The responses to these questions were edited for length and clarity by the Georgia Decides team. Each candidate was allotted 150 words for each answer and some answers were trimmed in order to abide by that length requirement. Other edits were made to make sure readers can fully follow and understand the candidate responses.
Campaigning for: Labor Commissioner
What role should government have in the lives of Georgians? How would you apply that philosophy to the job you are seeking?
The government should play a limited role in the lives of Georgians. I believe government agencies should operate as good stewards with the resources provided so we will be responsive, transparent and efficient.
If you are elected (or re-elected), what problems will you spend the most time solving and why?
This agency has struggled with transparency, accountability and responsiveness. Once we have completed an analysis of the agency (due diligence), we will prioritize the challenges and immediately begin addressing them.
Georgia is a politically diverse state. How will you work to represent Georgians whose political views differ from your own?
I believe every Georgian has the right to be served in a respectful manner regardless of their political persuasion.
Who has been the biggest influence on how you view state government and politics? What have you learned from this person?
I was blessed to have a business mentor early in my career that spent most of his life serving in executive roles at Fortune 500 companies. He reinforced the belief that we must be involved in government, and the Bible provides incredible guidance and direction.
Politics is often about compromise. How do you decide when to compromise and take small, incremental wins, and when to refuse compromise?
I am not sure when the word compromise became a dirty word, but anyone in a leadership role understands that compromise is necessary to be successful. Moral and ethical positions must not be compromised, and strategical positions are often strengthened with compromise.
There were politicians who questioned the outcomes of Georgia elections in 2018 and 2020. Do you think Georgia’s elections are secure and will you stand by the results?
I am confident that SB 202 (Georgia’s new voting law) has significantly strengthened our elections.
Job readiness is critical to Georgia’s economic success. How will you help Georgia workers prepare for the workforce of the future, which will require different skills?
It is important for the Department of Labor to serve the underemployed as well as the unemployed. As we identify sectors that are transitioning from human capital to automation, we will work closely with the Technical College System of Georgia to identify individuals that can benefit from their training.
Georgia ranks poorly among states in terms of worker rights. What would you do to improve the state’s standing for protections.
It is no secret we have a significant workforce shortage in Georgia as businesses flock to our state making our state the number 1 place to do business for the 9th year in a row. Our incredible Technical College system offers opportunities for Georgians to increase/improve their skill sets so they can demand higher wages. Unions may be appropriate for states such as California that continually rank near the bottom, but employees in Georgia control their own destiny with the right to work environment.