Some people looking for the reason Chicago won the Democratic National Convention over Atlanta have pointed to controversy over Atlanta’s planned police and fire safety center as a potential reason for organizers to head to the Windy City instead.
But Chicago has its own new police and fire training center, which sparked plenty of controversy as it moved through its process, too.
In Chicago, protesters loudly demonstrated at City Council meetings and staged sit-ins at City Hall, arguing funding for the training center should instead be invested in public schools and mental health care and job training programs.
The city held a ribbon-cutting in January for its Joint Public Safety Center Campus, which sits on a 30-acre former rail yard site and features a six-story tower and mock village like the one protestors in Atlanta have condemned.
Credit: John Spink/AJC
Credit: John Spink/AJC
Chicago began searching for a developer for its project in 2017, when former Democratic congressman Rahm Emanuel was mayor. A majority of the city’s council members backed the project. Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, who represents a ward near the site, opposed it.
“The data shows that investing in jobs and education and after-school programs and mental health does more to reduce violence and crime than in investing more in police and jails,” Ramirez-Rosa told our AJC colleague Jeremy Redmon.
Benji Hart, an artist and educator, was among a group of #nocopacademy protesters who traveled from Chicago to Atlanta last month to demonstrate against the training center under development here.
“We see it as a mismanagement of public funds,” Hart told Redmon, adding Chicago’s and Atlanta’s training centers are coming “at the expense of social services that we believe are the things that actually create public safety and actually keep our communities safe.”
Atlanta’s $90 million project has drawn national attention as protesters from across the country have clashed with police near the 85-acre site, which sits east of Atlanta and west of the Gresham Park neighborhood. One activist was fatally shot during a confrontation with officers on Jan. 18 after he allegedly fired at them and wounded an officer.
***
Credit: Charles Rex Arbogast
Credit: Charles Rex Arbogast
TURNKEY CITY. While Atlanta Democrats were trying to move on from the Democratic National Convention’s snub, Chicago hosted a celebration of the city’s victory under a cloudless sky at the Shedd Aquarium.
One of your Insiders filed the following from the Windy City, with the DNC’s primary reason for heading there next year next year:
If there was a common theme from the Windy City delegation, it was that Chicago could handle this scale of an event without breaking a sweat.
The city hosts a half-dozen conventions far bigger than the Democratic gathering every year, and it has held more political conventions than any other U.S. city.
“We were looking for a turnkey operation," said Jaime Harrison, the chair of the Democratic National Committee. “And I'm confident that Chicago will deliver that with a successful convention and a memorable experience for our delegates, our guests and members of the media."
***
HOSPITAL OVERHAUL. When Lt. Gov. Burt Jones gave up this year on his attempt to loosen the state’s hospital regulations, he vowed he would “not stop fighting” to pass the legislation down the line. We’re starting to see the next phase of what that looks like.
Before adjourning for the year, the Senate created a study committee to review certificate of need policies. And on Wednesday, Jones stacked the panel with allies who support his push to build new hospitals without state pre-clearance — including a proposed hospital in Jones’ hometown that could financially benefit his family, our colleague Ariel Hart tells us.
The study committee includes five Republicans and two Democrats and is chaired by state Sen. Greg Dolezal, who earlier this year introduced the Jones-backed hospital overhaul, Senate Bill 99. Among the five Republican lawmakers on the panel, four co-sponsored SB 99.
Also on the panel are private-sector health care representatives, including Dr. Steven Wertheim of the orthopedic surgery company Resurgens; Mark Baker, CEO of the Hughston Clinic; and Christine MacEwen an attorney for the Piedmont Healthcare system.
Piedmont split its lobbying operations away from the Georgia Hospital Association in 2020 after the two battled over the Certificate of Need program.
The committee will hold hearings throughout the summer in communities where certificates of need were limited or denied.
***
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
DUNCAN ON GUNS. Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is no stranger to breaking ranks with fellow Republicans on key issues. But it was still surprising to see a tweet calling for firearms restrictions after the latest mass shooting in Kentucky.
