Georgia's Gubernatorial Candidates Invited to Columbus State University

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Two of the three candidates vying to be Georgia's next governor appeared at a Candidate Forum on the campus of Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, this evening. The event, and others like it staged below the "gnat line", may prove pivotal this year. The imaginary line runs from Columbus in the west, across the state through Macon, and ends in the east at Augusta. It separates the rural south from metro Atlanta and points north.

In the past, carrying the Atlanta metro area virtually assured a win for statewide seats. That may no longer be the case as political pundits forecast Georgians in the southern part of the state could muster enough votes to affect the outcome in current elections.

First of the gubernatorial candidates to speak was Libertarian John Monds, who spent the first of his three minutes introducing himself to the overflow crowd at CSU's Cunningham Center.

"I am the other candidate," he said, referring to his lesser known status as he faces a former congressman and a former Georgia governor.

"I am from Cairo, Georgia," he said. "And I am a homeschool dad of four children."

Interestingly, Monds listed that position ahead of seemingly more notable accomplishments, including working with Habitat for Humanity and acting as President of his county's NAACP chapter, an organization that named him Man of the Year in 2005.

Indicating he had no desire to join the ranks as another "bureaucrat," Monds succinctly conveyed his libertarian views.

"I believe in the rights of individuals," he stated. "I believe in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights and believe we will all be better off if we follow those documents."

He is running on a platform of smaller government, lower taxes, and more opportunities for Georgians.

Next up: Nathan Deal, the former U.S. Representative who resigned his congressional seat in March, after voting against Obama's health care reform bill, to run full-time for governor.

After a slight slip of the tongue when he nearly introduced himself as the state's Democratic gubernatorial nominee, the former Democrat turned Republican used his three minutes to highlight a few of the top issues that will face Georgia's 82^nd governor.

Top on the list: redistricting. Deal reminded the audience of his personal, and painful, experience with that process. Deal's 9^th district became the 10^th in 2002, before reverting back to the 9^th district for the 2006 election. He promised that, under his watch, the addition of another congressional district in Georgia would be done in a fair and equitable manner for all concerned.

Next he touched on the hot topic of education. In a state where teachers have foregone salary increases, been ordered to take furlough days, and have come out of pocket for many classroom essentials, it can be a volatile issue - even in a fairly friendly crowd.

"Education remains a concern for all of us," Deal said. "Not everything has been a failure in the current system. We must replicate our successes."

Deal suggested a new approach to testing, one of the many sore subjects that invariably arises in any discussion of Georgia's education system.

"We cannot continue to allow students to sit in a class and make them do 'seat time,'" he said. "We must allow students to test when they are ready. If a child is bored, that is a potential sign that they are going to drop out. We must keep our students engaged."

Lastly, he addressed the issue of jobs, promoting his "Real Prosperity" plan. The plan, accessible through his website, is a detailed eight page document describing Deal's "Blueprint for Economic Development in Georgia." He claimed to be the only candidate to have outlined his specific proposals for getting Georgians back to work. Deal promised the audience that he would work to create a favorable business climate, suggesting tax reform, along with other initiatives, to attract commerce to the state.

The forum, which featured additional presentations from congressional and local candidates, was sponsored by the Society of Human Resource Management, the Young Professionals of the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and Columbus State University. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes was invited but did not attend.