Recount is Complete in HD140

And, the winner is unchanged. When the General Assembly convenes in January, Bubber Epps will replace Allen Freeman as the representative from HD140. In Bibb, Freeman gained four votes, and Epps gained one. In Twiggs and Wilkinson, there was no change. In Jones, Freeman gained one vote. Freeman's net gain of four votes is not sufficient to overcome Epps' lead. Congratulations, Bubber, you'll serve us well in Atlanta!

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Recount Monday In Georgia HD140

Though Allen Freeman has conceded, according to this notice from the Georgia Secretary of State's office, there will be a recount on Monday. I'm not clear whether this recount was requested by Freeman, as the notice says, or by the Georgia Republican Party or is automatic because of the close results. No matter. I would be very surprised if a recount made a difference in the outcome of the race.

Here's the notice:

NOTICE OF RECOUNT


THIS IS TO OFFICIALLY NOTIFY YOU THAT ALLEN FREEMAN,
CANDIDATE FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE IN HOUSE DISTRICT 140 IN THE GENERAL ELECTION HELD ON NOVEMBER 4, 2008, HAS REQUESTED A RECOUNT OF THE VOTES CAST IN THAT RACE, PURSUANT TO O.C.G.A. 21-2-495.

THE RECOUNT WILL BE HELD IN THE COUNTIES OF BIBB, JONES, TWIGGS, AND WILKINSON ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2008, BEGINNING AT 10:00 AM AND WILL CONTINUE UNTIL COMPLETION.

EACH CANDIDATE IN THIS RACE MAY BE PRESENT IN PERSON OR BY REPRESENTATIVE.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE, PLEASE
CALL ME AT 404-656-2871.

Wesley B. Tailor
Director, Elections Division
Office of Georgia Secretary of State
wtailor@sos.state.ga.us

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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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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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Freeman Flyer Flap

Rep. Allen Freeman (R-Macon) is in trouble with a veteran for misleading voters about his own military service, and this is not the first time. In today's Telegraph, a local veteran, Jerry Fincher, calls Freeman's hand for a misleading campaign mailer that he says implies Freeman was deployed to the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm. He was not. He was in the National Guard but did not go to the region. The mailer says that Freeman is a "decorated veteran of Operation Desert Storm" and includes a photograph of him in uniform in the desert-the California desert. It's printed on the picture, if you look closely. Most people do not look closely-most spend less than 20 seconds looking at a piece of campaign mail.

As I said, this is not Freeman's first trip around this rose bush. I recall seeing the exactly same picture-or one very, very similar-in his campaign material before. I believe that it was during the 2004 cycle, and he drew very similar criticism. It seems that either he did not learn, or he decided the potential political benefit was worth the risk.

Frankly, I have never understood his approach on this issue. It just makes no sense. Serving in the National guard is an honorable thing to do, but it's not honorable to fuzzy-up the truth about what the service included. Why not just be proud enough of what you did to be completely clear about it?

What's the truth? This is what I found, and much of it is from his own biography. After high school, Freeman initially attended North Georgia Military College and then attended Georgia Southern. Freeman served in the Georgia Army National Guard from 1988 until 1993, the same year he graduated from Georgia Southern. According to his "Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty" he had "Foreign Service...0 Years, 0 Months, 0 Days" and "Sea Service...0 Years, O Months, 0 Days. Freeman was a Medical Supply Specialist and his highest ranking was Private First Class.

His claims of being a "decorated" "veteran of Operation Desert Storm" are misleading. He was never deployed to the Middle East, or anywhere else out of the country. He did receive two ribbons: the Army Service Ribbon, a ribbon given to any member of the U.S. Army, including ROTC or the Army National Guard, who complete initial entry training-as in, basic training. He also received the National Defense Service Medal. According to Wikipedia:

The National Defense Service Medal is awarded to anyone who serves on active duty in the United States military during the above time periods. For service in the Gulf War and War on Terrorism, it is also authorized for members of the Reserves or National Guard ordered to active duty or who are performing "reserve service in good standing" which normally translates as regular attendance at monthly drills and performance in yearly training.

Fincher also takes issue with Freeman's claim in the mailer that he "stood up" to members of his own party regarding the War Veteran's Home closure. Freeman claims to have called the Governor to "protest how the matter was handled." Call the Governor? He couldn't even call a press conference, and we know he knows how to call a press conference for really important things, like attacking his opponent. Now, he wants the vets there to just be happy that they won't be homeless before Christmas. Maybe he figures that in 2009, this is going to be someone else's problem, and the way this race is shaping up, he might be just about right about that.

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Poor Allen Freeman

Poor Allen Freeman, his yard signs have gone missing, and he's stopped just short of calling out the National Guard (a group he was a part of when he did not leave U.S. soil during the Gulf War) in a effort to hold the evil robbers accountable. He's issued a press release (something he could not manage to do when the veterans were getting evicted) and called on the sheriff's departments in Bibb and Jones County to investigate. Hey, if the signs were taken over county lines, then maybe he should get the GBI involved, too. Clearly, none of these law enforcement agencies have anything else to do.

Do I have to say it? There is a story like this EVERY campaign cycle. Last cycle, Lauren Benedict's signs mysteriously went missing, yet, alas, there was no call to arms. Why? Because crying about this is just plain silly. On Allen Freeman's watch, 1.5 billion has been cut from education, the state faces a deficit of up to 2 billion dollars, and DOT appears to be handling their bills like a drunken college student, and what does Rep. Freeman want to talk about? Yard signs.

Anyway, I'm not sure how or whether Epps will respond, but it turns out that a slight modification of Freeman's own press release makes a pretty good argument. Here's my version-a spoof the Epps campaign has neither seen nor endorsed, by the way:



Epps Calls On Freeman to Condemn Reckless Spending in Atlanta



(Bibb Co.) – Today, James "Bubber" Epps called on his opponent, State Representative Allen Freeman (R- Macon), to condemn the reckless spending of Atlanta politicians that has created a budget deficit totaling almost two billion dollars.



