VOTE 2010 July 10, 2010
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Voters set to pick contenders for November
With the July 20 Democratic and Republican primaries right around the corner, election activity is reaching a fever pitch. Many voters are casting their ballots early at select locations to avoid potential long lines on election day, while candidates in local, state and national races are getting their message in front of voters by attending forums, marching in parades and greeting motorists at busy intersections. In this Special Election Guide, we look at some of the contested races and other issues in this year’s primary election.
2010 Elections By the Numbers
54.4
448,554
190
53,094
21
7
percent of women voters
number of registered voters in DeKalb
number of voting precincts in DeKalb
voters casting ballots in new precincts
number of new precincts in DeKalb
number of candidates seeking the 4th Congressional District seat
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“Should DeKalb County adopt a County Manager form of Government in lieu of the current CEO form?”
Your guide to the July 20 primary elections These candidates are in contested races on the DeKalb and Rockdale counties ballots. in the July 20, 2010 Democratic and Republican primary elections. This information includes the office they are seeking, the salary for the office, party affiliation, age and occupation. Candidates who are running unopposed are not listed. (D) = Democrat (R) = Republican (I) = Incumbent
DeKalb Board of Commissioners Salary: $38,366.67
District 7
Bryce Evan “B.E.” Farbstein (D) Tierney Grier (D) Kathryn Rice (D) Stan Watson (D)
Georgia House
Salary: $17,341
District 79
Tammy Anderson (R), 45, Communication Tom Taylor (R), 48, Defense Contractor
District 80
Keith Gross (D), 26, Business Owner Sandy Murray (D), 63, Computer Consultant & Trainer
District 88
Simone Joye (D), 44, Business owner/nonprofit administrator
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The 2010 Guide to the Elections is a publication of CrossRoadsNews Inc., East Metro Atlanta’s award-winning weekly newspaper. Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker Graphics Editor Curtis Parker Reporters Jennifer Ffrench Parker Carla Parker
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Billy Mitchell (D)(I), 53, Businessman
District 89
Kenneth Samuel (D), 53, Pastor Earnest “Coach” Williams (D)(I), 61, Retired Teacher
District 94
Andrew Bostic (D), 30, IT Developer Dar’shun N. Kendrick (D), 27, Attorney Rhonda Peek (D), 44, Self-Employed Sherri L. Washington (D), 40, Attorney
District 95
Toney Collins (D)(I), 44, Engineer Andrea Cooper (D), 41, Investigator Pam Dickerson (D), 57, Flight Attendant
Georgia Senate
Salary: $17,341
District 40
Jim Duffie (R), 70, Real Estate Broker Fran Millar (R), 60, Insurance Broker James Scott Sibold (R), 54, Attorney
Governor
Salary: $139,339.44 Thurbert Baker (D), 57, Attorney General Roy E. Barnes (D), 62, Attorney Bill Bolton (D), 62, Man. Tech. Consultant Carl Camon (D), 42, Educator Randal Mangham (D), 55, Attorney/Clergy/ Entrepreneur DuBose Porter (D), 56, Attorney/CEO Newspaper Publishing David Poythress (D), 66, Attorney Jeff Chapman (R), 50, Businessman Nathan Deal (R), 67, Former Congressman Karen Handel (R), 48, Former Secretary of State Eric Johnson (R), 56, Architect Ray McBerry (R), 42, Radio & Television John Oxendine (R), 48, Commissioner of Insurance Otis Putnam (R), 35, Walm.art worker
Lieutenant Governor
Salary: $91,609.44 Tricia Carpenter McCracken (D), 65, Journalism/Research Carol Porter (D), 51, General Manager
Secretary of State
Salary: $123,536.72 Gail Buckner (D), 59, Communications Marketing Gary Horlacher (D), 53, Attorney Michael Mills (D), 36, PR Consultant Angela “Miss Angela” Moore (D), 47, Businesswoman Georganna Sinkfield (D), 67, Real Estate Sales Brian Kemp (R-I), 46, Small Business Owner Doug MacGinnitie (R), 43, Businessman
Attorney General
Salary: $137,791.20 Ken Hodges (D), 44, Attorney Rob Teilhet (D), 36, Lawyer Sam Olens (R), 53, Attorney Preston W. Smith (R), 37, Attorney/Bus. Exec. Max Wood (R), 50, Attorney
State School Superintendent
Salary: $123,270 Beth Farokhi (D), 62, Educator
Joe Martin (D), 67, Education & Business Jeff Scott (D), 37, Middle School Teacher Brian Westlake (D), 40, Teacher John D. Barge (R), 43, Ed. Administrator Kathy Cox, (R)(-I), 45, Educator* Richard Woods (R), 47, Educator *Kathy Cox resigned May 17 after the ballots were made. During the early voting and on election day, counties are placing notices in precincts saying votes for her will not count.
