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Greetings! The May 24 Primary is 13 days away! In this newsletter you will find news about Candidate Forums, who I am supporting, DeKalb School Board Update, and what I have been doing in the community.
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My Town Hall with Senator Davenport
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Thank you to those who attended Senator Davenport’s and my Legislative Wrap Up “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly” Virtual Town Hall on April 28th. If you missed and would like to watch, please click: HERE and key in the Passcode: #0i+^f#G
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The 2022 Primary Election Day is May 24 - 13 Days Away!
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Early voting has begun. Check here for locations and here to view your sample ballot. (Thank you to Emory University for providing a site for the first time!) We are so excited for Stacey Abrams and Raphael Warnock to be at the top of our Democratic Ballot for Governor and Senator! They will help drive turnout in November.
I am grateful to not have a challenger in the Primary for our new district, HD 89. (But I do have an opponent for the General Election in November! More on that later.) Please still make sure to check the box next to my name! Also, please check out my updated website, especially the VOTE page, with the new HD 89 map and Voting Information for the primary, as well as "My Priorities."
But in this May Primary election, we have many important decisions for you to make about who will represent us for other important state-wide constitutional officers on the Democratic Ballot in November. This AJC Voter Guide is full of helpful information.
And of course we have important non-partisan local races, for DeKalb Commissioner and School Board as well. If you don’t know the candidates, I encourage you to take the time to listen and watch the candidates in a few forums and debates.
Statewide Constitutional Officer Races:
Atlanta Press Club Debates | Georgia Public Broadcasting It says Livestream but you can click and watch the debates
DeKalb Democrats Candidate Forums
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Please join me at this forum tomorrow night!
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DeKalb County Commission Seat 2: I am grateful for Jeff Rader’s exemplary leadership on the DeKalb County Commissioners, and appreciate his 16 years of service to our community. We need to decide on who is the best candidate to serve as our new commissioner! Please join me in for this forum listed above for District 2 Commissioner
DeKalb School Board District 2- I am also grateful to Marshall Orson for his 10 years of service and leadership during a tumultuous decade on our DeKalb School Board.
With Marshall’s decision to run for County Commission, we need to choose another high quality candidate for District 2 on the School Board. To my knowledge, there is not an in person forum for the District 2 candidates for school board. With all of the recent alarming news from our DeKalb Board of Education and the firing of the Superintendent, it is critical that we elect a strong candidate from our community. Thank you to Decaturish for providing this virtual District 2 DeKalb Board of Education Forum. Please watch the virtual forum DeKalb County School Board District 2 Forum
DeKalb County Commission District 3 - Please watch Happening now: The DeKalb County Commission District 3 forum
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And please join me in supporting Decaturish. I appreciate their investment in high quality local journalism and providing candidate forums. I am increasing from a $6 a month subscriber to a $12.99 a month subscriber, and I am also contributing a one time donation to help with the costs of requesting open records requests from DeKalb BOE. If you want to subscribe or donate to support local investigative journalism, you can go here.
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Many of you have asked who I am supporting so I am sharing the races where I am endorsing and supporting, and where I am not, the top candidates in my view. We are luck to have MANY wonderful candidates to represent us on the Democratic Ballot! Thank you to ALL who are taking the time and energy to run for office!
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Senate: Senator Raphael Warnock
I am so proud that together we turned Georgia Blue and we elected Senator Warnock in 2021 and we need to keep him in the Senate! His strong moral leadership is essential to our democracy.
Congressional District 4: Congressman Hank Johnson
Congressman Hank Johnson has distinguished himself as a substantive, effective lawmaker and a leading national progressive voice.
Congressional District 5: Congresswoman Nikema Williams
Congresswoman Williams has done an excellent job of fighting for us in Congress. She has been a fierce advocate for social justice, women and families.
Governor: Stacey Abrams
Stacey is a national progressive leader and due to her work in voting rights, is a household name across the country. She is a relentless changemaker regardless of title - take a look at what she has done since 2018. She will be an excellent Governor and we need to do everything in our power to get her there!
Lt. Governor: Erick Allen or Charlie Bailey
Erick Allen and Charlie Bailey are both qualified and would be effective as Lt. Governor., who presides over the Senate. Rep Erick Allen is a trusted colleague in the State House and my suite-mate, and has been an effective champion in the legislature for progressive causes. Charlie Bailey is a lawyer who ran for Attorney General in 2018. He was asked by leaders in the Democratic Party to run for Lieutenant Governor to help the entire ticket fight to win this fall and bring positive change to our state Capitol. Both are great people. Check out their websites at: Erick Allen and Charlie Bailey to make your choice!
Secretary of State: Bee Nguyen
Rep. Nguyen is a trusted colleague in the State House and DeKalb Delegation. She is a fierce champion for voting rights, equity, and justice in the House. She will fight for all Georgians and be a very effective Secretary of State. We will miss Bee in the House, but having her as our Secretary of State would be instrumental in ensuring voter access and fair elections!
Attorney General: Jen Jordan
I have known Jen Jordan since we participated in an Emerge America political bootcamp in 2017, where she went on to flip a Republican seat to become a State Senator. She has spent her legal career taking on causes we all care about like rights to healthcare and a clean environment. She’s been a skilled legislator and fierce advocate for the rights of all Georgians and will make a huge impact as Attorney General.
Commissioner of Agriculture: Fred Swann
I have known Fred since my first year in office, when he initially ran for Agriculture Commissioner in 2018. He was the first person who really showed me how agriculture impacts everything we care about as Democrats - protecting our planet, growing strong local economies, and feeding Georgia families. Fred shows us that agriculture truly is for everyone.
