Greene and Holley compete for Georgia House District 151

ALBANY — Republican Gerald Greene of Cuthbert has represented Georgia House District 151 since January of 1983, when he was sworn to the post as a Democrat. Greene switched party affiliation in 2010 after Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes was defeated by Republican Nathan Deal.

Greene is being challenged for his seat by 72-year-old Ezekiel Holley, a Democrat from Dawson.

District 151 includes part of Dougherty County as well as all of Terrell, Calhoun, Early, Randolph, Webster, Stewart, Quitman and Clay counties.

Greene currently serves on a number of House committees, including Public Safety and Homeland Security, Retirement and Rules. He is vice chairman of the Appropriations and Economic Development committees and secretary of the State Properties Committee.

While Greene sees a number of issues as important to Southwest Georgia and District 151, he said he believes water access and availability may be the most critical.

“The need for water will be with us a long time,” Greene said, “and the fights we’re having with Alabama and Florida are likely to intensify. Agriculture is still the No. 1 business in the state, with the $70 billion-plus that it generates.”

Greene also pointed to the importance of ports as a key to south Georgia’s economic progress, and the need for state funding to deepen the port of Savannah. The Savannah port holds great economic importance to Southwest Georgia because of its connection to the inland port in Cordele, Greene said.

Greene’s background is in education, he said, and he places a lot of economic value on public education. He supports charter schools and the voucher system as an alternative for tax-paying parents who reside near “failing” public schools but want the best education for their children.

“Charter schools are open to blacks, whites, Hispanics … anyone,” Greene said. “The key to (educational success) is parental involvement. The public schools are just beginning to understand that.”

District 151 has a “high number” of residents serving time in jail or prison, Greene said, due in no small part to drug dependence. According to Greene, he would continue to work with the justice system to reduce recidivism.

“We’ve been inviting these people to come back (to jail) because we were doing nothing with them,” he said. “Now we’re working with them to have the type of help they need in prison for addiction and things like that.”

While Gov. Nathan Deal’s administration has declined Medicaid expansion for the poor through the Affordable Care Act, Greene says he doesn’t agree with “that particular stance.”

“What (Deal’s administration) is afraid of is that the federal government will change its mind on funding, or not fund the program for the long term,” Greene said.

Like Greene, Holley points to education as crucial to the district’s future. Where they differ, Holley says, is Greene’s advocacy of charter schools.

“Mr. Greene voted for vouchers,” Holley said. “I’ve always been a supporter of the public school system, and when you have two systems competing for the same tax dollars, it seems to me that the rich will get preferential treatment. I believe every child deserves an education.”

Holley also said that by abstaining from voting for Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act, Greene “abandoned” those Holley says are the 44 percent of District 151 residents ages 18-64 who live in poverty.

“That’s billions of dollars and a lot of jobs that would come to Georgia with Medicaid expansion. Look at all the hospitals that have closed their doors,” Holley said. “Think about it. That’s 7,000 people in these nine counties. If you have Medicaid, you have some coverage.”

Holley said he is incensed by the proposed new handgun law in Georgia and would work to see it reversed. According to Holley, overall violence would increase with the law, which would allow permits to carry handguns even inside churches, schools and bars.

“I know that gun manufacturers are profiting by this new bill that just passed,” Holley said. “I’ve been around guns all my life, but I don’t see the need to carry one every day. We live in a violent society as it is. This will promote more violence.”

Holley is currently the regional director of Georgia Clients Council Inc., an advocacy organization for people of low income, past executive director of the James L. Barnes CDC, “a grassroots community-based corporation focused on housing, employment and education issues in Terrell County,” former president of the Terrell County NAACP and pastor of Zion Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Desoto.

In addition to working toward affordable health care and education for the citizens of District 151, Holley said he would focus on generating jobs in Georgia, particularly in rural areas.