Fresh Loaf

Since information about the Fulton County Sheriff’s race is hard to come by, we thought we’d draw your attention to a spirited discussion brewing on the comment section of our recent article about the race. Two of the actual candidates, J.D. Farmer and Patrick Labat, weigh into the online conversation, with Farmer sparring with commentors.

And candidate Aubrey Osteen has posted a response to our online Voter Guide about the sheriff’s race that appeared last week here on Fresh Loaf.

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Senate hopeful Vernon Jones isn’t the only local candidate trying to give voters the impression that he’s got a connection with Presidential nominee-to-be Barrack Obama.

In DeKalb, County Commission candidate Sharon Barnes-Sutton of Stone Mountain features a photo of herself and Obama – taken, it appears, at one of his campaign stops – under the slogan, “Together we can!” Peach Pundit has the post here.

And intown Atlantans have received a subtle flier that juxtaposes photos of eight candidates, with the slogan, “A ticket for change.” From left to right, a picture of Obama sits atop GOP nominee John McCain; Vernon Jones is over Sen. Saxby Chambliss; and two local candidates, Andre Jerry and Chris Vaughn, are above the incumbents they hope to unseat, state Sen. Nan Orrock and Rep. Margaret Kaiser, respectively.

The message is certainly more subtle than Jones’ effort; instead of using clumsy Photoshopping to imply a direct connection to Obama, it seeks to create an association in the viewer’s mind between four youthful African American Democrats. (Never mind that any comparison between right-winger Chambliss and uber-lefty Orrock is ridiculous on its face.)

Does Vaughn’s name sound familiar? It should. Only 30, Vaughn is already something of a perennial candidate, having run for the state House – as a Republican – in 2000; Cynthia McKinney’s Congressional seat in 2004; Atlanta school board; and state House District 59, which includes Grant Park and the Old Fourth Ward. This is his second race against Kaiser, who ousted longtime incumbent Doug Dean in 2006.

Vaughn says his campaign isn’t responsible for the flier, but notes: “The last time I checked, there was nothing wrong with putting your opponents’ photo on your flier.”

He adds that he agrees with the flier’s message.

The other young man on the flier, Andre Jerry, 28, is running for Senate District 36, which overlaps with the House District Vaughn is seeking. The two appear to be BFFs, since they are both highly placed “friends” on each other’s MySpace pages. But then, Vaughn also lists Obama as a “friend,” so the designation may be dubious.

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We’ve called the DeKalb CEO possibly the most powerful local elected official in Georgia, by virtue of the position’s administrative clout and its influence over the County Commission. A fall referendum may rein in that power a bit, but the job is still a big deal in metro Atlanta – most important, actually, than similar posts in other counties.

Because DeKalb is Georgia’s most Democratic county, Republicans need not apply for CEO. Accordingly, the race will be decided in the primary, most likely in a runoff election. The candidates are:

• We’ve called Joe Bembry a recreational candidate because he’s run for various offices more than two dozen times in recent years. You may be tempted to vote for someone with the chutzpah to identify himself on the ballot as “Joe from Decatur.” Resist that temptation.
• By most accounts, Commissioner Burrell Ellis is the man to beat for CEO. He’s raised over $400,000 – more than his four opponents combined – has near-universal name recognition, and enjoys wide support across the county. A frequent opponent of Vernon Jones, Ellis – who’s also well-spoken, clean-cut and youthful – has especially endeared himself to residents of the north end of the county. His supporters look to Ellis to undo the racial polarization that has occurred under Jones. Ellis is endorsed by the AJC.
• While Ann Kimbrough seems well-liked by many neighborhood leaders, as Jones’ chief of staff, she’s been forced into the unenviable role of defending the current administration during debates. Also, the legions of Jones-haters, a group that includes much of north DeKalb, seem unlikely to support the notion of a Jones dynasty. She must poll well in South DeKalb to earn a runoff berth.
• Steen Miles is familiar to much of DeKalb, having covered the county for 15 years as a WXIA-TV reporter. She has a calm, dignified, authoritative presence in debates and can claim two years of experience in the state Senate. But she has had poor showings in the 2000 race for CEO and in 2006 for lieutenant governor; there’s little reason to expect a better performance this time around, when she has the least funding and visible organization of any of the candidates.
• State Rep. Stan Watson has strong support among his House colleagues, who see him as a skilled mediator and bridge-builder, but it’s difficult to gauge what impact that will have on voters. A scrappy pol of the old school, Watson must expand his appeal beyond the boundaries of his Lithonia House district in order to make the runoff. As of Wednesday evening, he was the only CEO candidate who hadn’t filed his campaign disclosure; the deadline was Tuesday.

