Press Droppings

Join Us for the Inaugural Equity Atlanta Forum:

Recovering Stronger: Building an Agenda for Shared Prosperity in the Atlanta Region

Friday, June 5^th, 2009, 11:30-2:30pm, Atlanta Technical College, Cleveland Dennard Conference Center, Rm. 104

Registration is required, lunch will be served.

 

The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a tremendous opportunity for advocates and decision makers to ensure much needed investment in communities that have been hardest hit by the economic crisis. Join Equity Atlanta, Emory University’s Office of University-Community Partnerships, and PolicyLink for an engaging briefing and strategy session on Georgia’s estimated $6.6 billion share. We will share information on current local recovery initiatives and discuss opportunities for influencing the recovery through partnership and advocacy. This will be an exceptional opportunity to strategize with colleagues from across the region on how to coordinate regional advocacy and action to promote an inclusive economic recovery.

 

Register at: https://atlanta2.oucp.emory.edu/registration/es/e4.php

Today I’m announcing my candidacy to become the next state school superintendent of Georgia. This journey, that we will take together, will proceed with the desire to take our educational opportunities to the level of excellence in all areas. This journey will see the end of fear that has slowly crept into all levels of our educational system over the past few years, the end of not focusing on real skills for the real world, the end of students not having the opportunity for needed activity, and the end of bubble tests being the basis of our educational thinking.

 

We must once again put the words skill, fun, joy, relevance, and risk back into the classrooms. Our teachers want to teach, our school leaders want to lead, our students want dynamic learning experiences, and our parents want to be assured that their children will be prepared for work, trade school, or university when they leave our schools.

My passion and dedication to the field of education run deep. My experiences in the classroom, school leadership roles, as an adjunct professor, and others have prepared me in a unique way to lead our schools. Our schools will be a shining example of enhancing the special skills that each of our students possess and where understanding government and economics will be as much as an emphasis as math and reading.

 

 No other candidate will bring more energy and passion to this race than I. It is now time to turn the page for a more enhanced, skill driven educational system. Our students are not all the same, nor our teachers, school leaders, or schools. Hence, they can’t be made to look the same. A one-size-fits-all approach does not work in true education. I look forward to future debates and discussions, but most importantly I look forward to the students, educators, and parents of this wonderful state getting to know me and what kind of leader I will be for them as we prepare our students and their children to better compete nationally and globally.

 

Our team is strong. I want to thank my wonderful wife Holly for standing by me as we begin this journey as well as my campaign team that will stretch throughout the state. This will be a team effort with the focus of providing real education with real skills for real opportunities.

 

Please go to my website www.jeffscottforgeorgia.com to learn more and to join the journey to excellence.

Thanks,

 

Jeff

Lt. General (Ret.) David Poythress, Democratic Candidate for Governor, is pleased to announce that he has received the endorsements of three important leaders from across the state: Representative Bob Bryant, Attorney John Clark and Reverend Bennie R. Mitchell. 

“I am fortunate to have earned the support of these three outstanding community leaders.  Their leadership and insights are a crucial element of our campaign,” said Poythress.

Third term State Representative Bob Bryant (HD-160), Democrat from Garden City, has served the citizens of Chatham County for three terms, and he understands the critical link between our state’s economic recovery and finding solutions to our transportation and water crises. Rep. Bryant sits on the Economic Development and Tourism, Transportation and Ways and Means committees, and he is also a member of the Georgia Legislative Black caucus.

Representative Bryant supports General Poythress because “he has the experience needed to effectively govern our state.  As the former labor commissioner, secretary of state and Commander of the Georgia Army and Air National guard, General Poythress brings to the table the level of executive experience this state needs during these most difficult times.”

Noted Civil Rights Attorney John Clark of Elberton has practiced in the area of civil rights for almost thirty years and distinguished himself as a champion of protecting the rights of all people.  Attorney Clark is currently the advisor to the president of the state NAACP and general counsel for the Savannah State University National Alumni Association.  Previously he has served as the general counsel to the state NAACP, local lead counsel to Legal Defense Fund and president of Georgia Association of African-American Attorneys.

