Coast Left Out of Top Legislature Seats

Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024

Good morning! Today we look at preparations for the upcoming session of Georgia’s legislature, including a discussion about legislative agendas between state lawmakers and the Chatham County Commission. We conclude with the already feverish local speculation about the downstream implications of Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election. Questions, comments, or story ideas? You can reach me at craig.thecurrent@gmail.com

---

NEWS:GEORGIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Gearing up

The leadership contests for the Republican and Democratic caucuses in the state legislature are over and by our count, only one of the 24 posts up for grabs was won by a Coastal Georgian. Jon Burns, a Republican from Newington, was reelected to the powerful post of speaker of the House.

The General Assembly is set to convene a new session on Jan. 13, with Republicans again in the majority, holding a 20-seat advantage in the House and a 10-seat edge in the Senate. In the elections earlier this month, Democrats gained no seats in the 66-member Senate and only two in the 180-member House.

Gov. Brian Kemp hasn’t yet scheduled his state-of-the-state address, in which the governor typically sets forth his legislative priorities. (You can find his last year’s address here.) But he is expected to speak at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s popular eggs & issues breakfast, scheduled for Jan. 14.

For more information about the Senate Republican leadership race click here; for the House Republican leadership race, click here; for the Senate Democratic race, click here; and House Democratic race, click here.

A week after the state legislature gets its new session underway, Donald Trump is scheduled to be sworn in for a second term as president. For information on tickets to attend the swearing-in in Washington, contact Buddy Carter’s office here.

---

NEWS: ENVIRONMENT

‘Water problem’

Water — who controls it, how to treat it, how to allocate it — is in the spotlight as Chatham County’s population booms.

The establishment of a regional water authority to address water-related issues was just one of the measures recommended last evening by the Chatham County Commission during a meeting with local lawmakers to discuss the county’s legislative priorities for the upcoming session of the Georgia General Assembly, which starts Jan. 13.

Leading calls for the creation of a water authority was commission chair Chester Ellis, who said the “water problem” had become the subject of extensive speculation that must be addressed regionally.

“It isn’t just about Savannah controlling the water,” added District 6 commissioner Aaron “Adot” Whitely, spelling out the challenges of extending water and sewage lines throughout the county and increased tapping fees in unincorporated Chatham County.  

Rep. Ron Stephens (R-District 164) welcomed the idea of regional water authority, saying the framework for such an agency already existed. Creating it, however, would require a push from Gov. Brian Kemp, he added.

Stephens, along with Sen. Ben Watson (R-District 1), fielded the commission’s comments and recommendations.

Absent were Sen. Derek Mallow (D-District 2) and Reps. Carl Gilliard (D-District 162), Anne Allen Westbrook (D-District 163), Edna Jackson (D-District 165), and Jesse Petrea (R-District 166). (Westbrook and Jackson were attending a Garden City council meeting.)

Commissioners Patrick Farrell (R-District 4) and Dean Kicklighter (R-District 7) also weren’t present.  

---

ANALYSIS: POLITICS

Dominoes and chessboards

Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election has had cascading effects on the futures of many politicians, right down to those in Coastal Georgia. Even if they’re not publicly addressing the obvious questions, we are. So, let’s play:

With his victory, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance becomes the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028. Where does that leave Georgia governor and Trump antagonist Brian Kemp, widely touted as a potential candidate?

Does the term-limited governor take on Vance for the GOP nomination and try to redirect the party back to his brand of Republicanism or challenge Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026?

If Kemp runs for the U.S. Senate against Ossoff, where does that leave Coastal Georgia’s congressman, Buddy Carter?

Carter has expressed an interest running for one of Georgia’s two Senate seats, saying in a television interview in May that “there’s no question in my mind that the state of Georgia should not be represented by Democratic senators.”

Does Carter, a Trump loyalist, throw his hat in the ring for Ossoff’s seat, even if it means running against the formidable Kemp? Or does he wait for 2028, when Savannah’s own Raphael Warnock is up for reelection for a second term?

In either case, an open race for Coastal Georgia’s seat in Congress would unleash a stampede of possible successors, starting with state Rep. Jesse Petrea (Savannah) and state Sen. Ben Watson (Savannah).

Trump’s election to a second term in the Oval Office also means Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, once rumored for a high-level job in a Harris administration, is likely to stick around in his job — at least until 2026, when he may be lured into any open race for Carter’s seat.

Whatever the case, it doesn’t appear that Johnson will be departing for a job in Washington soon. And that — at least temporarily — puts a damper on the mayoral ambitions of Savannah alderwoman Carol Bell (Post 1, at large) and council colleague Estella Shabazz (District 5).

---

We want to meet your friends! If you like this newsletter be sure to share it.

---

---

We want to meet your friends! If you like this newsletter be sure to share it.

Support independent, solutions-based investigative journalism without bias, fear or favor on issues affecting Savannah and Coastal Georgia.

---