By World Staff Writers
GA voters overwhelmingly rejected the T-Splost Transportation Referendum on the ballot Tuesday, sending a slap in the face at officials that supported the plan. Distrustful of government, metro Atlanta voters sent a strong message to the $7.2 billion transportation plan that business leaders and some elected officials in the area had endorsed. The vote was over 84 to over 40, voting to reject the T-Splost plan.
The defeat of the 1–cent (two cents for Fulton and DeKalb voters) sales tax was too much for voters in a recession and left the traffic congestion problem in the 10-county area virtually unsolved. New reports have indicated that Governor Nathan Deal has no plans to reintroduce the plan on the ballot again. However, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who supported and campaigned hard for the plan, said the plan had merit and needed to be explained more to the people.
Metro voters also OK Sunday alcohol sales in Fulton and Cobb counties, and seemed to support casinogambling in the state if the proceeds benefited education. But voters seemed to overwhelmingly support any effort to outlaw abortions with no exceptions.
In the new ninth district voters will pick a Republican nominee in the run off between state Rep. Doug Collins and Martha Zoller.
Other state representatives were also re-elected as well as incumbent state senators.
They included Republican state Sen. Chip Rogers of District 23, Democrat state Sen. Donzella James of District 35, Democrat state Sen. Vincent Fort of District 40 and others; as well as Republican state Rep. David Ralston, Democrat state Rep. Tyrone Brooks of District 55, Republican state Rep. Sharon Cooper of District 43, and Democrat Roger Bruce of District 62. Democrat “Able” Mable Thomas easily won against Democrat Kenneth Britt of district 56.
All six congressmen who faced primary challenges won re-election, including Democrat Congressman John Lewis of District 5, Democrat Congressman Hank Johnson of District 4, Democrat Congressman Sanford Bishop of District 2, who ran unopposed, and Democrat Cong. David Scott of District 13, who also will return to Congress, as well as Republican Congressman Austin Scott of District 8.
Tuesday’s vote was a real test of the tea party’s political power that was opposed to the transportation plan, as well as the Sierra Club, the DeKalb NAACP, and the GA NAACP, and other groups.
DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis, who also supported the T-Splost, won re-election, incumbent Democrat Paul Howard, Fulton’s District Attorney, and the two Public Service Commission incumbents Republicans Chuck Eaton and Stan Wise. Eaton will face opposition from Democrat challenger Stephen Oppenheimer in November.
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