Chatham Revisits Bid Process

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Good morning!  In the news today, a U.S. House of Representatives committee weighs a proposal that would makes the federal government’s Medicaid program look a lot like Georgia’s; 1^st District U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter makes first public appearance in Coastal Georgia since announcing U.S. Senate run; and a vote on Chatham County’s much-needed emergency operations center is shelved. Questions, comments, or story ideas? You can reach me at craig.thecurrent@gmail.com.

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NEWS: GOVERNING

Copying Georgia

Georgia currently has the nation’s only Medicaid work requirement program, but draft legislation set to be debated in the U.S. House of Representatives today could make that policy a law for tens of millions of other Americans.

The bill, rolled out by the House Energy & Commerce Committee, aims to cut hundreds of billions of dollars in federally subsidized health care for impoverished people as part of the current federal budget process.

Coastal Georgia Congressman Buddy Carter, a Republican from St. Simons, sits on the committee and chairs its health subcommittee.

At the same time, the Republican-led Congress wants to make permanent tax cuts favored by President Donald Trump that benefit wealthier Americans. The Current’s editor-in-chief, Margaret Coker, sorts out some of the details and implications.

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NEWS: POLITICS

Name recognition

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter made his first public appearance in Coastal Georgia as a U.S. Senate candidate on Monday, telling an audience of Republican women that he is the “MAGA warrior” best positioned to defeat Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff next year.

Carter urged the Golden Isles Republican Women’s Club to spread word of his candidacy — an apparent acknowledgement that statewide name recognition may be one of the six-term congressman’s biggest obstacles to winning to the Republican bid to run against Ossoff. 

“We need all the votes we can get. Please talk to the people you have throughout the state, a friend, a family member. We need their help. We need your help,” the six-term congressman from St. Simons told a luncheon audience of some 60 people gathered on the island, The Current’s Jabari Gibbs reports.

To boost his name recognition across the state, Carter has launched a $2.3 million ad campaign and intends to commit at least eight figures to the race, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

As for putting some of his own money into the campaign, the multimillionaire Carter told the Journal-Constitution, “We’re prepared to do what it takes.”

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NEWS: POLITICS

Sharp elbows

After announcing last week that he won’t run in next year’s U.S. Senate race, Brian Kemp went out of his way to make it clear he has no intention of coasting through his remaining 19 months as governor.

“Just because my name’s not going to be on the ballot, that doesn’t mean that I won’t be on the political playing field,” Georgia’s two-term governor told reporters.

Kemp did not have to spell out what he meant to both Republicans and Democrats, especially by GOP candidates in next year’s primaries and the 2028 presidential election: Look out for sharp elbows — mine.

In ways large and small, the governor has made that abundantly clear. Case in point: a measure shepherded by state Rep. Edna Jackson of Savannah that Kemp didn’t sign at a recent bill-signing ceremony at the Savannah Convention Center, The Current’s Craig Nelson writes.

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NEWS: GOVERNING

‘A first’

The process to build the long-awaited Chatham emergency operations center continues to raise transparency and fiscal concerns after Chairman Chester Ellis quietly shelved a vote on a $78 million contract last week. 

Ellis nixed the vote for the Multi-Agency Public Safety Facility (MAPSF) with little fanfare on the eve of Friday’s regularly scheduled county commission meeting. After the meeting, consulting firms hired by Chatham County gave a non-scheduled presentation to commissioners pushing them to vote for a contractor that was not the lowest or a local bidder, writes The Current’s public safety reporter, Jake Shore.

The presentation was not included in any public agenda, packet or video of the meeting.

“In my 20 years of service, this is a first for the county,” District 4 Commissioner Pat Farrell said. The presentation asked commissioners to consider “best value” rather than lowest cost in selecting a contractor.

Farrell said every other county project has focused on selecting the most qualified contractor with the best savings for taxpayers.

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