While the upcoming April 2010 census figures for Cobb won't surface until early 2011, a look at voter registration statistics published by the Georgia Secretary of State's office gives clues to the demographic changes Cobb has experienced since the last census 10 years ago.
In January 2000, Cobb had 303,707 active registered voters, of whom 82.5 percent were white (250,497 voters), 14.2 percent were black (43,249 voters) and 3.3 percent were "others" (9,961 voters - Asians, Hispanics, etc.).
The recently released January 2010 voter count from the Secretary of State tallies 386,834 active registered voters in Cobb, of whom 67.3 percent are white (260,284 voters), 23.7 percent are black (91,538 voters) and the remaining 9.1 percent are Asians, Hispanics or others (35,012 voters).
During the 10 years between January 2000 and January 2010, Cobb added 83,127 persons to the voter rolls, with blacks accounting for 58.1 percent of that growth (48,289 new voters), whites accounting for 11.8 percent (9,787 voters) and Asians, Hispanics and others for 30.1 percent of Cobb's net voter growth (25,051 voters).
The demographic shift is most apparent in south Cobb. As an example, Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan's Austell-Six Flags State House district, majority-white in the 2000 census, was majority-black in voter registration by the 2004 presidential election, the first majority-black State House district entirely within Cobb. Rep. Don Wix, who replaced Rep. Roy Barnes in 1998 after the latter's election as governor, found himself in a close primary in 2008 as his Powder Springs district was nearing 50/50 black/white in voter registration. Demographic changes in Marietta helped propel Democrat Pat Dooley to a three-point win over Republican and current Marietta Mayor Steve Tumlin in a 2008 House contest, four years after Tumlin had unseated Dooley by seven points.
Countywide, the growing minority voter registration played a crucial role in 2008 in Barack Obama's 45 percent showing in Cobb, the highest percentage a Democratic presidential candidate has won in Cobb since 1976, when native son Jimmy Carter took Cobb and Georgia's 158 other counties in his successful presidential bid that year. In contrast, the GOP's standard-bearer two years ago, John McCain, won fewer votes in Cobb than then-President George W. Bush four years earlier.
THE DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES IN THE COUNTY in the last 10 years will have implications for redistricting, which the General Assembly will undertake after the 2011 regular legislative session, when the 2010 census data becomes available.
Depending on the final count, there may be sufficient population for a second, and perhaps even a third, majority-black House district in Cobb, along with maybe a majority-black Senate district in the southern part of Cobb. The Smyrna-based 40th House District being vacated by Democrat Rob Teilhet, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for attorney general, now is slightly under 50 percent black in voter registration, though his district was not majority-black in population in the 2000 census. Whether such districts will be created may depend in part as to whether legislative districts from other counties cross into Cobb in the next round of redistricting.
Prior to the 2004 court-ordered maps, Democratic Sen. Horacena Tate of Fulton County had a small portion of south Cobb in her district, and the majority-black district of Rep. Sheila Jones of Fulton crosses over the Chattahoochee from Fulton into Cobb.
Another factor will be interpretation of the Voting Rights Act, which requires Georgia and a number of other states to obtain federal approval of new maps to ensure that new districts do not discriminate against minority voters. Given the possibility of litigation, which is common in redistricting battles across the states, it is anyone's guess what the lines in Cobb will be when voters go to the polls in 2012, the first election cycle after the next redistricting process.
SPORTS WIRE: Andy McCollum, who starred as quarterback for Marietta High School in the mid-1970s and later head coach at Middle Tennessee State University, (1999-2005) has reportedly accepted an offer from Georgia Tech Coach Paul Johnson to be recruiting coordinator and an assistant coach at Tech.
McCollum has been linebacker coach at North Carolina State since 2007 and was a scout for the NFL's Tennessee Titans in 2006. He also has been an assistant coach at Baylor University and the University of Texas-El Paso. While at Middle Tennessee he was voted Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2001 by the Tennessee Sportswriters Association.
He earlier led the MHS Blue Devils to a 10-2 record in his senior year (1976) at Northcutt Stadium under Coach Ray Broadaway, then went on to star at Austin Peay State University as an offensive guard and tight end. He earned a bachelor's of science there and a master's of science degree from Middle Tennessee.
He and his wife, Gwen, have two teenage children, Drew and Andrea.
McCollum would succeed Giff Smith as recruiting coordinator at Tech. Smith, a Mableton native, resigned late last month to become linebackers coach for the Buffalo Bills.
THE YWCA OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA, the Kennesaw State University Foundation and the Atlanta Beat Soccer Foundation are cosponsoring "The Empowerment Run" March 13. The 5-K race will start at BrandsMart USA at Town Center at 8 a.m. Participants will run alongside members of the Atlanta Beat Women's Professional Soccer team and will receive a ticket to an upcoming game. For more, go to Active.com.
THIS AND THAT: The Cobb Democratic Women meet Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at House of Lu at 89 Cherokee St. to hear director of the Cobb County Transportation Agency, Fay diMassimo about local transportation issues. Dinner will be buffet. The price is $9.95, plus drinks, tax and tip. RSVPs to RuthE Levy at (770) 650-1106 or Levyruthe1@juno.com. ... Jane Bradshaw, Georgia Young Democrats president, will speak at the March 11 meeting.
MORE T. & T.: The Humane Society of Cobb County will host its winter variety show, "Hearts and Dreams" on Feb. 13 at the Strand Theatre. ... WellStar's Chief Cardiology Officer Dr. Barry Mangel and Government Affairs Executive Director Susan Thompson will speak at the Cobb Chamber's East Cobb Area Council breakfast on Feb. 17 to outline what may be ahead for cardiac health and health care. reform. ... Marietta First United Methodist Church will host an organ and strings recital by Arie Motschman on Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. in the sanctuary. For info, call (770) 429-7800. ... The Cobb Library Foundation's Author Luncheon will present Marietta's Johnnie Gabriel speaking March 1 at 11:30 a.m. at the Georgian Club. Gabriel launched her new cookbook "Cooking in the South" in September 2008. She is currently writing a sequel titled, "Second Helpings," presenting more than 150 Southern recipes from her restaurant, Gabriel's Desserts. Tickets are $25 and can be bought at www.cobbcat.org. For info, call (770) 528-2196. Proceeds benefit the Gail Rogers Honorary Scholarship fund for library staffers obtaining their master's in library science degree.
THE ROTARY CLUB of Marietta Metro is sponsoring a romantic evening, "From Our Heart to Yours," at the Strand Theatre in Marietta from 7-10 p.m. Feb. 15 to benefit WellStar's cardiac programs, the American Heart Association and local Rotary projects. The black tie-optional event will feature heavy hors d'oeuvres, with tickets pegged at $35 per person. Call (770) 218-9414.
THE COBB CHAMBER OF COMMERCE is accepting nominations until April 9 for Cobb Executive Women's Glass Ceiling award honoring an individual who has a history of efforts to promote qualified personal and professional development for advancement in the workplace by men or women.
Nominees must have a minimum of five years history of promoting or supporting women in the workplace and must live or work in this county. Membership in the Cobb Chamber is not required, but previous award recipients are excluded.
This is the 19th year Cobb Executive Women, a group that seeks to promote women in business, has sponsored the award. Past winners include 2009 recipient Bonnie Cole of resource development for United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta; 2008 recipient lawyer Fred Bentley Jr.; 2007 recipient banker Joe Daniell; 2006 recipient Dr. Lisa Rossbacher of Southern Polytechnic State University and 2004 Lifetime Achievement recipient, the MDJ's Bill Kinney.
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