Ousted Cobb Commissioner 'Will Not Step Down,' Vows To Fight New District Map

COBB COUNTY, GA — A new Cobb County commission district map was approved by Gov. Brian Kemp earlier this month, drawing out an East Cobb commissioner from her district and forcing her to either move or vacate the seat in January.

However, she said she refuses to step down and vowed to fight the new map, East Cobb News reported.

Commissioner Jerica Richardson, a Democratic young Black woman who represents East Cobb, was first elected in 2020 after ousting three-term Republican commissioner Bob Ott from his seat and flipping the Board of Commissioners' majority to Democrats for the first time since the 1980s.

• Related: Cobb GOP Commission, School Board Maps Get Kemp's Signature

As it stands now, East Cobb is divided between District 2, represented by Richardson, and District 3, represented by Republican JoAnn Birrell.

In the new map, sponsored by state Rep. John Carson (R-northeast Cobb), most of East Cobb would be drawn into District 3 — a Republican-controlled district — while District 2 would switch to include the Interstate 75 corridor from Kennesaw down to the Cumberland area.

Richardson — whose term doesn't expire until 2024 — was living in the Cumberland area until last summer, when she moved to a home on Post Oak Tritt Road.

The new redistricting maps draw her out of her district, and if she doesn't move to a new home by January, she will be forced out. Under county law, commissioners must live in the district they represent.

Lawmakers argued back and forth throughout the legislative session about the map, with Democratic legislators accusing Republicans of gerrymandering and Republicans saying they were trying to accurately reflect the makeup of the county.

Richardson posted a video to her Facebook page Friday, vowing to fight the new maps and saying she will not step down, East Cobb News reported.

She noted the larger issue is how the new map "invalidates the will of the people and has created a conundrum on the county commission," she said in the video. Nearly 100,000 residents wouldn't have representation once she's forced out, until a special election could be called.

Richardson didn't specifically mention legal action but did say she's received legal advice previously.

"I will not sit back, I will not step down and say nothing," Richardson said.