UDSKRIFT 🔗
WEBVTT
00:01.286 --> 00:12.937
[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to the town square podcast where local advocates for a better community bring their different perspectives into the messy middle where we have a conversation where the aim is unity, not uniformity.
00:13.478 --> 00:19.483
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm your host tray Bailey and today we are joined in the studio by candidate for the Georgia Senate seat representing district 42.
00:20.564 --> 00:36.809
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, District 42 is all of Morgan County, most of Newton County, half of Walton County including social circle in Loganville, portions of Henry County, like Ola all the way up to McDonald, encompassing up with a population of over 200,000 people.
00:37.069 --> 00:45.072
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, our guest today probably needs no introduction since he's been senior pastor of the largest church in our community for nearly 30 years.
00:49.993 --> 01:01.665
[SPEAKER_02]: it's a pleasure to be here, it's a pleasure to be invited to the town square and to Gabriel in his absence, hello to him and to all of your viewers.
01:02.386 --> 01:05.609
[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you for the opportunity to be introduced to you.
01:05.769 --> 01:06.130
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't
01:06.950 --> 01:33.107
[SPEAKER_02]: I presume that name recognition is something that is there for everybody, but after 27 years of pastoring the Springfield Baptist Church, we're grateful to be a part of this community and to be in District 42 and looking forward to helping people to encouraging people to believe in a better Georgia.
01:33.607 --> 01:47.299
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, well, um, I have known you for a while and we have been in the same circles pastoring and whatnot, uh, but this is our first like serious sit down and just have a conversation where our phones aren't going to go off.
01:47.339 --> 01:50.082
[SPEAKER_01]: We got everything set here for we go, we get to talk for a few minutes.
01:50.322 --> 01:53.705
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, yes, we served on boards together, exactly.
01:54.005 --> 01:56.507
[SPEAKER_02]: Been in the same room, but man, this is helping the same people.
01:56.628 --> 01:58.709
[SPEAKER_01]: This is an honor, actually, for me to even be able to do this.
01:58.729 --> 02:01.051
[SPEAKER_01]: You look great, by the way, and I appreciate that.
02:01.091 --> 02:09.779
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, earlier, we got one of his friends in the room here from Mr. Reynolds, and we're talking about the colors of the gold and blue.
02:10.460 --> 02:11.320
[SPEAKER_01]: Is that what Georgia Tech is?
02:11.340 --> 02:12.201
[SPEAKER_01]: They call it, what are they call it?
02:12.221 --> 02:13.162
[SPEAKER_01]: Something gold and navy.
02:13.242 --> 02:14.523
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm completely neutral.
02:14.783 --> 02:16.104
[SPEAKER_02]: I went home college.
02:17.205 --> 02:23.469
[SPEAKER_02]: I cheer for Georgia on Saturdays, and I cheer for Georgia Tech in basketball.
02:23.730 --> 02:33.356
[SPEAKER_02]: So that's how I grew up, I grew up, watching Vince Dooley, Coach, and Bobby Cremont's Coach, basketball, and that's kind of how I think about them.
02:33.536 --> 02:34.076
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
02:34.557 --> 02:36.798
[SPEAKER_01]: What's close to Vanderbilt Goldis?
02:36.818 --> 02:38.719
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I went to Vanderbilt, exactly.
02:39.660 --> 02:40.280
[SPEAKER_02]: Black and gold.
02:40.640 --> 02:41.121
[SPEAKER_02]: Black and gold.
02:41.141 --> 02:41.541
[SPEAKER_01]: That's right.
02:41.921 --> 02:54.725
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, before we get into the the politics, which is why you're here, which is kind of funny because we're actually doing town town square podcasts is doing a series on faith and community where we're we're interviewing local pastors as well, which you would have been on that list.
02:55.465 --> 02:58.366
[SPEAKER_01]: In a few local fasters, but something else has come up.
02:58.566 --> 03:06.569
[SPEAKER_01]: So we've got to talk about this candidate conversation today, but before we do just for anyone who doesn't maybe know who Eric Lee is.
03:09.590 --> 03:12.841
[SPEAKER_02]: Tins of thousands of people who don't know who Eric Lee is.
03:14.755 --> 03:25.643
[SPEAKER_00]: Whether you're opening your first check in account and buying a home, growing a business or planning for the future, you deserve a bank that knows you by name and is invested in the community you call home.
03:26.163 --> 03:33.108
[SPEAKER_01]: At United Bank in Covington Local Decisions, Personal Service and Lasting Relationships have been at the heart of what we do for generations.
03:33.568 --> 03:41.774
[SPEAKER_01]: Our team is here to provide the financial solutions that you need while supporting the people, businesses and organizations that make Newton County such a great place to live.
03:42.054 --> 03:50.780
[SPEAKER_00]: So stop by our coming to the office or visit accessunited.com to learn more about everything United Bank has to offer United Bank.
03:51.060 --> 03:54.682
[SPEAKER_01]: Your community bank today tomorrow and wherever life takes you.
03:55.263 --> 04:00.146
[SPEAKER_01]: Member FDSC equal housing lender in MLS number 4130-54.
04:04.607 --> 04:06.489
[SPEAKER_02]: don't know who Eric Lee is.
04:07.871 --> 04:13.939
[SPEAKER_02]: My wife and I came to Newton County in 1999.
04:15.321 --> 04:20.307
[SPEAKER_02]: We were candidates for a local church that was founded in 1879.
04:22.690 --> 04:29.695
[SPEAKER_02]: As a matter of fact, this coming Sunday, Springville Baptist Church turned to 147 years young and our pastor it is now almost 27 years.
04:29.715 --> 04:32.598
[SPEAKER_02]: So 27 years ago my wife and I
04:40.003 --> 04:48.192
[SPEAKER_02]: were candidates for this church that at the time was a 120 do the math, Eric, a hundred and 20 something years old and
04:55.540 --> 05:07.170
[SPEAKER_02]: We went to the Chamber of Commerce building, we went to just kind of tour the town square in 1999.
05:07.930 --> 05:09.672
[SPEAKER_02]: We had a six-month-old
Load full transcript
son.
05:11.393 --> 05:13.595
[SPEAKER_02]: And that was our only child at the time.
05:14.896 --> 05:17.538
[SPEAKER_02]: And here we are 27 years later.
05:19.680 --> 05:22.002
[SPEAKER_02]: We have a family of five children.
