Violence Reactions

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Good morning! We start today with some reaction in Coastal Georgia and beyond to the abominable weekend events in Butler, Pennsylvania. We then look at a lawsuit filed by a local conservative Republican activist against the Chatham County elections board. Finally, we turn to some property tax miscalculations in McIntosh County and call a few things to your attention. Questions, comments, or story ideas? You can reach me at craig.thecurrent@gmail.com

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NEWS: CAMPAIGNS

‘Better than this’

The response by Coastal Georgia lawmakers and political party officials to what federal officials have described as an attempted assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has been at once heartening and not.

Some appealed to the “better angels of our nature.” 1st District U.S. Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter urged prayers for Trump and other casualties of the gun attack and condemned political violence of any sort.

So did U.S. Senators John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, as well as Gov. Brian Kemp and Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, with Johnson describing himself as “devastated” by the attempt on Trump’s life. “Gun violence is unacceptable everywhere,” he said. “We are better than this.”

Others saw Providence at work in Trump’s survival. Former District 1 state Senate candidate Beth Majeroni cast it as a “Godincidence” that the GOP’s presidential nominee avoided more serious harm.

To see the wide range of responses, click here.

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NEWS: COURTS

‘Retaliation’

Conservative Republican activist Beth Majeroni has sued the Chatham County Board of Elections, its chairman Thomas Mahoney III, and two Chatham County police officers, alleging that her free-speech rights were violated when she was forcibly removed from a board meeting last year.

The widely publicized incident vaulted Majeroni to prominence among conservatives statewide and beyond and was a focus of her unsuccessful bid to unseat incumbent state Sen. Ben Watson in May’s District 1 Republican primary race.

Majeroni, a retired pharmacy executive and Skidaway Island resident, filed the 14-count complaint in federal court in Savannah last week. The case could challenge the county’s parameters to limit public comments at official meetings and the role police officers play in keeping order at such gatherings.

In the complaint, Majeroni alleges that her removal by the two police officers from the July 10, 2023, elections board meeting was “retaliation” for her efforts to uncover what she suspected as voting irregularities in the May 2022 primary elections, in which she served as a poll watcher.

The two police officers, Andrew Nizwantowski and Robert Santoro, are accused on a myriad of counts in the lawsuit, filed on Majeroni’s behalf by two Atlanta law firms, The Current’s Craig Nelson reports.

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NEWS: GOVERNING

Miscalculations in McIntosh

As McIntosh County prepares the annual property tax bill for its residents, the county is dealing with some pressing communication from its own tax authority: the Georgia Department of Revenue.

The agency is ordering McIntosh to make equitable and uniform assessments or face a $63,070 penalty. The Current’s Maggie Lee describes how the state audits work and what sparked this fine.

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NEWS: NOTES

7 things for your radar

1. Gov. Brian Kemp’s Pathways to Coverage program has roughly 4,300 members, much lower than what state officials projected and a tiny fraction of the roughly half-million state residents who could be covered if Georgia, like 40 other states, agreed to a full Medicaid expansion, the Associated Press reports.
2. Writing in the Savannah Tribune, Rev. Dr. Ben Chavis urges a stop to the “lynching” of Joe Biden.
3. Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter joined in celebrating the 100 years of the F.J. Torras Causeway, which links Brunswick and St. Simons Island.
4. Low Country supporters of Donald Trump will hold a boat parade starting at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 20, starting at 11:30 a.m. at the Herb River entrance of the Wilmington River. For information, call (912)663-8728.
5. Skidaway Island Democrats are sponsoring a fundraiser for 1^st District congressional candidate Patti Hewitt on Thursday, July 18, starting at 6 p.m. at the Landings Harbor Marina. For more information, click here.
6. Joel Boblasky, Republican candidate for Chatham County Commission chair, will hold a campaign kickoff event on Thursday, July 18, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the DeSoto Pulaski Ballroom. RSVP at vote@JoelKnowsChatham.com.
7. The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, chaired by state Rep. Carl Gilliard (D-Savannah), will host its annual legislative conference in Atlanta from August 2 until August 4. For more information, call (404)661-5569.

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