“Doing nothing about gun violence is no longer an option for Republicans,” Duncan wrote in a tweet that praised Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, for his response to the deadly attack.
We asked Duncan for specifics on what policies Republicans should embrace. He responded in broad terms.
“The 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with cold blooded murder.”
***
HIGHEST BIDDER. Speaking of guns, Louisville, Kentucky Mayor Craig Greenberg spoke out this week against a state law that requires that the gun used by a mass shooter to kill five people and injure eight at a local bank Monday will soon be sold at auction.
“To those in the national media that are joining us here today,” Greenberg said, “this may be even more shocking than it is to those of us locally who know this and are dealing with this.”
Our friend Jim Galloway flags for us that Georgia has a nearly identical law on the books, which passed on the final day of the legislative session in 2012.
***
AROUND GEORGIA:
- Gov. Brian Kemp will sign a series of school-related bills today at a signing ceremony in Savannah, including two bills on early literacy and HB 147, which will require “intruder alert” drills at all public schools in the state.
- U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, and MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood hold a news conference at the Doraville MARTA station to highlight clean energy funding included in the Inflation Reduction Act.
***
Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden will meet with Ireland’s President, Michael Higgins, and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. He will also address the country’s parliament.
- The U.S. House and Senate are on an Easter and Passover recess until April 17.
***
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
TENNESSEE EXPULSIONS. Both of the state legislators who were expelled by Republicans in the Tennessee legislature have now been reappointed by their local boards.
But several Senate Democrats, led by Georgia’s Raphael Warnock, are asking the Department of Justice to investigate the expulsions of Democratic Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones and determine if any constitutional protections or civil rights laws were violated.
“Many in the Tennessee legislature appear to have convinced themselves that The People’s House is their house, and they have effectively evicted the districts’ voters out of their own house,” the letter says. “This is un-democratic, un-American, and unacceptable, and the U.S. Department of Justice should investigate whether it was also unlawful or unconstitutional.”
In addition to Warnock, the letter was also signed by Senate Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Alex Padilla of California and Brian Schatz of Hawaii.
***
Credit: Jenni Girtman for the AJC
Credit: Jenni Girtman for the AJC
TEAM BIDEN. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, fresh off her stint working at the White House, is among the candidates to serve as a national co-chair of the president’s reelection campaign.
NBC News was the first to report that Bottoms, who most recently served as President Joe Biden’s Director of Public Engagement, is being considered for the role along with her predecessor at the White House, Cedric Richmond.
Bottoms and Biden are close. She was an early supporter of his 2020 campaign and became a top national surrogate, traveling the nation to appear at events and rallies on his behalf.
***
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
OUR CONDOLENCES. Carolyn Long Banks, the first Black woman to serve on the Atlanta City Council, died on Wednesday.
“She broke barriers and was a role model for leadership and social change,” Councilwoman Andrea Boone said in a statement. “Let us keep her family in our prayers as we all seek comfort and peace during this time of mourning.” Boone said.
Banks was a civil rights leader who worked directly with Martin Luther King. She served on the City Council from 1980 to 1997. Later, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the Commission on Women, and she also served as president of the National League of Cities.
***
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. Part of making our canine selections every day is judgment. And today, ladies and gentlemen of The Jolt, we find Beau Daughtrey guilty of being adorable.
Beau calls probate Judge Chase Daughtrey of Adel his person. Along with riding in farm vehicles with his little Daughtrey people, a reliable source tells us the high-energy English setter excels at quail hunting, hates Twitter (don’t we all, Beau?), and generally keeps his politics old school and friendly, like Judge Daughtrey’s former boss, the late Sen. Johnny Isakson.
The only possible consequence for this kind of cuteness, Beau, is being our Dog of the Day. Congrats!
Send us your pups of any political persuasion — and cats on a cat-by-cat basis to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us on Twitter @MurphyAJC.
***
AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
