Classic Cherokee Politics

From the local Patch.com, "Advocacy Group Shines Spotlight On Carolyn Cosby's Finances."  Read it:

patch.com/georgia/canton-ga/advocacy-group-shines-spotlight-carolyn-cosbys-finances

Cosby's on the ballot

Carolyn Cosby's petition has been validated by the Cherokee board of elections, and she's on the ballot for the November election, even though she acted like a petulant child prior to this news. 

Cherokee Elections Supervisor Fire, Under Investigation for Fraud

It will be interesting to see the results of the investigation:  http://woodstock.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/fired-elections-supervisor-under-investigation-for-fraud68256

MORE ethics charges for Cosby

Submitted without comment:  http://woodstock.patch.com/groups/elections/p/another-ethics-charge-filed-against-carolyn-cosby13660757

Carolyn Cosby says she'll run for County Commission Chair

Christian dominionist and anti-gay demagogue Carolyn Cosby has announced that she will run as an Independent candidate for the County Commision Chair position.  This will require almost 7,000 signatures to get ballot access.  We suppose since she pulled in almost 40,000 signatures statewide for her unregistered and likely illegal committee to purportedly "nullify" Obamacare, she thinks she can pull in 7,000 signatures in Cherokee.

It's hard to say around here.  There are many sociopaths in Cherokee county, and they tend to vote for people just like them.

UPDATE:  One reader asked:  "If Cosby owes ethics fines to the state of Georgia, how can she run for office?"  ANSWER:  Cosby does not yet owe fines, as the case has not been decided, due to the incompetence and gross understaffing at the state "ethics" commission, or what seems to pass for one.

UPDATE 2:  We've seen threats that if a Republican officer provides support to the independent Cosby, they may be removed from their office or thrown out of the party. 

UPDATE 3:  Cosby's been seen soliciting signatures at the Canton Post Office, which it appears is a federal offense.  No idea of the status or if law enforcement was involved.

Election Reflection

It would seem that the Cherokee demagogues have taken a hit in local elections.  They were summarily rejected in all local Board of Education races, and beat back a challenge to the chair position for the county commission.  There was one turnover so far on the commission - Harry Johnston was beat by newcomer Steve West.  One runoff is pending for the commission district 4; one of the two candidates is certifiable.

There will be a runoff in State House District 23, between the education candidate and the religion candidate.  This will be a telling race; they have tossed libertarian Sam Moore out.

Probably the most chilling race is for U.S. House Rep. for Congressional District 11.  Theocrat Barry Loudermilk faces off against a returning Bob Barr.  While Loudermilk will likely be just as ineffective and bumbling a legislator at the federal level, Barr, as repellent as we believe him to be, is certainly the better politician and has something to show in his resume.

Cosby's independent committee

To attack Ahrens and Johnston, our resident anti-gay marauder and Christian reconstructionist Carolyn Cosby, has created a state Independent Committee:

http://media.ethics.ga.gov/search/Campaign/Campaign_Name.aspx?NameID=21496&FilerID=NC2014000026&Type=committee

We've heard that she's sending out lots of nasty flyers.  Don't think for a minute that Cherokee politics has changed.

Found one flyer.  UPDATE:  This one is for the unregistered Canton T.E.A. Party, and illegally endorses candidates.

Why Chip got fired...

Fox Atlanta:  "GPB fires Rogers for 'political activty' and 'outside' job"

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/25397010/gpb-fired-rogers-for-political-activity-and-outside-job#axzz30T9Q0D7M

"We also discussed...reports of your participation in political activities..."
"...we talked about the importance of communicating your involvement..."
"You were directed to get consent...you failed to comply."
"Your supervisors have discussed...importance of making your job...a priority."
"...you have performed personal businsess for another organization on company time."

Oh good

Republicans Kelly Marlow, Robert Trim and Barbara Knowles were found guilty.

Marlow's suspended from the school board, Knowles has resigned as Secretary for the CCRP, and who cares what happens to Trim?

And of course, Cherokee Republican, former school board member, and current candidate Mike Chapman blames Obama for everything (citing Jim Galloway's piece below):

“This is like the reddest part of Georgia. It’s blood red,” Chapman said. He blames President Barack Obama — for exacerbating the lines between Democrats and Republicans.

“They’ve created at the national level such divisiveness that if anybody — all the way down to your local school board — even slightly hints that they’re not following the party doctrine, they castrate you,” the school board veteran said.



