The resignation of Chip Rogers a few weeks ago was certainly a surprise. But it created a special election that promises to be a mad sprint to the finish. With election day set for Tuesday January 8th, candidates will scramble. And not only is the race short, this campaign season coincides with the holidays. Hope there are no robocalls over Christmas!
What comes as no surprise is that Brandon Beach entered the race. This will be his third state senate race in as many years. He’ll square off against Cherokee County statehouse representative Sean Jerguson.
Beach is quickly becoming the Chicago Cubs of north Fulton elections. The poor guy has finished on the losing side nearly every time. The last time he won an election Bill Clinton was in the White House. On top of that, ballot initiatives he’s supported also tend not to do well. He opposed the charter school issue on the November ballot, which passed. And then there’s T-SPLOST.
Last year’s primary ballot was uncomfortable for Beach. His name was mere inches away from the T-SPLOST question he wholeheartedly supported. There’s no question it cost him votes. How much will it cost him in this special election?
Beach is way out of touch with most suburban voters. It explains his lack of success on election day. His constituency is business, particularly the real estate developer. They along with DOT contractors have been huge contributors to his past campaigns. And why not? He’s supported plenty of projects that would be a boon to big business but a detriment to the taxpayer. And we’re not just talking T-SPLOST here.
He’s supported managed toll lanes on GA-400. Ask your friends from Gwinnett County how popular these have been on I-85. Even many of Beach’s local supporters oppose this beastly idea. He’s also pushed for heavy and light rail projects into north Fulton. He even went so far as to propose a rail line that would bisect the Windward neighborhood.
In short, voters don’t trust the transportation leadership in Gerogia. Brandon Beach embodies that good-old-boy transportation establishment.
But the third time might prove to be a charm. He’s already got his campaign infrastructure in place. Yard signs are being recycled as are contributions. His opponent, Sean Jerguson, is almost unknown in north Fulton. He’ll need to spend a lot of time and money building his name recognition here, indeed an uphill challenge.
Beach also has a strategic advantage in early voting. Fulton County opened an early voting location in downtown Alpharetta. This almost never happens within the city. Alpharetta and Milton voters were not given this courtesy during the high-turnout general election this past November. Perhaps it was intentional this time. In contrast, Cherokee’s early voting location is on the edge of the senate district in Canton.
So pass the popcorn; this one is gonna be fun to watch. Expect robocalls and mailers galore as the mud is sure to fly.
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We’ve already had three robo-calls purporting to be an automated poll to see which candidate we’re going to vote for. Two just today.
I love our right to vote. I’ve just grown to hate elections.
We have received one too. We received an inordinate number of these polling calls during the Rogers/Beach race. Robocalls during election season? Annoying. Robocalls over Christmas? Tasteless.
Once again,I find it so funny that you are commenting on an election being held in 2 jurisdictions where you do not live.
I think you should spend your time commenting on issues in your backyard (Forsyth/Cumming)
I think you hit the nail on the head with your article. I currently live in the district that Beach used to be in for the 2010 primary. If you recall, that election was supposed to be a slam dunk for Beach. I remember he had the support of all mayors, local legislators, and the majorities of city councils in North Fulton. Not only that, he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on his campaign. For a guy with all that going for him and he still couldn’t win says something. While not diminishing the effort of his opponent that election, it shows that even with all that name ID and cash, he still cant connect with voters.
Last summer was no different. Chip Rogers had all that baggage and bad press. I’m not going to bash Rogers, he’s gone. However, he had a lot of baggage and was surrounded by numerous controversies last election. For a guy with all those negatives, Beach still got routed. If I recall, Mr. Beach barley won his own county by fractions of votes. Considering Rogers just got drawn in to North Fulton, Beach’s local recognition, and Rogers baggage, he still couldn’t garner traction against Rogers in his own turf.
I think the voters are telling us something.
I don’t understand why Mr. Brian Davis, (see above) thinks that you should spend your time commenting on issues “in your own back yard.” The name of your blog “Roots in Alpharetta” does imply that you have an emotional, if not vested, interest in Alpharetta proper. I wonder if Mr. Davis could explain?
