November 3: Election Results

November 3, 2009: Election Results

Atlanta Mayor: Former State Senator Kasim Reed and City Council Member Mary Norwood are headed for a runoff on December 1, after Norwood received 46 percent of the vote and Reed received 36 percent. City Council President Lisa Borders came in third with 14 percent of the vote. The post election news coverage has been dominated by the aggressive courtship of Borders by both candidates in the runoff. Borders met with Reed on Thursday to discuss a possible endorsement and met with Norwood Friday morning. Many pundits have speculated that Norwood forced herself into a runoff with a last minute TV ad that attempted to counteract previous attempts to paint her as a staunch Republican. In the view of many, the commercial aggressively overcompensated and alienated some of the more conservative voters in areas like Buckhead. Obviously, the results of the runoff, which will take place as the holiday season opens, will largely depend on the abilities of Norwood and Reed to turn out their respective bases. Both candidates have indicated they'll be able to raise well over $100,000 for the runoff, and that indicates that the negative portion of the campaign will probably increase as the election draws closer. Reed, the former campaign manager for Mayor Shirley Franklin, likely benefited from the last minute disclosure that Mayor Franklin intended to vote for Reed.

Atlanta City Council President: Council Member Caesar Mitchell nearly won this election outright, but is headed for a runoff against Council Member Claire Mueller. Both candidates are veteran politicians adept at operating within Atlanta's political circles. Mitchell raised roughly $280,000 and Mueller nearly $137,000.

Marietta Mayor: Former State Rep. Steve "Thunder" Tumlin rolled to victory by a large margin. With election turnout at roughly 15 percent, Tumlin won overwhelmingly with 80 percent of the vote. Tumlin is a tax attorney who had previously served on the Marietta Board of Education and as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. Tumlin expressed his excitement at the opportunity to meet individually with city staff, council members, and spend time "riding on the back of a garbage truck, a police truck, and a fire truck." Tumlin expressed his ultimate desire to bring unity back to the city's government.

State Senate District 1: Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Pooler) became the next Senator from Senate District 1 (Savannah) with more than 82 percent of the vote. Carter will occupy the seat formerly held by Senate President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson, who resigned to run for governor. Carter served several terms in the Georgia State House, and received the endorsement of the Savannah Morning News.

State Senate District 35: Former State Senator Donzella James and Torrey Johnson are headed for a runoff. The race to replace departing State Senator and Atlanta mayoral candidate Kasim Reed began with eight candidates. James was formerly elected to the State Senate in a 1994 special election, and left before making a failed Congressional bid in 2002. Her name has consistently been on the ballot in that area for over a decade and that might lend her some help in the upcoming runoff.

State House District 58: Simone Bell and Asha Jackson are likely headed for a runoff. The five way race was very close, and Michael McPherson, a lobbyist with Cornerstone Communications and the former Chief of Staff for Senator Doug Stoner, is within 90 votes of making it to the runoff. There are still some overseas and provisional ballots to be counted. Congratulations to Michael on a hard fought effort.

State House District 75: Former State Rep. Ron Dodson won with 60 percent of the vote. Dodson, the former Chairman of the Clayton County Commission, came out of retirement to defeat Republican newcomer Shawn James to replace departing State Rep. Celeste Johnson.

State House District 129: Steven Frank Earles barely forced a runoff with Kip Smith, the son of Georgia DOT Commissioner Vance Smith. Smith received 49.4 percent of the vote and missed winning the election outright by roughly 60 votes. Earles received 22 percent and approximately 1,200 fewer votes than Smith. Smith, a commercial real estate manager, and Earles, the manager of several wellness centers, will have a runoff election on December 1.

State House District 141: Darrell Black is headed for a runoff with Edward "Rusty" Culver Kidd, the son of the legendary former Senator from Millidgeville, Culver Kidd, known affectionately as the "Silver Fox", and brother of the late Florida Congresswoman Tillie Fowler. Kidd, a lobbyist who is practically an institution at the State Capitol, is running as an Independent. Kidd led all of his opponents with 44 percent of the vote. The seat was perviously held by former State Representative Bobby Parham , who resigned earlier this year to serve on the Board of the Georgia Department of Transportation. Black, a Democrat, owns a flooring company in Baldwin County, and Kidd is running to be the fourth generation in his family to serve in the Georgia General Assembly.

State House District 159: Former State Rep. Anne Purcell won in convincing fashion with 79.2 percent of the vote. Purcell lost her former seat in the primary to Rep. Buddy Carter five years ago. Purcell, running as a Republican, will once again represent constituents in west Chatham and south Effingham Counties. Purcell is a 14-year veteran of the State House.

