Secession is not a quick fix

By DAVID W. MARSHALL The Reconciled Body (TriceEdneyWire.com) – The idea to create a new Buckhead City finally died in the Georgia state legislature. And rightfully so. Democratic members of Atlanta’s state delegation never favored allowing the affluent, majority-White neighborhood of Buckhead to secede from the city of Atlanta. It became a measure long opposed by the city’s business leaders, while many of the city’s Black residents strongly believed it was racially motivated. The proposed Buckhead City ended when 10 Republican state lawmakers broke ranks, joining with Democrats in rejecting the measure. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who forged a close working relationship with Democratic Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, also questioned the legality and practicality of Buckhead City. Kemp’s chief lawyer, Executive Counsel David Dove, sent a memo attacking the de-annexation plan. Dove wrote that the split could wreck the ability of all Georgia cities to borrow money, based on bond markets fearing that cities could default on their debts if they broke into pieces. “If we jerk the heart out of the city of Atlanta, which is Buckhead, I know our capital city will die,” said Frank Ginn, a Republican state senator. Buckhead, known for its high-end shopping and several...