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YOUR LEGISLATORS AT WORK
2005 State Senate District 46 encompasses aU of Athens-
Clarice County, aU of Oconee County and part of Oglethorpe
County—a loose community of interest which includes the
University of Georgia.
2006 The Georgia legislature splits Athens-Clarke County into
two senatorial districts. Half of ACC goes into State Senate
District 46, which now includes all of Oconee County plus a
wide swath of rural Walton County. The other half of ACC goes
into District 47, where ACC is a minority part of a large rural
district including all or parts of Elbert, Jackson, Madison and
Barrow counties. This is done by the Republican legislature
to dilute the Democratic vote in Athens-Clarke County, but
Republicans call it a great advance for Athens-Clarke and the
University of Georgia: instead of only one state senator, ACC
and U6A will now be served by two state senators, who will
also be busy serving their far-flung rural districts.
2010 Athens-Clarke County includes two complete State House
of Representative districts, one of which traditionally has been
the home district of the University of Georgia. A third district
includes a small part of ACC and all of Oconee County.
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2011 The Georgia legislature carves out a part of Athens-
Ctarke County and joins it to portions of Oconee, Walton,
Barrow and Jackson counties to construct a House of
Representatives district having absolutely no community of
interest whatsoever except the Speakers interest in electing
new Republican Doug McKiUip. The leftover part of Athens-
Clarke is joined to Oconee to form another district.
2011 Athens-Clarke County has, since local citizens ratified
its charter in 1990, been governed by/a mayor and 10 com
missioners from eight geographical districts and two "'super-
districts," each comprising four of the geographical districts.
In Accordance with legal requirements to redistrict the county
after each census, the mayor appoints a committee and the
state's top redistricting consultant to hold public hearings and
redistrict the county. Hearings are held during the summer, and
in the hill the committee comes up with a redistricting plan
that equalizes the populations in the existing districts. A sec
ond committee of local citizens appointed by the mayor deter
mines that the existing districts are not racially discriminatory.
2012 The Georgia Legislature overrides the work of the
mayor's redistricting committee and the Charter of the Unified
Government of Athens-Clarke County Georgia and imposes a
totally new 10-singte-member-district jerry-rigged around the
residences of the present commissioners, lessening by half
each citizen's representation. The reason given for the takeover
by the legislature is that Athens-Clarke County will now be
able to elect more minority citizens, including (non-partisan)
Republicans. Local citizens are expected to welcome this power
play, because all our Senators and Representatives consider it-
to be in our best interests. Rep. Chuck Williams is not really
in favor of this takeover, but he lacks the guts to block it by
withholding his consent to let it go forward as local legisla
tion. Rep. Doug McKiUip pushes it as part of his demonstration
of just how much of a Republican he has become. Rep. Keith
Heard goes along with it, because he has been gone from
Athens for so long he thinks he'd better do something local
attorney Ken Dious tells him would be even better for black
people than selling out the Colima Avenue neighborhood for
a Racetrac gats station. Sen. Frank Ginn is for it because it's a
minor part of his district and he's not really for local control
as he first said he was; and Sen. BiU Cowsert pushes it because
the people in the pines of Walton County provided his election
margin last time, and he's got to show them he's not as much
of a city slicker as he looks like in his big car, expensive suits
and tassle-loafers.
2012 In the July 31 primaries, local attorney Regina Quick
is running against McKiUip. Local businessman Spencer Frye
is running against Heard. Candidates have yet to oppose
Williams, Ginn and Cowsert —candidates who believe that "gov
ernment of the people, by the people, for the people shall not
perish from the Earth."
Pete MeCommons edilorMgpote.com
THIS WEEK’S ISSUE:
NEWS & FEATURES
City Dope ....
Athens News and Views
A public response to Selig's private response to a story on private meetings.
Athens Rising
What’s Up in New Development
Observations about the urban design of Savannah and the regional transportation
model exemplified by Megaton.
ARTS & EVENTS
The Reader. 9
Don’t Give Up
Tha Georgia Review releases some of the finest short fiction in the country.
Movie Pick 11
Murder Ballad
Into tbe Abyss is a sobering and haunting examination of broken minds and hearts.
y. &['¥■: *\.i "V
MUSIC
Threats & Promises 12
Music News and Gossip
AthFest submissions due Apr. 1! New Town Revue featuring David Lowery! Alice in
Chains guitar raffle! And more...
North Mississippi Allstars
Songs from Home
Luther Dickinson's bluesy guitar riffs will lift your spirits.
CITY DOPE .4
CITY PAGES 5
CAPITOL IMPACT 6
ATHENS RISING 6
APRIL PREDICTIONS 7
GRUB NOTES 8
ART NOTES 8
THE READER 9
MOVIE DOPE 10
MOVIE PICK 11
THREATS & PROMISES 12
THE VIKING PROGRESS 13
RECORD REVIEWS 14
THAYER SARRANO 15
*m\ MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS 17
THE CALENDAR! 18
BULLETIN BOARD 24
ART AROUND TOWN 25
COMICS 26
REALITY CHECK.... 27
CLASSIFIEDS 28
CROSSWORD 29
PERFECTLY PIPER 30
EVERYDAY PEOPLE 31
EMHHt 4 PUWJSHER Pete McCommens
ABVEJinSIIIS DIRECTOR A PUMJSMSR Alicia dickies
PAOMKItM 0‘RECTM Larry Termer
MMtHK EMTBR Cbristiee Cotter
tfffimtsm SALES Anita Aubrey, Melinda towards, Jessica Pritchard
MUSIC OTTO* MfcbeUa Gitemat
CITY E0ITB1 Dave Marr
CUJSFICK, WTOWnoe a imct HAMMER Jessica Saritt
ASSISTANT OFFICE MMIftSQt Sydney Stotttn
AS K900S KaMy Roberta, Cindy Jamil
CAATMMSfS Jamay Fernandas, Lae Gatlin, David Mack, Mtoy kali*, Jeremy Long
M6FT ME Special Agent Cindy jemti
CMITRtttfTttS Careline Barratt, Htfery Brown, Kama P. Clrymmeth, lam Crawford,
Derek HHL Melissa Havanas, John Hula, Jyl Inca, Gordon lamb, l Battard Iffttnit*.
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Jordan Stepp, Gabe Vodicfce, Drew WHHams, Kevaa Wffiiems
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ASVlimswfi INTERNS Fiona Nolan, Any CbnWewski
MBStC M1DMS Carolyn Amanda Dichcy, Jodi Murphy, Erian Wekto
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