Mike Crane (R), 47, Gen. Contractor Hank R Dudek (R), 41, Sales “Chip” Flanegan (R), 52, Business Owner Deborah Honeycutt (R), 62, Physician Dave Orr (R), 40, Restaurant Manager Rupert G. Parchment (R), 39, Small Business Owner
U.S. Senator
Commissioner of Agriculture
Salary: $174,000 Rakeim “RJ” Hadley (D), 41, Candidate Michael “Mike” Thurmond (D), 53, Commissioner of Labor Johnny Isakson (R)(I), 65, U.S. Senator
Commissioner of Insurance
Republican Party Straw Poll Question 1
Salary: $121,556.64 Gary Black (R), 51, Farm owner Darwin Carter (R), 70, Farmer/Businessman Salary: $120,394.32 Dennis Cain (R), 56, Insurance Agent Rick Collum (R), 40, Attorney Seth Harp (R), 67, Attorney Ralph T. Hudgens (R), 67, Investor Tom Knox (R), 67, Attorney John Mamalakis (R), 62, Insurance Agent & Administrator, Stephen Dale Northington (R), 40, Insurance Agent Gerry Purcell (R), 48, Businessman Maria Sheffield (R), 36, Attorney
“Do you support the efforts of Georgia’s Governor to enable the State of Georgia and its citizens to opt out of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act?”
Question 2
“Do you favor reform of U.S. immigration laws without granting amnesty to any person already in our country illegally?”
Question 3
Commissioner of Labor
“Do you support an amendment to the Georgia State Constitution so as to provide that the paramount right to life is vested in each human being from the moment of conception until natural death?”
Public Service Commissioner District 2 - Eastern
“Do you support an amendment to the United States Constitution reading: ‘Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to all Members of Congress; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Members of Congress that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States’?”
Salary: $121,570.32 Terry Coleman (D), 66, Businessman Darryl Hicks (D), 46, Self-Employed Mark Butler (R), 39, Real Estate Appraiser Melvin Everson (R), 52, Minister
Salary: $116,452.32 B. Joseph “Joey” Brush (R), 54, Builder/ Developer John Douglas (R), 56, Retired Army Officer Tim Echols (R), 49, Nonprofit Executive Jeff May (R), 41, Business Owner
Judge of the Court of Appeals
Salary: $167,209.68 Christopher J. McFadden, 52, Appellate Lawyer David N. Schaeffer, 53, Attorney
U.S. House of Representatives Salary: $174,000
4th District
Henry C. “Hank” Johnson Jr. (D)(I), 55, Attorney Vernon Jones (D), 49, Consultant Connie Stokes (D), 56, Real Estate Broker Victor Armendariz (R), 40, Publisher Lisbeth “Liz” Carter, (R), 41, Business Owner/ Consultant Larry Gause (R), 48, Property Manager Corey Ruth (R), 32, Project Man. Consultant
5th District Fenn Little (R), 48, Attorney Kelly Nguyen (R), 25, Graphic Designer
13th District Michael Frisbee (D), 44, Graphic Designer Mike Murphy (D), 63, Consultant David Scott (D)(I), 64, Business Owner
Question 4
Question 5
“Do you believe the State of Georgia should more aggressively assert its rights under the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads ‘The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people’?”
