By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizen.com
and JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizen.com

The Fayette County Commission could be the first local government to voice its opposition to district voting this week.

County Executive Assistant Carol Chandler said the board is busy preparing a resolution outlining its opposition to Rep. Virgil Fludd’s proposal to created district voting for the County Commission.

“It’s going to be very similar to the resolution we supported last year in opposition to this proposal,” she added.

Last week, the Peachtree City Council postponed a vote on a resolution to oppose a bill in the state legislature that would dramatically change how members are elected to the Fayette County Commission.

Mayor Harold Logsdon said the resolution was his idea, and he feels the legislation would put the county in a worse position. The legislation would require each of the five county commissioners to be chosen by voters who live in a special geographic district. Currently all five commissioners are selected at-large, meaning all county voters can vote for each and every seat on the commission.

Proponents of the bill have said it will make it easier for a minority to get elected, particularly given the increased number of black residents who have moved into the northern section of the county in recent years. Theoretically, it would also give a Democratic candidate a better chance of getting elected in a county that skews dramatically to the Republican side politically.

But Logsdon foresees a far worse affect should the district voting concept be applied to the county commission.

“This is creating a racial divide that Fayette County does not need,” Logsdon said.

Peachtree City voters also select city council members at-large, and members of the Fayette County Board of Education are elected in the same manner.

The bill has created a split among Fayette County’s legislative delegation, being opposed by Reps. Dan Lakly of Peachtree City and John Yates of Griffin, both white Republicans, while being pushed by Reps. Virgil Fludd, Roberta Abdul-Salaam and Daryl Jordan, all black Democrats. None of the bill’s supporters even live in Fayette County, Logsdon said.

Logsdon added that he has talked to many city residents about the issue, and “the overwhelming majority of those people don’t want this.”

Councilman Stuart Kourajian said he couldn’t support the resolution because he “barely” had 24 hours to review it and consider it. Logsdon said in that light, he’d rather table the resolution for later consideration because he wanted all five council members to agree on the resolution so it could be transmitted to the legislature.

The resolution will be considered at the next City Council meeting on Thursday, Feb. 16.

Last Thursday in Tyrone, Councilman Mike Smola also discussed district voting and asked Town Manager Barry Amos to put a similar resolution on Tyrone’s agenda for Feb. 16.

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