If I remember it right, the first time Beach ran he won the primary overwhelmingly but lost the lower turnout runoff by 100 votes or so.
Truth is if he had not run this summer, Chip would probably still be in office.
Thanks for the comment, Brian. I can always count on comments like this whenever I challenge the establishment candidates in Alpharetta. “You should stick to Forsyth” or “You should just write about restaurants.” Is that the best you have?
If writers only commented on their locals races, there wouldn’t be much written. The fact is that guys like Jim Galloway, the bloggers at Peach Pundit or even op-ed stuff from the Appens are routinely written out of their home jurisdictions. You call each of them out whenever they comment on north Fulton politics, right? Somehow I doubt you do.
Maybe instead you’d like to discuss issues. Perhaps a defense of managed toll lanes on GA400 would be a good place to start. Hell, I might even give you a guest post on it if you’re so inclined.
I’d even welcome your out-of-jurisdiction comments on my local state senator, Jack Murphy. And yes, I’ve written about him and his ethical problems.
Thanks again for the comment.
Lee,
Reading “Mr. Brian Davis” comments and his syntax, it sounds like a campaign worker for Mr. Beach who is distraught. I decided to research the ‘overwhelming’ comment. According to the secretary of state, Mr. Beach won the first primary by a little over four percent. I would not consider a four point victory an overwhelming win. Not only that, but the turnout in the state senate district was almost identical between the primary and the runoff.
Mike,
Not a campaign worker, but a supporter of Brandons. If you look at most of the positive things that have happened in Alpharetta and North Fulton since 2000 Brandon has been involved.
And Lee in reference to managed toll lanes on new capacity up 400, what is wrong with that?
GDOT is #1 for on time projects, and #2 for projects under budget. The gas tax hasn’t been raised since the 70′s, how else do you propose to solve our congestion woes?
Because new tolls are like TAXES. Conservatives don’t support new taxes. These are perhaps the most unpopular thing going on metro-Atlanta roads. Alpharetta’s city council went running and screaming from managed lanes back in June when language about them appeared in an LCI study. Even Beach’s supporters hate them.
We could end the SRTA without these and the dishonest GA-400 toll. The alphabet soup of transportation agencies are bloated bureaucracies. Conservatives don’t like bloated bureaucracies.
In the fall of 2011, I helped conduct a poll on various issues of Alpharetta citizens that received nearly 600 responses. There was a question about managed lanes and 67% of the respondents disagreed with them (15% were neutral and 18% agreed). And this response was BEFORE the managed lanes were opened on I-85, i.e., we had no real experience with how bad they are. I can only imagine the support for these has further tanked since then.
I want someone who will *represent* the will of the people who live here, not just represent their own (and cronies) ideas.
Lee, you are correct that true conservatives don’t believe in these tax-and-spend ideas.
Lee, new capacity has to be paid for . . . how do you suggest we dot that?
Managed lanes on 400 would be for new capacity.
Really? Managed lanes? You think people want, support, and would use them?
Have you driven on I-85 between the Mall of Georgia and say Discover Mills? In both directions, during “Christmas Rush” the lanes were completely empty.
No telling what the costs were just to install the signage, or to provide the electricity to keep them running with the current amounts to use the lanes.
Why don’t you just propose a T-Splost and see how that goes?
Travis,
If your out there in the morning they are jam packed.
We have 2 realistic ways to fund transportation improvements: raise the gas tax or toll new capacity i.e. managed lanes.
Managed lanes are regressive and elitist. That is why they are dubbed Lexus lanes. The people don’t want them and they’ve made that clear but go ahead and flout the will of the people and prove the elitists that you are.
There will be a debate held on Jan. 3 hosted by North Fulton & Friends Tea Party…………….
Crooked Creek Homeowners Club House
14250 Creek Club Drive
Milton, GA 30004
Last I heard, Beach had declined as he did the debate with Chip Rogers so you may only get to hear Sean Jerguson.
Which of these two gentlemen were actually on the executive committee to form the project list for TSPLOST?
