Yet Another Reason Not to Listen to Morning Talk Radio

I don't listen to morning talk radio in Macon. From what I've read about Captain Shock Krok, I've made a good decision. I had more respect for Charles Richardson and Kenny B, until Friday. I've heard from several people that they slammed Lynn Farmer, who is President of the Bibb County School Board, for not showing up for Thursday's board meeting and vote on the superintendent's contract. Apparently they accused her of ducking an important and potentially controversial vote. The reality was that she missed the meeting because her mother had died that same week, a fact they could have discovered had they bothered to ask. I don't know about you, but I think that it's reasonable to expect that someone will take more than a couple of days off when they lose a parent.

Lynn has never been one to duck tough decisions. During her two terms on the board, she has helped guide the system through redistricting, two E-SPLOSTS, school closures and many other controversial issues. She is forthright with the press and the public, and I have rarely known an elected official who more clearly puts the good of those she serves at the heart of her decisions. I bet you can count on one hand the number of board meetings she has missed during her two terms.

Macon is not a huge city. The circle of those who serve on boards and who are otherwise actively engaged in trying to make this community a better place to live is not all that large. We know each other. Charles and Kenny know Lynn. They know here character. They know that she is not one to shirk responsibility, and, yet, they painted her with that brush without bothering to call her to find out why she was absent. That's inexcusable, and they owe her an apology.

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The City of North Macon??

Listening around the eaves, I'm hearing some rumblings about a desire on the part of some to create a new city in North Bibb County. Some see merit in the idea of incorporating the area as a hedge against annexation by the City of Macon and imagine a new "city" school system focused on charter schools.

I live in the area of town we're talking about here, and I think that such an effort would be counterproductive for our community. We do not need yet another layer of government in Bibb County. We do not need another school system. We do not need to further duplicate services. I hope that this is just a rumor that will die on the vine, and quickly.

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Perdue, Obama and Bubber Epps

Allen Freeman has a rather casual relationship with the truth, especially when it comes to his campaign mailers, radio spots and television ads. In one recent mailer, Allen was anxious to alert voters that "Bubber (Epps) gave major contributions to Barack Obama for President." Actually, Epps gave $250.00, as did his wife, to the DNC's Obama Victory Fund - can't imagine that's a major contribution in Freeman's world of $23,000 radio ad buys and $6,500 Atlanta condos paid for with campaign contributions, but whatever. Frankly, this cycle, Freeman is running so fast from the "R" beside his name, I'm shocked that he didn't give to Obama, too.

But Freeman only told half the truth. (Kind of like when he talks about "deploying" for Desert Storm when in fact he never left the country.) Epps Brothers (Bubber's business) gave $500.00 to Perdue for a New Georgia on 10/17/2006. I believe that contribution makes Epps the only candidate in this race to make significant contributions to candidates of both parties. Allen has spent so much time supposedly making himself an expert on Bubber's business, I'm shocked that he missed that tidbit. The bottom line? While Allen likes to talk about being an independent representative for the district and bends himself into a pretzel to avoid mentioning his own party affiliation, he's really just a lapdog for Atlanta Republicans who are literally sucking the lifeblood out of the Middle Georgia economy.

Did I mention that Allen used campaign contributions to pay $6,500 for an Atlanta condo (State Ethics Commission, March 2008 campaign finance disclosure) for the legislative session? I'd love to know exactly what "campaign activity" goes on in that condo and whether he also took per diem from the state for that period.

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Pat Dooley Needs Your Help TODAY

Pat Dooley, Candidate for Georgia House District 38

Pat Dooley needs your help TODAY!

In House District 38, Pat, endorsed by Georgia's WIN List and EMILY's List, is poised to WIN as voters reject the failed policies and negative campaign of Republican, anti-choice incumbent, "Thunder" Tumlin.

How does "Thunder" respond? By spending tens of thousands of dollars on spiteful mail attacking women and working families. Now it's time for us to fight back, and you can do that by making a contribution of $25, $50 or $100 or more to Pat today. With your help, we can take this seat back and send a woman to Atlanta who will fight for Georgia women, not attack them.

