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RANDY HALL (I)
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Republican
Age: 45
Hometown: Augusta
Occupation: Real estate attorney and law partner at Warlick, Tritt, Stebbins &Hall
Political background: Defeated state Senate Majority Leader Charles Walker in 2002
Endorsements: Georgia Right To Life, Christian Coalition of Georgia, Medical Association of Georgia, NRA, Committee for Good Government
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J.B. POWELL
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Democrat
Age: 42
Hometown: Blyth
Occupation: Project manager at a Blythe industrial maintenance busines
Political background: Augusta-Richmond County Commissioner 1995-2000, SPLOST Committee, Hospital Authority
Endorsements:Service Employees International, Ga. Gun Owners Association, Richmond Co. Teachers Association
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Hall
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Powell
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"The bill that we passed in the '04 session provides (for) that," he said. If the revenue dips to a certain level, activity fees will be cut first followed by book money. "Ultimately, we are committed that we will not cut into tuition funds."
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What can be done to keep the HOPE scholarship going even if it outpaces the lottery funds?
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"What we would like to do is make a license plate designated for funding for the HOPE scholarship. We also could create it so people could leave money to it in a trust, that's another avenue."
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"We have fully funded the instructional side, but I don't know that any state is going to be able to fully fund that federal mandate. The money just isn't there. We are honestly struggling."
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What can the state do to help fund the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind act?
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"The No Child Left Behind Act is good publicity for the government, but it's actually creating a lot of problems for the local school systems. The federal government needs to send more money down to fund it."
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"We've spent a lot of the last two years trying to identify waste. Ultimately, we have to decide what our priorities are. We can't be everything to every-body. We have to fund Medicaid and education but there are some things we may not need to do."
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What can be done to further trim the state budget in these tight economic times?
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"I think that one thing that needs to be done to the state budget is to do a feasibility study so we can cut down on some of these costs. I think we need to locate these inefficiencies and take them out."
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"The first thing is to make sure the transportation infrastructure is modern and ef-fective. No. 2, we've got to resolve the problem with our commission and No. 3, we have to have a trained and trainable workforce."
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How can we attract or keep businesses in Augusta?
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"Maybe we ought to look at other states who have created special statewide sales taxes and use that as a model to reduce property taxes."
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Budget woes become hot issue
Web-posted 10/25/04
Trimming the state's growing budget is a key issue in the race for the 23rd District state Senate seat, according to the candidates vying for the position.
Hephzibah loves a nonpolitical parade
Web-posted 10/17/04
Boy oh howdy. Political season is heating up. And nowhere does it get hotter than in small towns. The smaller the town, the more personal it all is. It's kind of like a family feud, and you know how personal those are. And no town illustrates it better than Hephzibah.
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