– May 25, 2022 –
Drawing the line
Democrat Patty Durand was running for the District 2 Public Service Commission seat when the district moved away from her. Republican state lawmakers, with help from several PSC commissioners, redrew the lines of the district in March, cutting out Gwinnett and its nearly 1 million citizens, including Durand. The clean energy advocate and vocal critic of Plant Vogtle moved to Rockdale County that weekend. But on the eve of this week’s primary, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger disqualified her, saying she hadn’t met the one year residency requirement to run for the seat. A Fulton Superior Court judge issued a stay on Tuesday morning, returning Durand to the ballot before noon. Next up will be appeals of her candidacy to be heard in June. If she prevails, the attempt to disqualify her may backfire into a free media boost.
For updated results from Tuesday’s primary elections, check out the roundup and stories on The Current.
Space(port) suits and hats
Conservation groups are suing the Federal Aviation Administration to force it to revoke the spaceport operator’s license issued to Camden last December. Attorneys for One Hundred Miles and the National Parks Conservation Association contend the FAA failed to follow its own regulations and four federal laws in issuing the license. Residents of Little Cumberland and lovers of Cumberland Island National Seashore say Spaceport Camden is too close for the safety of the island and its people. Among the more jaw-dropping passages in the filing is a quote from an FAA official indicating Spaceport Camden would not make money launching rockets. “Some spaceports just want to sell hats and t-shirts,” the now retired official told representatives of Little Cumberland.
First Amendment Clinic weighs in
Speaking of Spaceport Camden, the University of Georgia First Amendment Clinic along with several Camden residents filed a friend of the court brief last week in support of the spaceport referendum and its anti-spaceport outcome, which the county is challenging at the state Supreme Court. The clinic “defends and advances expressive freedoms, including freedom of speech and the right to petition.” In its brief, the clinic writes that “the Georgia Constitution’s county-level referendum power is one the people have explicitly reserved for themselves. And it serves as an essential direct-democracy ‘check’ on decisions made by
elected county commissioners that are contrary to the will of the people who put them in office.”
25 years of a sustainable coast
The Center for a Sustainable Coast is celebrating its 25th anniversary from 2-5 p.m. on June 4 with a gathering at Melon Bluff, 5836 Islands Highway in Liberty County. Janisse Ray, author of “Ecology of a Cracker Childhood” and a member of the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame, is the guest speaker. Registration is free, with a suggested donation of $30 per person. The nonprofit defines its purpose as improving “the responsible use, protection, and conservation of coastal Georgia’s resources – natural, historic, and economic.”
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Last minute election snafu in Georgia’s public service commissioner race
Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State disqualified PSC candidate Patty Durand hours before Tuesday’s primary. She claims she’s a victim of partisan politics.
Conservation groups sue FAA to revoke Spaceport Camden license
An 84-page complaint accuses FAA of sloppy decision making and lack of transparency.
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