Show "Thunder" Tumlin that women in Georgia won't stand for this shameful display. Please make a contribution today to help Pat win. Give her the support she needs to WIN!

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Veteran in Freeman Mailer Endorses Epps

RETIRED U.S. MARINE DALE PARHAM ENDORSES EPPS FOR GEORGIA HOUSE DISTRICT 140

MACON, Ga. - Today, retired U.S. Marine and resident of the Georgia War Veterans’ Home Dale Parham announced his endorsement of Democrat James “Bubber” Epps for the Georgia House of Representatives. Epps, who is running against Republican Allen Freeman, has made support of veterans a centerpiece of his campaign. “On my watch, said Epps, “the needs of veterans, and the protection of their benefits will be a top priority.”

Freeman used Mr. Parham’s name in a mailing to thousands of voters in the district, so Mr. Parham wants to make it crystal clear that he is supporting Mr. Epps. “Make no mistake, I stand with Bubber Epps because he’ll stand up for veterans,” Parham said, “I have already voted for Mr. Epps, and I am actively working to encourage others to do the same.”

“I am honored to have Dale’s support,” said Epps. “Veterans and others who live in the district deserve to have a representative who will fight for them in Atlanta, and unlike Mr. Freeman, I will do just that. Despite serving as co-chairman of the Defense and Veteran’s Affairs Committee, Mr. Freeman failed to stand up for local veterans and prevent the closure of the Georgia War Veteran’s Home in Milledgeville. On Allen’s watch, veterans who served our country honorably face eviction from the only home they have. That’s unacceptable.”

“When I am elected, I will make sure that the values and priorities of Middle Georgia are at the top of the agenda, and that includes honoring and respecting-not evicting-our war veterans,” said Epps.

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Epps vs. Freeman

If I were Allen Freeman, I'd be worried. It looks more and more like Bubber Epps has the right combination of support to win in November. For example, today, Daryl and I went to Gray for an event, and folks from down that way are none too pleased with Freeman's lack of leadership, especially on the issue of the War Veteran's Home. I also saw a number of Epps signs, but no Freeman signs. Signs don't vote, but interesting still. Then, I keep reflecting back on his announcement party. What struck me were the number of people there with "Sonny" and "Bush" stickers on their cars. Epps will get a lot of cross-over Republican support and will appeal to independent voters. He will do fine in Bibb County-probably lose South Bibb but win the East Macon precinct overwhelmingly, and I predict that he will carry Twiggs, Jones and Wilkinson by a wide margin. In 2006, it poured rain on election day and there was virtually zero GOTV from the top of the Democratic ticket. I can't predict the weather, but I can predict a huge voter turnout this year. Yep, I think come January, we're going to be calling Bubber, "Rep. Epps."

By the way, I'm trying to figure out how Freeman's officer club dues at Robins AFB are a campaign expense. Just asking.

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Bill Mauldin: Promoted from the Comments

Bill Mauldin, a Democrat (who blogs at Georgia Back Roads) running for the Georiga House in district 126 against Rep. David Knight, a first term Republican, commented so on my post "Sonny Needs a "Don't List". His response deserves the front page, so here goes:

The day all homeowners dread may have arrived. To face the looming budget shortfall, Gov. Perdue cut back education funds yet again by 2%. The rebuttal being offered is that this 2% was above last years budget anyhow, therefore education will actually be the same as the year before. Now help me with my math here. Last years budget = poor performing schools, massive student failure rate, Georgia scraping the bottom of US education statistics (and US isn't ranked to hot to begin with among other developed nations). Now; This years budget + 2% funding - 2% funding = better performance overall. I don't see the prioritizing that education is due.What I do see, however,as a homeowner and business owner, is the fact that local governments will be faced with the prospect of making up that shortfall by raising property taxes. Not a pretty scenario for homeowners who are preparing to pay fuel costs for winter, and some of which are already struggling with mortgage payments, to be faced with a nice increase in their monthly payments because our State cannot plan ahead with budgeting. And its really not fair to the municipal and county governments who have begun implementing school budgets (which started this week for many) and now have the State saying that it won't pony up its share. These governments and officials will take the necessary steps to continue trying to improve their education, yet will face the public hostility and voter reactions as a result. And mark my words, the words "school vouchers" will be the golden word that many will try and sell to voters as the cure all for our education ills. State Sen. Eric Johnson has publicly stated that this is the right path and if implemented will be fully funded, "no exceptions!". How can we take this for face value when the same statements were made after the majority of students in some districts couldn't pass state exams last year. "Fully funded, no exceptions!"? I take exception to that.

