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Abrams: Race ‘still too close to call’
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
Another lawsuit has been filed in
the still unsettled race for governor.
Democrat Stacey Abrams’ cam
paign went to federal court Sunday
asking a judge to delay vote certi
fications by one day until Wednes
day. It also asks a judge to require
that officials count any votes that
were rejected improperly.
The suit points to alleged prob
lems with provisional and absen
tee votes in populous DeKalb and
Gwinnett counties in metro Atlanta.
Republican Brian Kemp’s cam
paign didn’t have any immediate
comment. It’s previously said it’s
numerically impossible for Abrams
to force a runoff by closing his mar
gin of nearly 59,000 votes.
The Abrams campaign contin
ued to maintain the race is still “too
close to call” and there may still
be enough votes to at least force a
runoff.
“In short, our legal strategy is
simple: Count every vote. Count
the provisional ballots, count the
absentee ballots and do not rush the
process,” campaign manager Lau-
Abrams Kemp
ren Groh-Wargo said in a media
teleconference.
“The bottom line is this race is
not over. It’s too close to call, and we
cannot have confidence in the sec
retary of state’s numbers,” she said.
“There are 5,000 votes that came in
yesterday that weren’t previously
even known about, that came online
largely for Stacey Abrams. Five
thousand is a big number when you
consider we are about 20,000 away
from a runoff.”
As of Sunday, Nov. 11, the Associ
ated Press was reporting unofficial
returns showing Kemp with 50.3
percent of almost 4 million total
votes, or a roughly 63,000-vote lead
over Abrams.
The margin is enough for an out
right Kemp victory if totals remain
the same, but it’s a tight race consid
ering the large turnout.
Abrams has argued that tens
of thousands of provisional and
military ballots need to be counted
before the race is over.
The Kemp campaign said a maxi
mum of 17,495 provisional and mili
tary ballots remain to be counted.
The Abrams campaign has con
tended at least 30,823 votes remain,
including nearly 27,000 provisional
ballots; that could be enough to
prompt a recount.
AP hasn’t declared a winner.
■ Please see ABRAMS, 7A
4 1 have a heart for service’
SCOn ROGERS I The Times
Political newcomer Leslie Jarchow defeated retired educator Christine Worl Tuesday, Nov. 6, in the special election
for Flowery Branch City Council Post 3 seat. She fills a seat held by Fred Richards, who died June 14.
Newcomer Jarchow elected to Flowery Branch City Council
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
Leslie Jarchow’s election to
Flowery Branch City Council last
week could be traced to one bite of
the U-Gene sandwich at Common
Grounds coffee shop in the city’s
downtown.
Nearly four years ago, she and
husband Philip were looking at a
place to raise their young daughter,
Ava.
They felt the town had charm,
with its farmers markets and 5K
races, but the sandwich with turkey,
bacon, cheese and barbecue sauce
“sealed the deal.”
The Jarchows settled in the city’s
Sterling on the Lake subdivision,
where Leslie found that she wanted
to do more than enjoy block parties
and other community events.
“I have a heart for service,” she
said in an interview at her home
Thursday, Nov. 8. “I heard of the
post coming open, regrettably with
Mr. (Fred) Richards’ passing, and I
thought that would be a great oppor
tunity to serve.”
She is set to be sworn in to the
Post 3 seat at the council’s meeting
on Thursday, Nov. 15, after defeat
ing Christine Worl in the Nov. 6 spe
cial election. She fills a seat held by
Richards, who died June 14.
“My No. 1 priority is to establish
open lines of communication. I was
really surprised to find that a lot of
people felt like they weren’t getting
heard. I genuinely want to hear all
the different voices, and I’m going
to do my due diligence and research
on any issue that arises.”
Jarchow, 35, grew up in Hall
County, earning a degree in political
science from North Georgia College
& State University in Dahlonega,
now the University of North Geor
gia, then went on to work in real
estate and mortgage lending.
She has served in the Junior
League of Hall County and on the
Hall County Library Board.
A political newcomer, a profile of
Jarchow on Flowery Branch’s web
site says her business background
gives “her the kind of qualifying
edge needed to make educated deci
sions on resolution opportunities put
before the council.”
