Republican-Drawn District Map Ousts Three Progressive Athens-Clarke County Commissioners
Three progressive Athens-Clarke County commissioners won’t be able to run for re-election if a new commission district map proposed by Athens’ four Republican legislators is approved.
Races in odd-numbered districts are on the ballot in 2022. But a map introduced last Thursday by Republican state Reps. Houston Gaines and Marcus Wiedower and Sens. Bill Cowsert and Frank Ginn places commissioners Melissa Link, Tim Denson and Russell Edwards in even-numbered districts that aren’t up until 2024, meaning they’ll have to relinquish their seats. Link is paired with Commissioner Marah Parker, Denson with Commissioner Jesse Houle and Edwards with Commissioner Mike Hamby.
“They basically ousted us,” Edwards told Flagpole. “What a way to commemorate Jan. 6.”
Redistricting is a mandatory once-a-decade process to adjust populations after a census. The state legislature is responsible for drawing state House, Senate and congressional maps, and also has the authority to approve local maps. Those state legislators had put ACC officials on notice that they would draw their own map if a locally drawn version that made only minor tweaks didn’t pass the commission unanimously.
Two commissioners, Hamby and Allison Wright, voted against the local map last month, while Commissioner Ovita Thornton abstained, despite their colleagues pleading with them to support it. “The Athens-Clarke County mayor and commission have been unable to reach a consensus; therefore, this delegation worked to create a draft map,” according to a news release from Gaines, Wiedower, Cowsert and Ginn.
Read more: https://flagpole.com/news/city-dope/2022/01/12/republican-drawn-district-map-ousts-three-progressive-acc-commissioners/