AROUND TOWN: Congressman plans to turn tables on Jan. 6 probe

U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, may soon have a chance to hit back at what he calls the “smear campaign" against him for the now notorious tour he gave of the Capitol complex on Jan. 5, 2021.

The stroll through the House office buildings with a group of constituents was seized upon by Congressional Democrats as evidence Republicans had led “reconnaissance” tours of the area prior to the Jan. 6 riot. The U.S. Capitol Police said in a letter last month the tour was innocuous, and none of the tour’s members have been identified as entering the building during the riot. One of them, however, is alleged to have threatened members of Congress by name in a video recorded as he marched to the hill.

As reported by Politico, Loudermilk is the second senior-most Republican member of the Committee on House Administration. Among its quotidian duties — overseeing the Library of Congress, the U.S. Botanic Garden, and managing the Congressional Record — is managing security on the Hill.

And its ranking member, Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., just lost his primary election. If Republicans, as many expect, take back the House in November, it’s Loudermilk who may well end up with the gavel.

(Davis, by the way, has used his committee chairmanship to back up Loudermilk against the allegations, asking Capitol police to review the footage in question.)

The Journal ran into Loudermilk at Friday's Cobb Republican Women's Club luncheon, where he said he’s not out for “retribution,” or even an investigation of the January 6 Committee itself, but “actions by certain members of the committee that have been in violation of (House rules).”

Chief among those, he said, is perpetuating the claim that Loudermilk’s tour was suspicious and possibly complicit in criminal activity.

Loudermilk says he does, however, want an investigation of the events of January 6 — just not this one. He argues the Jan. 6 Committee’s case has become a political one, when it should be about the series of security failures that day.

“Rank and file members like myself had no idea that there were active threats of violence for Jan. 6,” he said. “The FBI knew it, intelligence community knew it, the White House knew it, and apparently the Speaker knew it … and the fact that they knew that there were legitimate security concerns for Jan. 6, but no one took action to prepare for it, that's a serious concern.”

And what about security at the Capitol?

“That's something else we have to look at. I mean, until we properly investigate then yes, those things are always a concern. But you have to do an honest investigation without a predetermined outcome,” he said. 

Loudermilk believes there’s a constructive way the committee could be used.

“It has the ability to really get to the bottom of what really transpired. I think even looking at, you know, why did it take the White House so long to make a statement? Those types of things are definitely of interest,” said the lawmaker.

SCHOOL NAMING: A Cobb County school board member wants to name a new middle school for Betty Gray, the beloved Cobb educator who died last month at the age of 88.

Leroy Tre’ Hutchins, a Democrat representing Post 3, unveiled the proposal at a meeting earlier this month.

Gray represented Post 3 for 16 years. She was elected board chair by her colleagues, despite the board being majority Republican during her tenure. As a school district employee, Gray had a trailblazing career as a teacher and administrator, including stints as principal of Sedalia Park Elementary and Compton Elementary.

Hutchins said the new school would split Lindley Middle School into two zones, with a new school named for Gray.

“While serving on this Board of Education, Ms. Betty Gray was instrumental in the building of the Lindley Middle School on Veterans Memorial Highway, to replace the former Lindley Middle School that I attended, which the community had outgrown,” Hutchins said at the meeting.

The site of the old Lindley is about three miles east of the new Lindley, off Buckner Road along Nickajack Creek. That campus now serves as the Lindley 6th Grade Academy and is being renovated — once complete, it will become a new, separate middle school.

“The last couple of weeks I've received several requests of support to have the school named after Ms. Betty Gray throughout the greater south Cobb community,” Hutchins said. “So, from (former) Gov. (Roy) Barnes to Dr. Doris Billups(-McClure) who just recently retired after three decades of principalship in that area, members of the Austell Community Task Force, the Mableton Improvement Coalition, just to name a few.”

Gray also has a building at Pebblebrook High School named after her.

After Hutchins presented his proposal at the July 14 work session, board Chair David Chastain said the board would vote on it that night. Board attorney Suzann Wilcox, however, pointed out that Hutchins’ request was not on the action agenda for that night’s meeting. From a legal perspective, it would be ill-advised to add it to the agenda on such short notice, unless the item is time-sensitive.

