Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Good Morning! In the news today, the clock winds down on the board of directors of the Chatham Area Transit Authority; there’s another hat in the ring for Coastal Georgia’s congressional seat; possible lessons from Georgia’s alternative to Medicaid; and some things you may have missed. Questions, comments, or story ideas? You can reach me at craig.thecurrent@gmail.com
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NEWS: COMMUNITY TRANSIT
Winding down
The clock’s winding down on the Chatham Area Transit Authority’s current board of directors.
Under a measure finally signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp last week, the nine members of the current board must vacate their seats by June 30. A new, 11-member board will replace it the following day.
A draft letter now circulating among members of the area’s legislative delegation to Atlanta will thank those sitting on the current board for their service, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the delegation’s deliberations. The delegation is already discussing possible appointees, the person said.
The new law overhauling the turmoil-ridden CAT board mandated by the new law, House Bill 756, weakens the grip of the Chatham County Commission and its chairman, Chester Ellis, on the board. At the same time, it calls for additional and more varied voices on the board, The Current’s Craig Nelson reports.
Deidrick Cody, chair of the CAT board, earlier this month described the new law as “ludicrous.” State Rep. Edna Jackson, a Savannah Democrat who spearheaded the bill through the General Assembly, defended it: “We needed to bring some stability because CAT is too important to the residents of Savannah and Chatham County.”
NEWS: POLITICS
‘Authentic candidate’
Casting himself as a genuine American conservative, Chatham County Commissioner Patrick Farrell is signaling that he plans to enter the race for Coastal Georgia’s seat in U.S. Congress.
“I’m the authentic candidate for this position,” Farrell told the Tybee Island Republican Committee, newly renamed One Tybee, on Sunday. With that self-portrait, he likened himself to the seat’s current resident, Earl “Buddy” Carter, who earlier this month announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate and attended the meeting.
“Most people are not as authentic as Buddy is, and I’m that guy — what you see is what you get,” Farrell told the gathering of some 60 people at a meeting hall at Tybee’s Memorial Park. “I’ve lived the same life as everybody in this room just about, and I’m the authentic candidate for this position.”
Farrell, first elected to the commission’s District 4 seat in 2004, says he’ll make a formal announcement of his candidacy next month. But Sunday, while about 25 area residents outside the meeting hall quietly protested Trump administration policies in general and Carter’s support for them in particular, it appeared a foregone conclusion, The Current’s Craig Nelson reports.
INVESTIGATION: HEALTH CARE
‘Done with it’
With Republican lawmakers in Washington set to institute a work requirement for access to Medicaid, attention has naturally turned to Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp launched such a program nearly two years ago.
The view isn’t flattering, The Current’s Margaret Coker and ProPublica write following a monthslong investigation into Georgia’s alternative to the federal health care program for low-income people, families and children, pregnant people, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
Case in point: With few Georgians signing up to the program, Georgia Pathways to Coverage, the Kemp administration in July 2024 awarded Deloitte Consulting a $10.7 million marketing contract to boost enrollment. The firm placed television ads during NFL broadcasts and morning talk shows, and distributed brochures and Pathways-branded merchandise.
The result? When Deloitte’s publicity campaign ended some seven months later, enrollment had increased by less than 1% from less than 2% of those Georgians eligible, according to Coker and ProPublica.
That isn’t all. the P.R. campaign showcased 54-year-old Luke Seaborn of rural Jackson County, 60 miles northeast of Atlanta. Jackson extolled Pathways as “great program that offers health insurance to low-income professionals like myself.”
Since the release of that video testimonial, however, Seaborn’s benefits have been canceled twice due to bureaucratic red tape, Coker and ProPublica found.
NEWS: UPDATES
ICYMI
- U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock says 42,000 Georgia jobs are at risk under the GOP budget bill.
- Coastal Georgia Democracy plans a forum for candidates for the Georgia Public Service Commission, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at the Coastal Georgia Center in Savannah.
- Following the death of Savannah Pride Center volunteer Chris Fentress, the center has announced a new partnership with the Savannah Police Department and the new LGBTQ+ liaison program.
- President Trump’s political team commissioned a poll that showed Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene losing a potential race for Senate in Georgia by double-digits, and the president shared the results with Greene in a bid to discourage her from running in 2026.
- The House Republican budget proposal would devote $5 billion to federal vouchers for private-school tuition, home-schooling materials and for-profit virtual learning.
- Steve Bannon to headline Friday evening dinner at state GOP convention in Dalton June 6-7.
- Trump berates Walmart over its decision over its decision to raise prices due to the administration’s trade war. “Eat the tariffs,” he says.
- House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) appoints State Reps. Al Williams (D-Midway), Rick Townsend (R-Brunswick), and Lehman Franklin (R-Statesboro) to various study committees. Notably, Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) is appointed to three: the costs and effects of smoking, Georgia investment funds, and gaming.
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New law curbs Chatham County Commission’s influence as CAT board deadline nears
The Chatham Area Transit Authority’s board of directors must vacate their seats by June 30 due to a new law signed by Gov. Brian Kemp, which calls for a new 11-member board to replace the current one.
Chatham County commissioner eyes Coastal Georgia’s congressional seat
Patrick Farrell, a Chatham County Commissioner, announced his intention to run for Coastal Georgia’s seat in U.S. Congress as a genuine American conservative, citing his ability to balance budgets, make payrolls, and feed his family and community.
The gender gap in math is back. The pandemic isn’t the only reason.
Girls’ performance in math test scores and algebra enrollment has declined since the pandemic, with fewer girls taking algebra and a widening gender gap in math scores, according to a new analysis from the testing and research organization NWEA.
Georgia’s election maps under federal review for racial bias, vote dilution
The outcome could influence the next elections, and it could inform future courts about how to interpret the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits race-based discrimination.
Georgia Senate leader Steve Gooch runs for lieutenant governor, vows bold leadership
Georgia Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in the 2026 election.
No tax on tips, child tax credit and business tax cuts survive in big House GOP bill
House Republicans passed a bill to permanently extend the 2017 tax law, including no tax on tips, no tax on car loan interest, and an extra $4,000 tax break for senior citizens, while also raising the cap on state and local taxes, though it still does not meet the demands of lawmakers representing highly taxed states.
U.S. House panel passes GOP plan that cuts Medicaid by $625B, adds work requirement
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House panel in charge of overhauling Medicaid by cutting hundreds of billions in federal spending wrapped up debate on its bill Wednesday, following a 25-hour session. This story also appeared in Georgia Recorder The Energy and Commerce Committee voted 30-24 along party lines to sign off on the legislation, sending it to the Budget panel, which is expected to bundle it together […]
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