05:22.902 --> 05:28.044
[SPEAKER_02]: And we're hoping one day to be grandchildren, to be grandparents.
05:28.284 --> 05:43.351
[SPEAKER_02]: We have been blessed to be able to do ministry full time and raise your family at the same time is a privilege.
05:43.491 --> 05:45.952
[SPEAKER_02]: And an honor and it's something that we didn't take for granted.
05:46.752 --> 05:53.774
[SPEAKER_02]: And I always ask God, if you trust me to do this, I'll try not to let you down.
05:54.655 --> 05:56.435
[SPEAKER_02]: And we try to live by that.
05:56.595 --> 05:56.835
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
05:57.275 --> 05:58.196
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, that's amazing.
05:58.216 --> 05:59.516
[SPEAKER_01]: So a family man, five.
05:59.536 --> 06:00.276
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
06:00.296 --> 06:01.176
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
06:01.197 --> 06:01.737
[SPEAKER_01]: That's amazing.
06:02.357 --> 06:04.678
[SPEAKER_01]: Your wife, I think our wife's cross pass.
06:04.698 --> 06:06.498
[SPEAKER_01]: She taught at Mansfield for a minute.
06:06.518 --> 06:07.718
[SPEAKER_01]: Did you ask her to let me do this?
06:08.019 --> 06:08.379
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
06:09.019 --> 06:12.080
[SPEAKER_02]: My wife started in the Newton County school system.
06:13.620 --> 06:14.641
[SPEAKER_02]: after the birth.
06:15.541 --> 06:17.102
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh God, I can't I get it confused.
06:17.162 --> 06:18.022
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to try to do it.
06:18.042 --> 06:18.362
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
06:19.342 --> 06:21.703
[SPEAKER_02]: It's been it's probably been 25 years.
06:23.504 --> 06:29.486
[SPEAKER_02]: The our first three children now we gave birth to four children and we adopted a fifth.
06:30.047 --> 06:33.788
[SPEAKER_02]: Our first three children all went to Mansville Elementary School.
06:33.848 --> 06:36.089
[SPEAKER_02]: Hey, you get shot out to GW Davis.
06:37.430 --> 07:00.590
[SPEAKER_02]: who was the principal then and went on to be the mayor there in Mansfield Elementary School and my wife was a speech therapist there she's still doing speech therapy throughout the county and it was a great my my children all went to school with their mother and it was a great experience you know
07:01.290 --> 07:05.051
[SPEAKER_02]: people always talk about man's feel kind of being the mayberry of Newton County.
07:05.231 --> 07:05.771
[SPEAKER_01]: It's the word.
07:06.031 --> 07:17.794
[SPEAKER_02]: And you know, Mr. Davis kind of leaned on my wife for African American history programs and some leadership there.
07:18.374 --> 07:23.736
[SPEAKER_02]: And we always always enjoy our time being out there.
07:28.520 --> 07:37.607
[SPEAKER_02]: some of those bank bonds that some of the honor students get, you know, our children got a great foundation at Mansville Elementary School.
07:37.787 --> 07:38.108
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
07:38.328 --> 07:39.088
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a great place.
07:39.369 --> 07:39.589
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
07:39.909 --> 07:43.332
[SPEAKER_01]: My wife just retired last year from 30, 30 years.
07:43.372 --> 07:48.896
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll tell my wife that we need we need we need we need that income for a few more years.
07:49.757 --> 07:50.918
[SPEAKER_01]: We got her first retirement.
07:51.378 --> 07:52.439
[SPEAKER_01]: Is there a first retirement?
07:53.280 --> 07:53.460
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
07:53.900 --> 08:14.345
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so you've let Springfield Baptist now for more than two decades, what's maybe one experience in serving in that church community that maybe you've seen the world differently then and that you're going to be able to take that into this this Senate role granted that people elect you to do such a thing.
08:14.845 --> 08:15.526
[SPEAKER_01]: What did you see?
08:15.566 --> 08:17.106
[SPEAKER_01]: What have you seen like firsthand in
08:22.530 --> 08:36.614
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, you know, there's so much, I mean, I have pastor one church, but I have pastor so many iterations of the same church, right?
08:37.034 --> 08:42.916
[SPEAKER_02]: So there was less than 200 members in that church when I got there, there are several thousand now.
08:45.498 --> 08:53.045
[SPEAKER_02]: I started pastoring, pre-COVID, and now the post-COVID Church is a completely different church.
08:54.967 --> 09:05.838
[SPEAKER_02]: One of the things in order to answer that question, I would say this, you can be successful at church and still not complete.
09:07.580 --> 09:08.461
[SPEAKER_02]: the Great Commission.
09:08.921 --> 09:09.601
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, okay.
09:09.641 --> 09:18.428
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, you can be very good at church, and not be successful at the Great Commission.
09:18.668 --> 09:21.590
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, there's a secular world out here.
09:22.511 --> 09:29.275
[SPEAKER_02]: There's a sacred world, and if you're not careful, you'll be so ineffective.
09:30.757 --> 09:45.909
[SPEAKER_02]: talking to the secular world from a sacred pool pit and so you have to really be able to to talk the language in both places, which is why the Apostle Paul was so much more effective than the other Apostles, right?
09:46.550 --> 09:57.739
[SPEAKER_02]: He was able to talk in Rome and he was able to talk and Athens is able to talk in Jerusalem and so sometimes we are so effective in talking
09:58.700 --> 10:03.664
[SPEAKER_02]: the church language that we don't know how to talk the second or language.
10:04.704 --> 10:09.227
[SPEAKER_01]: And so now you are prepared to speak the secular language.
10:09.267 --> 10:10.648
[SPEAKER_01]: Take the great commission, I suppose.
10:11.894 --> 10:14.617
[SPEAKER_01]: to the public spaces in a different way, right?
10:14.637 --> 10:17.259
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you've always been active and not just inside the church.
10:17.279 --> 10:23.546
[SPEAKER_01]:
I mean, Springfield and under your leadership is sponsored schools and been a part of, I mean, backpacking away.
10:23.566 --> 10:31.554
[SPEAKER_01]: There's so much you guys do for the community, but this is a different kind of taking the great commission, isn't it, to the people in a different way I suppose?
10:32.194 --> 10:32.755
[SPEAKER_02]: Exactly.
10:32.775 --> 10:34.417
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a different kind of,
10:35.818 --> 10:48.686
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a different place in space to use your influence and I appreciate the question because some would say, hey man, you already have a place, you already have a pulpit, why would you need?
