East Cobb House Seats Would Shift

The new Georgia legislative maps unveiled on Friday would give something of a different look to state House seats in East Cobb and Northeast Cobb. But they're not expected to cut into a strong Republican majority in the area or the state. 

The maps were made public as the General Assembly begins a special session on Monday to approve the reapportionment changes, which are required after the release of the 2010 Census Report.

East Cobb and Northeast Cobb's mostly-Republican delegations in both House and Senate are expected to be maintained, but some incumbents may file to run for 2012 in seats with different numbers and with some altered geographic lines. 

In the most noticeable change, the District 43 seat held by the late state would shift from the far northeast section of Cobb southward to the heart of East Cobb. 

That latter area, which comprises most of the Walton and Wheeler high school districts, is currently represented by District 41 Rep. Sharon Cooper, the chairwoman of the House Health and Human Services Committee. 

The new boundaries will not be in effect for a Sept. 20 special election that will seat a new District 43 representative to fill the remainder of Franklin's term. Qualifying for that election is Monday through noon Wednesday.

East Cobb's District 45, held by Rep. Matt Dollar, won't change all that much, with that seat taking in a small portion of north Fulton County in the proposed map.

In Northeast Cobb, the District 42 seat occupied by Rep. Don Parsons would be largely included in a new District 44 seat. A newly drawn District 46 would take in part of the current District 43 and include a slice of southern Cherokee County. 

The current District 38 of Marietta and Northeast Cobb represented by Rep. Sam Teasley maintains most of its current shape in a new District 37.

The only House Democrat representing any portion of East Cobb is Rep. Stacy Evans, whose current District 40 would be redrawn to incorporate more of the Smyrna and Vinings area. A proposed District 42 take would take in a few more precincts of East Marietta as well as the Dobbins area.

In the Senate, East Cobb Sen. Judson Hill's District 32 would be extended to include most of Northeast Cobb, which is currently represented by District 21 Sen. Chip Rogers, the Cobb-raised Senate Majority Leader who now lives in Woodstock. 

The far western reaches of East Cobb currently represented by District 6 Democratic Sen. Doug Stoner would be incorporated into District 32. District 6 would be redrawn to include Smyrna and Vinings, Stoner's home base, and also would include Buckhead and part of Sandy Springs in what's being seen as a possible Republican gain.

A handful of precincts in Northeast Cobb and East Cobb have largely been retained in the District 33 seat held by longtime Democratic Sen. Steve Thompson, whose district stretches from South Cobb and through most of the city of Marietta.