NEXT AT ISSUE: Is district voting right for Fayette County?
Tuesday’s Election Day was the first in Fayette County history to implement district voting. Until this year, the at-large voting system allowed all county residents to cast ballots for school board and county commission seats, even though the candidates themselves must reside in their respective districts. But a lawsuit challenging the practice, led by the NAACP, resulted in a 2013 court order by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Batten to end at-large voting, citing provisions of the federal Voting Rights Act. The Fayette County government has vowed to fight the ruling, and will be back in court on Dec. 10 to appeal the ruling to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
On Nov. 4, Pota Coston earned 67 percent of the vote to become the first African-American woman ever elected to the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, replacing District 5 incumbent Allen McCarty. Leonard Presberg kept his District 5 seat on the Fayette County Board of Education over challenger Dean Dunton, and Diane Basham defeated Ogechi Oparah for the District 4 BOE seat being vacated by Bob Todd. Steve Brown ran unopposed for the District 3 seat on the county commission. Of the four local races, two were won by Democrats and two by Republicans.
So with the results of the first district voting election now in, we’d like to hear from residents regarding whether the new system is more fair or more restrictive. Do you feel better represented in county government, or less? And should the county continue its appeal?
— Jill Howard Church for the AJC
Last week, the AJC wrote about the impending sale of the Simpsonwood Conference and Retreat Center in Peachtree Corners. Former Norcross schoolteacher Ludie Simpson bequeathed the 227 acres to the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church forty years ago with the clear understanding the property could not be sold off in smaller parcels. In addition, Simpson asked that revenue from the property be used to maintain the accompanying chapel.
Seven years ago, the North Georgia Conference announced the need to sell the property to manage operating losses of as much as $750,000 annually. With the organization carrying $6 million in debt, and the need for an estimated $2 million to $3 million in renovations, the organization is potentially faced with deciding between honoring Simpson’s last requests and making a sound financial decision. Residents in the area hope to prevent the sale to a private developer and are encouraging the church to sell the property to Gwinnett County in hopes it will be protected as green space.
Located along the banks of the Chattahoochee, the property is some of the last undeveloped acreage in this corner of Gwinnett.
Here are some comments we received from readers:
“Miss Ludie Simpson had a vision for her property along the Chattahoochee River. Her dream was to leave natural forest, river, and undeveloped land for the enjoyment of the people of her state, county, and area. She carefully decided the North Georgia Methodist Conference could best protect her desire. Thus she entered into a covenant with the Methodist Conference.
‘I was over 40 years old at the time, and well remember the excitement of the people of my church. Selling this land known as Simpsonwood may be legal, but is morally and ethically wrong. If a Church governing group cannot honor a covenant agreement, whom can one trust?’” — Submitted on behalf of Willie Drews by her daughter, Nancy Evans
“Maintaining the property as a green space and active park would be in keeping with the spirit of Ludie Simpson’s generosity. I’m certain she would feel honored to see families enjoying the lovely property year round.” – Jo Cooper, resident of Duluth
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