Jobs in Middle Georgia began disappearing years ago – however, the empty factories have remained, and homes have been covered with foreclosure notices. Now, many of the very best jobs – having a value of $70,000 a year each - have simply disappeared. Plus, on Rep. Freeman's watch, more than 1.5 billion dollars has been taken from our children's schools. A report would have been filed with the Bibb and Jones County Sheriff's Office for theft, but Rep. Freeman was responsible for protecting the money. He has yet to apologize and, remarkably, expects voters to send him back to Atlanta again, with the keys to the coffers.


"I have endured many heated campaigns. But, never have I seen anything like this. This kind of pettiness and childish behavior is exactly why voters are turned off by our electoral process" said Epps who urges a campaign run on issues and the candidates' integrity.


"Although I give my opponent the benefit of the doubt – the fact that his votes have contributed to the missing money makes it clear that he is responsible. We can no longer allow Freeman and the vandals in Atlanta to manage our state's economy. I call on "Allen" to publicly denounce this behavior and give the voters names of anyone he knows to be involved" Epps added. Anyone who has information about the money missing from the state treasury or from our schools is encouraged to VOTE for Bubber Epps.


The total loss to Georgia schools has exceeded $1.5 billion dollars-funds that are desperately needed all four counties Bibb, Twiggs, Wilkinson, and Jones of House District 140.



-END-

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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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Francisco Responds to Freeman Comment

A while back, a comment from "Angela" was posted on this blog on the post "Speaking of Allen Freeman." The poster claimed to be Angela Freeman, Rep. Allen Freeman's wife. Of course, because of the vagaries of blog world, there is no easy way for me to know whether or not it was actually Angela Freeman who posted the comment. You can read the original post and the comment here. In the comment, some pretty specific allegations were made about Bubber Epps, Freeman's primary opponent. Regardless of the exactly identity of the poster, Elizabeth Francisco, who was the Twiggs County attorney at the time of the alleged events, took exception to the content of that comment and called me last week. Francisco said the allegations in the comment were inaccurate and asked for an opportunity to respond. Here's her response exactly as it was provided to me:

I read the allegations of Angela Freeman on GEORIGA WOMEN VOTE concerning James "Bubber" Epps' actions while Chairman of the Twiggs County Commission. I was the Twiggs County Attorney for a period of about 13 years both preceding, during and after Mr. Epps's service on the board. One of the major functions of the Commissioners of "Roads and Revenues" of Twiggs County during the entire period of my tenure was the maintenance of dirt roads in the county and attempts to get as much of the road system as possible paved. It was the major concern that citizens would bring to the Commission meetings, and the major function of each and every Commissioner during my tenure. Contracts for paving were handled by sealed bids, opened in public meetings, with contracts granted to the lowest bidder. Based on my memory, Mr. Epps never participated in the determination of the contractor on any project in which a company with which he was associated had presented a sealed bid or was involved. Monies received from any Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) were spent in accordance with the intended purposes set out in the referendum authorizing the tax, and were audited every year by independent auditors in accordance with Georgia law. I understand and appreciate that Ms. Freeman supports her husband. However, the insinuation in Ms. Freeman's letter, unsupported by specifics, that Mr. Epps did something shady while a Twiggs County Commissioner is precisely the type of negative campaign rhetoric that voters, particularly women voters, have become sick and tired of . Let the conversation be about what knowledge, experience, skills, and proposals for the future each of the candidates for an office brings to the table, not more of this nonsense.

Elizabeth R. Francisco

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Huge Crowd for Epps!

There's a huge crowd at the kick-off event for Bubber Epps, who is running against Allen Freeman in HD140. There are at least 350 people crowded into the Epps' large pavilion. I'd put a lot of the folks in that critical "swing voter" category. Based on this turnout, Freeman, who is apparently on restriction from the Telegraph's editorial page for submitting a canned letter as his own, is in big trouble in this race.

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Speaking of Allen Freeman...

You all remember Rep. Allen Freeman, right? I agree with Erick that he may well face his toughest challenge yet. I really think this is a seat democrats can pick up this year. Here's why:

1) HD140 covers parts of Bibb, Twiggs, Wilkinson and Jones counties. That area has trended more democratic since 2006, slightly. The DPI is now 51.6. That means that all things being equal, a Democrat has a good chance of winning-and remember, no matter what he tells you-Allen Freeman is a republican.

2) Freeman's opponent this cycle is James "Bubber" Epps, a Twiggs County businessman who has deep, deep roots in Twiggs, Jones and Wilkinson counties. (His wife is on the county commission.) All of those counties under-preformed in 2006. In this presidential year, with a hometown boy on the ticket, they are likely to over-preform.

3) Epps has the ability to reach across party lines and attract republican support. News reports along this line are confirmed by what I'm hearing from folks in the community.

4) The district includes two precincts in East Macon. In 2006, on election day, the rain poured and democrats were hardly united behind the top of the ticket. Neither Marshall nor Taylor were running organized, funded, GOTV in the area, and turnout was abysmal. With Obama at the top of the ticket, you can expect a healthy turnout in those precincts and an organized field operation-especially if Barr gets the Libertarian nod.

5) The republican brand is tarnished beyond recognition, and for good reason. This year, I suspect that the party in power will feel the brunt of the voter's discontent about the basics: fuel prices, transportation, jobs and the housing crisis.

One final comment of this race. This can definitely be a pick-up for democrats, but get your checkbook ready. I predict that between the two candidates, this is at least a half million dollar race. That's a lot of change down here in the midstate.

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