Redistricting flap will bite Republicans in the ass
After going to tonight's town meeting at the A/CC Library put on by State Representaives Jane Kidd and Keith Heard, I wonder what will the Republicans will stand to gain after chopping Athens-Clarke County in half. OK maybe it is more like 1/3 in the 47th and 2/3rds in the new 46th. I go back far enough to recall the shape of the State Senate district 46 (Russell and Bethlehem). I saw how Georgia voters rebelled against the Democratic leadership and elected Sonny Perdue. I think Sonny Perdue has probably called Ralph Hudgins in to his office and told him to hold off on the redistricting fiasco in an election year. Kidd said she was surprised the motion was not filed the day after zooming through the house (as it usually is). I give Oconee County Board of Commissioners chair Melvin Davis for being the only electedRepublican with balls big enough to show up in a room full of angry Democrats. I saw a few angry chamber types walking out after getting abused for a while. I did learn that a senate district needs to have around 155,000 people in a district. I learned that no one from the Republican leadership knew about this act of gerrymandering. I learned that Brian Kemp and Ralph Hudgins both personally benefitted from the previous round of redistricting and neither had the decency to inform the Athens Clarke County government. Kidd handed out the email addresses of the house and senate leadership involving the redistricting. I learned the difference between redistricting and reapportionment.
Comments
I think G. Melvin is due some mad props for representing the Oconee government in a hostile environment. Hudgens, Kemp and Smith sure lacked the courage to attend.I saw John Padgett get up and leave and I assumed that was Larry McKinney leading him out. I do not know the Chamber pres. and Bishop resident by sight just quite yet.
Were you there? I was only sitting on the front row, so I can not be certain, but it seemed to me that it was Rep. Heard who mispronounced or forgot Davis's name at the first part of the meeting. I think he even called him David at one point. Look I think that the governments of Athens-Clarke and Oconee County can not meet too much, no matter what, where or when the venue. You are certainly capable of condemning Kidd or Heard for not correctly spitting out Davis' name at the meeting, but at least we recognized him. We will never get the Orkin tract dealt with unless all the local governments cooperate better, regardless of party or county.