Chaos in Cobb County Continues: Expired Commissioners Continue to Cost Taxpayers $$$$

The ongoing turmoil in Cobb County continues as two former commissioners, Jerica Richardson and Monique Sheffield, remain on the board despite their terms having expired. Their continued presence on the Cobb County Board of Commissioners is draining taxpayer dollars, further compounding the millions already spent on legal fees and consultants due to the controversial and illegal home rule map they joined forces to pass two years ago.

Richardson’s tenure on the board became contentious when, alongside Chair Lisa Cupid and Sheffield, she voted to pass a home rule map aimed at keeping her in office after district lines were redrawn by the Republican-led state legislature, effectively removing her from her district. This move, which bypassed established district boundaries, led to a costly and lengthy legal battle, with millions of taxpayer dollars spent on lawyers and consulting fees. Ultimately, the courts ruled that Cupid’s “home rule” map violated the Georgia Constitution, which grants county reapportionment authority solely to the legislature. Cupid abandoned her efforts to protect Richardson and declared the seat vacant. Richardson appealed.

A New Year’s Eve ruling from another Cobb Superior Court judge ordered Richardson to vacate her office. However, Richardson has filed an appeal – prolonging the legal and financial turmoil up to another 30 days. Similarly, Sheffield’s term officially ended on December 31, 2024, but she continues to sit on the dais, citing her own rationale for remaining in office that only makes sense to her, not the citizens of South Cobb.

Both commissioners’ actions have drawn sharp criticism from fellow board members. Commissioner Keli Gambrill called the situation “Cobb County’s January 6,” pointing out that these former commissioners are still seated despite their terms having expired and the state no longer recognizes them as qualified officials. If true, they should not be allowed to vote on county matters. Commissioner JoAnn Birrell pointed to Judge Harris’ Dec. 31 order being “crystal clear” that Richardson has no place on the dais. “After all, the argument was she was drawn out of her district in the middle of her term, and this would set a precedent for future maps.” Birrell said the court rulings have been clear that she’s no no longer eligible to serve. “When will this stop? Enough is enough. Taxpayers should be furious of the time spent and the cost involved by the county in these actions,” said Birrell. “It’s time to put an end to ignoring the Constitution and the laws of this state and the county and go back to the real business of the county at hand.”

Many say that the county attorney, who has shown a complete lack of leadership throughout the entire fiasco surrounding Cupid’s illegal map, continues to allow new issues to keep taxpayers in turmoil. Despite the ongoing legal battles and clear court rulings, the county attorney has failed to provide the guidance needed to resolve this situation. Instead, the county’s lack of accountability and transparency has only prolonged the problem, leaving Cobb residents to bear the financial and legal consequences further.

Although she ran for congress last year against Congresswoman Lucy McBath, Richardson returned to her commission seat and effectively stayed until the end of her term, December 31.  Her hope is to stay even longer.

As these two former commissioners remain on the dais, Cobb residents are watching and are left to foot the bill for a new chapter of hot mess that has dragged on far longer than necessary. Many say that the new elections for District 2 and District 4 commissioners will give the public a chance to clean houser. Some say it cannot come soon enough as they are tired of watching this lawless commission operate.

Cobb County residents, meanwhile, are growing increasingly frustrated as the legal battle drags on and say their actions are selfserving, not of service to the people of Cobb. Many feel it is time for change and that new elections for Districts 2 and 4 will provide an opportunity to bring accountability and transparency to the board as they cite the illegal home rule map. Among many, there is widespread sentiment that a fresh start is long overdue and that anyone ese running would do a better job than what has transpired over the past four years.

In addition to the ongoing costs, there is also growing concern over potential legal challenges to decisions made under the illegal Cupid map. Citizens are discussing the possibility of contesting votes from the past two years, especially those involving taxpayer funds, as these decisions should now be subject to legal scrutiny due to the improper map usage.

Meanhwile, Cobb elections director Tate Fall said that the estimated cost for off-cycle primary, runoff and general elections for commission races in Districts 2 and 4 will exceed $1.5 million. Again, more taxpayer money being used to course correct on an illegal map that was forced upon the people. Can you say Ka-ching Cobb taxpayers?