Wednesday, June 26, 2002
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Wednesday, June 26, 2002 |
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Meadows running in 34th District
Chuck Meadows qualified today in the race for the state senate's 34th District, which includes portions of both Clayton and Fayette counties. The Riverdale resident is the youngest candidate in the field, but the is not without experience. As deputy policy director for Gov. Roy Barnes, Meadows authored legislation and managed the lawmaking process for his former boss. He led the effort to install Georgia's Higher Education Savings Plan, a new program that allows parents to put aside money for their children's college education in a tax-exempt savings account. He managed the contract that continues to funnel new federal money to the state's youth development, child welfare, and elderly care programs, and he headed job-recruitment initiatives to bring employment opportunities to Georgia in the midst of a recession. Meadows now works as a consultant for Ernst & Young, where he works to negotiate economic development agreements between companies and government jurisdictions. Strengthening the economy is at the core of Meadows' campaign platform. He has studied economics and economic development at Morehouse, Princeton and Harvard, and believes that the formula for a strong economy is a combination of strong schools, planned transportation, quality healthcare, and business development. "The campaign platform focuses on the issues important to the Southern Crescent, and we have tailored solutions to fit the individual communities of the 34th District," said Meadows. "Transportation planning, for instance, will require a different approach in densely populated areas than in the parts of the District that are more spread out." Meadows' campaign staff is also reflective of the diversity of the 34th. Campaign manager Daphne Walker, an attorney, is a resident of Clayton County's panhandle region. Robert McCann, III is a north Clayton CPA and serves as the campaign treasurer, and campaign advisor Rose Burden is a Fayetteville mother of two. Celeste Ponder, a middle school teacher and a single parent, is a part of Educators for Chuck Meadows, a group that focuses on education issues for the campaign. Though at home in metro Atlanta's centers of government and corporate power, the College Park native prides himself in his commitment to the community. He is a Big Brother with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, and works with Community Reach, Inc., a Riverdale-based youth development organization.
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