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Politics & Government

Candidates Discuss Local, State Issues at 113th District Forum

Immigration, Sunday alcohol sales, taxes and redistricting were among the topics in the two hour event.

In the first forum of this special election season, the four candidates for the open 113th District State House seat on Wednesday identified issues facing the district and state, and how they plan to fix them.

Republicans , and , and Democrat addressed questions from a crowd of about 100 people at the . The moderators and organizers of the event, Russ Page and Lee Becker, gave each candidate two minutes for an opening statement, then directed questions from the audience randomly for about two hours.

The candidates largely reiterated the framing of their campaigns. Bell, an adjunct college professor, made family issues a priority. Matthews, a legal secretary, highlighted the importance of local decisions. Alexander, a lawyer, focused on education. Williams, a former banker, pointed to the state budget issues.

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On immigration, and House Bill 87, which Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law last month, the candidates agreed along party lines. The law, modeled after a similar one in Arizona, allows police to investigate immigration status, and sets new hiring requirements for employers, and penalties for aiding illegal immigrants.

Williams said he would have “reluctantly voted for” the bill, but added that immigration should be dealt with at the federal level. Matthews said he would have “unequivocally voted against it” as it was written. Bell said she would have voted for the bill, but the federal government needs to close the borders. Alexander said it’s an imperfect law, but he would have voted for it.

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Bell said jobs, taxes, spending and education are all family issues, and added, “we have too much of both” taxes and spending. During her campaign, Bell said this is an opportunity for the citizens of the district to ask who they want to represent them in Atlanta. Bell centered several of her points on the character of the person elected.

“Talk to people in the district and see what they want,” Bell said. “Integrity is very important. Character matters. Values matter.”

Asked about reforming the state tax code to better compete with neighboring states, Alexander said he would favor a point-of-purchase tax to force “illegal aliens and drug pushers to start paying for what I’m paying for, and you’re paying for.”

Bell said she would eliminate the state personal income tax, and make the state more business-friendly. Matthews said he would tax big companies like Coca-Cola and Delta more because of their big profits. Williams said the state tax code is somewhat antiquated, and there needs to be a comprehensive review to see if changes should be made.

Because former representative from the seat in April to become the chancellor of the University System of Georgia, all of the candidates said they would serve the balance of the term. Bell said there should be a penalty for those who voluntarily leave their seat.

All of the candidates supported a local choice for Sunday alcohol sales.

Specifically asked about cuts to the state budget, Williams said representatives need to prioritize state spending, and needs versus wants. Alexander said he would focus cuts to education administrators’ salaries. Matthews said he would cut 5 percent of the salaries for state employees earning more than $100,000 per year. Bell said there is enough general “fat” in the state budget to cut, and referenced the recent figure of 27 percent cuts to its budget in three years.

The upcoming political redistricting was largely agreed upon. Matthews and Williams both said Oconee County should remain whole, while Alexander said “gerrymandering is something we don’t want,” and Bell said a natural dividing line would be better for all citizens.

The 113th currently covers all of Oconee County and parts of Clarke, Morgan and Oglethorpe Counties.

, sponsored by the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled for June 16 at .

The election will be held on June 21, with a runoff of the top two vote-getters on July 19, if necessary. To avoid a runoff, one candidate needs to receive 50 percent plus one vote. 

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