Question 6
“Do you support the measure that would allow regions of the State of Georgia to vote on whether they want a one-cent sales tax hike to pay for roads, transit and bridges in their own communities?”
Question 7
“Should DeKalb County adopt a County Manager form of Government in lieu of the current CEO form?”
Question 8
“Do you believe the Republican Party more closely represents your views on the above issues than the Democratic Party, and would you be willing to support the DeKalb County Republican Party in pursuit of your goals for our county, state and nation, through a contribution of money, time as a volunteer, and/or the means of contacting you about these issues by providing your contact information at www.dekalbgop.org?”
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July 10, 2010
Vote 2010
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Primary elections just 10 days away The 2010 election season is officially in high gear. In just 10 days, DeKalb’s 448,554 registered voters will be headed to the July 20 primary polls to pick candidates for a handful of local races and for statewide offices. DeKalb election officials expect ballots to come from among the 381,381 active voters – those who have cast ballots in the last two elections. Only three local races – for DeKalb Commission Super District 7, House District 94 and the Fourth Voters can cast early ballots starting July 12 at the Congressional District – have con- DeKalb Election Office, above, and four other precincts. tested races for the primary. All others DeKalb County and state ballots on July 10 between 9 a.m. and 1:30 offices up for re-election this year were re- p.m. in Lobby C at the Board of Elections turned unopposed at the end of qualifying in and Voter Registration Office, 1400 Parker April or won’t face opposition until the Nov. Road in Conyers. 2 general election. They also can cast ballots 8 a.m. to 4:30 Advance voting begins July 12 through p.m. through July 13, and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., 16 at four early voting precincts and the July 14 to 16. DeKalb Election office at 4380 Memorial For more information, contact the Drive in Decatur. Rockdale Board of Elections/VR Office at Voters can cast early ballots in person 770-278-7333. from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. All voters are reminded to bring one The DeKalb Advance Voting locations of the six forms of photo identifications, are: including: n Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center, n Georgia driver’s license, even if expired; n Valid photo ID card issued by any state or 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur. n The Decatur Historical Courthouse, U.S. government; n Valid United States passport; 101 East Court Square, Decatur. n DeKalb County Fire Headquarters, n Valid Government employee photo identification card; 1950 West Exchange Place, Tucker. n Chamblee Civic Center, 3540 Broad n Valid United States military identification card with photo; St., Chamblee. Voters who wish to vote absentee by mail n Valid tribal identification card with photo. can submit their request now. Friday, July 16, is the last day to cast an For additional information, visit www. early ballot or request a ballot by mail. The dekalbvotes.com or call 404-298-4020. In Rockdale County, voters can cast early July 20 polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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The candidates addressed transportation, community development, education, health and economic development.
District 7 candidates offer visions for county’s future By Carla Parker
Former state Rep. Stan Watson may be the most well-known candidate in the DeKalb County Commission’s Super District 7 race, but the others made strong arguments as to why they are the best person for the job at a June 29 political forum. Bryce Evan “B.E.” Farbstein, an attorney; Tierney Grier, an education and community activist; college professor Dr. Kathryn Rice; and Watson are vying for the Super District 7 seat being vacated by Connie Stokes. Watson, who ran for DeKalb CEO in 2008 and served 13 years as a state representative, believes he is the man for the job because of his experience in government. “You need effective, experienced leadership in DeKalb County,” he said. “I’m ready to get to work.” Rice, a past president of the Hidden Hills Civic Association, says she wants to help create the communities we want and need. “Improving neighborhoods are the building blocks to making DeKalb better,” she said. “I plan to fight to make this community better.” Rice, who has a doctorate in public policy specializing in economic development, wants to foster economic development to bring jobs and revenue to the county. Grier, an 11-year community activist, said she is running to bring new visions and new ideas to the county. “My platform is ‘I am your neighbor, I am not into politics,’” she said. “I’m into change, not into the same old things.” Farbstein, who lives in East Lake Terrace, said he is running because he wants to serve the people and bring DeKalb to a new level. “I want to put all that I learned about government to its best use,”
Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Super District 7 candidates (from left) Bryce Evan “B.E.” Farbstein, Tierney Grier, Kathryn Rice and Stan Watson are vying for the County Commission seat being vacated by Connie Stokes.