Updates:
1.  Marlow has resigned from the school board.  A special election will be held.
http://woodstock.patch.com/groups/schools/p/kelly-marlow-resigns-from-cherokee-school-board

2.  Jim Galloway reprises the sordid affair:  "It is a case of hubris run amok."
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2014/04/30/in-cherokee-county-proof-that-the-truth-isnt-everything-you-imagine-it-to-be/

3.  The trio will be sentenced Thursday 5/1/2014,  at 9am.  "60 Days in the Hole"
http://woodstock.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/kelly-marlow-get-60-days-in-jail-10-years-probation68256

4.  Trim still listed on Grassroots Conservatives of Cherokee's Independent Committee; remains on the governing committee of the county GOP:
http://media.ethics.ga.gov/search/Campaign/Campaign_Name.aspx?NameID=847&FilerID=NC2006000206&Type=committee
  http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2014/05/01/senate-hopeful-derrick-grayson-has-rancher-cliven-bundys-back/

More blood

Politics in this county are bloody.

First, libertarian Sam Moore's spanking by (yet another) libertarian Scot Turner was laughable.  The entire bunch of yahoos who are the state delegation for our county has voted for (or against) legislation that  potentially had as bad an effect on the ability to protect our children as Moore's poorly-thought-out bill.  Moore just became the patsy.  And of course, Carolyn Cosby thinks that Moore is for "special gay rights."  Her hatred and fear of the LGBT community is legendary in Maine.  It will be interesting to see if Moore makes it out of the primary with Biello.

Then we've got the Tlacil-Williams last minute rejection of the school board debates.  Which moron suggested they do something like that?  And why would they listen to anyone who would make that recommendation? We hear that Tlacil went to batting practice rather than the debates.

Poor failed former candidate Dean Sheridan challenged Rick Steiner's eligibility to run, due to (wait for it) tax liens.  The Cherokee Tribune reports that:

During the hearing, Sheridan presented alleged county tax liens that the board couldn’t verify and Steiner said he had no knowledge of. The code section cited in Sheridan’s challenge was also revealed to be nonexistent.

Steiner was successful in clearing the way forward, meaning, once again, Dean failed.

S'mores

So, missed a few predictions, a few wins (like Turner / Caldwell Internet broadcast) and some are outstanding.  You must be especially proud and excited about Sam Moore, Cherokee county!  We shall see if his tenure is short-lived, and Biello takes the seat in the May primaries.  I'd suppose that in a non-special election, Moore won't take it, but am not willing to commit to a guess.  Frankly, since anti-gay (well, anti-everything) crusader and Christian reconstructionist Carolyn Cosby has come out against Moore, that would tend to bring favor to Moore.

This blog still holds that the theocrat from Bartow county, Barry Loudermilk, will take the HD 11 Congressional race, but really don't have a clue on the U.S. Senate race.  Kingston is likely the strongest Republican, but he's got some intense competition from Democrat Nunn.  It's all about turnout here.

County chair Ahrens and commissioner Johnston are probably "safe," if anything is in Cherokee, but the school board will probably be taken over by the fundamentalist terrorist crowd.  With the "Concerned Women for America" pushing anti-standards bills at the state level, the religious right has education by the short hairs.  Expect prayers for Jesus in Cherokee schools soon. 

2014 Predictions

Now that we're in a new year, might as well take advantage of it.  So here's some (somewhat satirical) predictions:

1. Jeff Duncan will be elected to state house district 22, and will channel Calvin Hill.
2. Charges against Marlow and Knowles will be dropped because nobody really cares.  Trim will get a suspended 30-day sentence, and will leave the state to start an ashram in New Jersey.
3. The school board will get an elected Tea Party majority, whose first act will be to host a "liberty" book burning event to raise money for their members' legal defense funds.
4. Buzz Ahrens will continue to be Cherokee BOC Chair after his opponent accidentally votes for him.
5. Turner and Caldwell will start a live internet radio broadcast called "The Two Tequilas".  Jack Staver will arrange for Victoria Jackson to be their first guest.  Debbie Dooley will just show up.
6. Several Cherokee Tea Party activists will die after a major measles outbreak in the county due to widespread but completely irrational and unfounded vaccination fears.
7. Barry Loudermilk will take Congressional District 11 race and declare his district is an autonomous Christian Nation.
8. Paul Broun will commit suicide as a result of shame from his U.S. Senate loss, and end up in a pit of hell.
9. Nathan Deal will make the cover of Garden and Gun magazine.
10. Democrats will continue to be hopeful.

Back to the future

Admitting you're from Cherokee county can sometimes be embarrassing.  For well over a decade, there has been a palpable, negative force in this community's politics.  Yet, We the People have allowed the demagogues and ideologues to continue their invective.  This has provided a largely apathetic community of voters with exactly the effect that should be expected:  a small group of incompetent, self-serving nincompoops that disrupt the good work done by the majority of those who serve the public.  

To come back to the future, we see that Rogers and Jerguson are gone (for good, let's hope), the Election Board failed miserably with its decision on one commissioner (more in an upcoming post), there's a whole new crew of legislators to consider, and a fresh batch of nastiness from the ultra-far-right.