“David has the vision and the appeal that we should expect from our next governor,” says Clark.  “David is sensible, practical and has the desire to be a Governor for all of Georgia.  Most importantly, he will be the Governor who will transform public education.”

Rev. Bennie R. Mitchell, pastor of Connors Temple Baptist Church in Savannah, is known across the state for his over forty years of community leadership.   In addition to being a pastor, Rev. Mitchell is the political action coordinator of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance.

According to Reverend Mitchell, “David is a leader among leaders.  I have known him and watched his work for over twenty years, and David has always been concerned about issues facing the little people.  Through all the years and rise in ranks, David hasn’t changed!”

“As I cross the state, I find community leaders who are anxious for true leadership from the Governor’s office.  I am delighted that these three men are willing to join my campaign team.  Representative Bryant understands the hard work that is needed under the Gold Dome to move our state forward.  Reverend Mitchell is a dear friend whose leadership in the faith community is matched by his efforts in the community at large.  And I am very fortunate to have someone of John Clark’s stature within the civil rights community supporting this campaign,” states Poythress.

Poythress concludes, “Our campaign has worked very hard to gain support of this caliber, and we look forward to continuing to work on the issues most important to families across the state – jobs with good wages, education and transportation.”

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ATLANTA, GA – Today, Rep. Rashad Taylor (D-Atlanta) announced he will join his fellow lawmakers at a press conference tomorrow, April 8, 2009, and will urge Governor Sonny Perdue to issue an Executive Order or call a special session of the legislature to deal with the MARTA funding issue.
 
“The Republican leadership of the House of Representatives failed the people of Georgia by not passing Senate Bill 120.  It is now up to the Governor to step up and lead.  The over 500,000 metro Atlantans who depend on MARTA are looking to Governor Perdue for help,” says Rep. Taylor.
 
The press conference will be held at the Five Points MARTA Station at 2pm.
 
Rep. Taylor has sent Governor Sonny Perdue a letter urging him to issue an Executive Order suspending the capital reserve restrictions MARTA has or call a special session to pass SB 120.
 
Rep. Rashad Taylor represents House District 55.  He serves on the Education, Ways and Means, and MARTA Oversight Committees.  He is the only legislator from the City of Atlanta who serves on the MARTA Oversight Committee (MARTOC).  He chairs the MARTOC Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Maintenance.
 
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“This year’s lack of leadership on transportation and personal grabs for power at the expense of the people convinced me to throw my hat into the ring”

Dublin – House Democratic Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin) announced that he is officially running for Governor of Georgia in the 2010 election. He released the following statement today:

After this year’s failure to pass a transportation funding bill by the Republican leadership it has become apparent that if Georgia is to move forward there will have to be a new vision coming from the Governor’s office. Smaller government is good, but not when its goal is to dismantle transportation, law enforcement, and education. These are vital services that must be maintained if Georgia is to move forward with America.

The Governor and his leadership team have used this economic downturn as an excuse to dismantle these fundamental programs; programs on which our entire economy rests. This session we sponsored HB 356 which offered up a way to find an expected $1 billion in uncollected revenue without raising taxes a dime. HB 356 would have implemented a new point of sales policy exactly like Alabama. This Governor and his leadership in the House and Senate chose to turn this money down because it would have funded a lot of the programs they chose to cut. Programs our citizens needed.

The Governor and this leadership were cutting the funding to the QBE funding formula, which goes to our schools, and law enforcement when we had money and now they have added transportation to their list. “This year’s lack of leadership on transportation and their personal grabs for power at the expense of the people convinced me to throw my hat into the ring”

It is obvious that reduced law enforcement is not a way to grow quality of life, and access to a quality basic education is vital to positive growth. In the immediate future we see job opportunity through services and technology. Our people will have to be able to meet the requirements for these jobs. They also will not be keeping the same job for life, but will have to be able to retrain quickly. Without adequate educational opportunity that will not be possible.

Transportation is another foundation service for government and is a key to a prosperous future. We don’t need to cut MARTA rail to the airport. We need to extend it. The message cutting MARTA, when the money is there, sends potentially damaging signals to future investors in Georgia. We have to start thinking of the future. 

