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Ramsey leads House 72 race in money, mayorsTue, 11/27/2007 - 4:41pm
By: John Munford
Peachtree City lawyer Matt Ramsey has taken a commanding early lead in at least two categories in a four-way race for the Dec. 18 special election to fill the unexpired term of District 72 Rep. Dan Lakly (R-Peachtree City), who died in October. The two categories are campaign money and endorsements by mayors and former mayors. Ramsey, running under the GOP banner, has raised more than $20,000 in the past few weeks, while listing six current or former mayors and one former congressman as financial backers. Former Peachtree City Mayor Steve Brown, also a Republican, says he has no contributors to report. Ramsey and Brown were the only candidates who responded directly to The Citizen’s request for a list of their campaign donors who gave $101 or more, and how much they have raised in campaign contributions to date, both of which will ultimately be disclosed by state ethics filings. Brown said he is not accepting donations because he doesn’t want to be beholden to any special interests. Ramsey said as of Monday he had raised $20,668. Democrat Kevin Madden and Republican Heidi Becker both declined to reveal how much they had raised, nor did they identify any donors who had contributed more than $101 to their campaigns. Ramsey disclosed the following people and entities as having donated $101 or more to his campaign: Matthew and Melissa Ramsey The Committee to Elect Mac Collins Hollis L. Harris Steve & Anne Ramsey Chris & Kim Thompson Dan & Kristin Vano Joseph Domenic Greco II & Kathryn Greco Ben & Heather Maroney Ken Steele, Mayor, City of Fayetteville Joel Cowan, Former Mayor, Peachtree City Ralph Jones, Former Mayor, Peachtree City Robert Lenox, Former Mayor, Peachtree City Chip Conner, Former Mayor, Peachtree City Fred Brown, Jr., Former Mayor, Peachtree City Thomas & Vicki A. Turner Paul Gorski Robert & Brandi Tindell Kevin & Laura O’Neill Robert & Kathryn Muller Mark Gray Insurance, Inc. (Mark & Kathy Gray) Crescent II, LLC (Michael Holcomb & David Sparkman, Members) Douglas and Carol Warner John Lee Bethune III & Dorothy Bethune Jeff & Lynn Roberts Chad & Jennifer Cummings Michael J. Mahaffey, D.M.D. Chris & Susan Parrott Henry & Valerie Inglesby J.B. & Mary Sue Behnken M.D. Publishing, Inc. (John Krieg, President) The four candidates running for the District 72 seat in the Georgia House of Representatives also are starting to show some of their differences after answering questions posed by The Citizen recently. For example, Democrat Madden supports changing the way five-member Fayette County Commission is elected from at-large voting to geographical district voting. Republican Brown, who has advocated Fayette switching to district voting in the past, now says that he wants the matter to be decided by voters in a referendum. Republicans Becker and Ramsey both say they do not want to change the way county commissioners are elected because they think the current system is fair. District voting “gives citizens confidence that their representatives will be responsive to their concerns, and it focuses representatives on whom they are obligated to serve,” Madden said. “I am in favor of giving the local voters any measures which will ensure better representation for the residents living in each specific district,” Brown said, citing Peachtree City’s conflict with the county commission over how Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds for transportation improvements are divvied out. The candidates also weighed in on a proposal from House Speaker Glenn Richardson to eliminate property taxes while increasing sales taxes. Under that proposal, the state would disperse sales tax revenues to local governments, who currently collect their funds directly in property taxes, the rate of which local governments also control. While Becker, Brown and Madden each said they strongly oppose such a plan, Ramsey said he doesn’t have enough information to judge it yet. Ramsey said he was concerned about the impact the proposal would have on the “autonomy and flexibility” of local governments to fund critical items such as education and public safety, a viewpoint shared by all four candidates on the issue. Ramsey said it is not clear whether Richardson’s plan would actually reduce taxes, though he supports “the reduction of taxes and the simplification of Georgia’s tax system.” Brown pointed out that a plan to tax previously un-taxed items and services such as groceries, medical and dental care would shift some of the tax burden to senior citizens, who currently have property tax exemptions. Madden noted that Richardson has not yet disclosed how high the sales taxes would go if his plan were adopted. “We need to keep control on the local level and not have state officials who may live in other counties deciding the amount of tax dollars Fayette County is alloted,” Becker said. All of the candidates indicated they oppose the previously-proposed extension of TDK Boulevard into Coweta County. Ramsey noted that TDK was a prime example of state government interfering with local governments making appropriate decisions. Ramsey was referring to the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority’s requirement that TDK be built as a condition of approval for the 3,000-plus home McIntosh Village development in unincorporated Coweta County just across Line Creek from Peachtree City. Ramsey said he strongly opposes “mandates by state agencies and interference by state bureaucrats or lawmakers into our local community’s decision making.” Madden said he was concerned with the environmental impact McIntosh Village would have on Line Creek. Brown said he is opposed to any local legislation that would permit the construction of TDK Boulevard. The candidates were also asked to outline their governmental experience. Ramsey has previously served as a legislative aide in both the Georgia House and Senate in addition to working for former Congressman Mac Collins, serving three years helping constituents in a district office and three years as his legislative aide in Washington. Madden said as the chairman and former president of the Atlanta Air Cargo Association he has been involved with various government agencies on a regular basis. As a former homeowners association president, Madden said he also dealt “extensively” with county government. Becker said she has worked at several state agencies, including positions as an investigator for the Georgia Department of Labor, an administrative aide for the Georgia Secretary of State and as intake officer/clerk for the mental health juvenile justice judge. She also noted that she worked with state and local officials on opening an emergency shelter in Fayette County for domestic violence victims. Brown said that in addition to being former mayor of Peachtree City, he also lobbied the legislature as chairman of the Metropolitan Atlanta Mayors Association. Brown also touted his involvement in the Ga. Highway 74 alliance that brought together a number of local governments in Fulton and Fayette County together to work on ways to improve the interchange at Interstate 85 and Hwy. 74. login to post comments
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