In spaceport defeat, Georgia county blames `bare minority’

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Officials in a Georgia county are blaming a “bare minority” for a referendum in which voters defeated plans to buy land for a rocket launch pad by a margin of nearly 3-to-1. Camden County officials who spent the past decade and $10.3 million pursuing development of a commercial spaceport said in a statement Wednesday they were “assessing the results” and weighing “the best way to preserve taxpayers’ investment” in the project. Unofficial returns from the special election Tuesday showed 72% voted to block the county from buying 4,000 acres for the spaceport. Commissioners are fighting in court to have the election declared invalid. They’ve asked the Georgia Supreme Court to prohibit certification of the vote until the case is decided.