Next year's "SEC primary" is taking final shape. On Thursday, Arkansas lawmakers gave final approval to legislation moving that state's presidential nomination contest to March 1 – to match the same date set by Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
From Andrew Demillo and the Associated Press:
Last week, Alabama lawmakers gave final approval to a bill that would move their state’s 2016 primary election to March 1. We’re expecting to hear very soon that Gov. Robert Bentley has signed the legislation.
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill is particularly excited about the prospect. We're told he's already established an SEC primary website – which features this video:
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Deadspin has a sharp, angry look at the machinations that led to the collapse of the Atlanta-based National Conference of Black Mayors:
The NCBM was a historically significant but poorly-managed organization. By the time Johnson walked away from it to start the competing AAMA, it was crippled. This produced litigation now sitting in county and federal courthouses in the state of Georgia, in which remaining members of the NCBM accuse Johnson of first scheming to seize control of the group, then destroying it.
The filings allege that Johnson covertly organized a public/private consortium to launch what he called a "coup" against the NCBM. It was a study in overkill. His army included three public-sector PR firms plus his own mayoral communications staff, a law firm that boasts about its prominent role in the charter school industry, and his wife, the charter-school activist Michelle Rhee.
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Down in south Georgia, Robert Williams, publisher of the Blackshear Times, tells of nefarious legislation, signed by Gov. Nathan Deal under the assumption that local officials wanted it, that will push the city of Waycross out of Pierce County:
Nimmer is author of the law that will, effective June 30, eliminate the City of Waycross' territorial claim to about 400 acres in Pierce County, including 130 of those acres which they actually own. Roughly 150 people gathered in Waycross last Thursday to air out this issue but about all that came from the gathering was restrained indignation from Waycross leaders, and a sheepish apology from Nimmer….
Nimmer did what he thought local officials wanted him to do. But he made a critical mistake. He never asked for a formal resolution, voted upon by either body, to approve such a move, a standard procedure by more experienced legislators.
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A Georgian is in the running to lead the Young Democrats of America. Louis Elrod, who describes himself as a progressive political activist, said he wants to help train the next generation of Democratic leaders.
He joined the organization when he was 16 when he co-founded a chapter in his hometown of Mount Airy. He went on to lead the group's UGA chapter and served as president of the state organization from 2011 to 2013. He is now the vice president of the national group.
He's got some heavyweight support behind him, including Senate Minority Leader Steve Henson, party chair DuBose Porter and former Sen. Jason Carter. A win would come with some huge perks: The president serves on the Democratic National Committee's executive committee and is automatically made a super-delegate at the presidential convention.
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A few more details are trickling out about how South Carolina bested Georgia in the hunt for Volvo's first U.S. plant.
At a celebratory press conference on Thursday, Volvo executive Lars Wrebo said the state agreed to build an interchange for the Volvo plant off Interstate 26. The Post & Courier reported that state officials also agreed to make improvements to the highway to minimize traffic congestion.
The State newspaper reported that the final tally involved at least $204 million in incentives from the state and an electric utility company, as well as grants for site improvements and tax credits for jobs created.
One of the biggest inducements, though, may have been a nearby BMW plant. Volvo Cars of North America CEO told The State that one of the first things he did was visit the rival plant.
"You always want to avoid reinventing the wheel," Kerssemakers told the newspaper. "If they had a good experience, that would make a big difference in our decision process. They have been there for years so they know exactly how it works in South Carolina."
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The commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers toured the Savannah Port on Thursday.
Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick got an update on the $706 million harbor deepening that finally got under way late last year. Georgia leaders are still counting on Congress to pump in more money. Said Bostick in a press release:
"This project demonstrates how the demand for commerce and the need for environmental stewardship can be accommodated in a single purpose. The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project reinforces our commitment to a sustainable 21st century infrastructure that will strengthen the nation's economy and bolster global competitiveness, create jobs, reduce risk to people and communities, and help restore and sustain the environment."
We're assuming the above is Corpspeak for "the check is in the mail."
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