Commissioner of Insurance: Matthew Wilson
Rep. Matthew Wilson has been my trusted colleague in the House, representing Brookhaven and other parts of North DeKalb and Fulton in the State house where he has helped lead the fight for the full expansion of Medicaid and been an outspoken advocate for working families. We will miss his voice and leadership in the DeKalb Delegation and the House, but this is an important position to flip this fall. Matthew is an attorney, very smart, and an effective advocate. If elected, Matthew would also be the first LGBTQ statewide elected official in Georgia.
Commissioner of Labor: Nicole Horn or William Boddie
Nicole Horn and Rep William Boddie are both qualified to be our Commissioner of Labor. Nicole Horn brings almost two decades of job training experience as an entrepreneur and executive who worked with universities nationwide to build programs leading to jobs for adult students. Rep Boddie has been a trusted attorney colleague in the State House who has put out detailed plans to modernize the department. You can see their web-sites: Nicole Horn and William Boddie.
Public Service Commission:
PSC District 2: Patty Durand
Patty Durand is an energy professional who will work to protect Georgia consumers and hold Georgia Power accountable.
PSC District 3: Chandra Farley
Chandra Farley is an advocate and consultant with a focus on energy, climate, and equity.
In Georgia, you must live within the bounds of a public service district to run, but anyone in the state will vote for a candidate in all districts. DeKalb County is in district 3, but you will see District 2 on the ballot as well. This position is critical to regulate Georgia Power and hold them accountable to Georgians, manage our energy costs which are already 4th highest in the nation, and shift to more clean energy sources.
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DeKalb School Board Update
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School Board Firing of Superintendent: I have been extremely concerned, disappointed, and frustrated by the Board of Education’s ill-advised firing of Superintendent Watson-Harris. In my research and experience, and according to my sources, who were not hired by the Superintendent, and who have worked for DCSD for decades, Superintendent Watson Harris was, instructionally, by far the best superintendent the district ever had. My contacts and I were consistently impressed with her innovative ideas, overall passion for kids, and push for success for everyone. She was student-focused and data-driven. Our recent positive accreditation rating highlighted how DeKalb Schools were improving under her leadership, and our only low score was in regard to “The governing authority adheres to a code of ethics and functions within defined roles and responsibilities”.
I share the concerns of the DeKalb NAACP, the DeKalb Mayor’s Alliance, and the DeKalb Pastor’s Christian Alliance about the disappointing and unprofessional board behavior in how they terminated Dr. Watson-Harris and the incredible turnover of superintendents under the board of education’s oversight in the past ten years.
State of Building Disrepair I am also extremely concerned about the state of disrepair at Druid Hills HS AND buildings across the county, and the removal of DHHS for modernization on the list sent to the state to apply for state funds. Thank you to the students and parents at Druid Hills for organizing and advocating to improve our facilities. I support the Comprehensive Master Plan. I appreciate the attention of State Superintendent Woods and a team from the state board of education.
To support the improvement of DeKalb County Schools, I stand ready to work with the DeKalb Board of Education, Interim Superintendent Dr. Vasanne Tinsley, my fellow delegation members, and other key partners like the DeKalb Mayor’s Alliance, the DeKalb NAACP, and the DeKalb Pastor’s Christian Alliance. The DeKalb House Delegation is meeting with Board Chair Turner this week to listen and ask questions. I will also be touring Druid Hills HS with members of the delegation and school system and am also planning tours of schools with Priority 1, 2 and 3 deficiencies that I share with Board members Pierce and Turner.
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Earth Day 2022 - Thank you to Commissioner Ted Terry and Roots Down for the opportunity to plant a mulberry bush with Commissioners Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Jeff Rader at the Avis Williams Toco Hills Library. We can turn our lawns into productive urban landscapes - fruitful communities - that fight climate change, create green jobs, and feed people!
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At the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust's "Promise of America: Days of Rembrance" ceremony at the State Capitol, I was honored to listen to Emory University's President, Dr. Fenves, speak humbly and powerfully about his Father's Holocaust Survivor story. I also loved hearing the stories of Georgia Survivors and Liberators and speaking with a few of them.
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What a pleasure to volunteer with members of the South DeKalb Improvement Association Education group at the Druid Hills Tour of Homes! Thank you to SDIAE for helping the Druid Hills Civic Association by staffing a shift at the Critz home!
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Thank you to Sandy Krueger, Executive Director of Olmsted Linear Parks, for leading a hike of the beautiful old growth urban forest park, Deepdene, with me as a part of the Olmsted 200 weekend. Folks came from across DeKalb to learn about our park!
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Thank you to Emory Village Alliance for a magical evening with a concert with Shawn Mullins on the green lawn in Emory Village - here you see me giving David an anniversary kiss, on our 34th anniversary!
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I always love worshipping at Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, and appreciate the welcome from Associate Pastor Rev. Dwayne McGuire, Pastoral Care Pastor Rev. Laurence Parison, and of course the amazing Jo Handy Sewell!
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Thank you to Patton White and the First Existentialist Congregation of Atlanta for inviting me to speak about changes to our election laws at the Promote the Vote Rally and Social Gathering. This community is on Candler Road, in the Mary Lin precinct, and I loved meeting a few folks from this new precinct in HD 89!
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David and I enjoyed supporting Grady Hospital at the annual VeloCity "Move for Grady" fundraiser, riding our tandem on the "silk sheet" roads of Chattahoochee Hills in South Fulton. This tandem was our pandemic gift to one another - we bought it in March of 2020 and it has been a lot of fun.
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It is an honor and privilege to serve as our State Representative. Please let me know if I can be of service to you. And if you have already voted in the May Primary - Thank you! - and if you have not, please make your plan to vote!
And if you would like to support my campaign for State House, please click here. Thank you for your support
With gratitude,
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Representative Becky Evans
Georgia's 83rd House District, DeKalb County
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