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: State House District 25
How does your background equip you for the job you are seeking?
My background: U.S. Army – 82nd Airborne Division; Bachelor of Science in political science, Arizona State University.
What role should government have in the lives of Georgians? How would you apply that philosophy to the job you are seeking?
The goverment needs to support the people.
If you are elected (or re-elected), what problems will you spend the most time solving and why?
Public school issues.
Georgia is a politically diverse state. How will you work to represent Georgians whose political views differ from your own?
I support inclusion as a strength of America. I also support the separation of church and state.
Who has been the biggest influence on how you view state government and politics? What have you learned from this person?
Presidents John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as well as former U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy.
Georgia has a lot to offer current and potential residents, but many parts of the state are becoming increasingly unaffordable. Please explain your proposed approach to address housing affordability through legislation and executive actions?
We need a zoning policy that will benefit all. Currently, it is rigged for the wealthy.
Politics is often about compromise. How do you decide when to compromise and take small, incremental wins, and when to refuse compromise?
A subject like women’s reproduction rights is not up for 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?
Yes, the elections are secure. The end result was verified many times.
In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on abortion, state law and local enforcement authority will determine access to abortion.
I will not vote to make women second class citizens.
Are there any programs/legislation you’ve sponsored or created to help people with disabilities?
I am a veteran. I use Veterans Affairs medical services.
Georgia closed out its budget year with a “likely record surplus, billions of dollars in federal aid and a growing economy.” Georgia spends more than half of this money on education and health care. What would you want to see in the budget in terms of spending or taxes?
There is no surplus. Funds for dealing with the coronavirus were supposed to be used to upgrade public school ventilation systems. That was never done. It was a health issue for our school children.
The Legislature often votes along party lines. When would you seek bipartisan action and what issues merit such consensus?
My district is split among party lines. School budget issues would get bipartisan attention.