he said. “I believe I’ll bring a good amount of innovation.” During the forum co-hosted by the League of Women Voters, the candidates addressed transportation, community development, education, health and economic development. With the nation and county in economic turmoil, Watson says DeKalb needs an educated workforce to bring in economic development. “If you don’t have an educated workforce then there is no way that we’ll actually be able to attract businesses to DeKalb County,” he said. “So that means we have to work with our school system, and
we need to make sure that our kids are reading at the grade level that they should be.” Watson also said that he would make DeKalb a “destination place” by exploiting county resources like Arabia Mountain and Stone Mountain to bring in recreation and multicultural activities. He also favors an electrical plant or green plant at the old General Motors plant in Doraville. Rice, who specializes in local economic development, said she will attract more businesses to the county and address the issue of home foreclosures. “We have a large number of investors who come into our neigh-
borhoods and they didn’t maintain the homes, which led to a lot of abandoned and foreclosed homes, which has affected our neighborhoods,” she said. Grier said supporting small business will help stimulate the economy. “Ninety percent of our small business is where our jobs come from,” she said. “We need to increase our small businesses. We need to add incentives to them so that there is money allocated to them in support of their business, so that they can hire other people and create more jobs.” Farbstein believes the foundation for good economics is
education. “The county should be more involved in the school-to-work transition programs,” he said. “The county should be supporting the higher and technical education programs better.” He also said that the county needs to have access to entrepreneurs and help them open up small businesses. “The county should look for and create a credit union that’s backed by county reserves, so residents can have a bank that they trust and they can profit from.” The winner of the July 20 primary will represent the district because there is no Republican opposition in the fall.
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Vote 2010
Most of the changes are in south DeKalb County and Atlanta in DeKalb, where 36, 280 voters will cast ballots at 14 new precincts.
Many will vote in new sites More than 53,000 DeKalb voters will vote at 21 new precincts for the July 20 primary. They will cast ballots in new locations because of growth, school closings, renovations and sale of the buildings that once housed their voting precincts. The changes at 16 precincts across the county are new since the 2008 election. The DeKalb Board of Registration & Elections said new precinct cards have been mailed to all affected voters. Most of the changes are in south DeKalb County and Atlanta in DeKalb, where 36, 280 voters will cast ballots at 14 new precincts. The most heavily impacted voters are in DeKalb School Board’s District 3, where elementary schools like Tilson and Forrest Hills were closed as cost-cutting measures. Voters in Lithonia and the Wesley Chapel Road corridor are also headed to new precincts. The other seven precincts with 16,814 voters are in north DeKalb County. To confirm your voting location, visit www. dekalbvotes.com or call 404-298-4020. The changes are: n Lithonia voters who cast ballots at Lithonia Middle School will now vote at Union Missionary Baptist Church, 2470 Bruce Street in Lithonia.That precinct was relocated from its temporary emergency location. n The Eastland precinct in Atlanta is now at McNair High School, 1804 Bouldercrest Road S.E. in Atlanta. That precinct was relocated from Community Bible Chapel because of inadequate space at facility pursuant to the area’s growth. n The McNair Middle School precinct is now McNair Academy, 2162 Second Ave. in Decatur. The change was made because of adjusted boundary lines. n Avondale High School at 21 North Avondale Plaza in Avondale Estates is now home to voters at the old Forrest Hills and Hooper