So we should put a toll back up or increase the gas tax?
Thats the choice, new revenues for transportation or more congestion.
The Atlanta region and Georgia are still growing.
Lee,
I just saw a Beach mailer. As I mentioned previously, I’m not in the current state senate district. What is weird is that I’m in the only part of Milton that is not in the district. A friend of mine who literally lives across the street told me he had gotten a Beach mailer and showed it to me earlier this evening. While I have no skin in this game, I’m interested in what his campaign message is this time. What alarmed me about this mailer is who it came from. The mailing company was from an entity known as “HEG.” I googled it and your site came up from a previous post a year ago about his work in the county. While I didn’t and don’t have the time to fully research this firm, I found a few alarming things. This firm helps Democrats get elected! Apparently this firm has been hired by Representative Thomas-Morgan who is a very far left politician from Cobb. Also, this company has worked for democratic judges and sheriffs. Because you put in so much time in your blogging and research, can you further research this? I find it extremely alarming that a “conservative Republican” would use a democratic company to work on his campaign. What also makes no sense is that why would candidates in Milton, GA being hiring him? I know its non-partisan races, but almost every candidate in this area is or probably Republicans, especially in Milton. If I were a voter in the district, I would be concerned with this.
Brian – I would restructure the alphabet soup of agencies to reduce bureaucracy. I would alter GDOT so they are not organized by arbitrary boundaries like congressional districts. We could then consider projects from a larger state-wide view. Metro Atlanta should get the attention it deserves under a model like this.
Next, I’d clamp down on silly grants and spending on economic development projects. Guys like Brandon Beach would have almost no power at this point.
@Mike – A guy by the name of Fred Hicks is behind HEG. He’s managed a lot of campaigns in Milton over the years.
Oh, nevermind. I found it. Sean Jerguson was on the TSPLOST development committee. Looks like he voted to support the state’s largest tax increase several times as well, without actually getting any projects to help Cherokee County. Why would he not be looking to help Cherokee County get the projects we need, like widening 575 and 140 when he had such a great opportunity? Maybe he just didn’t go to the meetings like Chip Rogers? He’s probably more interested in selling his guns to teachers at this point.
Jerguson has his own real estate lawsuit as well. Wonder how much this will cost the taxpayers… Do you think Deal can create another $150,000 position at GPB for him as well instead of finding funding for education?
Pretty sure HEG also did Joe Lockwood, Matt Kunz, Karen Thurman and Lance Large’s campaigns, looks like they have cornered the Milton Market.
Lee, Metro Atlanta is very well represented on GDOT, each represents a congressional district based on population. Greater population in Metro Atlanta, more representation. Congressional balancing also forces the same amount of money to be spent in each Congressional district. So North Fulton/East Cobb/North Dekalb get the same amount of cash as 50 counties in South Georgia.
What are these econonmic development projects you speak of? Westside Parkway.
As I understand it most of these grant programs are put together by the Feds. Might want to do your research before you comment.
I’m talking about projects like the Encore Parkway bridge. It serves no traffic purpose whatsoever. Even Alpharetta’s director of engineering is on record saying as much.
Congressional districts are carefully arranged in such a way as to maximize the number of Republicans in Washington. To that end, they are very successful. But to use these as a way to dole out transportation money is silly. The transportation needs of metro Atlanta today are greater and more significant than those of Valdosta, Columbus, Macon, etc. We need disproportionately more money. That’s what I’m trying to say.
Pretty sure that bridge project was funded by a SRTA grant, think I read that in the Revue. Nothing from GDOT.
Metro Atlanta does get a disproportionate share of the money today.
Beach, didn’t use a phone while out of country to vote away games 400 tolls. so they are still there. he supported tsplost said yes it had billions in bad spending but millions in good spending. so we should vote yes. well check yes cause he runs DOT and he wanted the money. also, we don’t need amendment one. my kids went to public schools and are doing great. what schools did they go to? Milton high……. really you compare Milton high education to south Fulton education? that is ignorant!
“It had billions of bad spending, but millions in good spending.”