Wednesday, December 5, 2001
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Wednesday, December 5, 2001 |
| Fayette Republicans
to get Democrat reps
By DAVE HAMRICK
Four Fulton County Democrats will represent north Fayette County in the state House of Representatives, predicts Lynn Westmoreland. Sixty-six percent of that part of Fayette voted Republican in the latest elections, he said. But the area has been made part of a four-person House district that includes all of south Fulton and a small portion of downtown Atlanta. That area comprises 75 percent of the new mega-district, and the district as a whole, including north Fayette, voted 66 percent Democratic. Westmoreland, a Coweta Republican who represents part of Fayette and is the minority leader in the House, is traveling the state and plans to have town hall meetings in every county to explain how each will be affected by the recently completed redrawing of state Legislature and U.S. Congress seats. Westmoreland explained that in the state House, Fayette had a two-member delegation before reapportionment, including himself and fellow Republican Kathy Cox of Peachtree City. After reapportionment, the county will most likely be represented by four Democrats in the north and three Republicans in the south, spanning three districts. While not calling it a very likely scenario, Westmoreland suggested on a rare occasion the split delegation could block local legislation requested by Fayette County or its cities, if state Democratic leaders felt the legislation might be partisan in any way. The two-member 85th District includes parts of Henry, Butts, Spalding and Fayette, with Fayette making up 40 percent of its population. Republican John Lunsford of Henry County currently represents the 85th, and attended last week's meeting to meet local voters. With 40 percent of the district's population, it's possible Fayette voters could put one of their own into at least one of those seats, said Westmoreland. The new District 86, the one Westmoreland occupies, will now be made up mostly of Coweta County, plus two Peachtree City precincts that hold about 10,000 people. Westmoreland said he is optimistic about being reelected for that district. District 48, the new four-member district with a population of 176,939, encloses three current Fulton representatives, all of whom, Westmoreland predicted, are likely to be reelected. They are Joe Heckstall of East Point, Bob Holmes of Atlanta and Sharon Beasley-Teague of south Fulton. "Sharon, Bob and Joe and going to pick somebody that they want to be in that delegation" for the newly created fourth seat, Westmoreland predicted matter-of-factly. It's not impossible that a Fayette resident could be elected, he said in answer to questioning from a Fayette resident who is an unannounced Democratic candidate for that seat, "but I'm just telling you what usually happens in my experience. People usually vote for the person that lives in their county." In the state Senate, Fayette is currently represented by two districts, the 28th with Republican Sen. Mitch Seabaugh of Coweta County and the 34th, represented by Democrat Greg Hecht of Clayton County. Fayette residents make up 28.7 percent of the 28th and 24 percent of the 34th District, Westmoreland said. Under reapportionment, the county will be part of three senate seats: District 34 will be a majority black, Democratic district that covers most of Fayetteville and Tyrone, and takes in a large portion of Clayton, including Riverdale. Twenty-seven percent of the new district will be Fayette residents, and the district will be 54 percent minorities. Hecht has announced his campaign for the new 13th congressional district seat, and so far no candidates have announced for the 34th. Westmoreland said because of population numbers, he expects a winning candidate to come out of Riverdale. District 17, currently represented by Republican Mike Crotts of Henry County, will have a portion of Peachtree City and runs eastward through the county's midsection, then takes in parts of Spalding, Henry, Rockdale and Newton, running northeastward as far as Loganville, 30 miles west of Athens. Fayette makes up 11 percent of the district. "I think Mike will do a good job of representing Fayette County," said Westmoreland. District 28 will have most of Peachtree City, LaGrange and Newnan, and parts of Spalding and Pike counties. Fayette is 23 percent of the district, which is currently represented by Republican Mitch Seabaugh of Coweta County. In the Congress, Fayette is now all in the 3rd District, represented by Mac Collins of Hampton. District 3 has been shifted elsewhere and most of Collins' old district will be in the 8th, which still will cover most of Fayette. Fayette was just under 14 percent of the 3rd and will make up about the same portion of the 8th District. Two Fayette voting precincts, Kenwood and Europe, will be included in the new 13th District. There are about 4,500 residents in the two precincts, said Westmoreland. Hecht and former Democratic Party Chairman David Worley have announced their candidacy for the new seat, along with state Sen. David Scott and state Sen. Donzella James of Fulton County. One Republican, Clay Cox of Gwinnett County, has announced for the seat. The district winds around metro Atlanta in a fashion described by one critic as "splatter art."
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