Serving DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties Volume 18 Number 13
www.ocgnews.com OCTOBER 1, 2012
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Rockdale’s ‘Slate of 8’ galvanizes base as election countdown nears
Photo by Joshua Smith/OCG News
Voter groups rally on National Voter Registration Day By Joshua Smith
A
s Congressman Hank Johnson led supporters through a chorus of Peter, Paul and Mary’s Civil Rights classic, “If I Had a Hammer,” and Congressman John Lewis recalled voter suppression in the 1960s, the message was clear: Get out and vote. “People died for their right, people struggled for their right to vote and there are forces in America today that are trying to make it hard and difficult for people to register to vote,” Lewis told a crowd during the National Voter Registration Day at the state Capitol. The Congressional Black Caucus, voter groups and Civil Rights organizations around the nation used the day, Sept. 26, to collectively rally citizens to register to vote by the Oct. 9 deadline. The push came as the election cranks up full speed. Absentee voting is under way now. Mailed ballots must be received by Nov. 2. Early voting begins at select precincts on Oct. 15 and ends Nov. 2. The General Election is Nov. 6. The Congressional Black Caucus is fighting voter suppression tactics they say are designed to discourage people from registering and going to the polls. At least 34 states have introduced laws that would require voters to show photo identification in order to vote and at least 12 states have introduced laws that would require proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate, to register to vote or to vote. In Georgia, voter ID laws were passed in 2005, making the state one of the earliest adopters of voter suppression techniques. The states that have cut back on voting rights provide 171 electoral votes in 2012 – 63 percent of the 270 needed to win the presidency. “Across the country, our Constitutional right to vote is under attack,” said Rep. Johnson. “Sweeping new state voter laws – including an end to same-day registration, cuts to early voting and voter ID laws – create barriers for millions of voters. Nothing is more fundamental in our democracy than the right to vote. We must reject any attempts to curb citizens’ access to the ballot.”
Photo by Glenn L. Morgan/OCG News
By Valerie J. Morgan
CONYERS—With the Nov. 6 elections just a few weeks away, Rockdale County’s Democratic candidates have united as one team to chart a new political course and push their slate. Calling themselves Democrats United, the slate of eight candidates are pooling their resources to canvass neighborhoods, phone banks, host meet-and-greets, and reach as many voters in Rockdale County as they can. “Candidates working together is something you don’t see often in political races. It’s exciting that it’s happening here in Rockdale,” said Tisa Smart Washington, chair of the Rockdale County Democratic Party. “Democrats are organized, strategic and working together to move our county forward. The party has opened a headquarters, which is providing candidates a place to meet and resources to the push the whole slate.” The “Slate of 8” even has a billboard on I-20 bearing all of their names and the offices they are seeking—from Rockdale CEO to county coroner. The billboard is located on I-20 between West
Avenue and Sigman Road, visible to westbound travelers. Slate members say their goal is to duplicate the Democratic victory experienced in 2008 when Rockdale turned blue. It was in 2008 that Barack Obama garnered 20,528 Rockdale votes (54.4 percent of the turnout) to beat out candidate John McCain, who earned 16,920 from Rockdale (or 44.8 percent of ballots cast). President Obama’s win at the top of the ticket translated into wins by a narrow margin for three out of the four Rockdale candidates, who averaged 50.7 percent of the vote. On Sept. 13, Democrats United held its first joint event, a voter education forum, at the JP Carr Services Center Community Room, and followed it up by visiting churches around the county, pushing for President Barack Obama, state, and their own campaigns. “Coming together like this demonstrates our strength and shows that we are united as a team,” said Rockdale CEO Richard Oden, who is running for a second, four-year term. “We share a lot of the same common goals in that we are seeking transparency in government.”
See Democratic, page 5
Panola Slope ready to test street food By Valerie J. Morgan
DECATUR—A variety of food trucks will roll into DeKalb County for a festival of its own near the end of October. Organizers are bringing the Food Truck Festival to Panola Slope, a new live, work and play brownstone community in South DeKalb. Vaughn Irons, who is marketing Panola Slope at 5600 Covington Highway in Decatur, plans to create a vibrant food truck park during the twoday festival that would be similar to the food trucks that go to Smyrna, Atlanta’s Virginia Highlands neighborhood, INSIDE
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Atlantic Station and the Howell Mill Food Truck Park. “When we first broke ground at Panola Slope last November, we said that this new mixed-use site would be a driving force in helping to move the Hidden Hills area forward,” said Irons, who is CEO of APD Solutions. “Initiating the food truck festival here is an integral part in redefining urban living, giving residents more reasons to want to live, work and play right outside of their doorsteps.” The food truck movement has been around for years in places like New York City and Washington D.C. With Metro Atlanta communities embracing the concept over the last two years, Irons said he plans to push for DeKalb officials to allow for designated food truck sites throughout the county. Irons said he likes the concept because the food trucks would not only provide vibrant spaces, but eliminate blight in some areas, while increasing the number of small businesses in DeKalb. He said Panola Slope is ideal because the site offers plenty of open space for the trucks and
Photos by Joshua Smith/OCG News
Mobile vendors at the Howell Mill Food Truck Park near downtown Atlanta offer fare ranging from fish tacos to barbecue to the working crowd during lunch break.
other vendors. Irons said he wants to offer the single and married professionals and families who buy the brownstones at Panola Slope as many amenities as possible—from a variety of food options to shops, salons, barbershops and other services. The food trucks might be an option offered on a regular basis, if people support the idea.
DeKalb Commissioner Lee May said he is looking forward to the two-day event at Panola Slope. “It’s a creative idea. I think it will be a wonderful opportunity to bring people together, enjoy food and showcase the new brownstones,” said May. The Food Festival at Panola Slope will be held Oct. 27 and 28, noon to 6 p.m.