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Sonny Needs a "Don't List"

Governor Perdue needs a "don't list" and this goes at the top:

"Don't go to China for the Olympics when your state is facing a 1-2 billion dollar shortfall and schools systems across the state are scrambling to raise property taxes-if they can-to make ends meet in light of your most recent cuts."

And, yet, off he goes. Nero's got nothing on Sonny Perdue.

When they meet tomorrow, expect the Bibb County Board of Education to vote to raise the millage rate. They have no choice. Sonny's most recent cuts to education will cost Bibb County over 2 million dollars. And, we're the lucky ones. Some school systems, like Richmond County, are maxed out and can't raise the millage rate. One source said that some systems have hired business people to look at their budgets and answer the question: "How can we do what the law requires with the money we have available to us?" The answer? Typically, "close schools." Parents, of course, love that idea. Not.

Let's be clear. This crisis did not happen overnight. It was entirely preventable. Sure, the recent economic downturn has exacerbated the problem, but it is the Republican mismanagement of the finances of this state over the last six years, and the consistent effort to starve public education out of existence, that is to blame for this mess. And, Gov. Perdue, who with his fish fries and all has a 60+% approval rating-for doing what I can't tell you, slinks off to China instead of having the political kahunas to stay here and deal with the problem. What a COWARD. The only thing worse would've been passage of Richardson's "GREAT" plan-then school boards would've had to call for a referendum to ask for sales taxes to be raised. In the meantime, I suppose they could've given teachers IOU's.

Note to Jim Galloway: Here's a prediction for you. With school systems scrambling, and parents screaming, Sonny's going to come back from China and miraculously save the state by dipping into the reserves. He will do this because the last thing he wants to do before the November election is to call a special session. He will then put on his white hat, grab a fishing pole and hold a prayer service, hoping, probably correctly, that no one notices that he's responsible for this mess in the first place. Graduation coaches my ass. I think we would've been better off to hire governance coaches.

And, note to Erick Erickson: I know you're going for ratings on the radio, but when you, an elected official, somehow become omniscient and decide to use your airtime to declare that the Bibb school board members have their heads in the sand, think all is wonderful with our schools and that all the parents who send their kids to private school are racists-you're recklessly stereotyping other community leaders and painting an inflammatory, inaccurate picture of their position on the many, many challenges of a school system where more than 70% of the children qualify for free or reduced price lunch. No one on that board thinks things are great, and I suspect that if you had attended a few school board meetings, you'd know that. I think it's wonderful that you plan to send your child to a public elementary school. Why don't you go ahead NOW and volunteer some of your time to help make OUR public schools a better place for OUR children? There's plenty to do. By the way, did you know that when it comes to allocation of state resources for schools, Bibb is considered a high wealth county, while Houston is considered low wealth? Yes, you read that right. That means that part of the money designated for "rich" counties like Bibb is re-routed to "poor" counties like Houston. Sound a little "fishy" to you? Me, too. Oh, and the formula is based on what the tax digest "should be"-not what it is in a place like Bibb where we've not been able to get the valuation it right for the last two years, but what the state thinks it should be. So, between 1.6 billion in cuts and the bad revaluation, Bibb schools are between a rock and a hard place. I challenge you to get out your crowbar.

