Emergency Preparedness in Paulding County

In a recent conversation with Paulding County’s fire chief Michael Earwood, I learned some interesting information about emergency preparedness in our county.  Paulding is about to move to a class 5 ISO rating, which is a great testament to how successful our emergency management personnel have been.  Because of their continued success, most Paulding residents will be seeing a decrease in the fire portion of their homeowners insurance and have the security of knowing that our firemen are ready to help in almost any situation. 

However, Chief Earwood is not satisfied.  He plans to achieve class 4 ISO within the next six years.  The largest problem he faces is funding, but with the renewal of the SPLOST, his goal is possibly in sight. 

Funding can also be provided from our leaders under the Gold Dome.  As a State Representative, I will be dedicated to protecting our residents by making sure that our emergency management officials are well funded, well trained, and are prepared to tackle any problem that is thrown their way– from a cat in a tree to the largest building fire.

We can all be encouraged by the success of our fire personnel.  I know that I sleep easier at night knowing that my family is protected.

Animal Shelter Reopens!

As the owner of two dogs and two cats (all of whom were rescues), I was happy to hear that the Paulding County Animal Shelter has reopened!  There still is work to be done at the facility, however, I am happy that Paulding County residents once again will have the opportunity to adopt a new family member and give a deserving animal a second chance.

I hope everyone has the chance to stop by and to volunteer if you get the chance.

Keeping HOPE Alive

 

I recently read a troubling article in today’s AJC concerning the HOPE Scholarship.  As someone who was fortunate enough to receive the HOPE Scholarship throughout my entire undergraduate degree, I know how important the program is–as well as the opportunities that it can provide to thousands of Georgia’s students. 

When the Scholarship first was introduced, HOPE made Georgia’s higher education system the envy of the nation, but in order to maintain this status, we must work to keep it funded.  We must keep tuition low in order to make sure that HOPE is sustainable.  The more that tuition increases, the quicker the funds will deplete.  We must continue to find alternative solutions to address the budget shortfalls of our state without raising taxes to Georgia’s families or businesses.  A number of solutions for finding alternate revenue have been proposed, but the leadership in the Georgia House of Representatives have systematically quashed discussion on each and every one of those solutions, thereby letting numerous opportunities to collect more revenue for the state pass us by.

The decisions will be tough, but we will make it through.  When elected as your Representative, I will stand up to those who are not doing everything that they can to ensure that Georgia has the best public school system in the nation, and I will always seek alternate solutions to building the State’s coffers.

Georgia’s Struggling Economy

By now, we all are very aware of the dismal financial situation that the state of Georgia is facing.  Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, a new report shows that, right now, Georgia’s economy is amongst the weakest in the United States.

The article states that Georgia has lost 74,600 jobs over the past year, and that unemployment hovers around 10%.  I find these figures to be two truly harrowing numbers.

We need new leaders who have the right priorities for Paulding County in mind.  In order to bring ourselves out from this horrible economic situation, we must create jobs and promote our small businesses.  I do not believe that we should consider raising income taxes for people like you and me, because that will only lead us on a road to more hardship.

We need proactive leadership under the Gold Dome, and we need it NOW.  I promise to deliver just that.

Paulding County’s Growing Population

Recently, I read an article in the Paulding County Sentinel which discussed our area’s rapidly growing population.  According to the article, Paulding County is the fifth fastest-growing county in the United States, and the 14th largest in the state of Georgia.  I hope that you can take the time to read the above-linked article, which discusses the goings-on of our County Council.

This article highlights the need for Paulding County to have forward-thinking and proactive leadership under the Gold Dome.  With a rapidly growing population, Paulding County’s priorities are being thrown to the forefront of the state, and I believe I am the person who can deliver results.

Thank You for Your Votes!

It has now been a week since the primary election, and I have had the opportunity to reflect on the results.  I am honored to have garnered the support of many Paulding County residents, and I am still excited that I won my first election–though I was unopposed this time around!

The next few months, as you already know, will be the real test.  Right now, I am working diligently with my Campaign Manager and staff of volunteers to build up our team, and so far, we have on board some of the best minds that Georgia has to offer.

From now until November, my team and I will be knocking on thousands and thousands of doors all over District 19, and we are looking forward to the chance to meet many of YOU along the way.  This task will take time and effort, but ultimately, it is the only way to truly keep my fingers on the pulse of Paulding County.  I hope that you will join me in my field operation, and if you would like to help out, please email me at will@averyforgeorgia.com, and I will make sure that you are connected with those folks who will be knocking on doors in your neighborhood!

Stay tuned for more updates, and I look forward to seeing you all on the campaign trail.

P-Com for Teens!

Last night, I had the honor of co-hosting “Paulding.com For Teens,” a great web-based news show hosted by local Paulding County teenagers.  It was a very fun experience, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I hope everyone can take the time to watch a little of it over at www.paulding.com!

Welcome to Our Blog!

Hello, Everyone!

I am very excited to be launching my new campaign blog, so that you can keep up with what we are doing out on the campaign trail…as well as learn a little more about me and what I stand for.

I will begin updating the blog soon.  For now, I would like to take this opportunity to let everyone know about the March Against Meth tomorrow in Hiram.  I will be there, and I hope to see you there as well to support an outstanding cause.  See you then!