You can read more about the candidates in the AJC and the website GoDeKalb.

Got a take on any of the candidates for CEO? We welcome your comments.

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The Augusta Chronicle has published an endorsement of 10th District Congressional candidate Barry Fleming that, in its breathless admiration and over-the-top prose, is nothing short of an editorial blowjob:

Fleming, a former assistant district attorney, has led an exemplary personal and professional life. Besides his unassailable credentials, Fleming flashes the eloquence of a prosecutor and the moral persuasion that made Charlie Norwood a legend here and in Congress.
It shows in the accolades Fleming has earned in just a few years in the halls of power – awards from Georgia’s cities, hospitals, district attorneys, family advocates and more.
And if anyone in Athens is wondering about his loyalties, he has two degrees from the University of Georgia.

Urp. I think I’m going to be ill.

Fleming became majority whip in the state House when the Republicans took over because Majority Leader Jerry Keen wanted a reliable henchman to help him carry out dirty work, such as Keen’s draconian – and unconstitutional – sex-offender bill.

The Chronicle cites Fleming’s support from the Medical Association of Georgia as a sign of his leadership. Well, of course MAG endorses Fleming – it’s payback for his role in the “tort reform” legislation that’s helping the insurance giant line its pockets.

And the paper touts Fleming for trying to “empower prosecutors.” That’s a nice way to describe one of the most shameful and irresponsible bills of the last few years. Here’s how we described it when we gave him a Golden Sleaze Award last year:

The Kill ‘Em All, Let God Sort ‘Em Out Award
To Rep. Barry Fleming, R-Harlem
At a time when other red states are announcing moratoria on executions and DNA evidence is being used left and right to spring people from death row, Barry “Widowmaker” Fleming wants to grease the path to Georgia’s electric chair.
The majority whip offered a bill to scrap one of the fundamental tenants of American criminal justice – unanimous juries – in order to allow folks to be put to death even if not one, not two, but three jurors were opposed. The Headsman of Harlem made it obvious that his bill was tailored to soothe his discontent with the recent case of convicted murderer Wesley Harris, who received a life sentence instead of a date with Old Sparky because of two holdout jurors.

Anyway, the most interesting part of the Chronicle piece is the reader commentary that follows the editorial. A number of folks have been turned off by Fleming’s slime campaign against incumbent Paul Broun’s distant personal past, as typified by his debate attacks. Just judging from the online debate, it seems increasingly as if this race is up for grabs.

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The DeKalb Commission is dealing this morning with a resolution to use legal action to block the proposed city of Dunwoody. I pointed out in a blog yesterday that, because of recent legal precedents, such an effort would be doomed to failure. But that depends on what you’re trying to achieve.

Reader John Heneghan has pointed out that the legislation, put forward by Commissioner Lee May, is likely not intended to affect the Dunwoody referendum, but rather the primary election for CEO, which takes place the same day, July 15.
As he explains on the Dunwoody North Civic Association blog:

This matter is politically charged and was probably placed on the agenda not because (Vernon) Jones wants to take expensive legal action against the State of Georgia for the City of Dunwoody’s creation, but because it could be used as a wedge issue dividing the County in half. If that is the case, it will probably be played as North DeKalb vs. South DeKalb, and sadly probably also along racial lines too.

