City of Atlanta Mayor’s Election

While many of the 9 announced candidates for Mayor have commissioned their own polls, 11Alive just released a poll showing a large part of the electorate undecided (40%) at this stage, and the November 2nd election likely headed to a runoff if no candidate secures 50+% of the vote. Former Mayor Kasim Reed leads the poll with 17% support, City Council President Felicia Moore at 11% and the rest of the candidates bunched up in the high single digits, according to this poll. Digging into the poll, 76% of those polled say crime is the major factor in the race, with Reed leading on that question. Additionally, 65% of likely voters say a candidate facing investigation for alleged campaign violations would be a major factor in their vote, and the AJC continues a daily dive into the pending investigation of Reed’s use of campaign funds.

Continuing on the theme of rising crime in the metro Atlanta area, Governor Kemp testified in a Georgia House Public Safety Committee meeting last week, saying he is willing to add public safety measures to the agenda of the General Assembly’s redistricting session later this year. House Speaker David Ralston has expressed his desire to see another $3 million in additional law enforcement resources to help fight crime in Atlanta. We expect future hearings and policy solutions to address the spike in crime, no matter who is elected the next Mayor of Atlanta.

Governor Kemp announced a number of high-profile appointments, including a seat on the Georgia Supreme Court and one on the Public Service Commission. Governor Kemp appointed Kimberly A. Alexander to the Dekalb County State Court, Chaundra Lewis to the Henry County State Court, Rhonda Kreuziger to the Superior Court in the Griffin Judicial Circuit, Chuck Eaton to the Superior Court in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit, Andrew Pinson to the Court of Appeals, and Verda M. Colvin to the Supreme Court. He also selected Fitz Johnson to serve on the Public Service Commission Justice Colvin is the first African American woman to receive an appointment to the Supreme Court of Georgia by a Republican Governor and was previously the first African American woman appointed to the Court of Appeals by a Republican Governor. Commissioner Johnson is the first African-American Republican to serve on the PSC. With the judicial appointment of Chuck Eaton, Tricia Pridemore became the first woman elected by her colleagues to serve as PSC Chair.

New House Majority Whip Elected

At the House GOP Caucus retreat held last weekend at Jekyll Island, Rep. Matt Hatchett was elected the new Whip, defeating Rep. Barry Fleming, who served in this role during former Speaker Richardson’s tenure. This vacancy was created with the leadership resignation of Rep. Trey Kelley. Our firm enjoys a great relationship with Rep. Hatchett and know he will do a great job managing the flow of legislation on the House floor. Rep. Hatchett previously served as House Caucus Chairman, raising record amounts of campaign resources to support candidates and caucus members. The position of House Caucus Chairman was not voted on at the retreat and remains open at this time.

Election Reform

Georgia continues to be in the national spotlight as it relates to election reform, with the U.S. Senate Rules Committee field hearing held in Atlanta last Monday, where national Democrats accused Georgia Republicans of specifically targeting certain populations by making it harder for them to vote. This accusation will play out in the federal courts as we have previously highlighted, with various third party groups suing the state and now a US DOJ lawsuit. While many have focused on the election reform legislation, Republicans are pointing to another law sponsored by Republican State Senator Brian Strickland of McDonough and supported by almost every single Republican in the General Assembly, and signed into law by Republican Governor Brian Kemp. By setting up the possibility of qualifying for a shorter term of probation, thousands of Georgians will also earn back the ability to vote, with their debt to society paid in full. This issue is actually being brought up by Governor Kemp’s GOP primary opponent as allowing too many new voters access to the polls. Georgia Republicans continue to push back, highlighting recent policies such as automatic voter registration at the drivers license office, online voter registration, up to 17 days of early voting and other measures that have resulted in voter participation growing by 2.5 million in a decade while our population grew by just 1 million.

Georgia’s Economy

This week marked the 14th straight month of decline in our state’s unemployment rate. Over the last month Georgia’s unemployment rate dropped from 4.1 percent to 4.0 percent, while the national average is 5.9 percent. This means Georgia has the lowest unemployment rate of the ten most populous states in the nation.

The Georgia Lottery announced that it finished last year with a record $1.54 billion in profits. This is great news for the HOPE scholarship and Georgia Pre-K, programs funded as a result of the success of the Georgia Lottery.

Gov. Kemp and the Department of Economic Development announced a new initiative this week to accelerate the development of the electric mobility industry and solidify our state’s position as a national and global leader in this area. This initiative will create the Electric Mobility and Innovation Alliance (EMIA), which will oversee five task forces focused on: Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Workforce, Innovation, and Policy/Initiatives. With the arrival of SK Innovation, TEKLAS, and Heliox among others, Georgia has become a force to be reckoned with, and EMIA will make sure we reap the full rewards and advantages of our partnership with this industry.

Porsche just opened its first US first freestanding service center in Atlanta. This marks the beginning of their plan to develop a multi-million dollar 22,000 square foot facility. Construction began last year and the facility is expected to fully open in 2022. Coupled with a new JM Family facility, a $90M investment in Jackson County, the automobile industry continues to thrive.

Georgia’s COVID Efforts

U.S. COVID-19 vaccine tracker: See your state’s progress – Mayo Clinic

Georgia’s vaccination rate doubled this week compared to last, as the new Delta variant causes increases in positive COVID-19 cases. As of the end of this week, 45.1% of Georgians have received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 38% are fully vaccinated. Gov Kemp encouraged Georgians this week to look at the rise in cases and, if they still have questions about the necessity or safety of the vaccine, to consult their trusted medical professional and get vaccinated. With changing guidance from the CDC on mask usage, Savannah became the first major Georgia city to re-institute a mask mandate. We will be monitoring if other cities follow this move, and the new CDC guidance may change k12 schools who currently have varied policies for mask usage in preparation for mid-August start dates.

Also on the health front, we wanted to end on some very uplifting news: State Sen. John Albers and his son, Will, are recovering following a kidney transplant. Will is a great young man who suddenly became ill recently, and the ultimate cause of the illness was kidney failure. His dad turned out to be a match, and John donated one of his kidneys to his son. It has been a heck of a year for Sen. Albers, who was targeted by the Lincoln Project, incorrectly I might add, for supporting an election reform bill he did not, leading to the loss of his CIO job at a national law firm. He has since found a new leadership position, has shown what true family leadership and love really mean, and we wish Will and John a quick recovery.