Empowering Metro Atlanta Communities: GA State Rep El-Mahdi Holly Vision

Written By Chilton Stewart

Accountability, transparency, and a hopeful, optimistic view of the future of Henry County These are the ideals that best describe State Representative Holly and why he is such a popular political figure not just in and around Henry County but throughout the state of Georgia

State Representative El Mahdi Holly is a man focused on service and making his community stronger He has both seen and been instrumental in the positive and progressive changes seen in and around Henry County Georgia. Everything from the county going from an agricultural hub to now a small business Mecca, to the influx of people moving from Atlanta to Henry County. Mr. Holly has been a part of making the transition from small town to growing city a positive one. That is not to say this work hasn’t been without its challenges. However he seems determined now more than even to create positive forward motion for his constituents

“Henry County largely over the years was an agrarian county and based much of its economy on farmers agriculture, even had small businesses in the area but it was largely a county known for being a primary source for agriculture And then over the years we’ve seen, this county has seen a lot of growth from all over the nation ”

He is quick to remind that this growth isn’t just coming from the biggest city in the state but from all over America and the world “Really it’s not just Atlanta It’s literally people from all parts of the country and even overseas and the Islands. They came to Henry County, probably over the last 1015 years because people wanted to live so close to Atlanta but they didn’t want to pay Atlanta prices for their housing.”

Representative Holly believes that education is the key to Henry County realizing the full impact of the benefits of its explosive growth. “Education is what really starts as the foundation for the success of local families But yet when you look at Henry county less than 26 percent of our residents have gone to college and have a bachelor's degree ” He continues “When you have an economy that only bases its market on selected job opportunities but it doesn’t elevate people beyond that, then what happens is there is a limit on the amount of growth for the local people and that creates the economic picture that literally banks and the financial industry and even the labor market is looking at and that is what they determine as to what is Henry Counties economic picture.”

He feels that the “model” of economic spending on education is outdated and thus leads to many of the problems we see today “A third of the budget goes towards public education But this is really sad what I am about to say We have not updated the formula that is applied to that state budget that funds public education since 1985 So literally we are playing 2024 expenses with 1985 money it only goes but so far Because of that even the bumps in pay for teachers and state administration, while those are good In truth we know that administrators are always going to the store and buying school supplies for kids in the class because they are committed to seeing those kids win but it’s not enough. The state doesn’t prioritize public education in the way that it should.”

His focus on education is practical and pertinent to address not just our problems today but in the future as well “There is a correlation between the literacy rate at a third grade level and the number of cells built in a prison. If we don’t invest in education then we are limiting the opportunities for people to succeed and to take care of themselves and their families once they graduate from our schools.”

Trying to prevent the “school to prison pipeline” from thriving or even existing is as admirable as it is necessary. In the case of Henry County schools, he is dealing with the problems of explosive growth in a short period of time leading to overcrowded classrooms as the school system expands to deal with its massive influx of new students

Rep Holly is also a firm believer in transparency and is open to expanding it not just for himself and other state representatives but across the board to all who serve the public

“The same level of transparency that is on us as state representatives and state senators, is also on county officials. When everybody is playing according to the rules of the law. Now our county is seen as a county that follows the rules, and when you have a local government that follows the law What that tells banks in the area is that this is a place that you can invest Because banks are not going to come anywhere where they know that they are going to be fleeced ” He continues “The county is giving the opportunity to grow One of the best ways to ensure that the county is growing in the right way is that you have a level of transparency There’s an old phrase: "light is sometimes the best disinfectant " Because now you’re able to show where the moneys are going People are all held accountable.”

It is clear to see that both Henry County and Representative Holly have a bright future.