Although Heneghan doesn’t say it explicitly, I’ll extrapolate that the measure was perhaps intended to force Commissioner Burrell Ellis, a CEO candidate who’s been no friend to Jones, to take a public stand on the controversial issue of Dunwoody cityhood. If he votes for the resolution, he loses Dunwoody votes. If he votes against it – the more likely scenario – he may lose South DeKalb votes. Or so the thinking goes.

Anyway, TotH to Heneghan for sharing his analysis. (That’s blogspeak for Tip of the Hat – I just learned that!)

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If you still don’t know which of the nine(!) Democratic candidates for Fulton sheriff to vote for, you’re not alone. Few county residents could ID any of the challengers to incumbent Myron Freeman out of a police line-up.

Your opportunities for getting acquainted with any of these guys are limited, but it can be done if you’re willing to go out of your way. Your next chance is Tuesday evening at a debate in College Park. So far, seven candidates have confirmed they’ll be there, including Democrats Ronald Brandy, Frank Brown, Curtis Farmer, Theodore Jackson, Patrick Labat and Charles Rambo, as well as the lone Republican, Michael Rary. So far unconfirmed are Aubrey Osteen, Charles Shelton and, of course, Freeman himself, who has not taken part in any candidate gatherings.

Sponsored by an online media outlet called Exceptional Radio, the event begins at 7 p.m. at the city auditorium, 3631 Main Street. We’re guessing you’ll want to get there on the early side because it looks as if the sheriff debate will precede one for Fulton Clerk of Superior Court.

If you can’t make that event, your next chance is Thursday. The Atlanta Press Club is sponsoring an hour-long debate, from 10:30-11:30 a.m., in the Georgia Public Broadcasting studio at 260 14th St. The public is invited to sit in the audience, but all questions will be asked by an onstage panel of journalists. The debate won’t be televised until the evening of July 13, a mere two days before the primary.
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The conventional wisdom is that 10th District Congressional candidate Barry Fleming of Harlem has truckloads more campaign funding than GOP incumbent Paul Broun of Athens, he has the support of all the heavy-hitting Republicans in the state House and his views on, well, most issues are more in line with conservative primary voters.

But judging simply from the pair’s performance in last night’s Webcast debate, Fleming looks like a man in trouble. After less than one term in Washington, Broun is still not the most practiced speaker, but Fleming, sporting heavy bags under his eyes, consistently looked and sounded tired, sullen and shifty.

By all accounts, Fleming has waged a particularly nasty, mean-spirited campaign, dredging up a 25-year-old contempt of court charge against Broun for falling behind in his alimony. Fleming tried to defend his approach by saying the way Broun handled his personal affairs back then somehow reflects on how he deals with legislation now, but that explanation didn’t sound any more convincing than it reads.

Fleming accused Broun of supporting child Internet pornography, marijuana use and other vices because he broke with the GOP pack in voting against some nanny-state legislation. But Broun seemed to deflect the criticism effectively by claiming he was standing up for personal privacy, states’ rights and other conservative ideals – all without mentioning that he is a screaming libertarian.

Finally, Fleming, who’s served as majority whip in the Georgia House for the past two years, tried to argue that his record as a legislative leader qualifies him for Congress – that is, until the AP’s Shannon McCaffrey pointed out that the most recent General Assembly was a “dismal failure.” Doh!

I’d never seen Broun in action before and while I wouldn’t want him as my congressman, I’d certainly say he came across better in all respects than the sourpussed Fleming. But please let us know if you had a different take on the debate or the race.

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Two years ago, when Otis Marks II of Lithonia was running for a DeKalb Commission seat, we described him as “a flaky motivational speaker and self-described ‘father of Psychoneurokinesthetics,’” pointing out that, “no, we don’t know what that is, either.”

Actually, we have to admit we were being a little disingenuous. Marks’ own website, www.otisspeak.org, explains quite concisely what Psychoneurokinesthetics – or PNK, as it is better(?) known – is:

Psychoneurokinesthetics (PNK) is the most advanced and recent, cutting edge tool available to maximize the quality of human existence and to optimize personal performance. PNK takes a philosophical, psychological, and scientific approach in providing a clear connection of the “Trinity of Existence”, Infinite Energy, the Human, and the Being.

