It’s Runoff Election Day
It’s the last Election Day of the year. (Sing it to the tune of Andy William’s “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”)
For this one we’ve got a guessing game with prizes.
But first: If you are eligible to vote in any of the six metro-Atlanta runoff races, today is your last chance to do so. If you need a refresher, check out our story covering which races went to a runoff.
Remember: You must vote at your assigned polling place, which you can find at the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page. If you skipped the general election, you can vote in the runoff (provided you registered in time to vote).
📷: Libby Hobbs
Play our turnout guessing game
Voter turnout for local runoffs can be precipitously low. But how low? Take a crack at guessing how many votes will be cast in each of the six metro-Atlanta runoffs. If your guess is the closest, you’ll get some Atlanta Civic Circle swag.
Send me your guesses by 5 p.m. today for a chance to win some T-shirts and stickers. Reminder: polls close at 7 p.m. for most races. City of Atlanta precincts will stay open until 8 p.m.
For reference, here’s how many people voted in the Nov. 5 General Election for each of the six races that went to a runoff:
Atlanta City Council, Post 3 At-Large: 198,808
East Point City Council, Ward B: 14,175
DeKalb County Commission, District 3: 72,699
DeKalb County Commission, District 7: 158,683
Doraville City Council, District 1, Post 2: 2,434
Mulberry City Council, District 5: 1,513
City of Atlanta Inspector General showdown
Tensions between Atlanta’s top watchdog and city leadership appear to be reaching a crescendo, as Mayor Andre Dickens made a surprise appearance last week before the governing board of the Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Meanwhile, Inspector General Shannon Manigault has been publicly raising the alarm that Dickens and the Atlanta City Council are trying to neuter the powers of her office.
Recommendations to curtail the OIG’s power from a special task force appointed by the city council were set to come before the council on Monday. The Committee on Council and the City Council formally received the task force report with its recommendations but there was no discussion of the document. During public comment at city council, several residents urged the city to reconcile its differences with the OIG.
Then, later in the afternoon, the OIG issued a press release announcing a “forum” hosted by the OIG governing board to be held in the council chambers on Dec. 10 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
📷: Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon
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What we’re reading: Trump’s surprising pick to lead Department of Labor
Former Oregon Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Republican, is President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to head the U.S. Department of Labor. One of just a few pro-union Republicans, her pick ‘shocked’ some in the business community.
Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection race for Congress this year, but she had the backing of two dozen unions, including those representing flight attendants and grocery store workers, Government Executive reports.
Teamsters union president Sean O’Brien praised her nomination on X. Notably, O’Brien was the first major labor leader to speak at the Republican National Convention last summer.
O’Brien, however, stands apart from other major unions. The AFL-CIO warned that if Trump adopts the labor policies outlined in Project 2025, the rights of workers and their ability to organize would be imperiled.
What we’re watching: National Labor Relations Board composition hangs in the balance
While Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Labor is as pro-labor a choice as a Republican president has put forward in recent memory, there’s another, arguably more significant, federal body that will impact labor relations between unions and management in the next four years. That’s the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an independent federal agency that protects employees’ rights and enforces the National Labor Relations Act. That includes protecting employees’ rights to organize, bargain collectively, and choose whether to have a union.
The NLRB’s five governing board members are appointed by the president to five-year terms with Senate confirmation. Right now, the board is made up of three Democrats, including the chair, one Republican, and a vacant seat left by a Republican whose term expired earlier this year. The term for the current chair, Lauren McFerran, is set to expire on Dec. 16.
Democrats continue to control the Senate until the next congress is sworn in. Among the unfinished business on their agenda is confirming McFerran to another term as NLRB chair and filling the vacant seat. President Biden has re-nominated McFerran, but if Senate Democrats fail to confirm her nomination in time, NLRB control would shift to nominees picked by Trump and confirmed by the new GOP-majority senate.
Law 360 broke it all down in this story republished by the Fox Rothschild law firm (so it’s not behind a paywall).
Today’s newsletter was written by Alessandro Marazzi Sasson. It was edited by Meredith Hobbs.
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