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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is no longer suing the City of Atlanta and its Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms over a mask mandate and “Phase One” reopening rollback, of which the latter was voluntary, per the Mayor’s office. Kemp made the announcement Thursday via a press release.
“I sued the City of Atlanta to immediately stop the shuttering of local businesses and protect local workers from economic instability,” Kemp said in a prepared statement. “For weeks, we have worked in good faith with Mayor Bottoms, and she agreed to abandon the city’s Phase One roll-back plan, which included business closures and a shelter in place order.”
The Attorney General’s Office filing to withdraw the lawsuit was a trade of sorts for Bottoms’ “concession” regarding the dismissal of the city’s Phase One roll-back plan.
“Unfortunately, the Mayor has made it clear that she will not agree to a settlement that safeguards the rights of private property owners in Georgia,” Kemp said. “Given this stalemate in negotiations, we will address this very issue in the next Executive Order. We will continue to protect the lives and livelihoods of all Georgians.”
The Governor’s current Executive Order expires Saturday, August 15, at which time he will issue a new order with “relevant language,” according to the release.
[Editor’s note: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly evolving as is its effect on Atlanta, and the City’s businesses and its residents. Click here for What Now Atlanta’s ongoing coverage of the crisis. For guidance and updates on the pandemic, please visit the C.D.C. website.]
1 Response
Hope this gets done right. GaDot did Memorial Dr island’s and landscapes by the capital and it looks like crap today.