O-Kay, then. What we didn’t learn until he joined the Democratic race for state House District 91 this year is that Marks is also an accomplished music producer. You’ve got to hear his campaign theme song, suggestively titled “You Come First.”

We’re totally serious – you abso-fucking-lutely need to hear this! But we warn you – don’t listen to this with a full bladder or with food in your mouth. It’s that hilarious. And it probably only sounds as if it were recorded and mixed in a bathroom.

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In Georgia politics, it’s generally accepted that an effective media buy for a statewide race costs upwards of $250,000 a week. That’s a lot of wampum. What do you do if you can’t afford to get your ads on TV?

You put them on your website, of course. That’s just what the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate have done, some posting multiple videos. A few of them are short, TV-ready campaign ads. Others are long-form videos offering details about a certain issue or the candidate’s background.

Here’s what’s available for viewing:

Veteran TV reporter Dale Cardwell has a bit of an advantage in this area, since he can deliver his message on-camera rather than relying on voice-over talent. Right up front on his website is a short introductory video telling us that Dale is: A. honest, B. a truth-teller, and C. not controlled by special-interest PACs.

Cardwell archives his longer pieces on a different site with the less-than-catchy name, www.dalethetruth.com. There you’ll find videos that have something of the feel of the investigative reports Cardwell used to do in his old job. In two of them, he explains how the incumbent, Saxby Chambliss, is beholden to special-interest PACs. Another attacks Democratic rival Jim Martin for: 1. changing his mind about running, 2. counting Vernon Jones among his friends, and 3. you guessed it – being beholden to special-interest PACs.

In Vernon Jones’ introductory video, the DeKalb CEO touts his support for renewable energy sources. The actors hired to play grocery shoppers horrified by rising prices are a bit cheesy, but Jones himself has – not surprisingly – a smooth, confident delivery.

Jones’ other videos are a mixed bag. There’s an entertaining 10-minute recap of his entire life, beginning with his upbringing in a large, poor family in small-town South Carolina, and following his political victories – accompanied by inter-titles and a soaring, inspirational musical score. Actually, he did leave out descriptions of his many personal scandals, but we guarantee there won’t be a dry eye in the house.

He also includes a seemingly endless video about DeKalb that looks to have been produced by the county’s economic development department. It’s the sort of thing that puts people to sleep at chamber of commerce breakfasts.

New to politics, Atlanta businessman Rand Knight offers a video that merely uses ad-libbed testimonials by supporters. It looks and sounds as if it was shot at a meet-the-candidate house party, but in cutting between the same three people, it gives the impression that he has only a handful of backers.

In his “media” section, Knight has no videos, only photographs. Hundreds and hundreds of photographs. From seemingly every public appearance the guy has made. There’s Rand visiting a construction site, Rand at a Houston County meet-and-greet, Rand posing with a donkey. He’s a young, good-looking fella, but photos with almost no context don’t tell us much about what kind of senator he’d make.

Josh Lanier, on the other hand, has few pictures of himself on his site. Most of his videos feature Chambliss speaking, with Stephen Colbert-style subtitles providing commentary – except they’re not funny. His introductory video is a four-minute slow-zoom of Lanier speaking directly into the camera. And speaking. And speaking. It has something to do with offering voters an alternative to politics as usual, but only a mother would watch the whole thing.

Jim Martin, the best-funded Democrat, has been able to buy airtime; his first ad has been on TV at least a week, but if you just can’t wait to see it, you can view it here. It’s a typically slick, professionally produced, 30-second campaign ad with a stentorian voice-over citing Martin’s service in Vietnam, his concern for women’s health care and his legislative efforts to protect homeowners from foreclosure. Well-known Atlanta community activist Hattie Dorsey delivers an endorsement for Martin. And, lastly, the smiling candidate says: “I’m Jim Martin and I approved this message because it’s time someone stood up for the middle class.” The ad is almost a textbook example of going after the liberal base in a primary election.

