Southwest Georgia Political Briefs

ALBANY — The Dougherty County Elections Board will hold a meeting Wednesday during which they will consider former County Commissioner Harry James’ petition to get on November’s ballot as an independent to run against incumbent Chris Cohilas as commission chair.

James turned 2,956 signatures in to the county Elections office last month, needing 2,524 signatures of qualified registered voters to keep his campaign alive. Elections Supervisor Ginger Nickerson said the Elections office had determined that 2,268 of the signatures were valid. She added 390 of the signatures were not registered voters, and 297 were rejected for other reasons, leaving James 256 signatures short.

Last week at a called meeting, the Elections Board asked Nickerson to review the petitions once more. She will present those findings on Wednesday.

The board can certify the original results or not. Either would be bad news for James, who, citing several irregularities, has promised to take his case to Superior Court if the outcome is not to his liking.

Stay tuned.

What’s up with the city’s gag order with the media?

According to the Herald’s Jon Gosa, Albany City Manager Sharon Subadan confirmed last Thursday that it is the city’s “unofficial policy” to restrict media access to city departments, department heads and city personnel and that all calls, questions or requests for city information be routed exclusively through the city’s Public Information Office.

Her statement adds another layer to the information onion, reduces transparency and in effect is a de facto gag order on city workers who in essence are employees of the citizens of Dougherty County. It also adds a time burden on the media, who when they are looking for short answers quickly, can sometimes wait hours for an answer.

The city, considering the recent issues with its sewer system, should be looking for ways to increase transparency and open lines of communication, rather than choking them.

Stacey Abrams: Undocumented immigrants should be eligible for HOPE

Democratic nominee for governor Stacey Abrams created a two-headed stir recently on immigration and the Hope Scholarship.

According to the Dalton Times Free Press, concerning immigration, Abrams said students should be able to enroll in all state universities, regardless of whether they are U.S. citizens. (The Board of Regents bars DACA recipients from attending some schools, including the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech.) She also said these students should qualify for the HOPE scholarship.

DACA is an acronym for “dreamers” and lawsuits on both issues are still being debated in state and federal courts.

“There are those who say, ‘You shouldn’t do that because there are tax dollars,’” she told the audience. ‘The reality is, it’s paid for by the lottery. I promise you: Everybody plays the lottery. So everyone deserves to benefit from it.”

That prompted a response from Republican hopeful Brian Kemp’s office.

“As governor, I’ll fight for our families by protecting the HOPE scholarship for Georgians,” the GOP nominee said. “Unlike Stacey Abrams, I won’t reward illegal behavior with handouts, perks, and scholarships as law-abiding Georgians work to make ends meet.”

It will be interesting to see if Abrams walks back that stance as we get closer to November.

A curious and legitimate question.

Last week a friend and I were enjoying an adult beverage during a political conversation. At one point he asked me a question I could not answer.

“Who are the faces of the Democratic and Republican parties in Dougherty County?” My mind went back to the ’80s when the leadership of Lee Iaccoca saved Chrysler.

We need a Lee Iaccoca, and there isn’t one around here.

Jimmy Gray and Gil Barrett are gone; Mark Taylor and Bodine Sinyard have returned to the private world. Who can pick up the phone right now and call the governor’s office and have a conversation?

So, who is the voice of leadership locally and in Atlanta for Dougherty County?

Don’t be embarrassed if you have no answer, because I don’t either. The lack of leadership is a serious issue. If you can answer that question, shoot me an email to terry.lewis@albanyherald. com. I’d love to hear from you.