Hutchins said there was no rush, so board members resolved to vote on the item at their Aug. 18 meeting.

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS: It’s always risky to call someone the first of anything, and we need to correct the record in calling Betty Gray the first woman principal in the Cobb County School District.

Tom Scott, professor emeritus of history at Kennesaw State University, writes in to say while Gray was a pioneer in many ways, he knows of at least one woman who proceeded her. Edith B. Murray was principal of the Austell Colored School (later renamed Washington Street School) in the 1950s. Austell Colored School was built in 1953. In 1961, Mrs. Murray moved to a central office position in Cobb County as instructional supervisor for the Black school. Then, after integration, Scott said the board made her general supervisor in the elementary department.

“There may have been others earlier, but Mrs. Murray was the only female administrator I found in the Cobb County system in the 1950s. Of course, the Marietta School District was a little ahead of Cobb County. Mary Hall Swain was principal of Marietta High School from 1949 to 1959, when she moved to the central office as assistant superintendent and curriculum director. I knew Mrs. Swain later as a charter faculty member of Kennesaw Junior College. She was an English professor at KJC from 1966 to 1974 and a very fine teacher and colleague. As a young faculty member, I had the greatest respect for her.”

For more on Gray, Scott conducted an oral history interview with her years ago. It's online and can be found by Googling "Interview with Betty Gray."

TEST SCORE REACTION: If you want a taste of how politicized public schools have become, look at the differing responses to the Cobb County School District’s news release concerning its Milestones test scores.

In response to the district's news release headlined, "Cobb Leads! Cobb Students Outpace State, Large Metro Peers on Georgia Milestones," Cobb GOP Chair Salleigh Grubbs posted: 

"Congrats to CCSD!!!! Yes!!! While others lead from behind, Superintendent Ragsdale leads from the front!"

On the left is Democrat Catherine Pozniak, who is hoping to unseat Republican board Chair David Chastain this November. Pozniak reacted to the news release in a far different manner, posting the following to her Facebook account: 

"Not so fast Cobb County Schools, — In this press release the district states, 'As advised by the Georgia Department of Education, no one should make comparisons to previous year's results in Cobb or across the state. The impacts of the pandemic make it impossible to do so in a reliable way.'"

That statement from the school district is misleading, Pozniak said. She continued:

"The Georgia Department of Education stated: 'Use caution in interpreting changes from 2020-2021 state-level results, due to reduced test participation and pandemic-related impacts on students' learning environments. In general, comparisons to 2020-2021 school- and district-level results should not be made.'

"So while we shouldn't compare 2022 to 2021, this doesn't mean that comparisons to pre-pandemic 2019 results are 'impossible.'

"Notably, all of the states in this press release are about performance rankings relative to other metro districts.

"But how are #Cobb students doing compared to how they were doing prior to the pandemic?

"Shouldn't we care about that so we can get #learning back on track?

"I did a spot check of 3rd and 8th grade reading results - critical benchmark years for #literacy. Proficiency levels for both grades have dropped from pre-pandemic levels.

"Let's be fair and honest about these results — including celebrating progress where that is warranted — so we can get students the supports they need to be successful."

UPCOMING TOWN HALLS: Marietta Ward 5 Councilman M. Carlyle Kent will hold a town hall meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Custer Park Sports and Fitness Center, 545 Kenneth E. Marcus Way in Marietta. Ward 6 Councilman Andre L. Sims will also hold a town hall at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Fire Station 56, 850 Sawyer Road in Marietta.

THE MARIETTA GONE WITH THE WIND MUSEUM will have a lineup of actors and speakers – including Kevin John Goff, great grandnephew of Hattie McDaniel, who won an Oscar for her portrayal as “Mammy” in “Gone With the Wind” – at its gala weekend, Sept. 3-4. The event also celebrates the 90th birthday of actor Mickey Kuhn, who played Beau Wilkes, son of Ashley and Melanie — and the last credited actor from the film. “Thanks for the Memories” also includes actress Morgan Brittany, actor/producer Patrick Curtis, artist Joe Yakovetic, Mary Jane Sinclair, collector of Leslie Howard (Ashley) memorabilia – friend of Howard family, and pieces from the actual Tara facade used in the film. For more information, call 770-794-5145 or visit www.GWTWMarietta.com.