10:49.446 --> 10:51.527
[SPEAKER_02]: What can you do here that you couldn't do there?
10:54.169 --> 10:54.729
[SPEAKER_02]: I remember
10:57.223 --> 11:00.946
[SPEAKER_02]: I remember exactly where I was on January the 6th.
11:01.086 --> 11:03.027
[SPEAKER_02]: I was, it was during COVID.
11:03.768 --> 11:09.392
[SPEAKER_02]: I was doing a funeral in a cemetery.
11:09.412 --> 11:12.354
[SPEAKER_02]: And it was a very chaotic day.
11:12.374 --> 11:21.821
[SPEAKER_02]: I remember thinking in the car, listening to what was going on on the radio, I remember thinking, somebody's going to die today.
11:24.123 --> 11:25.844
[SPEAKER_02]: All the chaos at the capital.
11:27.345 --> 11:30.306
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, the certification didn't take place.
11:31.666 --> 11:34.147
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, everything went down.
11:34.987 --> 11:39.829
[SPEAKER_02]: And I remember late in the morning on January the 7th.
11:40.649 --> 11:48.512
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, the chaplain, very black took the floor and prayed.
11:50.245 --> 12:00.192
[SPEAKER_02]: And he prayed about the dysfunction and he prayed for unity.
12:01.433 --> 12:13.362
[SPEAKER_02]: And he prayed for God to prevail and it just brought such peace to me in the most chaotic of moments.
12:15.372 --> 12:20.513
[SPEAKER_02]: and so I thought it just kind of spoke to me that it's not just what you say.
12:21.514 --> 12:22.514
[SPEAKER_02]: It's where you say it.
12:24.074 --> 12:33.417
[SPEAKER_02]: And so sometimes we call ourselves speaking truth to power, but we're really just speaking truth to our friends.
12:34.737 --> 12:38.318
[SPEAKER_02]: We're not really breaking through, right, to power.
12:39.158 --> 12:41.119
[SPEAKER_02]: And so it's important where we say it.
12:42.100 --> 13:01.111
[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm looking forward to taking the same gospel that I've been preaching for 27 years and taking it to the gold dome and asking and allowing the same presence that the Chaplain Black used
13:01.731 --> 13:10.017
[SPEAKER_02]: to bring peace to a chaotic situation, to bring definition to what we need to do to make Georgia a better Georgia.
13:10.978 --> 13:14.520
[SPEAKER_02]: And if it does nothing else, it got me invited to the town square.
13:14.840 --> 13:27.269
[SPEAKER_01]: Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
13:28.430 --> 13:44.056
[SPEAKER_01]: there's a space, there's a void that needs to be filled that someone with morality and values and these things that we draw from from scripture, this says, hey, I can do that in both into my church and under the golden.
13:44.796 --> 13:46.657
[SPEAKER_01]: And I just would ask like, maybe why now?
13:46.677 --> 13:49.458
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, what is it now that compels you to do it?
13:49.478 --> 13:51.159
[SPEAKER_01]: There's some problem or something, right?
13:51.559 --> 13:53.960
[SPEAKER_01]: Something in your spirit, like, I got to do this.
13:54.813 --> 14:07.452
[SPEAKER_02]: I tell you, it was my parents vote in district 42, my father passed in Henry County, the Shilob Baptist Church.
14:07.512 --> 14:09.274
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm a third generation pastor.
14:10.785 --> 14:13.888
[SPEAKER_02]: My grandfather, pastor in the A.A.B.
14:13.928 --> 14:22.215
[SPEAKER_02]: Church, he's buried in Sandersville, Georgia, in an A.A.M.E.
14:22.255 --> 14:22.595
[SPEAKER_02]: Church.
14:22.655 --> 14:26.599
[SPEAKER_02]: He passed away in 1948 when my father was three years old.
14:28.515 --> 14:31.258
[SPEAKER_02]: My father was born in Rains, Georgia.
14:31.278 --> 14:33.240
[SPEAKER_02]: He familiar with all these towns.
14:33.421 --> 14:34.302
[SPEAKER_02]: Maltaans.
14:34.582 --> 14:34.882
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
14:35.423 --> 14:39.508
[SPEAKER_02]: So my father passed an in McDonald's.
14:39.528 --> 14:42.531
[SPEAKER_02]: The city of McDonald's for 47 years, the same church.
14:42.651 --> 14:42.892
[SPEAKER_02]: Wow.
14:43.893 --> 14:44.053
[SPEAKER_02]: And
14:45.234 --> 14:46.595
[SPEAKER_02]: He's now retired.
14:46.675 --> 14:47.635
[SPEAKER_02]: 81 years old.
14:47.695 --> 14:50.057
[SPEAKER_02]: My mom is 78 years old.
14:50.117 --> 14:52.818
[SPEAKER_02]: She's a two-time cancer survivor.
14:54.059 --> 14:59.642
[SPEAKER_02]: And, you know, my mom grew up in the housing projects of Atlanta, Georgia.
15:01.023 --> 15:05.565
[SPEAKER_02]: And I've got these five children in their twenties and one teenager.
15:06.966 --> 15:08.247
[SPEAKER_02]: And here I am in the middle.
15:09.673 --> 15:14.598
[SPEAKER_02]: And I just realize how much skin I have in the game.
15:14.658 --> 15:18.542
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I have parents who are
15:19.508 --> 15:22.189
[SPEAKER_02]: who could live another 15, 20 years.
15:22.209 --> 15:29.250
[SPEAKER_02]: I have children who are in their 20s who are making career decisions and who can't afford a home.
15:30.211 --> 15:34.692
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, who first-time home buyers are in their 40s now.
15:34.932 --> 15:35.432
[SPEAKER_02]: That's crazy.
15:35.452 --> 15:36.392
[SPEAKER_02]: Which is unthinkable.
15:36.452
--> 15:39.873
[SPEAKER_02]: I bought my first home when I was 27.
15:39.893 --> 15:44.434
[SPEAKER_02]: And there's so much work that needs to be done.
15:44.474 --> 15:46.955
[SPEAKER_02]: And there's some little effort being given.
15:48.100 --> 16:11.130
[SPEAKER_02]: uh... in these areas uh... and and it it uh... it it there is an urgency of now uh... and so back in February i'm taking an airplane to uh... to a pastor's retreat and lo and behold i walk up to my plane and
16:12.355 --> 16:27.263
[SPEAKER_02]: There's a dear friend of mine in the class made of mine right there at the gate and we end up sitting next to each other on the plane and Dr. Rafael Warnock, Senator Warnock and I have a three hour conversation.
