Athens lawmakers seek to subvert will of voters

 Dear Editor,

The efforts by state Senators Frank Ginn and Bill Cowsert and state Representatives Marcus Wiedower and Houston Gaines to prevent their constituents from freely choosing their own elected officials continue unabated. 2021- The voters in the Western Judicial Circuit elected Deborah Gonzalez District Attorney. Representatives Wiedower and Gaines were not happy about the election of District Attorney Gonzalez and attempted to remove Oconee County from the Western Judicial Circuit. That effort failed. 2022-Representatives Wiedower and Gaines and Senators Cowsert and Ginn changed the commission districts of 67% of the voters in Clarke county in order to prevent three Clarke County commissioners from running for re-election in their own districts. That effort succeeded. These same state legislators supported carving Athens into four state representative districts in order to prevent the citizens of Athens from having an effective voice in the state legislature and to secure their own re-election. They succeeded in both. 2023-These same legislators now support H.B. 231, which can be used as a stepping stone to attempt to remove District Attorney Gonzalez from office. Senators Ginn and Cowsert and Representatives Wiedower and Gaines, who are supposed to protect the rights of their constituents to freely choose their elected officials, will undoubtedly continue to seek ways to undermine and render ineffective that very right.

Bruce Menke

Athena