Unemployment Numbers Helped in GA by Federal Stimulus in Georgia

The last several months have seen a great deal of diverse opinions about the stimulus package and its effect on the increasing unemployment rate around the United States. This week, Walter Jones , with Morris News Service, reported that the $702 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), better known simply as the stimulus package, that Georgia has spent to date has actually saved more jobs than expected, the majority of which are in the public sector. On October 15, the state offered its first "Section 1512" progress report on the stimulus dollars in Georgia, and indicated that the vast majority of the dollars spent to date have gone to stabilize the state's shattered budget, preserving nearly 13,000 jobs in public safety and education. According to Sid Johnson , director of stimulus accountability in Georgia, one area that is likely to create more jobs in the future is transportation. That industry has only seen approximately 400 jobs created to date, although that number is expected to increase. A table showing the breakdown of the exact jobs preserved and created can be found on the Augusta Chronicle's website.

Georgia is slated to receive a total of $6.5 billion in federal stimulus dollars within the next few years.

Governor Sonny Perdue Recommends Allen Barnes for EPD Director

Recently we reported that sitting Director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division Dr. Carol Couch would be leaving to take a post at the University of Georgia. Governor Sonny Perdue recommended Allen Barnes as her replacement, and he was approved unanimously last Wednesday by the Board of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Barnes formerly served as the Chief of Staff for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's eight-state Region Four. Prior to his service at EPA, Barnes was a law instructor at Mississippi State University.

Georgia Department of Transportation Gets New Board Member

Last week, the former Chairman of the Lumpkin County Commission, Steve Gooch, was elected to replace departing 9th District Board Member Steve Farrow, a Dalton-based attorney. Gooch will serve the remaining three years of Farrow's term.

...Players On A Stage...

Rick Thompson, the former Executive Director of the Georgia Ethics Commission, has announced that he is forming a strategic alliance with McKenna Long & Aldridge to provide consulting services on ethics and compliance issues. Josh Belinfante, a long serving member of Governor Sonny Perdue's legal team, is leaving the Governor's office for a position at RobbinsLaw LLC, a local law firm. Belinfante developed a solid reputation during the past couple of years, particularly through his work on the certificate-of-need issue, and finished his time at the Governor's office as Executive Counsel. Belinfante will be succeeded by Deputy Executive Counsel Nels Peterson. Peterson, a Harvard graduate, has served as Deputy Counsel in the Governor's office since 2008. Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Ryan Teague, a name familiar to many in Georgia politics, as Deputy Executive Counsel. Teague received his law degree from the University of Georgia and most recently served as General Counsel to Freedom's Watch Inc., an issue advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. At the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, former staffer for Senator Johnny Isakson Nick Pearson has left the chamber's government affairs team to take a position with the Tennessee Valley Authority. Don Bolia and Joe Young have formed a new partnership called Peachtree Government Affairs, LLC. Bolia and Young's new group will still be associated with their former firm, DLA Piper.

Weekly Calendar

November 7 (6 PM): Fundraiser for Rep. Doug Holt - 55 Kinloch Court, Covington, GA

November 10 (5-7 PM): Fundraiser for Brian Kemp for Secretary of State - The Georgian Club, Marietta, GA

November 10 (5-7 PM): Fundraiser for former Governor Roy Barnes - The Georgian Club, Marietta, GA

November 12 (9:30 AM-12:30 PM) Georgia Tech Research Institute/Technology Association of Georgia Legislative Roundtable - 250 14th St, Atlanta

November 16 (9:00 AM-3 PM) Sporting Clays Tournament for Rep. Donna Sheldon - Burge Plantation (44 Jeff Cook Road, Mansfield, GA)

November 16 (6:30-8 PM): Fundraiser for Rep. Ed Rynders - 790-A Oakland Road, Leesburg, GA

November 18 (5-7PM): Fundraiser for Rep. Margaret Kaiser & Rep. Elly Dobbs - Manuels Tavern, 602 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta, GA

November 19 (6-8 PM) Fundraiser for Rep. Glenn Baker - 2361 Forest Drive, Jonesboro, GA

November 19 (6:30-8:30 PM) Fundraiser for Rep. Ben Harbin - 8221 Nesbit Ferry Road, Atlanta

November 19 (10 AM-12 PM) Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission Monthly Meeting - 216 State Capitol

November 20 (7 AM-9 AM): ARC State of the Region Breakfast - Georgia World Congress Center

Today in History

November 6, 1789: Pope Pius VI appoints Father John Carroll as the first Catholic Bishop of the United States.

November 6, 1861: Jefferson Davis is elected the President of the Confederate States of America.

November 6, 1934: Memphis, Tenn., becomes the first major city to join the Tennessee Valley Authority.

November 6, 1944: Plutonium is first produced at the Hanford Atomic Facility, and is then used in the Fat Boy atomic bomb that the United States dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

November 6, 1947: Meet The Press makes its television debut.

November 6, 1985: The Iran-Contra Affair reveals that President Ronald Reagan authorized the shipment of arms to Iran.

Have a great weekend,

SM

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