16:28.877 --> 16:30.238
[SPEAKER_02]: about the state of affairs.
16:30.518 --> 16:32.700
[SPEAKER_02]: No kidding.
16:32.900 --> 16:37.323
[SPEAKER_02]: He says, Eric, I don't presume he's known my wife for 30 years.
16:37.363 --> 16:40.685
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't presume to to talk you into this.
16:42.006 --> 16:43.647
[SPEAKER_02]: But he's what you ought to be thinking about.
16:43.747 --> 16:44.848
[SPEAKER_02]: Wow.
16:45.028 --> 16:46.069
[SPEAKER_02]: And we prayed about it.
16:46.109 --> 16:46.990
[SPEAKER_02]: We talked about it.
16:48.110 --> 16:54.375
[SPEAKER_02]: And I got to tell you that the next day, Jesse Jackson died.
16:56.035 --> 17:01.456
[SPEAKER_02]: And so that was all of this right right all of this just the urgency of now.
17:01.737 --> 17:12.199
[SPEAKER_02]: Wow and and I just I felt like, you know, this is this some divine timing and all of this and I just, you know, I want to serve.
17:21.918 --> 17:29.682
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, we really, we don't tutor our home a lot, but we really have been able to do some some wonderful things.
17:30.803 --> 17:33.785
[SPEAKER_02]: The year I started pastoring, I was on food stamps.
17:34.325 --> 17:34.825
[SPEAKER_01]: No, okay.
17:35.286 --> 17:36.306
[SPEAKER_01]: No, I didn't know this.
17:36.886 --> 17:38.708
[SPEAKER_02]: So the very year we started pastoring.
17:38.768 --> 17:40.028
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I had no ministry stuff.
17:40.068 --> 17:41.769
[SPEAKER_02]: We were on food stamps.
17:42.590 --> 17:44.691
[SPEAKER_02]: I was substitute teaching in Henry County.
17:44.931 --> 17:45.351
[SPEAKER_02]: Wow.
17:46.352 --> 17:50.034
[SPEAKER_02]: And six months later, we bought our first house.
17:51.640 --> 18:10.784
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I want my prayer is that the same turnaround that happened for us to be available for so many in this economy, in this community, because there are so many young people, I was living in my parents home, just like so many young people.
18:10.924 --> 18:12.004
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
18:12.185 --> 18:12.945
[SPEAKER_02]: The class of 2026,
18:15.001 --> 18:18.927
[SPEAKER_02]: 50% of them moved home after they graduated from college.
18:19.327 --> 18:19.547
[SPEAKER_00]: Hmm.
18:20.068 --> 18:21.090
[SPEAKER_02]: I know what that's like.
18:21.590 --> 18:25.115
[SPEAKER_02]: And I came home with a six month old child and a wife.
18:26.042 --> 18:29.105
[SPEAKER_02]: And I don't want them to feel embarrassed.
18:29.145 --> 18:32.609
[SPEAKER_02]: We're living in a time when people kind of feel like they're on their own.
18:32.649 --> 18:34.431
[SPEAKER_02]: And I don't want them to feel that way.
18:34.511 --> 18:35.512
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
18:35.732 --> 18:36.914
[SPEAKER_02]: I know I don't want to be everybody.
18:37.234 --> 18:38.655
[SPEAKER_02]: People don't want me to be their pastor.
18:38.675 --> 18:44.822
[SPEAKER_02]: But I want to have a pastoral edge to my service.
18:44.902 --> 18:46.542
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, well, it comes from a heart, right?
18:46.562 --> 18:51.743
[SPEAKER_01]: This is hard of warning people, wanting to see people taking care of, wanting to see people, take a next step.
18:51.903 --> 18:56.164
[SPEAKER_02]: I want to see people owning their home and not renting for 30 years.
18:56.484 --> 18:56.824
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
18:57.164 --> 19:09.606
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, so like if you put that scenario that you came into where you were on food stamps and six months later, you were able to buy a house, people on food stamps today, I don't think six months from now, they have any chance of buying a home.
19:09.786 --> 19:11.387
[SPEAKER_01]: Right, that's the state of affairs to me.
19:11.907 --> 19:12.207
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's,
19:13.007 --> 19:19.753
[SPEAKER_01]: very unfortunate that that's the culture in which we live in currently living from paycheck to paycheck.
19:19.994 --> 19:20.214
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
19:20.674 --> 19:29.482
[SPEAKER_02]: A affordability is not just some hoax is not just some some language that you use to
19:34.682 --> 19:44.190
[SPEAKER_02]: affordability is what got the Republican Party in power at 2.9% inflation.
19:45.091 --> 19:54.959
[SPEAKER_02]: Well now that inflation is at 3.4% and there's some things that we're going to talk about that today.
19:54.979 --> 19:57.822
[SPEAKER_02]: There's some things that I think we can do about that.
19:58.903 --> 20:10.277
[SPEAKER_02]: in the short term and in the long term, but I think that we also have to ask our question, ask the question, why isn't anything being done about it now?
20:10.798 --> 20:14.162
[SPEAKER_02]: Why aren't the powers that be the people who own
20:15.063 --> 20:27.589
[SPEAKER_02]: the house, the Senate, who own the presidency, who own the governor's mansion, who have the Georgia State Legislature, the people who even call the special session that costs us $300,000.
20:28.190 --> 20:30.431
[SPEAKER_02]: Why haven't they put measures in place?
20:31.171 --> 20:32.552
[SPEAKER_02]: That can help families now.
20:32.852 --> 20:34.253
[SPEAKER_02]: That can help farmers now.
20:34.313 --> 20:34.933
[SPEAKER_02]: That can help.
20:35.433 --> 20:38.215
[SPEAKER_02]: Because I believe that we're looking at about, we're, I mean,
20:39.350 --> 20:49.433
[SPEAKER_02]: Energy costs, the average American energy costs have cost us about $700 additional dollars since the war began in February.
20:50.174 --> 20:59.637
[SPEAKER_02]: And so where are we seeing that's a bump in the road for a lot of people, but for a lot of people who live paycheck to paycheck.
20:59.937 --> 21:00.117
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
21:00.317 --> 21:01.619
[SPEAKER_02]: That's gonna really hurt people.
