Commissioners' Priorities for State Legislators Include Moving Elections
ATHENS -- Meetings between ACC commissioners and the county’s delegation to Atlanta—which usually occur twice a year—are typically polite tug-of-wars over “local control” of issues. Commissioners want to be allowed to make their own decisions on matters like scheduling elections or local taxes; state lawmakers talk about “local control” as a great thing, but on specific issues often treat the local officials as children who need adult supervision by the legislature.
So it was at last week’s commission work session, although the usually Republican-heavy legislative delegation was augmented this time by the presence of Deborah Gonzalez and Jonathan Wallace, the two Democratic newcomers freshly elected in local upsets that made national news. Wallace and Gonzalez mostly just listened as commissioners discussed their wish list for the upcoming legislative session with state Sens. Frank Ginn (R-Danielsville) and Bill Cowsert (R-Athens) and Rep. Spencer Frye (D-Athens).
Local elections should be held in November when turnout is highest, and not in May as the state requires for ACC’s consolidated government, Commissioner Jared Bailey argued. “It’s a more democratic process,” he said.
But changes to local elections won’t fly in the legislature—which has not only gerrymandered federal and state districts but rejected locally proposed commission districts—the Republican reps told commissioners. “That’s a heavy lift,” said Cowsert. “You’re asking us to change state law on all these things.”
Read more: http://flagpole.com/news/city-dope/2017/11/22/commissioners-priorities-for-state-legislators-include-moving-elections