Seen any of the ads? Did any of them sway your vote? Tell us what you liked or didn’t like. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Last night’s Atlanta Press Club debate between U.S. Rep David Scott and former state Sen. Donzella James was fairly typical in that it unspooled like a boxing match in which the fighters spend most of their time in the clutch.

That’s not to say there’s no value in the APC debates. But, speaking as one who’s served as a panelist before, the time is so limited and the format so rigid that it’s rare for anyone – candidate or reporter – to land a punch.

Still, despite their shortcomings, the debates allow you to get a sense for the candidates’ rhetorical styles and they hint at campaign issues for further research.

Tuesday’s debate mainly saw Scott defending his record as a congressman, rather than James establishing why Democratic primary voters should choose her to represent the 13th District – a hideously Franken-mandered jurisdiction that wraps around the southern rim of Atlanta, including portions of six metro counties.

Scott has been under fire since being named one of the “22 most corrupt members of Congress” last year by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. He earned that distinction by falling a reported $167,000 behind in his taxes at the same time he was paying family members hundreds of thousands of dollars for working on his political campaigns.

But you wouldn’t have known any of that was a big deal from watching the debate, where time constraints allowed Scott to give the issue a quick brush-off.

More attention was paid to Scott’s conservative voting record, such as his recent support for the FISA bill that grants amnesty to telecom companies that helped the Bush administration illegally spy on Americans.

Other tidbits:

• Although James said she’s an environmentalist, she supports opening more areas up to oil exploration – leading one to wonder if she knows what “environmentalist” means.
• James mentioned several times that she lives in the district, but Scott doesn’t. Having seen his Inman Park mansion, I can’t say I blame him.
• Scott said one answer to high fuel prices is removing sugar tariffs so we can import Brazilian ethanol. He made it all sound so simple…
• Starting with a rambling statement about the War on Drugs, James invited Scott to join her in taking a drug test. He declined.

Finally, James brought up an incident in which Scott supposedly referred to their Republican opponent, Deborah Honeycutt, as a bitch – or, as James put it, the “B-word.” Having served several years with Scott in the state Senate, James said she gained insight into his character. “He disrespects women,” she said.

“It’s a complete lie,” Scott replied.

Sorry, but that’s all the time we have, folks. If you didn’t feel you gained adequate knowledge about the candidates from this blog post, you can watch the entire half-hour debate here.

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It’s arguably the most powerful local elected position in metro Atlanta, perhaps all of Georgia. And yet, by most accounts, the race for DeKalb CEO really hasn’t caught fire yet. Frankly, with only two weeks to go before the July 15 primary, there’s a good chance it won’t.

Even state Rep. Stan Watson, one of five hopefuls in the all-Democratic contest, concedes that he’s seen more excitement in the community over the November presidential election (You say, “Obamania!” I say, “Obamamania!”) than the CEO’s race.

In the northern end of the county, all attention seems to be focused on the Dunwoody cityhood referendum. And DeKalb Republicans, historically an important swing vote in Democratic primaries, will mostly cast GOP ballots instead because District 1 Commissioner Elaine Boyer has drawn opposition. (Her challenger, by the way, is Terri Burdine Fischer, owner of Clarkston strip club Strokers. Make that a schwing! vote.)

Another reason for the apparent disinterest in the race is the possibility that, apart from recreational candidate “Joe from Decatur” Bembry, most voters are fairly confident that any of the four serious contestants would be, well, perfectly adequate.

Along with Watson, who serves as chairman of the DeKalb state House delegation, the candidates include two-term Commissioner Burrell Ellis; former state Sen. Steen “Newslady” Miles; and Ann Kimbrough, chief of staff to outgoing CEO Vernon Jones.

With no formal polls done, the consensus among local political mavens seems to be that the primary will result in a runoff election between Ellis and either Watson or Kimbrough.

Ellis, a real estate attorney, is running a well-organized campaign and recently nabbed the endorsement of the AJC. Watson was the earliest to get into the race and is well-known in South DeKalb, but has – at last count – trailed far behind Ellis in terms of fund-raising.

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