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Brand New Front Page Poster: Joni Woolf

Please welcome Macon's own Joni Woolf to the front page of Georgia Women Vote. I could not be more excited! Joni is a writer, editor and has blazed more trails for women than the rest of us combined. For years, Macon was Joni's home, but recently, she moved back to her beautifully renovated farm house in Schley County. I was privileged to spend July the 4th on the farm with Joni and some of her friends and family. The day included children, teenagers, bbq ribs, dogs and rooster and croquet. During her tenure in Macon, Joni served was one of the founders of Macon Magazine, served on planning and zoning, worked tirelessly for the Tubman Museum and back before women were allowed to be members of the Chamber of Commerce started a separate organization just for women business owners.

This year, Joni Woolf had been chosen to introduce Sen. Edwards at the JJ Dinner-before he suspended his campaign. She wrote the most eloquent introduction, and I have posted a portion of it below, just to give you a hint of what's in store from Ms. Woolf.

The first time I ever heard John Edwards speak—several years ago in Macon—he talked about growing up poor, and the hardships that his family endured as they struggled to put bread on the table, pay the rent, clothe the children. And I thought, “He’s one of us. He has been poor, and he knows how that feels to a child.” Like John, I grew up poor in rural South Georgia, where there was never quite enough of anything. But we were rich in promise: our parents assured us that life would be better for us, and they worked night and day to be sure that happened.

And it did. Their struggles, their sacrifices, their long days of sweat—and sometimes tears—guaranteed my generation a better life. And so we assumed, as our lives got slowly better, that OUR children would enjoy the prosperity that the United States was experiencing. It has not happened. Ever since the Reagan years, when greed became something to be proud of, the middle class has been in decline. My children—and YOURS—are struggling much as my parents’ generation did, just to keep food on the table. They are desperate for something, SOMEONE, to inspire hope in the future—not just their own—but the future of our beloved country which is becoming a country of the very rich, with a rapidly declining middle class—a country without a moral compass, without a president who has the integrity to face the harsh realities of our time....

Welcome, Joni! We look forward to your view from South Georgia!

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Ussery Endorses Sam Hart

Today, Theron Ussery, who ran for Bibb Commission Chair against Charlie Bishop in the Republican primary, endorsed Democrat, Sam Hart. At the 9 a.m. press conference, Ussery said, among other things, that we need a whole lot more cooperation and a whole lot less ego on the Commission. Amen.

This is a great boost to the Hart campaign, and must give Bishop pause as he considers his chances in November.

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From Jim Powell: What's Handel Afraid Of?

This dropped in my email box this evening, and I have to say, I agree with Jim Powell, more and more Karen Handel acts like the Secretary of the Republican Party, not the Secretary of State. Even the AJC is chronicling her partisan acts, and over at Tondee's Tavern, there are reports of monkey business with refusal to provide absentee ballots to democrats. While there are numerous examples of her partisan acts, her behavior in Jim Powell's race was egregious. Ineffective (he won easily), but egregious none the less. Below is Powell's email. She is forcing him to fight a legal battle to stay in the race for Public Service Commissioner. Her action appears designed to make his race more costly, to eliminate our strongest candidate from the race and to prevent Powell from focusing on the general election. In short, he needs cash. So, how about a few bucks for the race no one-except the big utility companies-ever thinks about? There may be no office that more directly impacts your pocketbook.


Dear Friends and Family

What is Karen Handel afraid of?

This past Friday, the Atlanta Journal Constitution published a feature editorial about the partisan political actions on the part of Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel. As you know, Ms. Handel has been working overtime to try to remove me as a candidate for the Public Service Commission.

The editorial addresses Ms. Handel’s repeated efforts to “clear the ballot to bolster the chances of [Republican Lauren] McDonald, who is seeking to reclaim the PSC seat that he lost to reform candidate Angela Speir in 2002”. It is obvious that Ms. Handel is not concerned about the voices and votes of the citizens of Georgia, but instead the political gain of her party’s candidates. What she should be concerned about is making sure that Georgia has fair and efficient elections where the candidates can debate the issues and be elected on their own merits. She has proven that, given an opportunity, she will stop at nothing to put a candidate from her party on the Commission that is beholden to the utilities and their lobbyists.