21:01.679 --> 21:02.139
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
21:02.239 --> 21:02.580
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
21:02.680 --> 21:13.870
[SPEAKER_01]: And you're right in that, you know, when you when you have, let's say in Georgia, when you have the governorship, and you have the house in the Senate, and you're like, okay, we're still using this word affordability, and we're not air-quopent.
21:14.190 --> 21:14.351
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
21:14.371 --> 21:15.131
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, this is real.
21:15.472 --> 21:16.412
[SPEAKER_01]: There's real issues.
21:17.173 --> 21:43.359
[SPEAKER_01]: And you're sitting, well, I mean, this is, this might be my, my issue, but and you're sitting on 16 billion dollar surplus, yeah, it's in a rainy day fund, I think it's storm, I think it's no like, you know, maybe there's ways, but let's see, let's hear some of your ideas then as we talk about affordability, if you're talking about like home ownership or just just water some ideas that you might have or some policies you might get behind that would help with that affordability.
21:45.892 --> 21:56.760
[SPEAKER_00]: Whether you're opening your first check in account and buying a home, growing a business or planning for the future, you deserve a bank that knows you by name and is invested in the community you call home.
21:57.300 --> 22:04.226
[SPEAKER_01]: At United Bank in Covington Local Decisions, Personal Service and Lasting Relationships have been at the heart of what we do for generations.
22:04.686 --> 22:12.892
[SPEAKER_01]: Our team is here to provide the financial solutions that you need while supporting the people, businesses, and organizations that make Newton County such a great place to live.
22:13.172 --> 22:25.798
[SPEAKER_00]: So stop by our coming to the office or visit accessunited.com to learn more about everything United Bank has to offer United Bank, your community bank today, tomorrow and wherever life takes you.
22:26.379 --> 22:31.261
[SPEAKER_01]: Member FDSC, equal housing lender, NMLS number 4130-540.
22:36.054 --> 22:43.496
[SPEAKER_02]: I know earlier this year, Governor Kim did suspend the gas tax for quite for a little while.
22:44.337 --> 22:47.258
[SPEAKER_02]: I think we've got to look at until this war is over.
22:47.278 --> 22:53.280
[SPEAKER_02]: A rotation, perhaps, of three months on one, three months off.
22:55.180 --> 23:16.411
[SPEAKER_02]: especially during those travel months or during those months when farmers are using diesel the most are our ability to produce is being impacted by fuel costs, of course, food costs are being driven by these fuel costs as well.
23:17.031 --> 23:17.832
[SPEAKER_02]: I also think
23:18.752 --> 23:30.164
[SPEAKER_02]: Expansion of Medicaid is going to help us to drive down, to drive down, health care calls, just seeing what's been done to the north.
23:30.645 --> 23:37.291
[SPEAKER_02]: We like to look down to the south because they don't have income taxes, but if we look to the north,
23:38.813 --> 23:59.605
[SPEAKER_02]: North Carolina, they have Medicaid expansion and they have 690,000 people who have joined their roles in the last two years since 2023 since they expanded Medicaid and it has driven down costs as a matter of fact in the AJC today.
24:00.185 --> 24:04.127
[SPEAKER_02]: There's a very prominent Atlanta who just moved to North
24:07.429 --> 24:13.251
[SPEAKER_02]: because it's more affordable, it's an opportunity for us.
24:13.351 --> 24:33.097
[SPEAKER_02]: And there are more than 300,000 Georgians that we could be servicing now if we would just expand Medicaid and you and I sit on a hospital board and we've been around the table kind of ringing our hands about tax credits
24:37.779 --> 24:43.704
[SPEAKER_02]: and how the hospital has to respond to these things.
24:44.004 --> 24:54.214
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's also important in terms of affordability that we look at programs that help first-time home buyers by their homes.
24:54.514 --> 24:56.075
[SPEAKER_02]: We're going to have to incentivize
24:56.876 --> 24:59.337
[SPEAKER_02]: the first time home buyer.
24:59.718 --> 25:03.039
[SPEAKER_02]: I've got to again, this is full disclosure.
25:03.079 --> 25:11.844
[SPEAKER_02]: I've got my oldest is 28, my youngest is 16 and so yes, I am talking about my own children as well as yours.
25:13.605 --> 25:23.410
[SPEAKER_02]: But we're in a situation where 30% of the homes in Atlanta are owned by corporate entities.
25:25.743 --> 25:35.647
[SPEAKER_02]: And there are pockets in district 42 where 64% of homes are owned by corporate entities.
25:37.007 --> 25:43.930
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's important for us to look at possibilities where we're not allowing corporate,
25:45.310 --> 26:01.263
[SPEAKER_02]: entities to compete against first time buyers in the open market right my son your daughter shouldn't be competing against the built more states right.
26:02.023 --> 26:02.803
[SPEAKER_00]: for a home.
26:03.043 --> 26:03.343
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
26:04.484 --> 26:07.424
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it'd be different if it was an investment home.
26:08.045 --> 26:09.945
[SPEAKER_02]: But if it's your primary residence, all right.
26:09.965 --> 26:20.888
[SPEAKER_02]: It's your first home, then we ought to make sure that we're leveling the playing field for people because the home is the basis of wealth.
26:21.608 --> 26:24.389
[SPEAKER_02]: building in America.
26:24.669 --> 26:32.673
[SPEAKER_02]: And we, you know, most of us have memories of our next or neighbors and they weren't, they weren't corporations.
26:32.733 -->
26:33.373
[SPEAKER_01]: No, right.
26:34.233 --> 26:38.975
[SPEAKER_01]: And then they cared, they're trying to pay their bills and they cared and it's it's home ownership is also about community.
26:39.315 --> 26:39.455
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
26:39.495 --> 26:44.177
[SPEAKER_01]: Like you, there's when corporate corporations own as much as you're saying, 64% in some places.
26:45.658 --> 26:48.280
[SPEAKER_01]: that they're not as concerned about the individual.
26:48.300 --> 26:50.962
[SPEAKER_01]: They don't know, you know, Mr. Jones next door.
26:51.162 --> 26:51.502
[SPEAKER_01]: Exactly.
26:51.522 --> 26:57.306
[SPEAKER_01]: They're just like, if the check doesn't come, then we got to get rid of him get the next person in here because the need, you know, is still there.
26:57.347 --> 26:58.667
[SPEAKER_01]: The demand is still there.
