Senate passes map that would bar Democrat from utility race

ATLANTA — The Georgia Senate on Thursday passed a redistricting plan for the Georgia Public Service Commission that would prevent a Democratic challenger from running against Republican Commissioner Tim Echols in this year’s election.

The Senate voted 33-21 for Senate Bill 472, which would redraw the utility regulatory body’s five districts, sending it to the House for more debate. The commission controls how much Georgia Power Co. can charge on electric bills and also regulates private natural gas companies.

Public service commissioners are elected by voters statewide, but must live in one of the five districts. Echols, a District 2 Commissioner and Hoschton Republican, is up for reelection to a six-year term this year, while Republican District 3 Commissioner Fitz Johnson of Atlanta is running for the remaining two years of former Commissioner Chuck Eaton’s term. Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Eaton to a judgeship and named Johnson to replace Eaton.

Democrat Patty Durand of Peachtree Corners in Gwinnett County had filed to challenge Echols, but won’t be able to run if lawmakers approve the new map, because her county will be drawn out of Echols’ district and into Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald’s District 4. Durand can’t move, because candidates must live in their district for a year before November’s election.

“The line has been moved to make Gwinnett County into District 4. I do know we had a viable Democratic candidate who was supposed to run in District 2, and now she is not able to run in District 2,” said Sen. Nikki Merritt, a Grayson Democrat.

Democrats also questioned why so many counties had to be moved into new districts.

“It strains credulity to say you need to move 41 counties out of 159,” said Sen. Elena Parent, an Atlanta Democrat.

Sen. John Kennedy, a Macon Republican who sponsored the bill, denied that it was drawn to protect Echols. He said the counties were shifted to new districts “because of the population shifts.” Lawmakers have to redraw district lines every 10 years after the U.S. Census to balance district populations.

Kennedy repeated earlier assertions that all five commissioners “had a hand in looking at this and crafting this,” a claim that Echols has denied.

Senators voted down an amendment proposed by Sen. Jen Jordan, a Sandy Springs Democrat, that would have made only voters in each district elect that district’s commissioner. A group of Black voters in Fulton County has sued to overturn the system of statewide elections, saying it unfairly dilutes the votes of African Americans.