(APN) ATLANTA — A class action lawsuit filed on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 in U.S. District Court alleges that Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp has continuously defied the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) by continuing to enforce sections within the Georgia Election Code when they have been condemned by the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ). Common Cause Georgia […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — State Sen. Josh McKoon (R – Columbus) is currently championing legislation focused on increasing transparency at the Capitol, something that is greatly needed. McKoon–perhaps best known for his staunch support of the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)–has previously taken the lead on transparency and government reform issues. As a freshman during the 2011-2012 Legislative […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — William Perry, the government watchdog who recently left Common Cause Georgia, where he had served as Executive Director, is officially launching his own organization. Two, in fact. First, Georgia Ethics Watchdogs is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that will focus on filing ethics complaints against public officials who violate the law. “It’s really difficult to be […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — On August 11, 2015 Common Cause announced the resignation of its Georgia chapter director, William Perry. Perry helmed the state chapter for over four years, serving as a vigilant government watchdog on issues of ethics, transparency, public spending, and money-in-politics. His efforts were directed large at the City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia. […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — The national organization Common Cause has filed a whistleblower Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax fraud claim against the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). They are charging ALEC with falsely claiming to be a tax-exempt non-profit organization, to subsidize its lobbying and model legislation to benefit corporate interests. The first complaint was filed against ALEC in […]
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With additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale, News Editor (APN) ATLANTA — On Sine Die, the last day of the Georgia Legislative Session, on Thursday, April 02, 2015, Georgians’ already-reduced early voting period hung in legislative limbo with the possibility of it being further reduced from twenty-one to twelve days. But ultimately the effort to reduce early voting failed. […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — On Monday, March 16, 2015, the Supreme Court of Georgia issued their opinion, approving the construction of the new Atlanta Falcons Stadium, using a renewal from the City’s hotel/motel tax and related bond financing. The ruling affirms an order issued in May 2014 by Fulton Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville validating the bonds. The intervenors […]
Read moreWith additional reporting by Marko Robinson, Staff Writer (APN) ATLANTA — Arthur Blank, a billionaire and owner of the Atlanta Falcons, a football team, wants a new, better stadium, in Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood, just down the street from where the Georgia Dome currently sits. The current Dome is operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA), an entity […]
Read more(APN) ATLANTA — Just over a year since the Board of Commissioners of Fulton County rejected pay-to-play reform, and just a few months since Mayor Kasim Reed bashed the notion of pay-to-play reform during remarks before the City Council of Atlanta, Common Cause Georgia and its ethics reform partners have made great strides in gaining support for pay-to-play reform, both […]
Read more(APN) ATLANTA — Joe Beasley, John Evans, Vincent Fort, William Perry, Common Cause, Tim Franzen, Occupy Atlanta: what do these people and organizations have in common? They have all been the focal points, at different times, of vicious, public attacks by Kasim Reed as Mayor of Atlanta. Reed is so used to being the darling of Atlanta’s corporate media establishment […]
Read more(APN) ATLANTA — A number of high-profile campaign contributors to Mayor Kasim Reed have received airport contracts, raising concerns about possible pay-to-play, even while Reed’s Administration guards all aspects of the bidding process with great secrecy. At stake is who will benefit from tens of millions of dollars in revenue from one of the nation’s busiest airports. Over 250,000 […]
Read more(APN) ATLANTA — On Wednesday, August 17, 2011, the Board of Commissioners of Fulton County voted down a proposal, 2 to 4, by Commissioner Emma Darnell (District 5), which would have prevented contractors from making donations to any County Commissioner within one year of applying to do business with the County. Darnell and Bill Edwards (District 7) supported the […]
Read more(APN) ATLANTA – U.S. Rep. David Scott (D-GA) and the Democratic Caucus on the US House Committee on Government Reform have called for a Congressional Hearing into whether the U.S. Department of Justice improperly approved Georgia’s Voter ID Law, according to letters obtained by Atlanta Progressive News. The Caucus wants a Hearing because it wants to know about the process […]
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