By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

Bill Bonner, owner of a commercial real estate management and investment firm in Fayetteville, faces Don Johnson, a Clayton County lawyer, in a runoff for the Republican nomination for the 34th District state Senate seat.

Winner in the Aug. 11 General Primary runoff will face Democrat Greg Hecht in the General Election Nov. 3.

Don Johnson

Overdevelopment continues to be the defining issue in 1998 for Johnson, 47, and getting his supporters to the polls Aug. 11 continues to be a high priority. "We're both working on [getting out the vote], myself and Bill," said Johnson.

"There are two kind of development," Johnson said, "the kind that increases the value of neighboring property and the kind that tears down the value of neighboring property and increases taxes at the same time."

Solutions to overdevelopment are "a family issue, and I'll do my best to carry that issue to the state Senate," he said. He said numerous state laws affect zoning and planning, including weak ethics laws. "I will champion the concerns of the homeowners and property owners in this district," he said.

Johnson is a native of Memphis, Tenn., and was educated at Memphis State University and Lee College in Cleveland. He then received his legal education at Woodrow Wilson College of Law in Atlanta.

He has practiced law since 1975 and has lived in Clayton County for six years. He is married with two children.

Johnson promised to be "a proactive state senator. I will attempt to make legislation happen that's good for the neighborhoods and the people I represent."

The education system "needs to be radically overhauled," said Johnson. "I don't believe Georgia kids are less smart than kids in other states," he said, "yet in other states the kids test out better."

Tax credits for private and home schooling "would tend to shake up the system a little bit," he said. "It would make for a competitive product so that public schools would have to improve their product," he added.

Johnson is opposed to the state lottery, he said. "It's important for us to improve education, but we should vote money for education. To use the lottery system is ridiculous. They take a big slice off the top and then filter a little bit of it back."

He favors the often-proposed reduction or end to property taxes and ad valorem taxes, Johnson added, along with phasing out state income taxes. Local and state governments can make up the difference by reducing waste and through sales taxes, he said.

But state government should not mandate actions from local governments without providing the funding, he added.

Crime can be reduced through long, mandatory sentences for violent criminals, Johnson said. "And I would put all those guys to work down there [in prison] doing labor for cities and counties," he added.

Metro Atlanta's pollution/transportation problem can be solved by the state showing more backbone and by putting an end to overdevelopment, Johnson said, adding it's a key element in his campaign.

"The state should stand up and demand its place with respect to those [federal] funds," he said.

He offered a three-pronged approach to what he called overdevelopment.

"First the legislature should allow the county commissions to pass development impact fees to require developers rather than existing homes to pay the cost of new development," he said.

The state also should repeal a law that gives developers equal time with those opposed to zoning changes, no matter how many opponents speak at public hearings, said Johnson. "That is a stupid rule passed because of the lobbying of the home builders association," he said.

Finally, he said, counties and cities should be able to designate blighted areas where nonconforming uses would be given a set amount of time to conform to zoning and other regulations "to reclaim the livability of those neighborhoods," he said.

Bill Bonner

Fayette County seems to be galvanizing behind his campaign, said Bonner, 51, owner of a commercial real estate management and investment firm. "We're getting a great reception from everybody, he said.

"We're doing a lot of work," he added, "not only for the runoff, but also to give us great momentum through the fall. I feel like I'm the only candidate who can beat the Democrat in the fall. He's a hard worker, and it's going to be tough."

Bonner Saturday picked up endorsements from incumbent 34th District Sen. Pam Glanton as well as from Robert Sprayberry, former candidate who was eliminated in the July 21 General Primary. Bonner also was endorsed by state Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Tyrone, who won reelection in the primary.

A native of southwest Atlanta, Bonner was educated in Atlanta schools and holds a BS from Georgia State University. He has lived in Fayette County for 14 years, is married and has four sons.

Bonner said his 25 years in business and eight years on the Fayette County Commission, plus his participation in community activities and organizations suit him for a seat in the state Senate.

He called for more local control of education, adding he strongly supports the charter school concept, which places more emphasis on parental involvement and decision-making by the local administration.

School boards also should have more control over lottery funds, he said. "Right now they're all designated. Who better knows how to spend that money locally than the local school boards," he added.

The state should not end ad valorem taxes, as several gubernatorial candidates have suggested, without dealing with the impact on local governments, Bonner said. An income tax credit for ad valorem taxes would make more sense, he said.

He pointed to the state budget surplus as a way to give tax relief. "Why don't they give that all back to us instead of spending it on pork projects," he said. Bonner said he is for phasing out the state income tax as well. The tax can be partially replaced with sales taxes, and "there is still fat to be cut out" of the budget, he added.

Bonner called for doing away with the state Pardons and Paroles Board by referring criminals' requests for parole to the sentencing judge.

More jail cells are needed to house criminals longer, he said, and those can be paid for by privatizing the prison system. "The state opened its first private penal institution last month," he said. "I think if we are able to go to private running of all the jails, it will save a tremendous amount of money that we can apply to new beds," he said.

The state's problem with pollution is mainly a political problem with the Clinton Administration, Bonner said. "What I would do is put more pressure on the federal government about the way they regulate," he said. "The federal government can actually control what happens in Georgia and what happens in Fayette County," he said.

"With the criteria that they've put in place, there's no way we're ever going to be compliant," Bonner added.