The three predicted that the session would be dominated by budget-related issues because of the economy. Little surprise there. But they also sounded off on the Cobb school board and Marietta Mayor-elect Steve "Thunder" Tumlin.
(A story on the group's visit will run in next week's MDJ.)
ROGERS NEARLY FELL OUT OF HIS CHAIR during the meeting while scanning the Cobb School District's 2010 legislative priorities, which Superintendent Fred Sanderson has urged his board to adopt.
"When I read this, I do have to shake my head. I don't know how you run as a Republican and then pass a legislative agenda that includes this," Rogers said, reading from the school district's draft legislative pamphlet, which says, among other things, that the board opposes eliminating the collection of state ad valorem taxes and state income taxes, opposes property tax assessment freezes or caps, and opposes the elimination of motor vehicle tag tax.
"You cannot call yourself a Republican because Republicans believe in lower taxation," Rogers said.
Four of the seven school board members ran on the Republican ticket. They are Chairman Dr. John Abraham, board Vice Chairman Lynnda Crowder-Eagle, Dr. John Crooks and David Banks. But in the kind of politically tone-deaf move the public has come to expect from Abraham, he assigned Democratic board member Holli Cash of Smyrna as the board's liaison to the Cobb legislative delegation, which is dominated by Republicans.
Sanderson presented the board with the legislative priorities at its Oct 14 meeting and the board is expected to adopt them next month.
Cash, like Alan Essig of the liberal Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, has called on the Legislature to raise taxes. But fat chance of that while Republicans are in charge, Roger replied.
"Republicans believe that onerous tax systems such as the property tax system need to be dramatically altered or done away with and (the school board's proposal) is a call right out of the Alan Essig playbook for more taxes, more taxes, more taxes," Rogers said. "It's almost shocking to me that we have Republican members of the Board of Education who would support this. I'm a conservative first. This is certainly not conservative philosophy, so if this is what the Republican Party stands for, I may be in the wrong party, but someone's in the wrong party because we both can't agree on this. I'm not calling them out if they haven't adopted this, but if they were to adopt this I would be very concerned."
THE LEGISLATORS WERE ALSO PUZZLED by the school district's legislative priority requesting "flexibility" during economic crisis.
"They must not have known that we did that because last session we passed a very major bill that has given tremendous flexibility to all systems in Georgia," Wiles said.
"It's now a minimum amount of hours, not days. Many school systems throughout the state are now operating four days a week. So I mean if you want flexibility, there are school systems in Georgia that are having four days of classes a week. That's the ultimate flexibility," Wiles said.
Smiled Ehrhart: "Maybe they should have done their homework."
THE LEGISLATIVE LEADERS DIDN'T use up all their ammunition on the embattled Cobb school board, however. With Mayor Bill Dunaway stepping down and being replaced by Tumlin - a former legislator - the city of Marietta will "unquestionably" have a better relationship with the General Assembly, said Ehrhart.
"Marietta is going to be in much better shape, bottom line. Mayor Tumlin, he'll come down and talk to us. He won't lecture us. He won't tell us we're stupid," Ehrhart said.
Dunaway is known for his blistering attacks on everyone from Cobb Board of Commissioners Chairman Sam Olens to reporters to private citizens such as occasional MDJ guest columnist Larry Wills of Marietta.
"'Stupid' is an inappropriate word between two people who are elected," Wiles said.
"Even if it's true," Ehrhart added.
Wiles said, "Mama would tell you that's not how you talk to people."
Although legislators haven't gee hawed with Dunaway, they did with previous Marietta mayors.
"We had a good relationship with (late Marietta Mayor) Joe Mack (Wilson), because he'd been in the Legislature. He knew how to come down and communicate," said Ehrhart.
Democrat Wilson was chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee - one of that body's most powerful positions - but fell victim to Cobb's changing demographics and the first George Bush's presidential coattails in 1988, losing to first-time candidate Ehrhart.
THE COBB SCHOOL BOARD has been complaining that it should have its own meeting with the Cobb legislative delegation. Instead, they'll be sharing time with other government entities during next month's legislative day, when those bodies (the county, cities, school systems, judges, etc.) take turns parading their budgetary "wish lists" for the coming legislative session. The school board also wants to meet en masse with the legislators, rather than sending a spokesman as the other bodies do.
But Wiles asked why the school board should be treated different than the other groups, each of which each gets a time slot during the marathon day. When the Cobb Superior Court judges want to meet with the delegation, they don't all come, Wiles said.
"We have the chief judge. When the county commission wants to speak with us, they send Sam Olens," Wiles said.
Of course if the Cobb school board insisted on lobbying individually at the meeting, Wiles quipped, "I could give them 90 seconds each."
That reference is to how Abraham slighted the crowd of parents who showed up to voice their concerns about a balanced calendar at the board meeting last week. Abraham limited their comments to 90 seconds each, prompting one parent to remark that even unpopular former Superintendent Joe Redden allowed the public five minutes each to speak at meetings. But Abraham went further, summoning a police officer to lead Walton High School mom Vivian Jackson away from the microphone. Her crime? Criticizing him for breaking his campaign promises on the calendar.
The Cobb system got good grades this week from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, being recommended for reaccredidation. But it's clear that the board is still getting low marks from the legislative delegation - to say nothing of many parents and taxpayers.
ARE COBB AND MARIETTA PARENTS paying close attention to the school calendar controversy these days? You better believe it, and regardless of whether they favor the “balanced calendar” that starts school Aug. 2, or whether they sympathize with Vivian Jackson or John Abraham.
Four of the five most-read stories on the newspaper’s www.MDJonline.com Web site in the past two weeks have dealt with efforts to impose “balanced” calendars. The best-read story of all, as of Friday afternoon, was “Parents vent anger; east Cobb woman escorted from podium by police officer,” by Katy Ruth Camp from Nov. 12, with 3,439 views.
In second place was a Nov. 11 story, “Cobb creeks expected to reach flood levels today,” with 3,250 views.
But the other stories rounding out the top five were all about the calendar. In third place was “Cobb board (votes) 4-3 for balanced calendar,” by Jon Gillooly, with 3,115 views.
In fourth place was reporter Talia Mollett’s “Marietta City Schools consider balanced calendar,” from Tuesday, with 2,987 views.
And in fifth was Gillooly’s “Calendar controversy,” from Nov. 12, with 2,665 views, about the Cobb board’s vote to impose the controversial calendar.
The story checked out by the most online readers since the MDJ revamped its Web site in August was “Aftermath in Austell: nearly half homeless” that ran Sept. 28 about the historic flooding that hit Cobb that weekend. It has been visited by 7,600 readers in the months since.
THE MARIETTA TREEKEEPERS will hold its first tree planting of the fall season today at 9 a.m. at Fowler Circle, between Cherokee Street and Cole Street on the North Marietta Parkway Loop. Look for the green signage. Fowler Circle is one block off the North Loop between Cole and Cherokee streets. Dress to plant 36 trees. For more details, call Holly Walquist, Chairperson of Marietta Tree Keepers Inc., at (770) 424-4664.
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Then I would like to ask Republican Sam Olens about the increase in my water bills and the inflated home assessments - feels like tax increases by Republicans to this taxpayer !