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Alexander elementary schools. Some of the Hooper Alexander voters were also relocated to the Candler precinct at Saint Philip AME Church, 1601 Richard Allen Drive in Decatur. Both precincts were relocated because those schools are now closed. n Voters who used to cast ballots at Tilson Elementary, now closed, have been split between Kelley Lake Elementary, 2590 Kelly Lake Road, and McNair Middle, 2190 Wallingford Drive in Decatur. n The Scottdale precinct at Hamilton Recreation Center has relocated to Robert Shaw Elementary School, 385 Glendale Road in Scottdale. n The Lawrenceville Highway precinct at World Outreach Church has been changed to the Tucker precinct and it is now at the Tucker Library, 5234 LaVista Road. It was relocated because of the sale of the church’s facility and adjusted boundary lines. n East Lake Elementary precinct is now the East Lake Precinct, at Saint Philip AME Church Gymnasium, 240 Candler Road S.E. in Atlanta. n The Whitefoord Elementary precinct in Atlanta has changed to Metropolitan, Coan Middle and Boulevard precincts. The Metropolitan precinct is at First Iconium Baptist Church, 542 Moreland Ave; Coan precinct is at Sammye E. Coan Middle School, 1550 Hosea L. Williams Drive N.E., and Boulevard is at Israel Baptist Church, 2071 Hosea L. Williams Drive S.E.. The changes come about because of renovations at Whitefoord and adjusted boundary lines. n The Wesley Chapel South precinct has been relocated from the Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church to the Wesley Chapel Library, 2861 Wesley Chapel Road in Decatur. It was relocated because the church no longer wanted to be a polling site and because of adjusted boundary lines.
Paid for by the Committee to Re-Elect Hank Johnson
Volunteers to help feed the homeless DeKalb Democrats will feed the homeless on July 10 at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Church in Atlanta. The volunteers will feed about 400 people from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the soup kitchen at 48 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive S.W., at the corner of Central Avenue, across from the former World of Coke Museum and Underground Atlanta.
The effort is part of the party’s commitment to Democrats Work. Volunteers are asked to arrive early and wear comfortable clothes. Some volunteers will car pool at 6:30 a.m. from the DeKalb County Maloof Center, 1300 Commerce Drive in Decatur. To volunteer or for more information, contact Danny Ingram at danny.ingram@ oit.gatech.edu or 678 596-1311.
District 94 forum to be in Lithonia House District 94 candidates will be on the hot seat at a July 15 forum hosted by the Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce. The 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. forum will take place at the Fairfield Inn and Suites at
Stonecrest in Lithonia. The chamber says all the candidates on the July 20 primary ballot have been invited. For more information e-mail gregcruce@liftatlanta.com.
Re-Elect Billy Mitchell HOUSE DISTRICT 88
Voted “Most Active State Legislator”
in the CrossRoadsNews Best of East Metro Readers’ Choice Awards NEED YOUR VOTE BY JULY 20 PO Box 88 • Stone Mountain, GA 30086 • billy.mitchell@house.ga.gov PAID FOR BY COMMITTEE TO RE-ELECT BILLY MITCHELL
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Vote 2010
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“This e-government solution gives Georgians the opportunity to help us take every measure possible to ensure the integrity, security, and fairness of our elections process.”
School board members face opposition in November All five DeKalb School Board members up for re-election this year are facing opposition in the Nov. 2 election. When the dust settled July 2 on the 2010 qualifiying for the Nov. 2 nonpartisan races, District 7 School Board member Zepora Roberts had four challengers, the most. Board members Sarah Copelin-Wood, Jay Cunningham and Jim Redovian each attracted two challengers. District 9 board member Dr. Eugene “Gene” Walker faces one challenger. Donna G. Edler and Richard Gathany of Stone Mountain and Donny “Muhammad” Grogan and Willie R. Mosley Jr. qualified for the District 7 seat that Roberts has held since 2002. In District 3, Copelin-Wood is facing opposition from Robert Lee Holt and Corey E. Wilson.