My youngest sons, the twins, are now freshmen at UGA and it seems as if this session’s lack of leadership has coincided correctly with my timing for running for state wide office.

I realize a Democrat will have a hard time in what is seen as a red state. However I believe Georgia will look at the issues and if they find a candidate that represents their core values they will be willing to vote for a change in the Governor's office. My work on the issues will carry me in Atlanta, but according to the pundits from the far right to the far left, it will take a candidate with my core values to connect with those outside of Atlanta.

My district, Laurens and a small part of Johnson County, closely resembles the demographics of the state as a whole. In my last race I won by 76% over a Republican candidate who was a 10-year city council member and a vice president of a bank. I was able to do that because I listen to my people. My t-shirts always read, “DuBose Porter works for me,” because I never forget who sent me. The title is ‘Representative.’ I represent. I listen well. I bring all the people to the table. I learn as much as I can on the topic from all sides and then lead.  I remember my Scout Oath. I bring in my faith. I think of the Georgia I want my four sons to live in and I remember our state motto of wisdom, justice and moderation.  Listen. Learn. Lead. You aren’t constantly in the press with that style, but it works best to move projects forward if you can lose the ego and share the credit.

This session was a final straw. The infighting in the majority party dominated the session. I realized at the state’s Chamber of Commerce breakfast that when the three Leaders at the top could not be on the stage together long enough to take questions, the needs of this state had taken the back burner while the quest for power had become their goal. If you walk yourself through what happened this session, it is clear egos trumped policy. It is time for someone to be in the Governor’s office that doesn’t play into ego driven politics. It is not about power for one - but for all.

Georgia deserves a Governor who cares more about people than power, and that’s why I am filing the papers today to run.

GOP lawmakers raised Georgia Power’s rates, gave millions to donor-developers to wreck Jekyll Island instead of helping veterans, gave a retroactive tax break to credit-card companies, and cancelled a property tax cut for middle class Georgians in the legislative session concluded in Atlanta last Friday.

“The crowd running things at the Gold Dome allows big business to use Georgians as an ATM.  They are wrong in thinking the people of Georgia are not smart enough to see that the GOP is raising the misery index for the middle class and working poor,” said Senator Robert Brown.

Early in the session, Republicans pushed through a bill that would allow Georgia Power to raise its rates for future construction of nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle and other locations.  Power bills for working Georgians and small business owners will go up as much as $20 in coming months for a plant scheduled to go on-line in 2017.  But the GOP exempted big business from the rate increase.
In an especially egregious example of distorted realities, the GOP voted down an effort to use $2.4 million in the budget to re-open a veteran’s home in Milledgeville, choosing instead to send the money to a big GOP donor to build condos on Jekyll Island.  “Not only did they oppose this initiative to help our veterans, the GOP deleted funds in the budget for important local projects in districts represented by senators who supported the veteran’s amendment,” said Senator Tim Golden.

In an unanticipated move, a back-door amendment was introduced at session’s end to allow retroactive tax breaks for credit card companies.  “Here we are in the worst recession almost anyone alive has lived through, and the GOP is giving money to vulture-like credit card companies, and at the same time eliminating a property tax cut for the middle class,” Brown said.  “It defies any sense of decency.”

Senator Brown has served in the Senate since 1991. He represents Twiggs and parts of Bibb (Macon), Wilkinson and Houston Counties. He serves on six important committees, Administrative Affairs, Judiciary, Insurance and Labor, Economic Development, Reapportionment and Redistricting, and Veterans and Military Affairs. He is serving a second term as Senate Democratic Leader, one of the top three leaders elected by members of the Senate.
 
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Atlanta, GA – Senator Max Cleland will be the keynote speaker of the Young Democrats of Georgia 2009 State Convention in Helen, GA. Sen. Cleland will address the Young Democrats of Georgia (YDG) on this year’s convention theme; “A New Generation of Leadership,” on April 18. The speech will be the highlight of YDG’s award supper. The convention will take place at Unicoi State Park, April 17 – 19.

