County to focus more on tech for elections clerk job
♦ Before moving forward with changes, the elections board wants a permanent chief in place.
Hiring a new chief elections clerk is the first step in a long-term process to do a complete modernization and overhaul of the Floyd County Elections Office.
The previous job description of the chief clerk will be undergoing several changes. Elections Board Chair Melanie Conrad said it’s outdated and “less technical” than what is required now.
With the new generation of voting machines, Conrad felt that the job description needs to be more modern and technology-focused. She went on to say the new proposed salary for the position will be “more competitive” than the previous salary range of $34,405 to $37,925.
If approved, the position will be listed in the level 21 pay grade with a salary range of $44,774 to $71,369.
Before the job can be listed on the Rome-floyd website and other professional boards, the description needs to be approved by the Administrative Finance Committee and be put to a vote by the Floyd County Commission. The elections board hopes to have the position listed by Feb. 24.
Last year, County Attorney Virginia Harman expressed interest in helping the elections board propose new legislation to overhaul how elections are managed in Floyd County, saying the current situation is “unique” compared to other areas.
Currently the elections board and chief elections clerk are the ones who oversee the elections process in Floyd County as a whole.
This has been a part of state legislation since 1986. The chief elections clerk is also a general merit employee, Harman said, meaning they can be hired or fired like any other employee.
Nearby counties have elections superintendents, whose roles are more supervisory and director focused, and their hiring and firing process is a lot more bureaucratic.
To change the Floyd County elections system, it would take a vote from the Georgia General Assembly. And before that, the new legislation would have to be approved by the County Commission and brought to the state House by one of the local legislators: Rep. Katie Dempsey, Rep. Eddie Lumsden or Rep. Mitchell Scoggins.
Dempsey said it would be signed by all three of them and they would decide who presents it.
If approved, it would then move to the state Senate and be presented by Sen. Chuck Hufstetler.
There are already a few statewide election bills on the House floor, according to Dempsey, and depending on the outcome of some of the bills, Floyd County wouldn’t need to do a system revamp.
Still, Dempsey said she and the rest of the state legislators are more than happy to work with the county on getting a new election system in place.
However, Conrad and the board want a new person in the chief clerk position before moving forward with any legislative measure — or choosing a new office space.
“We want them to have a voice in an office redesign,” she said. “This will be the start of permanent fixes to the elections office.”
ATLANTA — Nearly 70 businesses have applied for licenses to produce low-thc cannabis oil for medical use in Georgia, the commission in charge of the state’s medical cannabis program announced Wednesday.
The companies are seeking either Class 1 or Class 2 licenses. Under legislation the General Assembly passed in 2019, Class 1 licenses will let the recipient grow marijuana indoors in up to 100,000 square feet of space.
Class 2 licenses will authorize recipients to grow an indoor crop occupying up to 50,000 square feet.
About 14,000 Georgians suffering from a list of chronic diseases eligible for treatment with medical cannabis and registered with the state will be able to receive the oil. The list of diseases that qualify patients for cannabis oil under the legislation include cancer, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, mitochondrial disease and sickle-cell anemia.
The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission launched the license application process last November.
The commission has put an emphasis on attracting applications from businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans.
“Today is a great day for patients who need access to low-thc oil, and economic development for minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses,” said Andrew Turnage, the commission’s executive director.
The commission will announce contract awards at the end of the review process, likely in late spring or early summer.
DEAR EDITOR:
Last year, during the primary campaign, I read that (U.S. Rep.) Marjorie Greene was a Qanon follower and I was surprised to see that she was ahead in the polls. Qanon followers believe that top Democrats run pedophile rings and eat children. At the time, I didn’t know that she also believed that the Parkland and Sandy Hook school shootings were a hoax and never happened.
I have just seen the video of Ms. Greene harassing one of the Parkland survivors when he was still in high school. Her actions were shameful and inexcusable. The
Parkland and Sandy Hook shootings were the worst tragedies that any family could possibly face. After these shootings, the Sandy Hook parents and the Parkland survivors were harassed and threatened by followers of Qanon and Alex Jones.
If you voted for Marjorie, you should try to imagine that you lost a child and were then demonized, threatened and harassed while you were still grieving.
She should never hold office again.
Mike Rousseau
Rome Editor’s note: Greene has now disavowed Qanon.