26:59.208 --> 27:00.929
[SPEAKER_01]: And so that's why they come in and buy these things up.
27:01.029 --> 27:10.636
[SPEAKER_01]: I feel like there was, and I don't, I may be ignorant here, but I feel like there was some legislation they tried to pass last year that didn't quite make it across the finish line, but maybe the number of homes that even
27:12.197 --> 27:12.958
[SPEAKER_01]: in the state of Georgia.
27:12.978 --> 27:15.779
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, at the state level, that's what I'm understanding, yeah.
27:17.660 --> 27:19.040
[SPEAKER_02]: I think there may have been some of that.
27:19.120 --> 27:27.765
[SPEAKER_02]: I know at the federal level that there was some legislation that our president did not sign, but I believe it came into law anyway without his signature.
27:27.865 --> 27:28.125
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, okay.
27:28.345 --> 27:29.526
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, maybe that's what I'm thinking of.
27:29.566 --> 27:32.007
[SPEAKER_01]: But I mean, there needs to be something, right?
27:32.087 --> 27:33.768
[SPEAKER_01]: Like you're saying, it does level the playing.
27:33.808 --> 27:35.328
[SPEAKER_01]: And that was by partisan.
27:35.528 --> 27:35.729
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
27:35.969 --> 27:38.070
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, because it's such an issue, right?
27:38.090 --> 27:38.270
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
27:40.051 --> 28:06.931
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, all right, so let's talk about maybe property taxes for a minute, because this is something I get pulled into being on the school board, I get pulled into all the time, and there's a big push right now, at least in the right side of the camp to do away with, all right, do away with property taxes or do away with income tax, that was a big talk, turn the last session, one body was going to do away with income tax, and one body was going to do away with the property tax, and I was sitting here with my board going,
28:07.740 --> 28:13.646
[SPEAKER_01]: But they can't do it both like we got to survive somehow in these, and I would say programs.
28:13.686 --> 28:16.828
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd hate to say that public school is a program.
28:17.269 --> 28:18.410
[SPEAKER_01]: I look at it as a right.
28:18.830 --> 28:22.234
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, the great equalizer is everybody in opportunity.
28:22.274 --> 28:27.498
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know you would feel similar with your wife being a part of the system like mine has for so long.
28:28.259 --> 28:29.640
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, what about property taxes?
28:29.660 --> 28:31.122
[SPEAKER_01]: What's the solution here to help?
28:32.307 --> 28:33.888
[SPEAKER_01]: bring those down if possible.
28:33.908 --> 28:36.690
[SPEAKER_01]: But at the same time, funding these things we've got to fund with it.
28:37.050 --> 28:37.691
[SPEAKER_01]: What do you think?
28:38.171 --> 28:48.538
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, property taxes, they certainly represent none of us want to see people taxed out of their homes.
28:49.058 --> 28:55.943
[SPEAKER_02]: None of us want to see seniors not be able to afford a home, especially one that they've already paid off.
28:58.926 --> 29:09.728
[SPEAKER_02]: We also appreciate that we live in a country that just slingshot people around the moon and back.
29:13.980 --> 29:16.402
[SPEAKER_02]: There is a way to fix this, right?
29:17.223 --> 29:18.785
[SPEAKER_02]: We can find a solution.
29:19.586 --> 29:33.819
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think it's a false choice to think that we have to cut one to save the, I think it's possible to have quality education and also bring tax relief.
29:34.861 --> 29:42.451
[SPEAKER_02]: to our most vulnerable, I think it's possible to do it all, but we have to all be at the table and be committed to it.
29:42.972 --> 29:51.384
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's an extremist view that there are citizens who should have no skin in the game, right?
29:52.112 --> 29:53.673
[SPEAKER_02]: We should all have skin in the game.
29:53.693 --> 29:55.374
[SPEAKER_02]: I would just say a little bit louder.
29:55.394 --> 30:04.781
[SPEAKER_02]: This is Jesus and Peter out to go get tax money out of a fish.
30:06.102 --> 30:07.383
[SPEAKER_02]: You remember it's there?
30:07.523 --> 30:08.044
[SPEAKER_02]: It's there.
30:08.884 --> 30:12.086
[SPEAKER_02]: Listen, we should all have skin in the game.
30:13.568 --> 30:17.931
[SPEAKER_02]: My tax money paid from my opponent's education.
30:21.885 --> 30:22.806
[SPEAKER_02]: of his education.
30:22.846 --> 30:23.086
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
30:23.166 --> 30:23.467
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
30:24.308 --> 30:29.873
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm, you know, I don't want to, I'm proud of the schools we built in Newton County.
30:30.194 --> 30:35.098
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm proud of these programs and I don't, I don't, I don't everyone opt out.
30:35.619 --> 30:40.043
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't, I don't think, I don't think we are, it's a, it's a part of the social contract.
30:40.104 --> 30:40.344
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
30:40.384 --> 30:42.906
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's, I think it's, I think it's important.
30:43.587 --> 30:52.371
[SPEAKER_02]: that these things we've seen as sacred trust, you know, I think it's an extreme view.
30:53.912 -->
31:00.115
[SPEAKER_02]: I talked to some, we've been on a listing tour tray and we were out in Morgan County.
31:00.155 --> 31:05.218
[SPEAKER_02]: Morgan County is a top 10 school system in the state.
31:07.154 --> 31:10.996
[SPEAKER_02]: How long do you think it'll be a top 10 school system with no property tax?
31:11.016 --> 31:11.296
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
31:12.236 --> 31:17.458
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, we want to, we want to fix, we want to fix a problem.
31:17.478 --> 31:25.422
[SPEAKER_02]: But you, you can't, if all you have, if all you have in your toolbox is a hammer, you treat every problem like a nail.
31:26.958 --> 31:34.724
[SPEAKER_02]: So you got to fix, you got to have more tools in your toolbox, there's some ways to give people relief based on income.
31:35.644 --> 31:38.846
[SPEAKER_02]: But whatever you take from here, you got to offset it over here.
31:39.907 --> 31:47.433
[SPEAKER_02]: And so how are you going to talk about offsetting because, and hey, that may be some situations where
31:48.113 --> 31:50.354
[SPEAKER_02]: where people are collecting too much tax, right?
31:50.414 --> 31:54.255
[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm all for making sure that government is lean.
31:55.075 --> 31:57.295
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't want to collect too much.
