Strike Two for Daniel Blackman?
So a few weeks back, we were introduced to Daniel Blackman, who’s running for State Representative for House District 61 (which covers East Point and Southwest Atlanta). Aside from his Obama-inspired/ripped website, there’s now talk that Blackman isn’t even qualified to run! I’m still researching the truth (if there is any) behind this, but I received the following e-mail from someone calling themselves “Atlanta Voter”:
[Daniel A. Blackman] has only lived in the District for SIX MONTHS, but state law requires all candidates to be residents of the District for a full year before Election Day.
Mr. Blackman resides at 543 St. Johns Avenue, SW, Atlanta, GA 30315, a new construction home that was only built in January. He did not purchase his house until January 15, 2008. He just registered to vote in the district on January 7, 2008. The only time Mr. Blackman has voted in the 61st District was the primary on February 5, 2008.
When he signed up for this election, Mr. Blackman swore under oath, in a signed affidavit, that he had lived in District 61 for at least a year. He acted unethically in his very first political act. How can a person with such shaky morals honestly represent us in the General Assembly?
If there’s any truth to this, has it been brought up to the local media? (Answer: of course not.) I sent several e-mails to Blackman’s campaign for a chance to refute this issue, but I haven’t gotten any replies. Blackman is also running against Ralph Long, III, Tony M.L. McCann, Keisha Waites, Paul Lockhart Sr., Kelley Jackson and Edith Lapido.
I’m so glad to see someone else as troubled by this as I am!! I can’t believe that there could actually be an unqualified person on the ballot.
I’m pasting below Daniel Blackman’s lame reply to the residency issue. He doesn’t address it and doesn’t explain exactly where he’s lived for the past year.
Dear Residents and Friends of District 61:
I hope this reaches you in good health and favor in all of your endeavors. A recent email was written and forwarded to the residents of State House District 61 as well as members of the broader community which challenged my integrity and called into question my qualifications to represent the district as state representative. Negative campaign tactics that use suggestion and innuendo to defame my family’s character do not add value to our conversation with voters about the issues that affect our community.
Over the past several years, my family and I have dedicated our efforts to improving the lives of working families in Southwest Atlanta and the surrounding communities by advocating for:
Youth Development (Counseled and mentored youth at the Fulton County Juvenile Justice Center)
Civil Rights (Worked w/ different organizations to craft strategies to notify individuals about the Voter ID bill and their right to vote)
Environmental Justice (Work directly w/ National Wildlife Federation on crafting legislation to present to Congress)
Building Healthy Families (Youngest Member to serve on the Georgia Supreme Court Commission on Children, Marriage, and Family Law)
Economic Development (Former Board Member of Atlanta Business League)
Voter Empowerment (Worked throughout the State of Georgia to register students to vote on HBCU campuses)
Ministry (Associate Minister at my church)
Social Justice & Equality (Assisted the late Rev. James Orange in establishing forums that discuss human rights issues domestic and abroad)
To merely paint me as an opportunist who doesn’t understand the community and its issues is a clear distortion of my long record of community service. Our campaign will continue to run a positive race that focuses on engaging voters in dialogue about strengthening families and communities, but also advocating for change in politics as usual. We promise to lead with your future in mind while providing solutions we develop together that move our district and the entire state of Georgia forward.
Respectfully,
my thing is this: if this is a valid complaint about his residency, then why has there been no challenge filed at the Secretary of State’s office? That’s the part that confuses me.
Karsh,
Unfortunately Daniel Blackman was not the only candidate who did not live in District 61 at the time of the election. Kelley Jackson (AKA: Rachael Kelley Jackson) also entered the race on or around April or May of 2008. Because Kelley Jackson knew that her house (address: 2577 Semmes Street, East Point) was in foreclosure at the time that she signed and swore the "Declaration of Candidacy Affidavit", Kelley Jackson cleverly recorded her address as "2477" Semmes Street.
Kelley Jackson was not a resident of District 61 at the time of the election, her house had been foreclosed on, sold, and she had been forced to move, but she did NOT (of course) report this to the Office of the Secretary of State. The Daily Report even listed the foreclosed property on their website/records on May 8th – Mortgage Foreclosure (30102), file no. 5910908-FT7, to be auctioned off in front of the Fulton County Courthouse on the 1st Tuesday in June!
Kelley Jackson as she is commonly known (formal name: Rachael Kelley Jackson) was found guilty just last year (11-29-07) by the GA State Ethics Commission for violating the GA State Ethics Act during an unsuccessful run for "Mayor of Riverdale", in which the Commission found "multiple questionable expenditures" on her Campaign Contribution Disclosure Records (CCDRs) and various other violations; State Ethics Commission of GA Order No.: 2007-0004.
Apparently, the State Ethics Commission of GA has not "gotten wind" of her once again doing something extremely "unethical" in runnig for office!!! First, apparently placing an incorrect address on the form and then not informing the proper officials that her property had in fact been foreclosed on almost two months prior to the election!
I think Kelley Jackson (Rachael Kelley Jackson) has Mr. Blackman beat. I am so surprised another order has not been brought forth against (YET) her with the State Ethics Commission!