I have never run for public office before and I am amazed what some veteran politicians such as Ms. Handel will do promote their partisan agenda. However, I am encouraged that many Georgia citizens, including 85% of Democratic primary voters, continue to stand by me as I fight for my campaign in the Fulton County Superior Court. My legal expenses are mounting and I need your help to continue this legal fight and to advance my campaign. Please consider a donation. Even a $100, $75, $50 or a $25 donation will go along way to advance the cause. You can contribute on my website or mail a check to:

Jim Powell for GA PSC
P. O. Box 273
Hiawassee, GA 30546

Thank you for your support. Jim.

Checkout the AJC editorial here.

Checkout Handel’s response here.

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Elmo Richardson: Expert on "White Democrats"

What, exactly, did Bibb County Commissioner Elmo Richardson mean by this comment in the Telegraph yesterday?

But Elmo Richardson, who aside from Bishop is the only other Republican on the Bibb commission, said it's still early to accurately predict how county races might play out in the coming months. He said many Republicans crossed over Tuesday to vote in the sheriff's race, which may partly explain the high number of voters on the Democratic side. More people voted in that race than any other local contest. And in November, Bishop might be positioned to attract white Democrats who won't vote for Obama and will turn instead to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain. (Emphasis mine) "I think Bishop will probably pick up a lot there," Richardson said.

While it's good to know that there is a local expert on the behavior of "white Democrats," if I were Elmo, I wouldn't be holding my breath.

For starters, my skin might be white, but that doesn't make me stupid. The housing market is collapsing around us, people are standing in lines hoping to get their money from failing banks, GM is scrambling to keep the doors open, airlines can't keep planes in the sky, and I'm pumping $4.50 a gallon gas. Seriously, please look back over the terms of Bush I and Bush II and tell me why we should ever again trust Republican economic policy. Not only will "white Democrats" vote for Obama, lots of Republicans will, too. He could be green with purple spots, and it wouldn't matter.

Second, has it occurred to Elmo that lots of "white Democrats" have already voted for Obama? Has Richardson ever been to Iowa? You know, the 97% white state that gave Obama his first victory of the election season? Perhaps Richardson thinks that only Southern "white Democrats" vote based on race, but then he would have to find a reason for Obama's margin of victory in Georgia. Sure, the African American turnout was high here, but Obama dominated his opponents, winning more than 66% of the vote to Clinton's 31%. Looks to me like a significant number white Democrats in Georgia have already voted for Obama, and it would be a mistake to assume that those who voted for Clinton did so because of the color of the candidate's skin.

Finally, if I were Elmo, I wouldn't assume that everyone who votes for McCain will also vote for Bishop. They have little in common other than the "R" behind their name. Most folks I talk with are far less concerned about the Chair's party than about his ability to work well with others, particularly with the City of Macon. On that, Bishop, who on those grounds failed to earn the endorsement of the Telegraph, faces an uphill fight to convince voters that he has changed. And, then there are the numbers. As Matt Barnwell points out, Sam Hart, the Democrat running unopposed in the primary got 8,734 votes to Bishop's 2,620. Bishop's opponent, Theron Ussery has a very strong showing with 1995 votes. Over all, Barnwell points out, "Hart outpaced the entire Republican field in that race nearly two to one." Did it occur to Elmo that no one who crossed over to vote in the sheriff's race had to go on down the ballot and put a mark beside Sam Hart's name in an uncontested race? Plus, if I were Charlie, I wouldn't be relying on the votes of all those Ussery supporters.

Where does this leave us? Charlie Bishop's hopes for re-election are fading faster than a pair of blue jeans dunked in Clorox.

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Ussery Scores Telegraph Endorsement

It's something when the primary challenger beats out the incumbent for the endorsement of the local newspaper. That's exactly what happened today when the Telegraph gave the nod to Republican Theron Ussery in the Bibb Commission Chair race. Theron hasn't raised a lot of money in his effort to oust Bibb Commission Chair Charlie Bishop. If he had raised enough money to effectively communicate with voters, I think Bishop would really be sweating Tuesday's primary. Bishop's inability to work well with others was apparently what swayed the editorial board.

