Serving DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties
Volume 18 Number 9
www.ocgnews.com
Page 1B
AUGUST 1, 2012
Landslide ‘no’ vote kills TSPLOST referendum
FREE
Mary Ellen McClanahan
Georgia named a top state for start-up businesses By Joshua Smith
Looking to start a business? Put Georgia on your list. The “Peach State” is one of the top places in the nation for start-up businesses, new statistics show. Georgia, which has a population of 9.8 million, ties with Nevada at No. 1 with 510 new business owners per 100,000 adults, according to the (2011) Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity used by state officials. “Georgia companies enjoy the kind of environment that is conducive to maximizing their profits, and their workers find a great quality of life,” said Mary Ellen McClanahan, director of Entrepreneur and Small Business for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. McClanahan, who spoke recently at the Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce’s luncheon meeting, said a modest cost of doing business, aggressive laws that protect entrepreneurs, tax incentives and a robust venture capital community have helped create a vibrant start-up community in Georgia. She also credits state universities with producing young innovators who are eager to launch their own businesses. “Each year, Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Emory University and other schools produce droves of entrepreneurial-minded graduates,” said McClanahan. “We have learned that mentor programs we host for students also work well with adults.” One tax incentive is the Single Factor Apportionment, which uses the company’s gross receipts as the sole determinant of a company’s taxable income. The process is one that greatly reduces taxation of companies with significant sales. Georgia also provides several tax credits including the Job Tax Credit, Port Tax Credit Bonus, Quality Jobs Tax Credit, Research and Development Credit, Mega Project Tax Credit, Child Care Tax Credit and Work Opportunity Tax Credit. In addition, many businesses may be subject to Sales and Use Tax Exemptions when purchased equipment is used for manufacturing. Other companies may qualify for Inventory Tax Exemption, which could alleviate all property taxes. See Robust, page 5 INSIDE
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Yes: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed
No: DeKalb NAACP’s John Evans
The watch party at Atlanta’s Marriott Marquis hotel in downtown Atlanta kept proponents alert as election results for the TSPLOST vote were tallied.
G
By Valerie J. Morgan
eorgians said a resounding “no” to TSPLOST—some 65 percent of them—as they turned out in spite of the rainy weather to cast their ballots during the General Primary. The big no marked a huge defeat for the controversial transportation referendum, which was touted as a way to unclog traffic, create jobs and raise $8.5 billion over a 10-year period to fund 157 road and transit projects. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who ardently fought for the one percent sales tax increase that would take effect in the 10-county region, said he would continue to push for transportation progress. Proponents want to create a transit system similar to those in New York City and Washington, D.C. to alleviate congestion on highways and byways. “Tomorrow, I’m going to wake up and work just as hard for them to change their minds,” Reed told a crowd of supporters who gathered at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in downtown Atlanta to watch elections results. The mayor said that the highlight of his day had come from a “Tweet” he received from an opponent saying that he was on his way to the polls to vote no but got stuck in traffic. Reed’s comment reflected a light-hearted side of the debate—strikingly different from the combative attitude
he displayed just days before the election when he blasted DeKalb NAACP President John Evans on a V103 radio talk show. Evans had expressed his opposition to TSPLOST during an interview on the show. Reed came on after Evans. Radio listeners said Reed acted like a bully, personalizing the debate by calling Evans “a funny fellow” and daring the 79-year-old to stand up to him. Reed was upset over Evans’ implying that some leaders had been bought by TSPLOST officials to push the referendum. “I didn’t accuse him (Reed). I accused the leadership,” Evans said later. Evans and others in South DeKalb had opposed the referendum namely because the I-20 rail, which was supposed to built to link to The Mall at Stonecrest, was not included on the TSPLOST projects’ list. Opponents said DeKalb and Atlanta had paid into public transit system for 40 years by supporting a one percent sales tax, while other counties paid nothing into the system. They didn’t think it was fair to have to pay an additional penny, Evans said. “People are just tired of being taxed. They’re paying more taxes for schools, water systems, everything. What do you expect? I wouldn’t give up a quarter for anything unless there is a guarantee that I’m gong to get something for it,” Evans said. See Organizers, page 7
Tight race for new House District 92
Tonya P. Anderson
Doreen Williams
Sherri Len Washington
By Valerie J. Morgan
A runoff appears imminent in the new House District 92 race. Unofficial Primary elections results show the candidates running for State Representative were very close in the hotly contested race. District 92 includes parts of East DeKalb and Rockdale counties. Only a handful of votes separated educator Doreen Williams and Tonya Peterson Anderson, the city of Lithonia’s former mayor. A candidate must receive 50 percent plus 1 vote to avoid a runoff. Runoff elections will be held on Aug. 21. According to preliminary results, Anderson received 1,088 votes (24.61 percent), while
Doreen Carter
Kathy L. Harvey
Williams earned 1.061 votes (24 percent). Sherrie Washington trailed with a respectable 1,009 votes (22.82 percent), while Doreen Carter garnered 850 votes (19.50 percent). Kathy Harvey received 401 votes or 9.07 percent. The Georgia General Assembly carved out the new district and made changes to several others last year due to population shifts identified in the 2010 U.S. census. The new District 92’s population is 54,205 with 24,826 in DeKalb and 29,379 residents in Rockdale. For updates on this race, please visit On Common Ground News’ web site at www. ocgnews.com.