In preparing for her new role, she
has been drawn particularly to the
city’s downtown revitalization plan.
“I want to see downtown become
even more of a place where people
can work, live and play,” Jarchow.
“I want to see some nightlife and
more activity there. ”
She said she doesn’t have any
particular burning issues going into
office.
“I think the current council is
doing a really good job,” she said.
“They’re conservative with the bud
get. They try to keep tax dollars low.
■ Please see HEART, 7A
FORSFTH COUN^
Development
sparks water
runoff concerns
BY KELLY WHITMIRE
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
Officials are requesting more information about environ
mental testing on a lakeside property near Buford Dam.
Forsyth County commissioners recently voted unanimously
to have staff request the Georgia Environmental Protection
Division to provide any storm runoff reports related to the for
mer Lanier Golf Club, which closed in October and is being
developed into a residential area.
During discussion at the work session, District 5 Commis
sioner Laura Semanson, who represents the area of the former
golf course, referenced a dam on the property that is report
edly being removed and brought up concerns with the water
it holds.
“The claims that are made here directly impact Lake Lanier,
directly impact the river, directly impact Haw Creek, which we
have our own park on there,” Semanson said. “With the chemi
cals that have been used on
that golf course throughout the
years, one of the streams that
is indicated on that report runs
right through the area where
all the chemicals were stored
on that property.”
Semanson said contamina
tion could impact “the water
supply for this county and
everyone downstream who
uses it.”
District 4 Commissioner
Cindy Jones Mills was told by
members of the Army Corps
of Engineers, which maintains
Lake Lanier, “that they had
known the dam was leaking, and that they were glad the dam
was being removed.”
Semanson said the county still needed to test that the water
was clean.
County staff said there were pipes underground that had
been there since the course was built in the 1960s but there
were no plans to put homes on top. Staff also said inspectors
had been to the property and EPD approval would be needed
to remove the dam.
The development has received renewed interest from neigh
bors following the closing of the golf course.
“We are now not looking at lakes on a golf course. We are
now looking at mud pits. What are you going to do?” resident
Julie Allen said of the dam.
Allen said the development has affected traffic, wildlife
and homeowners in the area and had previously called for the
county to take over the property.
Issues surrounding the golf course go back more than a
decade. The current battle to rezone the golf course appeared
to be finished in December 2016, when Forsyth County Com
missioners voted 3-2, with then-District 5 Commissioner
‘We are now not
looking at lakes
on a golf course.
We are now
looking at mud
pits.’
Julie Allen
Resident
l Please see RUNOFF, 7A
Group offers use of ham radios in
BY KENNETH HUCKS
khucks@gainesvilletimes.com
A group of ham radio
enthusiasts didn’t let a little
cold weather stop them
from honoring veterans,
specifically Marine Lance
Cpl. Zack T. Addington, on
Sunday at Clermont City
Park.
“I think it’s turned out a
lot better than I thought it
would,” Lanierland Ama
teur Radio Club President
Mike Hall said. “This morn
ing when we were sitting
here freezing I thought
‘nobody’s gonna come. Do
we really want to do this?’
We talked about it, and I
said ‘we did it to honor a
veteran. I think we need to
stay.’ As the morning went
on people started coming
in.”
The club set up ham
radios for people in the
community to communi
cate with people around the
world from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
on Veterans Day.
Those who made contact
with the club were offered a
card featuring Addington’s
photo to commemorate
the event. Addington was a
Clermont native who was
killed in May 1968 while
serving in the Vietnam War.
“The neat thing is, and
we didn’t exactly plan this,
but somebody reminded
us that on Veterans Day,
11 o’clock is the eleventh
hour of the eleventh day of
the eleventh month, so we
had a moment of silence,”
Hall said. “A gentleman
who was here earlier was a
■ Please see HAM, 7A
honor of veterans
Lanierland Amateur
Radio Club
President Mike
Hall, back, sits with
John Lipscomb
during a ham radio
event for the public
on Veterans Day at
Clermont City Park.
KENNETH HUCKS
The Times
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40901
06835
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Lake Lanier level: 1,069.65 feet
Full pool 1,071. Up 0.09 feet in 24 hours