S. Copelin-Wood
Jay Cunningham
Jim Redovian
In District 9, Cunningham will face Jacques Hall Jr. of Decatur and Kirk A. Nooks of Lithonia. Walker is facing opposition from Ella Smith of Decatur. In District I, Redovian will face Merope “Bobbe” Gillis and Nancy Jester of Dunwoody. On the bench, four candidates qualified to replace Superior Court Judge Robert
Zepora Roberts
Eugene Walker
Castellani, who is retiring. Attorneys Yvonne Hawks, Courtney Johnson and Denise M. Warner of Decatur and Michael Rothenberg of Dunwoody qualified for the Nov. 2 election. Incumbent Superior Court Judge Daniel Marshall Coursey Jr. and State Court Judges Johnny Panos and Alvin T. Wong were returned unopposed.
Precinct change for this vote only DeKalb voters who cast ballots at Renfroe Middle School in Decatur will have a temporary precinct for the July 20 primary. On July 1, the DeKalb Board of Registration & Elections said the 1,361 voters assigned to the precinct at 220 West College Ave. will vote instead at Winnona Park Elementary School at 510 Avery Street, also in Decatur. The precinct is being relocated temporarily because major construction at the school. The election office said the relocation impacts the primary election only and that voters will return to Renfroe Middle School for the Aug. 10 runoff. For more information, visit www. dekalbvotes.com.
Forum to feature governor’s, 4th District races Plan in place for The 21 men and women running for governor of Georgia and the 4th Congressional District seat have been invited to a July 10 forum being hosted by the DeKalb Neighborhoods Consortium at the Gallery at Gubernatorial candidates (from left) Thurbert Baker, Randal Mangham, Ray McBerry, John Oxendine, DuBose Porter South DeKalb. and David Poythress have confirmed their attendance at the DeKalb Neighborhoods Consortium forum. Darryl Jennings, a spokesman for the group of neighborhood, am Park Civic Association, said Democratic forum will be the last hour. Candidates will homeowners and civic associations, said front-runner Roy Barnes is traveling that day make opening and closing statements and that all 14 candidates for governor and the and will not attend. answer questions from a panel, the moderaseven Democratic and Republican candiConnie Stokes and Vernon Jones, who tor and citizens. dates seeking the 4th Congressional District are challenging incumbent two-term ConThe Gallery at South DeKalb is at seat on the July 20 primary ballot were sent gressman Hank Johnson for the 4th District 2801Candler Road. For more information, invitations, but he is not sure yet how many seat had also confirmed. Jennings said he call Darryl Jennings Sr. at 404-396-5961. will show up. was awaiting confirmation from Johnson’s By midweek six candidates – Democrats office. Thurbert Baker, Randal Mangham, DuBose The 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. forum at the CanPorter and David Poythress, and Republi- dler Road mall will be on the stage in front cans Ray McBerry and John Oxendine had of Macy’s. confirmed. The gubernatorial forum will be held Jennings, who is president of the Gresh- from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and the congressional
Press Club debates on governor’s race The 14 candidates seeking to replace Gov. Sonny Perdue will debate July 18 during the Atlanta Press Club Primary Election Debates. Georgia Public Broadcasting will air the 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. gubernatorial debates live on both radio and television. The seven Democrats – Attorney General Thurbert Baker, former Gov. Roy Barnes, consultant Bill Bolton, educator Carl Camon, and attorneys Randal Mangham, DuBose
Porter and David Poythress – will debate each other. Republicans seeking their party’s nomination are businessman Jeff Chapman, former Congressman Nathan Deal, former Secretary of State Karen Handel, architect Eric Johnson, radio and television host Ray McBerry, Commissioner of Insurance John Oxendine, and Wal-Mart employee Otis Putnam. For more information, visit www.gpb. org.
reporting fraud
Voters can now easily report voting irregularities that they encounter. In April, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp launched a new Stop Voter Fraud website at www.sos.ga.gov/StopVoterFraud to prevent election and voter fraud. “This e-government solution gives Georgians the opportunity to help us take every measure possible to ensure the integrity, security, and fairness of our elections process,” Kemp said. Citizens who witness questionable election activity can submit a Stop Voter Fraud form at www.sos.ga.gov/StopVoterFraud or call the Secretary of State’s Voter Fraud Hotline at 877-725-9797.