But by far the most interesting story is that of school board member Kelly Marlow.  She's gotten herself into quite a pickle with her tales, and Cherokee is back in the news again.

Marlow has been a divisive figure on the board, making claims of financial impropriety by the district, and has requested a SACS investigation.

The big news, though, came when Marlow and others made the statement to police that, after a contentious school board meeting, School Superintendent Dr. Frank Petruzielo tried to run them down with his vehicle.  Canton police investigated, and felt that the evidence they have was enough to charge them all with the felony of making false statements.  So they did just that, and issued warrants.  Marlow and her friends then proceeded to turn themselves in to law enforcement.

This has shattered the community into two broad camps:  one which insists on privatization of our schools, and the other which demands we protect the integrity of publicly-managed schools.

In the privatization crowd, there are the religious zealots and a more secular "choice" bunch.  While they are in the minority, they resort to loud, bombastic rhetoric to get their point across.  This is Marlow's support group.

The public school advocates - largely teachers and parents - have so far remained more fact-driven in their efforts and are a more monolithic group.  They have assembled a fairly impressive presence within Facebook, and had a good showing at a recent rally.  Many in this group have called for Marlow to resign.

The next school board meeting will be this coming Wednesday, July 24, 7PM, at Cherokee High School auditorium, 930 Marietta Hwy in Canton.  One can only imagine the histrionics to which we'll all be treated.

Let's allow Marlow and her gang to move through the process of justice now, without interference from outside agencies.  But if she is indicted, Marlow should do the right thing and resign, or be removed.  Let this community heal, once again.

The hotly contested races are over...

SD 21:  Chip Rogers over Brandon Beach
HD 20:  Michael Caldwell over Charlice Byrd
HD 21:  Sean Jerguson over Scot Turner
HD 23:  Mandi Ballinger

Sheriff:  Roger Garrison over David Waters
Tax Commissioner:  Sonya Little
BOE Chair:  Janet Read over Danny Dukes
BOE Post 1:  Kelly Marlow over Kyla Cromer
BOE Post 2:  Patsy Jordan over Kim Cochran

And a runoff for Jim Hubbard and (maybe?) Ray Gunnin

Ethics complaint filed against Chip Rogers

Fox 5 Atlanta investigative report Dale Russell has reported that their has been an ethics complaint filed against Chip Rogers.  Fox has a link up now to the video of the story:

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/19076546/ga-republican-senate-pac-questioned

Rogers consistent in support of kitchen sink approach to education

Chip Rogers has drawn the ire of voters after comments about his support for vouchers at a recent debate.  Support of a state-wide voucher system would likely not pass constitutional muster, highlights Rogers' disdain for public education and shows his wanton delight in forcing taxpayers to finance religious organizations.

What is left out of his rhetoric is any concrete plan - other than "kitchen sink" - to improve education.  There is no evidence that broadly supports his privatize and outsource approach, whether it's charters, vouchers or virtual academies. 

We need real leadership that has the political courage to look at what has worked - in the United States and worldwide.  Weak-kneed corporate lackeys who can only parrot their masters' "choice" rhetoric need not apply. 

Beach candidacy challenge tossed

Jim Galloway of the AJC reports that "Administrative law judge Ronit Walker has turned down a challenge to the candidacy of Republican Brandon Beach of Alpharetta, who is running against Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers of Woodstock."

Read more:  http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2012/07/12/judge-tosses-challenge-to-brandon-beach-candidacy/

No Surprise Here, Casino Chip

Chip Rogers has signaled that he would support casino gambling.  Well, why wouldn't someone who appears to have been intimately involved in the gambling world for decades be supportive?

And coverage from GPB:  http://www.gpb.org/news/2012/07/12/rogers-will-vote-yes-on-gambling

Chip Rogers flip-flops on T-Splost Support

Rogers voted for the legislation, but now doesn't support the T-Splost.  So what does Chip think needs to be done?

"Rogers said an alternative to the referendum needs to be more about roads and less about mass transit, which accounts for more than half of the current projects.

The General Assembly can authorize another referendum on a 1 cent sales tax for transportation in two years, he said."

Imagine that.  No road improvement for another two years.  No investment in transit, just laying down more asphalt.  Why is Rogers supportive of this position, when it stands in opposition to not only the governor, but many businesses?  Is this more about getting re-elected than doing the right thing for Cherokee and Georgia? 

Read more by clicking here (Cherokee Tribune).

Another robocall in the Cherokee School Board Chair race

There are some reports that a second robocall went out from an unknown source that was less than flattering to candidate Janet Read.  Word is that some of the calls had Read's own phone number in caller identification. 

Read has stated that she has requested AT&T investigate the issue...

More later.