31:58.516 --> 32:07.818
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think going back to your question about the surplus, I think the surplus is mystical.
32:09.299 --> 32:14.040
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's smoke and mirrors because we have all of these needs.
32:15.107 --> 32:19.452
[SPEAKER_02]: But that surplus makes us think, oh, we're collecting too much tax.
32:20.513 --> 32:32.186
[SPEAKER_02]: When there are really things like healthcare, like education, there are really deficiencies that we could be addressing with those resources.
32:32.746 --> 32:35.529
[SPEAKER_02]: But every year we look like we're fiscal,
32:36.250 --> 32:45.355
[SPEAKER_02]: We're fiscal conservatives and we're geniuses because we keep a pot of money that we can point to.
32:45.435 --> 32:48.617
[SPEAKER_02]: And this is a record number, a record amount.
32:49.418 --> 32:51.199
[SPEAKER_02]: But there's so many things.
32:51.219 --> 32:58.763
[SPEAKER_02]: There's so many people who went hungry for that, for that record amount of surplus.
33:00.084 --> 33:01.765
[SPEAKER_01]: That's your pastor's heart speaking again.
33:02.645 --> 33:03.846
[SPEAKER_01]: I know where that money came from.
33:05.687 --> 33:22.874
[SPEAKER_02]: We can't just sit on top of it and go look look how great we are right number one to take the new business in look at all this money We've got all my taxes and I'll get a I'll get a I'll get a refund refund from that But you know, they somebody's hurting if it's a school bus that needs to be purchased if it's a A lift that needs to be purchased.
33:23.095 --> 33:28.837
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I know I'm in the minority with that But but I believe that I
33:29.437 --> 33:49.534
[SPEAKER_02]: If we can invest in infrastructure, I'm
one of my platforms is not just affordability, but it's also it's also quality of life and that's public health, public safety, that's education, parks and recreation, you know, our church was a sponsor of the cricket frog trail.
33:49.574 --> 33:54.077
[SPEAKER_02]: You'll find me out there, you know, on my bike, you'll find me walking those things.
33:55.232 --> 34:13.083
[SPEAKER_02]: make us a destination, location, those things give our community character and connect us, connect us, I've learned in pastoring that if you're not careful, the only time your people will come, your community will come together.
34:14.190 --> 34:29.114
[SPEAKER_02]: is when we're driving cars at each other or at a football game or at a sporting event where we're yelling at each other across the street, across the field and so there has to be places where we come together.
34:29.614 --> 34:32.635
[SPEAKER_02]: That's why I love Newton Arts Association shout out to them.
34:32.655 --> 34:39.536
[SPEAKER_02]: That's why I was out at the concert the other night and it was a great sight to see so
34:43.197 --> 35:11.452
[SPEAKER_02]: of the the fuzz run every year our church is because we believe that what brings people together we ought to invest in and again this campaign we're asking people to believe in better and we don't want to we don't want to run a campaign that asked people to be afraid of their neighbor right to to invest in getting to know their neighbor that's good yeah that's good well in district 42
35:12.893 --> 35:24.706
[SPEAKER_01]: Is, I mean, the way we talked about it earlier from the as far as McDonald's to, you know, Morgan County to Lake O'Connie to, would you say Jackson Lake to Loganville?
35:24.746 --> 35:25.526
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
35:25.807 --> 35:28.810
[SPEAKER_01]: It is quite a diverse, you know, cross section.
35:29.030 --> 35:29.951
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
35:30.151 --> 35:32.414
[SPEAKER_01]: And in this area is continually changing.
35:33.755 --> 35:38.600
[SPEAKER_01]: And I've tried to tell people like just 42 is just not the district 42 of, you know, 10 years ago.
35:38.961 --> 35:40.502
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, it's it's good.
35:40.522 --> 35:42.645
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, the number change.
35:42.685 --> 35:43.666
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, just continues to grow.
35:43.686 --> 35:47.550
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, you asked people who their state senator is that the most people can't tell you.
35:47.610 --> 35:48.030
[SPEAKER_02]: I know.
35:48.070 --> 35:48.331
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
35:48.951 --> 35:55.197
[SPEAKER_01]: And when I was born here in Newton County, that's a long time ago, there were 25,000 people in the entire county.
35:55.777 --> 35:58.280
[SPEAKER_01]: Now it's 125,000 in the entire county.
35:58.320 --> 35:59.961
[SPEAKER_01]: So I've seen the change.
36:00.001 --> 36:03.424
[SPEAKER_01]: I've seen it and there's a good and bad that come with that.
36:04.085 --> 36:07.088
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, let's talk about one of the issues then that that this grows.
36:07.108 --> 36:10.711
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I'm one of the 100,000 that has been added.
36:10.731 --> 36:13.053
[SPEAKER_02]: So thank you for welcoming me.
36:14.053 --> 36:17.415
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't build a wall, I'm like, I'm on everybody, this is a great place to be.
36:17.735 --> 36:35.082
[SPEAKER_01]: And when you have something great, people want to be a part of it, but with that growth does come some, you know, consternation with certain folks, but there's this situation now where we were talking about this, you know, revenue deficit, where would it come from?
36:35.122 --> 36:39.644
[SPEAKER_01]: We have this, we know there's a big savings account sitting up there, but, you know, for local
36:41.245 --> 36:45.251
[SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes the solution is in some of these larger corporations or data centers.
36:45.772 --> 36:47.715
[SPEAKER_01]: And so let's just talk about that for a minute.
36:47.735 --> 36:50.479
[SPEAKER_01]: I know it's very controversial and people are all over the place.
36:50.539 --> 36:56.528
[SPEAKER_01]: It seems like they're either, you know, far of this way for yay data centers or far this way of like no way data centers.
36:57.589 --> 37:05.771
[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, I think they have some good purpose to them, but, you know, where is the, I guess, where is the state's responsibility if you were to be a senator?
37:06.171 --> 37:11.012
[SPEAKER_01]: And then where's the local responsibility for, you know, zoning and things like that to allow these things in your community?
37:11.412 --> 37:12.672
[SPEAKER_01]: Where is, what do you think?
37:12.712 --> 37:13.613
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, where do you add on that?
37:13.633 --> 37:14.213
[SPEAKER_02]: What do you call it?
37:14.253 --> 37:21.574
[SPEAKER_02]: The messy, middle, this, this, this, this, this, this, it's, uh, you know,
37:24.702 --> 37:33.698
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, just know and get a lot of applause for no or I could just really help people kind of deal with where we are.
