Lt. Gov. Cagle: Georgia needs to leverage its resources

ALBANY — While showing his support for the re-election campaign of state Sen. Greg Kirk, R-Americus, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle said economic development will be among the priorities Georgians should expect to see addressed out in the months and years ahead.

Cagle, a Republican and former state senator, said at an event at Chehaw supporting Kirk that the delegation representing Southwest Georgia is one that knows how to collaborate in order to get things done for their communities.

One of the issues where such collaboration can come in handy, Cagle said, is education. There are nearly 40 college and career academies in Georgia, and the lieutenant governor used the story of a girl in Athens who was able to obtain an associate’s degree in criminal justice through one the academies and achieve a strong career path.

“That is the kind of transformation we need to have,” he said. “It is a win for industry but for students as well. This is how we will build prosperity in all areas of the state, including Southwest Georgia.”

Education on its own is a big challenge, but it can also be a big component in luring people into a strong work force, Cagle said.

“We have to challenge ourselves to be the best we can be,” he said.

The deepening of the Port of Savannah that is currently ongoing is another way the state can create prosperity, the lieutenant governor said.

“We have to leverage those resources,” Cagle said.

An example specific to rural Georgia is agriculture, the lieutenant governor said. If an agricultural product can be taken and the right marketing strategy developed for it, that product can go a long way.

“It’s about jobs, jobs and more jobs,” Cagle said. “Government doesn’t create jobs, but government does create the circumstances for jobs.”

State Reps. Ed Rynders, R-Leesburg, and Gerald Greene, R-Cuthbert, were among those showing their support for Kirk alongside Cagle on Thursday. Greg Duke, who will face U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, in the Nov. 8 general election, was also in attendance, as was Lee County Board of Education member Louis Hatcher and James Ealum, representing his father, state Rep. Darrel Ealum, D-Albany.

In Kirk’s time as a senator, he has been involved in legislation such as the Hot Car Bill and the Religious Liberty Bill, the latter of which he said may be attempted again following Gov. Nathan Deal’s veto of it earlier this year.

Kirk is running against Democrat Ruenett Melton for the District 13 senate seat.