District 47 candidates address GOP

Chief among those concerns is the common belief that government has grown too large and inefficient to serve the people effectively.

Coley described the current bureaucratic system as “destructive” to both liberty and the nation.

“We have a view of government in this nation today that is very different than the way our nation was founded,” Coley said.

Calling government the problem and productivity the solution, Coley advocated reducing the scope and power of government as well as reducing spending, taxes and regulations.

“Government must become small and liberty must become big,” he said.

Coley wants to promote the Atlanta to Athens high tech corridor in order to attract growth to the area. He is also pro-life, a strong second amendment supporter and believes marriage should be between a man and a woman.

A resident of Barrow County for the past 27 years, Coley is a deacon and Bible teacher at the First Baptist Church in Statham and is the owner of MSC Enterprises, a technology company involved in various private research projects.

Like Coley, former Braselton mayor Pat Graham also expressed support for smaller, more efficient government with increased local control for cities and counties.

Her chief priority though, if elected, will be the passage of a Georgia Fair Tax based on Congressman John Linder’s Fair Tax plan. Graham said Georgians carry too large of a tax burden – a burden that could be lightened with a consumption based tax.

“If enough states in this nation convert to the Fair Tax system, we’ll demonstrate to Washington that it can in fact be done and that it will work,” she said.

Graham further vowed to oppose unfunded state mandates and promised to make Georgia more business friendly by cutting the corporate income tax. Another priority would be to increase local flexibility in education spending by allowing school systems to increase funding through educational SPLOST dollars.

First elected as Braselton’s mayor in 2001, Graham, a Barrow County resident, said she is the only candidate with legislative experience and is a proven leader with a history of solid, fiscally conservative leadership.

While agreeing with Graham on several key issues, Kelley Gary took the former mayor to task for describing herself as a fiscal conservative.

Gary said that in her eight years as mayor of Braselton, Graham raised taxes and increased spending.

“Since 2006, in the midst of the worst economic crisis we have experienced since the great depression, spending in Braselton increased by 37 percent,” Gary said. “Taxes went up by 42 percent.”

Gary said Graham raised taxes through a series of what he described as “back door tax increases.” The increases, levied mainly on utilities and other services, hurt families and small business owners according to Gary.

“Taxes on electricity, for instance, went up 245 percent,” Gary said. The numbers, pulled from Braselton’s audited financial statements, show large increases in taxes on water (236 percent), liquor (175 percent) and businesses (66 percent) between 2006 and 2008.

“We can do better,” Gary said.

A self-described “passionate” advocate for limited government, Gary said it is critical to cut taxes and reduce the size of government in order to be competitive in a global economy. As part of what he refers to as “The Gary Plan,” he proposes eliminating the state’s portion of the property tax and passing legislation which would allow citizens to vote to completely eliminate property taxes and replace them with a sales tax or set a flat fee on property. Gary also supports zero-based budgeting and tax incentives for businesses.

Gary, a lifelong resident of Jackson County, owns Premier Storage in Braselton. He is a member of the New Community Church in Hoschton.

Coley, Gary and Graham will face fellow Republican Doug Bower in the July primary. Bower, a professional counselor and a former Oglethorpe County Commissioner, announced last week that he was joining the District 47 senate race. District 47 is comprised of Barrow, Madison and Oglethorpe counties, along with a large portion of Jackson County and smaller areas of Elbert and Clarke counties. The contested state senate seat is being vacated by Ralph Hudgens who is currently seeking election to the post of state insurance commissioner.

Qualifying for the race will be held in April. The winner of the Jul. 20 primary will face Democratic candidate Tim Riley in the November general election.

The next meeting of the Barrow County Republican Party will be held Mar. 15, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. Gerry Purcell, candidate for insurance commissioner, and Roger Hines, candidate for state school superintendent, are scheduled to speak.

The Barrow County GOP meets at the Winder Woman’s Club located at 15 West Midland Avenue in Winder. The meetings are open to the public. For more information, visit www.barrowgop.com or join the Barrow County Republican Party on Facebook.