– July 2, 2024 –
Good morning! We start today with a look at the ethics troubles of state Rep. Carl Gilliard (D-Savannah). We then look at reactions to last week’s Biden-Trump debate. Finally, we look at some state laws that went into effect on Monday and political news affecting Coastal Georgia that you may have missed. Questions, comments, or story ideas? You can reach me at craig.thecurrent@gmail.com
ANALYSIS: GOVERNING
‘Egregious’ ethics violations
Carl Gilliard is a renowned political figure in Savannah and Coastal Georgia, known for a lifetime of efforts on behalf of the poor, hungry and mistreated, whether as a pastor of the Miracle Life Christian Center or as a three-term Democratic lawmaker from Garden City representing District 162.
Following an 18-month investigation by Georgia’s ethics commission, the 60-year-old Gilliard now is also an ethically tarnished figure.
The commission found Gilliard at fault for “egregious” violations of Georgia’s campaign finance laws. He used tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions for his personal use and failed to file nine campaign and personal finance reports between 2020 and 2023, according to a consent order agreed upon between Gilliard and the commission, The Current’s Craig Nelson reports.
Following an investigation that left crucial questions unanswered — including who else besides Gilliard may have had access to his campaign coffers — he agreed to a $17,000 fine, which the commission allowed him to pay with campaign contributions. He also agreed to reimburse thousands of dollars to his campaign fund by the end of 2025.
How much of a political price, if any, Gilliard, who also serves as chair of Georgia’s Black Legislative Caucus, will pay at the ballot box remains to be seen. He faces Republican Keith Padgett in November in his bid for a fourth term.
NEWS: ELECTIONS
Joy and anguish
In the wake of last week’s debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Coastal Georgia Republicans rejoiced and Democrats agonized.
Coastal Georgia Congressman Earl “Buddy” Carter called Biden’s performance “pitiful” and “embarrassing.” Trump “did well,” Carter said, with the debate format serving to keep the former president’s “temperament” in check.
Meanwhile, the Chatham County GOP lambasted those Democrats and media who have “propped up” the 81-year-old Biden. Kandiss Taylor, chair of the 1st District Republican Committee, said longstanding claims by her and other Republicans that Biden was unfit for office were vindicated.
The editorial board for The New York Times urged Biden to leave office to save American democracy. A day later, the editorial board of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution did the same thing. The newspaper’s president and publisher, Andrew Morse, defended the move yesterday, saying Biden, as an “honorable man,” was more likely to step aside, while the convicted Trump, who isn’t “honorable,” would not.
U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock of Savannah played down the fretting among Democrats, saying on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that if Democrats “weren’t engaged in a little hand-wringing, they wouldn’t be Democrats.”
All told, as Republicans cross their fingers that the wounded Biden stays in the race, last week’s debate is certain to be remembered not for what was said but how it was said. For fact checks on both of the debaters, click here, here, and here.
NEWS: GOVERNING
Purging voter rolls
Many laws passed by the Georgia legislature and signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp came into force yesterday, the start of the new fiscal year.
Among those new laws were measures that allow sweeping challenges to the state’s voter rolls. But as The Current’s Brianna Leonard reports, a Chatham County resident, Helen Strahl, last week got a jump on the introduction of new law.
At a regularly scheduled meeting of the county’s Board of Registrars on Wednesday, Strahl submitted the names of nearly 900 people she said should be struck from the voter rolls. The board granted 641 challenges and is currently assessing the others. How Strahl compiled the list wasn’t clear.
The voter challenges in Chatham appear to be part of an organized effort across the state ahead of the November elections to prevent a repeat of what many Georgia Republicans believe was a fraudulent vote count that denied former President Donald Trump a victory in Georgia in 2020.
NEWS
ICYMI
A poll shows strong opposition to mining near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
NBC’s Jonathan Allen calls Monday’s Supreme Court 6-3 ruling on presidential immunity a “near-total victory” for Donald Trump. Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the ruling was a “mockery of the principle” that no one is above the law. “With fear for our democracy, I dissent,” she said.
The family of hospitalized Chatham County Sheriff John Wilcher says he’s “well on the road to recovery and continues to improve every day.” No word of any change in his plans to seek reelection in November.
State Rep. Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah) calls President Biden’s recent executive order on immigration a political stunt and says U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff recent visit to the U.S.-Mexican border is an attempt to “fool Georgians.”
Pooler Mayor Karen Williams hails the decision by the Chatham County Board of Registrars approval of Pooler City Hall as an early voting location for this fall’s general election.
“Way too many women die just trying to bring a baby in the world,” says U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, following a meeting with officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to underline push for increased federal funds to address maternal and infant health.
“None of us . . . want to see any right whales injured, much less killed, for one reason or another,” said James McCurry, Jr., chief administrative officer of the Georgia Ports Authority, in response to a question by U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter during a House subcommittee hearing last week. But proposed speed limits on vessels to protect the whales would result in “supply-chain delays that probably exceed those that we saw during the pandemic,” McCurry said.
The U.S. Supreme Court clears the way for cities to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside in public places.
DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, the author of “James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia: A Founder’s Journey from Slave Trader to Abolitionist,” along with Mayor Van Johnson, tell an audience of Savannahians that a reassessment of Savannah’s founder — and a fitting monument — are past due.
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Bolstered by new Georgia law, woman challenges around 900 voter registrations in Chatham County
A woman has challenged the validity of nearly 900 voters after Georgia Lawmakers pass a law changing the way voters’ registration can be challenged.
State ethics board: Rep. Gilliard made ‘egregious’ campaign spending violations
Gilliard’s case shows a yearslong pattern of spending violations on questionable items and provides ammunition to Gilliard’s political opponent this fall as he seeks a fourth full term in the House.
Yamacraw residents wait as Savannah housing area continues to deteriorate
Four years ago, Savannah authorities decided to tear down Yamacraw Village in the city’s oldest downtown Black neighborhood. Today, amid bureaucratic delays, residents face worse living conditions.
Bulloch OKs Hyundai-related water agreements despite public concerns
Bulloch County Commissioners approved agreements between Bulloch and Bryan counties to provide water and sewer services and a well mitigation fund program.
For migrants in Georgia, fighting deportation will become harder. Here’s why.
Earlier this month, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal and advocacy group, announced it will be unwindingan initiative that has been providing legal assistance to detained migrants in Georgia since 2017.
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