"Sen. Cleland is a true American hero who has spent his life in service to his fellow citizens" said Young Democrats of Georgia President, Jason Cecil. "He understands the young voter revolution that swept President Obama into office better than most, and we are very honored to have him as our featured speaker at this year's convention."

The Young Democrats of Georgia played a vital role in the 2008 elections, reaching more than 15,000 voters throughout Georgia.

ABOUT THE YOUNG DEMOCRATS OF GEORGIA

Young Democrats of Georgia is the official youth arm of the Democratic Party, comprised of people ages 14-40.  The Young Democrats of Georgia are committed to creating a bloc of young voters who will elect Democrats for an entire generation.  Using proven Peer to Peer campaign methods, Young Democrats have made significant differences in races all over Georgia. YDG is a non-federal 527. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

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Republicans look for Cover after Passing Largest Property Tax Increase in Georgia History

Atlanta – House Democratic Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin) and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus) voted to protect local control and public education today with the defeat of SB 83. SB 83 would have imposed a state-wide unfunded mandate on local governments that they increase their homestead exemption from $2,000 to $4,000. Effectively, this would undermine local government’s ability to pay for their schools and other critical services.
 
“By the state mandating that local governments increase the homestead exemption they are attempting to pass another unfunded mandate down from the state and undermine public education,” said Representative Porter. “This is another attempt to cover up the fact that Republicans have passed the largest property tax increase in Georgia history by not providing $428 million for the Homeowner Tax Relief Grants in the 2010 budget. Homeowners throughout Georgia are now going to pay an additional $200 to $300 on their tax bills this November when they are worried about paying their mortgage, utility bills and putting food on the table.”
 
Democrats have offered a way to pay for the HTRGs with HB 356 which allows local governments to collect their own sales taxes instead of the state Department of Revenue. In Alabama, this brought in an additional $1 billion in revenue without raising any new taxes. Republican leadership has refused to allow a vote on this bill. In this economic crisis we must be willing to implement bold new ideas and think outside of the box if we are to move forward.
 
“According to Representative Calvin Smyre, “The General Assembly is trying to make local governments take the hit under the cover of SB 83 which is another unfunded mandate from the state. SB 83 would be devastating to our schools that have already seen deep cuts this year. If SB 83 went into effect, cash strapped local governments would be forced into drastic action such as laying off teachers, cutting police patrols, and stopping trash pick up.”
 
In conclusion, Rep. Porter noted, “Republicans have already cut public education by $267 million this year bringing the total cuts to Georgia’s schools under Republican leadership to $2 billion since 2003. This is on top of not funding $428 million for the HTRGs that will further cripple local government’s ability to provide public education. Now, Republicans bring SB 83 which hurts our ability to attract quality industry to Georgia. This hurts economic development in the long run.”    
 
 
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Atlanta, GA: John Monds will be announcing his intention to seek the Libertarian Party of Georgia’s nomination for Governor with a press conference at the Capitol in Atlanta with family, close friends and supporters by his side Wednesday, March 25th at 4:00pm.
 
During his campaign for Public Service Commission (District 1) in 2008, Monds became the first Libertarian to break one million votes in the United States.
 
Monds and the Libertarian Party believe Georgians are ready for something new and different. “It’s difficult to tell the difference between Republicans and Democrats; both want to raise your taxes, waste your money and increase the size and scope of state government,” said Monds.
 
“We must be competitive in the 21st Century. We must have meaningful tax reform that allows businesses and individuals to thrive, a transportation system that eases congestion without raising taxes, an education system that gives more choices and returns control to the local level, and we need to stop wasting the taxpayers’ money with mandated long term incarceration of individuals for non-violent victimless infractions of the law”
 
John Monds, 43, is a graduate of Morehouse College with a degree in Banking and Finance, President of the Grady County NAACP and currently serves on the Grady County Planning Commission.
 
He resides in Cairo with his wife, Dr. Kathaleena Edward Monds, and four children, Akintunde, Cazembe, Halima and Malik.
 
You can read more about John Monds at www.VoteMonds.com.