15. www.gwinnettdailypost.com Carol Porter answers

From the www.gwinnettdailypost.com

NAME: Carol Porter

PARTY: Democratic

SEEKING: Lieutenant Governor

Why are you seeking your office?

Because of the corrupting of the voting system and a lack of leadership in the Senate. Because Georgia does not have a reliable water source, our major city sits in gridlock and we are in the bottom in education rankings. We are number one in the percentage of our population in the correction system. Law enforcement has been reduced to unsafe levels and our population is in the top ten most unhealthy. Small business and their employees are struggling. More of the same is not an option. New leadership is clearly needed.

What do you expect to accomplish if elected?

The first thing I will do is stop the corruption of the voting system in the Senate. We stopped the Hawk System in the House and we can put the people’s voice back in the Senate as well. We can discuss policies all day long, but until we get true representative government, the will of the people will continue to be thwarted. My election will change that. Then the number one goal for us all should be to put more people into the workforce and to create an environment of upward financial mobility for those already in the workforce.

What distinguishes your candidacy?

I am a citizen candidate. The unique part is that while I am not an incumbent, I do have 26 years of experience doing policy research and legislative work. I found, while campaigning for my husband, that I understood the issues and problems with government better than many of the candidates and I know what Georgians want. I also know there are solutions for Georgia if we put the people first and then lead with character, common sense and true representation. Like many of Georgia’s citizens, I am fed-up with the lack of leadership.

What are the key issues in your race?

The economy is the key issue. We must attract industries with high paying jobs, not just the ones looking for the low wage pool. We also need to enable the industries and businesses already here to thrive, with a special emphasis on small business as they employee the most people. To truly become a pro-business and pro-employee state we need to strengthen the factors that will lead to a strong economy by providing a strong public school system, efficient transportation, safeguarding natural resources and providing safe and healthy communities.

Pick one issue. Expand on how you will address it.

Education must be strengthened in Georgia. Right now we are number one in the percentage of our population in the correction system. This is because we have never valued education as we should. It is so much cheaper for the taxpayer to spend $8,000 to educate a student than $50,000 to imprison one. The financial costs to the taxpayer of this financially unsustainable pipeline to prison has to stop. There are ways to educate people to stop that pipeline, if we get new leadership who cares more about the taxpayer and less about the perks.

Give a 100 word summary of your background.

Mother, daughter, sister, wife, business woman, volunteer, Methodist, Georgian. My father was the only doctor in a small, poor community and I went with him on his house calls. I had the opportunity for a great education and I realized early in life what separates us most is neither demographics nor geography, but differences in economic and educational opportunities. As the general manager of nine newspapers in Middle Georgia, my business touches every business in nine counties and I know the stories of its people. I know Georgia deserves better. I know the issues. There are solutions