ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Creating More Jobs

I will work to expand economic opportunities in the District by attracting more businesses and services to the Stonecrest Corridor.    The County's leadership has had the foresight of making this area an Overlay District to expanded retail and service related businesses.  This growth will attract better higher paying jobs to the area, and allow us to do the majority of our business closer to home which helps stimulate the local economies. 

·          Decrease incentives for Georgia companies who manufacture overseas by developing incentive packages for “in-sourcing” and keeping Georgia jobs in-State. Companies that manufacture using Georgia’s two resources: its citizens and abundant natural resources will receive smaller tax burdens. 

·          Develop true “Sister City” relationships with cities in other countries in order to promote fair and equitable business relationships. Relationships that create new economic opportunities for Georgia businesses.

Foreclosure & Credit Crisis

I will continue to foster conversations between local banks and consumer advocacy organizations to make sure that each and every citizen has the opportunity of homeownership.  Further, I will make sure that home buyers are better educated about the types of loans (i.e. fixed rate, adjustable rate, interest only, etc.) and down payment assistance programs, and the requirements for maintenance of those loans.

I will work with homebuyers who are facing foreclosure to communicate with the mortgage companies to make alternative payment arrangements like: adjusted payments, or extensions.  Or, for the homeowners who just want out helping them through the short sale process which is a better for their credit files than a potential bankruptcy or foreclosure. 

EDUCATION

Smaller Class Sizes & Incentives for Teachers

I will fight for adequate appropriations for local school boards.  This will ensure that we have the funding to hire more well qualified teachers, and the resources for them to provide high quality instruction to our youth.  

·          Implement a merit based program that links teacher service with money for graduate school.  Current incentive based programs have drawn criticism because they link teacher salary and incentives to test scores.  My program would be based on years of service in the public schools.  

·          Provide school boards and teachers with the flexibility to dispense the funds allotted to them in whatever areas they deem most necessary to meet the needs of our students. We want teachers to develop creative learning strategies, we need to provide them with adequate financial resources.

PeachStart

To complement Georgia's existing Pre-K program, I propose a program that offers year-round instruction to Georgia's 4-year olds. 

PeachStart is necessary to combat the following issues parents and children face:

·          Finding summer day care for 4-year children is often difficult because most educational programs do not allot space or learning materials for children not currently enrolled in their school.

·          Summer day care costs create an added strain on the budgets of low and middle wage families, thereby creating additional financial hardship for parents.

·          When 4 year olds do not attend Pre-K, the transition period between Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten can be traumatic and/or disruptive for many children; younger children need reinforcement during the summer for retention purposes.

PeachStart will help eliminate such problems because there is a zero transition period and zero cost to parents. 

TRANSPORTATION

Easing Traffic Congestion

East Metro Atlanta's traffic corridor is a microcosm of the region's overall image as one of the nation's worst examples of congestion and gridlock.  And while the long awaited improvements of the bridges/ramps at I-20 and Wesley Chapel, I-20 and Panola, and I-20 at Hwy 138  are helpful they are merely bandages for an area which is hemorrhaging in gridlock.  We must have MARTA rapid transit expansion in this area.

I will continue to work with  GADOT (Georgia Department of Transportation), ARC (Atlanta Regional Commission), GRTA (Georgia Regional Transportation Authority) and the local municipalities involved which are DeKalb and Rockdale Counties to create a regional lobbying effort to bring MARTA's rapid rail expansion further East. 

Immediate Solutions:

In the short term, I will foster greater communications with GRTA, and local shopping center owners to cooperatively create more park and ride lots so you could park your vehicles and ride a bus or van pool into the city where many of the jobs are.  This will help prevent excess wear and tear on your vehicles, and save money by lowering your weekly gas costs.

HEALTHCARE

HealthyGeorgia

“Two-Tier” Solution for Affordable Health Care  

Most people who are unemployed cannot afford health insurance.  There is also a growing number of middle class Georgians who are employed by small businesses who, because of increasing costs, are no longer able to provide health care benefits to their employees.   For these two groups, I propose two distinctly different solutions.

• This new program would provide Georgians, whose yearly income does not exceed $25k per year, a yearly health physical, one primary care visit and one emergency room visit at no cost that would be sponsored by the state.

• For Georgians earning more than $25k per year and employed by small business owners, I propose a “buy in” system.  The overall price of the coverage would be based on the average monthly premium of most major health care providers, i.e. Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Kaiser, etc.  State Government would then cover half the average cost of coverage for the selected plan. For example, if the average cost of health care coverage for a single female is $130.00/month, under this new program, half of the cost would be underwritten by the State and the other half covered by the insured. 

ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY ETHICS

GeorgiaGreen

The Georgia State legislators should serve as responsible agents to ensure that our children are living with less air pollution, greener communities, and safer waterways.  I propose a new initiative, GeorgiaGreen, which works with communities to establish a code of environmental and energy ethics. I would also work to bring "Green Jobs" to the area. I would also work on legislation aimed at creating alternative energy resources to alleviate our dependence on oil.

I will partner with and benefit from the research of groups like the Sierra Club, Upper Chattahoochee River Keepers, Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, Georgians for Clean Energy, Southface Energy Institute, Georgia Conservation Voters, Georgia Power, AGL Resources and other interested parties, we can start addressing Georgia's future policies, alternatives, and long-term solutions to environmental and energy issues.

• A code of environmental and energy ethics must be developed by the community in order to receive maximum input for positive outputs.

• Every Georgia community is different but we share common threads – Georgia’s air, land, and resources.  My job as a State Representative is to serve as an intermediary between the community, the government, business and the activists to protect and preserve our common threads.