The race for the 34th District seat in the state Senate is heating up as election day, Nov. 3, approaches.

Republican Bill Bonner, who won his party's nomination amid a field of four, is labeling opponent Greg Hecht's assertion that he is a conservative Democrat a charade.

Hecht says Bonner's attempts to link him to liberal Democrat Billy McKinney, who is black, amounts to race baiting.

"That's not what I was saying," counters Bonner. "My concern would be him voting with the liberal Democrat establishment."

Bonner said Hecht, who currently serves in the state House of Representatives, has voted with McKinney 85 percent of the time.

"Mr. Bonner has been identifying us with black legislative leaders, and I find this tactic appalling," said Hecht, adding "I vote conservatively and smartly."

Bonner also wanted to know why Hecht sometimes does not identify his party in campaign advertisements. "I'm proud to be a Republican," he said. "Why is he not proud to be a Democrat?"

Hecht said he is happy to be a Democrat, but he is not partisan in his approach to government. "Some ads I say it, some I don't. I believe you pick the person. I vote both Democrat and Republican," he said.

"We have gotten too partisan in this country for too long," he added.

Hecht and Bonner are seeking the Senate's 34th District seat, which represents parts of Fayette, Clayton and Douglas counties.

Greg Hecht

Describing himself as a Southern conservative Democrat, Hecht points to his experience as a prosecutor, business owner and legislator as strong points in his campaign.

Currently a member of the state House of Representatives, he said he has authored safe schools legislation, laws to protect children from abuse, ethics legislation, laws to reduce voter fraud and laws to protect senior citizens' property interests. He also has sponsored laws to protect the Hope Scholarship, Hecht said, and sponsored tough DUI legislation, and has carried legislation for other interested parties, strengthening the state's crime laboratory, strengthening sexual predator registration requirements, and decreasing frivolous lawsuits and defenses.

He is pushing five key issues:

Cutting taxes. Hecht sayshe helped implement three tax cuts during his years in the legislature. "We need to continue to look towardmaking government more efficient," he said.

Safe schools. "I have authored legislation to ensure enforcement of out-of-state suspensions and expulsions," he said. Students transferring in must bring their disciplinary records with them, he said. He called for decreases in class size and more in-school resource officers.

Truth in sentencing. Hecht said he favors "laws that convey to criminals that you are going to jail, with not a lot of nonsense about the sentence."

Health care selection. Long-term patients often can't choose their doctors or stay with their doctors under managed health care, said Hecht. Also, "Doctors arenot telling their patients about treatments available. That should be punishable," he added.

Growth. "We need to work on growth strategies," said Hecht. "The framwork for zoning laws is provided by the state legislature," he added.

Hecht said he will be actively involved in constituent service if elected. "I'm committed to getting out in the community and listening to constituents," he said. "We all have to work together."

A native Georgian, Hecht is a graduate of the University of Georgia Law School and was an assistant district attorney for Clayton County and ad hoc prosecutor for the city of Fayetteville.

He owns a law practice, Fincher and Hecht LLC, is a leader in Boy Scouts and is involved in Habitat for Humanity, Kiwanis, the Alzheimers Support Group, Partners in Education and the First United Methodist Church.

Bill Bonner

Bonner said he is qualified to represent the 34th District in the state Senate not only because of his experience in local government and business, but also because of who he is.

"You should look at this election just like you were hiring someone for your company," said Bonner, who owns a commercial real estate management and leasing firm in Fayette County. "You want someone of good character, who is qualified and who has the ability and can make things happen. I am the most qualified in that respect," he said.

Bonner has been in business 25 years, he said. He served eight years on the Fayette County Commission and participates in community activities and organizations, he added.

Bonner said he is hoping for a Republican takeover in the state General Assembly this election year, saying recent GOP advances are responsible for a more conservative Democratic majority. "A lot of Zell Miller's programs are Republican programs," he said. "He has adopted a lot of those programs that Republicans started putting forth years ago."

Key issues, he said, are:

Education. Bonner calls for more local control, "especially the lottery funds. Right now they're all designated. Who better knows how to spend that money locally than the local school boards," he added.

Charter schools, which place more emphasis on parental involvement and local administrative control, also will help improve education, he said.

Lower taxes. Bonner favors plans to reduce taxes, he said, but the state shouldn't simply end ad valorem taxes without dealing with the impact on local governments, he added. 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.

Crime. 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 earlier this year," 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 added.

Pollution and transportation. The state's problem with air 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."

Federal air quality standards that are currently holding up road funds in the metro Atlanta area are arbitrary, he said.