has asked for a a recount.

Felicia Moore was elected president of the Atlanta City Council on Tuesday, and Roswell’s new mayor is Lori Henry, who succeeds longtime mayor Jere Wood.

Smyrna elected its first black member of the city council, Maryline Blackburn, and Cheryl Richardson won a seat on the Marietta City Council.

In conservative East Cobb, Republican women also won special elections this summer. Kay Kirkpatrick, a retired surgeon at Resurgens Orthopedics and a longtime civic leader with the East Cobb Rotary Club, won a special election to succeed State Sen. Judson Hill in District 32.

He resigned to run for the 6th District Congressional seat won by former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel. She downed heavily-financed Democratic novice Jon Ossoff in a race watched around the nation.

U.S. Rep. Karen Handel
U.S. Rep. Karen Handel got strong support in East Cobb in her bid to succeed Tom Price.

Handel earned some of her biggest margins in East Cobb, where she was strongly supported by Cobb commissioners Bob Ott and JoAnn Birrell.

Birrell, who represents District 3 in Northeast Cobb, is up for re-election next year, and has already drawn Republican primary opposition from Tom Cheek, who sued Cobb County and filed an ethics complaint against former commission chairman Tim Lee over the Atlanta Braves stadium vote.

Handel and Kirkpatrick also have to run for re-election in 2018, as does East Cobb Republican State Rep. Sharon Cooper, a longtime member of the state house. All seats in the legislature will be on the ballot, as well as governor and other statewide offices.

Two East Cobb posts on the Cobb Board of Education will also be up for election in 2018. They are currently held by Republicans Scott Sweeney of Post 6 (Walton and Wheeler high school districts) and David Chastain of Post 4, which includes the Kell and Sprayberry districts.

 

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