All I can say is thank goodness for these AJC maps.

Sure, the Georgia legislature released their proposed new district maps last week, but it took a while before anyone really understood the implications.  I thought about just throwing up the map and letting the more geo-politically minded explain the changes, but I figured someone would give me a nice, sweet little summary for Decatur/DeKalb that I could point to.  Well, now it’s days later, and here’s the best thing I’ve found thus far – interactive AJC maps, where RED represents a “contested district” (two incumbents now represent the same district), yellow notes “new representation”, and green means the district remains unchanged.

Not a lot of green in ol’ Decatur when it comes to the House maps, as you can see from the above.  The “contested” area in red is a new vertical district, where Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield’s district has been combined with Howard Mosby’s district to the south.  Stuckey-Benfield said last week that her district had been “targeted by the Republican redistricting process” and that seems to have played out.

Elsewhere around Decatur, Mary Margaret Oliver would soon only represent a portion of the northwest part of the city (when before she represented most of the northside), while Rahn Mayo, who’s current district (PDF) is almost all south of I-20 would represent the largest % of Decatur voters, taking over the entire east side of the city.  Rep. Stacey Abrams’ 84th district, who currently represents the southeast corner of the city would be shifted to the west and out of the city entirely.

Of course, all of this is pending a federal court battle, due to the Voting Rights Act, but unless the Obama Justice Department decides to reject the maps, this seems to be the new political reality.

Oh!  And here are the Senate maps in case you’re interested, though for Decatur residents, Jason Carter’s District 42 continues to represent all of of the City of Decatur.

With Georgia’s 2011 legislative season well under way, the city of Decatur’s full list of legislators plan to hold a “town hall” style meeting at Decatur’s City Hall on Tuesday, February 1st from 6p-7p to hear from their constituents, according to a press release sent by Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield.

In addition to Rep. Benfield, Senator Jason Carter, Rep. Stacey Abrams, Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, and Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd will be in attendance to listen and respond to concerns of Decatur residents regarding this year’s legislative session.

What are some of the hot topics in this year’s session?  Well I asked Rep. Benfield that very question!  Here is her response…

The tax issue is the biggie. If the Tax Reform Council’s proposal moves forward, we’ll be looking at greater sales taxes and taxes on services. That will affect everyone who buys groceries and numerous services – from plumbing to selling girl scout cookies to prescription drugs. All of these would be taxed under the new plan.

We’ll likely see some water legislation with a focus on increasing supply through reservoirs.

And education is always a hot topic, with funding for the HOPE Scholarship and pre-K programs to be at risk.

Additionally, Rep. Benfield hinted that she’s working on legislation that will “help Georgia breweries expand their businesses…to allow breweries and brew pubs more opportunities to promote and sell their product”.  However, she’s still working on a draft of that legislation, so we’ll have to be patient for more details on that front!

For more information about any of this, you can contact Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield at (404) 964-7025.

I tell ya…that’s a lot of last names to fit in a post title!

Decatur city commissioner candidate Kyle Williams announces that he’s received two regional endorsements today.  Here’s the press release….

June 30, 2009 – Decatur, GA – State Representatives Stephanie Stuckey Benfield (House District 85) and Stacey Abrams (House District 84) endorsed Kyle Williams for Decatur City Commission today, and urged District 2 to vote for him. Kyle Williams is running for Decatur City Commission, District 2, which includes South Decatur and part of the downtown business district. Representatives Abrams and Stuckey Benfield represent District 2 in the Georgia General Assembly.

“I know Kyle. I know his commitment to South Decatur. As a mother, I appreciate his work to improve early childhood learning in Decatur. I am proud to give Kyle my full support for his campaign. Kyle will make a great City Commissioner and will fight hard for us. I will work to elect Kyle this fall,” said Rep. Stuckey Benfield.

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