Connie Stokes
Democrat for Congress 4th Congressional District “Reclaiming the American Dream” The Dream of Jobs & Job Security The Dream of Quality Affordable Accessible Education The Dream of Home Ownership The Dream of Quality Affordable Healthcare
15 Men represent Georgia in the US Congress
Why not One Qualified Woman Endorsed by:
“ Experience Counts & Integrity Matters” Vote on July 20th for Connie Stokes Advance Voting July12-16 at certain locations
www.conniestokesforcongress.com
Phone 770-981-9525
Paid for by: conniestokesforcongress.com
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July 10, 2010
The candidates shared their views on certain issues such as education and immigration at a June 26 forum.
Four vying to represent 94th District in state legislature By Carla Parker
The four candidates seeking to replace state Rep. Randal Mangham in House District 94 include two newcomers and two who have run for office before. IT developer Andrew Bostic of Conyers challenged Mangham for the seat in 2008 and Rhonda Peek of Lithonia has run for mayor of Lithonia several times. Attorneys Dar’shun Kendrick and Sherri Washington are political newcomers. Mangham represented District 94, which spans portions of DeKalb and Rockdale counties, for 10 years before stepping down this year to run for governor of Georgia. He is one of seven Democrats seeking his party’s nomination in the July 20 primary. At a June 26 forum hosted by the Rockdale Democratic Party, the four talked about their plans for the district if they win the seat. Bostic says he is the man for the job because he has the solutions to the critical issues. “I am the only candidate in this race talking about solutions,” he said. “The issues that we are facing are at an all-time critical high and we need to address those issues.” Kendrick, a lifelong DeKalb resident, says she is best fit for the job because she is active in the community and passionate about public service, and has a better understanding of what the citizens need. “I have a unique perspective on the changes that needs to happen not only in Rockdale County, but DeKalb County,” she said. Peek said that Mangham asked her to run for his seat because she has been doing the job of a state representative, but without the title.
Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Democrats (from left) Dar’shun Kendrick, Andrew Bostic, Rhonda Peek and Sherri Washington are seeking their party’s nominaton t oreplace Randal Mangham.
“I’m running because of my commitment to public service and my love for the community,” said Peek, who is self-employed. Washington, a Rockdale County native who is in private practice in the county, said she is the best fit because of her close relationship to the citizens. “I already have a great relationship with the constituents of Rockdale County and I am going to continue to have a great relationship with the constituents and serve them after I am elected,” she said. The candidates shared their views on certain issues such as education and immigration at a June 26 forum in Conyers, hosted by the Rockdale County Democratic Party. One of the issues brought up at the forum was should children who are in the country illegally receive educational services
in Georgia. Kendrick believes the state should not provide funding to educate illegal immigrants, but to have programs in place to transition illegal students to legal. “The education system is already strained as is,” she said. “So I think to have illegal citizens’ children that are going to get educated, and ours, might put a strain on the education system.” Bostic thinks the state should provide public resources to those children because a child is not responsible for their parents’ sins. He said there are other ways to provide funding for those children. “If those corporations can invite those illegal citizens into the country to work, then we need to make them pay for those kids to go to school,” he said.
Peek agreed with Kendrick in not providing funding, but believes that the state should help illegal immigrants become legal. “We need to give the illegal immigrants a period of time to become legal citizens,” she said. Washington agreed with Bostic in providing funding as well because kids should not be penalized for their parents’ misdeeds. “Some of them have been here since they were babies and don’t even know that they are illegal immigrants,” she said. “In this country we value education, and we have to provide education no matter what. However, we do need to take a look at our immigration laws.” The winner of the July 20 Democratic primary will face Republican attorney Steven Conner in the Nov. 2 general election.
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