Ussery is certainly the better candidate, but he did not run the stronger campaign, so I suspect that Bishop will prevail on Tuesday. Regardless, Sam Hart has an excellent opportunity to win in November. Everyone I talk with is ready for leadership that puts the well being of this community ahead of ego.

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The Phone

Yes, the robocalls have started, and I have to say that so far none have been nasty. First up this morning was Dale Cardwell, and as robocalls go, this one was pretty well done. He started with a women talking, introducing him, saying that he was going to talk about something he had been working on for years as an investigative reporter. I thought, here we go, he's going to smack Vernon. No such luck, he hit the PAC thing, left out his opponents names and stayed clean. Good call.

Then, I heard for the second time from Bill Lucas, and while there was some push back at the incumbent sheriff, it was not too bad.

We have had actual live calls from Steve Leeds and Tony Center, state committee members who are running for DNC posts.

I suspect that there will be more calls over the next few days.

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Cats, Dogs, Nude Dancing, and Alcohol

According to Macon City Councilwomen Benedict, despite the outcry in support of privatization on the editorial page of the Telegraph, and the known opposition of many members of City Council to the Mayor's proposal, exactly no one, that would be nada, none, zero from the public appeared at today's requisite public hearing on the budget. Members of the Appropriations Committee had to fill the minimum required time to leave the public hearing open (15 minutes) with chatter and comments on the virtues of the proposed privatization of solid waste so as to make the broadcast on Channel 14 more interesting. Ms. Lucas pointed out that unless you're talking about cats, dogs, nude dancing or alcohol, the public will not attend. While that brought a chuckle from the handful of council members and media present, this is a sad but true reflection of our tendency to get riled up about the things that matter the least* while ignoring the solid waste in the room.

*For the record, because I know it's going to come up, I love cats and dogs, rarely drink alcohol and am ambivilent about nude dancing. Councilwomen Benedict did not express her opinion on any of the above, but I hear she has two cats.

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560 Apartments Next to Rivoli Downs?

If you live in North Bibb, in Rivoli Downs or other nearby neighborhoods, pay attention. Your property value may be in jeopardy. The Savannah Development Corporation-located in Maryland, not Savannah-wants to build a 560 unit apartment complex at 5259 Bowman Road. This development would come within 20 feet of parts of my single family home neighborhood in Macon. More detail is below, but if you want to make comments in writing you must do so by tomorrow.

When I got home tonight, I noticed-how could I not notice-that there were fliers attached to the street light poll next to my drive way. I mean, like, six sheets worth of fliers. You have to understand, I live in a rather subdued neighborhood. Folks are not much for fliers unless they're missing a cat or a dog. So, I parked and then walked back out the the street to read the signs, half thinking that some creative-but-not-brave neighbor had found a unique way to complain about my garbage can being visible from the street or Veruca's rather enthusiastic barking at joggers. In reality, the signs warned about the planned development and recommended action. Here's the scoop:

On April 14th, the Macon/Bibb Planning and Zoning Commission will hear and application to re-zone 59 acres next to Rivoli Downs in order to build a 560 unit apartment complex. This type of development isn't just bad new for Rivoli Downs, but also for other nearby single family home developments. This type of development just doesn't make sense given that that surrounding property is for single family homes. Neighbors believe, I think correctly, that it would cause our property values to decline and result in increased noise in the neighborhood. The final selling point for me is that the proposed complex would come within 20 feet of Saddle Run Court. Why don't they just use the property to build single family homes?

This proposed development is on Bowman Road, but it will impact Rivoli Downs and other neighborhoods in the Rivoli, Northside Drive, Bass Road areas of town. So, if this is where you live, write Planning and Zoning and plan to attend the hearing at City Hall on April 14th at 1:30 pm.

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So, You Want to Be a Delegate

You just thought the Georgia Democratic Presidential Primary was over. The voting happened on February 5th, true enough, but the actual delegates-you know, the people who will go to the convention in August and actually vote for Clinton or Obama-will be elected in two phases in April and May. If you want to be a delegate for Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama, there's still time to file your paperwork to run for a slot, but, the clock's a-tickin'. There are two ways to get yourself elected, and both start with this application.

