Vowing to Keep Ott in East Cobb

District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott typically turns over the first few minutes of his town hall meetings to State Rep. Sharon Cooper for legislative updates. 

On Wednesday, the veteran East Cobb lawmaker vigorously came to the defense of Ott, whose District 2 seat would lose much of its East Cobb base under one of several map proposals currently before the Georgia General Assembly. 

And she couldn't be clearer about what she declares will not happen as the process has become bogged down with multiple maps and continuing machinations over Cobb commission, school board and legislative redistricting.

"Over my dead, cold body will they move Bob Ott out," she said, drawing strong applause from a crowd of nearly 100 citizens at the East Cobb Library. 

District 2 currently covers East Cobb south of Roswell Road and includes Smyrna and Vinings. Among the proposals for redrawing the seat have included cutting out portions of East Cobb north of Paper Mill Road, and pulling in more of South Cobb, and specifically the Mableton area. 

But Cooper was adamant that will not happen, and an attempt by Cobb commissioners JoAnn Birrell and Woody Thompson to put forward another map proposal failed earlier this week when Ott, commissioner Helen Goreham and chairman Tim Lee wouldn't go along with it.

Ott has not met with state lawmakers at the capitol since early in the legislative session, saying it's their responsibility to redraw maps. 

"It is a process that has happened since the dawn of time," Ott said. "It is politics in its rawest form." 

Ott outlined the redistricting process at last week's District 2 town hall meeting at the Smyrna Community Center. The maps must be redrawn in time for the July 31 primaries. Ott, who is serving his first term, is up for re-election.