(1) One group of delegates will be elected on April 19th in congressional district-level caucuses. For those slots, you must file your application by April 4th. You can find the application here, and here you will find detailed instructions about the process.

(2) A group of "at large" delegates will be elected at a meeting of the State Committee of the Democratic Party of Georgia on May 24th. For that election, you need to file your application by May 15th.

For the first round of voting, delegates are apportioned based on the performance of a given candidate in each congressional district. So, for example, in the 8th congressional district, Hillary Clinton gets one delegate, a female, and any registered voter who is a democrat, a female and lives in the 8th congressional district may run. Similarly, in the 8th, Obama gets two male delegates, one female delegate and one female alternate.

There's one BIG "but" in the process. Would-be delegates run to represent a specific candidate-Clinton or Obama. Once the applications to run for delegate are received by the state party, the presidential campaigns have the opportunity to go through the applicants and mark anyone they wish off the list. Given the slim margin between Clinton and Obama and the little-known fact that none of the elected delegates are actually bound to vote for a particular candidate, you can bet you booties that the campaigns will carefully scrutinize those lists and only allow people to run who they are familiar with and whose support is unquestioned. That's what happened in Alabama. As someone said to me when I was in Chicago-if you want to be an Obama delegate, you'd better bleed Obama Blue. It's possible, though I don't know how likely, that the campaigns will simply pick one person per slot and mark everyone else off the list. We'll see.

I will say this. At the delegate training in Macon and since, I have seen brand new Democratic faces, and that's great. I hope we have a couple dozen people who apply for every slot and that they all get to run. That would be very cool.

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Well, I Be Damned...

Reichert took the thing without a runoff, and Whitehead came in second when only first mattered. I missed the festivities in Macon tonight because I was out of town plotting to elect lots of pro-choice women to the Georgia General Assembly. The results, of both our municipal races and the 10th congressional district, were a little surprising. I thought that Reichert might pull it off without a runoff, but never dreamed it would be by such a margin. The other local surprise was Rick Hutto-not that he had the most votes but that he also avoided a runoff. Part of what happened in Macon was due to Republican cross-over voting, but I think that more of the credit goes to the hard work of the people in Reichert's campaign. I know that they wore out shoes walking and knocking on doors. A measure of credit also goes to the people of Macon who ignored race and just voted for the person who was best able to lead. Congratulations to all who won, and a tip of the hat to all who ran.

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We're Turning a Corner

In Macon, that is. There's been much predicting and prognosticating in the last week, but no one really knows what's going to happen. As far as I know, no one has done any real polling, and the situation is Macon is unique. Here are some of the key factors that will impact this election:

• We've been to hell and back with Jack Ellis. Lots of hopes were dashed, lots of folks got burned. Mayor Ellis got himself in so much trouble that when he did have a good idea, or did something good, people were skeptical, and that ended up being as much of a problem as anything else.
• People seem generally dissatisfied with local government. I'll bet if we had "approval ratings" for the mayor and city council, they'd be competing for the basement with the President and Congress.
• For the first time in eight years, the mayor's seat is open.
• Robert Brown has been very, very quiet making some wonder how much of a factor he will be tomorrow. The word was that he and Reichert struck and deal. Is that true? And if so, what value is that deal if Robert is not visible in his race?
• Key Republicans are pushing other Republicans to vote in the Democratic primary. This will benefit Reichert, Hutto, Schlesinger, Moffett and Ellington.
• Turnout has been high in early voting. I predict that more than 21,000 will vote in this primary, and that's about 10% more than in the past two Democratic primaries for mayor.

Though I have predicted otherwise, it's just possible that Robert Reichert will become Macon's next mayor without a runoff. The Morning Post Office Committee says that lots of African Americans are planning to vote for Reichert; they are uninspired by the other candidates. No matter what happens, Macon is turning a corner. I think that this election is about change. That's bad news for incumbents, but probably good news for the city.

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Sad Reality

If anyone questioned whether race would be a factor in Macon's election on Tuesday, here's your answer.

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