37:36.837 --> 37:38.538
[SPEAKER_02]: data centers aren't going anywhere.
37:40.959 --> 37:42.900
[SPEAKER_02]: Data centers are kind of here to stay.
37:43.641 --> 37:46.142
[SPEAKER_02]: And have actually been here a little while, right?
37:46.182 --> 37:47.183
[SPEAKER_01]: People don't understand.
37:47.803 --> 37:55.827
[SPEAKER_02]: And so, whether you're for them or not, it's a growth that we've got to manage.
37:56.447 --> 37:57.068
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a good way to put it.
37:57.108 --> 38:01.470
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think we've got to be very clear-minded.
38:01.650 --> 38:04.712
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think this got to be a great deal of local control.
38:07.112 --> 38:34.235
[SPEAKER_02]: I think there's some disingenuous on behalf of the proprietors of data centers about the research about the need for the energy costs and some of the construction jobs that are not permanent jobs
38:35.796 --> 38:59.932
[SPEAKER_02]: We got to be clear about, you
know, this whole non-disclosure environment, I don't intend to be the kind of public official that goes into a meeting and can't represent the public because I have to sign.
39:00.532 --> 39:08.335
[SPEAKER_02]: And a non-disclosure that just nullifies my ability to represent the people who elected me to do that.
39:10.156 --> 39:14.958
[SPEAKER_02]: That makes it a nefarious kind of proceeding.
39:15.959 --> 39:18.460
[SPEAKER_02]: It has to be above board.
39:18.520 --> 39:19.140
[SPEAKER_02]: This shouldn't be.
39:20.434 --> 39:21.335
[SPEAKER_02]: things that we keep.
39:21.675 --> 39:23.096
[SPEAKER_02]: These are huge centers.
39:25.038 --> 39:27.519
[SPEAKER_02]: They also only have about a ten-year shelf life.
39:27.579 --> 39:32.443
[SPEAKER_02]: And so there has to be some talk about reuse in that yeah, right.
39:32.503 --> 39:34.725
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it's like malls.
39:34.825 --> 39:42.390
[SPEAKER_02]: We never thought malls would be a part of a wasteland, but you know, what happens in ten years?
39:43.991 --> 39:45.012
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, that technology
39:50.090 --> 40:02.899
[SPEAKER_02]: There's some real concern about, hey, maybe we need to slow down about given AI's the possible dangers to AI to our national security.
40:04.120 --> 40:10.444
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I think just recognizing that we need to
40:11.585 --> 40:28.237
[SPEAKER_02]: Look at the utility costs, the clear about the cost of communities, be clear about this other thing, that I think we've got to be clear about conflicts of interest.
40:30.003 --> 40:35.925
[SPEAKER_02]: Because so many of the people who are making these decisions are also profiting from the decisions.
40:36.626 --> 40:46.409
[SPEAKER_02]: And I don't think you ought to be in the seat of the public will and also profiting from that decision as well.
40:46.849 --> 40:48.489
[SPEAKER_02]: Especially if you're signing an NDA.
40:48.569 --> 40:49.130
[SPEAKER_02]: Exactly.
40:49.150 --> 40:49.350
[SPEAKER_02]: We.
40:50.370 --> 41:09.119
[SPEAKER_01]: So it sounds like you're for transparency in those decisions, you know, if this puts you on the spot, you can tell me now I go to the next question, but like I remember when we built Stanton Springs out here, the industrial park, far away from, you know, civilization, so to speak, but still off of I20.
41:10.360 --> 41:17.566
[SPEAKER_01]: And Meta has put several buildings there and continues, I think, to build that seemed appropriate, right?
41:17.606 --> 41:19.028
[SPEAKER_01]: Like it was an appropriate place.
41:20.909 --> 41:26.454
[SPEAKER_01]: Granted that it's not using up resources that were, you know, meant for our citizens, but I don't think that's the case.
41:26.474 --> 41:26.874
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they've
41:27.995 --> 41:30.756
[SPEAKER_01]: just like that technology continues to change, right?
41:30.816 --> 41:37.858
[SPEAKER_01]: So if like, if the amount of water is an issue, then well, they're going to find ways to reuse that water, whatever, they're smart people.
41:37.878 --> 41:41.459
[SPEAKER_01]: If we, you know, there's a slingshot around the moon, we can probably figure out how to do that, too.
41:42.780 --> 41:43.800
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess that's just my concern.
41:43.820 --> 41:48.482
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't want it into my backyard, but if we build parks and places for these things,
41:49.322 --> 42:03.594
[SPEAKER_01]: that's still benefit our community in in large ways that help maybe offset some property taxes or help the senior citizens with their tax bills, then then you know maybe we should at least talk about it a little more and not just shut it all down, you know, but
42:04.435 --> 42:05.636
[SPEAKER_01]: that's me pontificator.
42:05.756 --> 42:12.741
[SPEAKER_02]: We're going to be at our church here very soon going to be doing some some education on data centers.
42:12.962 --> 42:13.342
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh great.
42:13.482 --> 42:17.745
[SPEAKER_02]: And I urge people to come to with an open mind.
42:18.766 --> 42:20.668
[SPEAKER_02]: Every time I go I try to learn more.
42:21.708 --> 42:28.513
[SPEAKER_02]: and not just come with a pre-determined attitude about it.
42:28.893 --> 42:35.257
[SPEAKER_02]: Now I understand, if you're a neighbor to this thing, I get it, I totally get it.
42:36.218 --> 42:48.866
[SPEAKER_02]: And if you're building one next to my acreage, I understand it, but yeah, please check out our website at SPC Growth.church to learn more about that when that's happening.
42:49.086 --> 42:59.650
[SPEAKER_01]: sbc.c.c.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k
43:19.421 --> 43:22.442
[SPEAKER_00]: You're like, can I get a bottle of water, son of a bitch?
43:22.983 --> 43:25.384
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, we've talked about education a little bit.
43:25.704 --> 43:26.884
[SPEAKER_01]: Talk about healthcare access.
43:27.004 --> 43:32.066
[SPEAKER_01]: I know Medicaid expansion hasn't always been popular in Georgia, so would love to see maybe where that progresses.
43:33.267 --> 43:38.929
[SPEAKER_01]: You said in your statement there that Medicare expansion helps lower some of the health care costs.
43:39.710 --> 43:45.172
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's talk about, and then the whole affordability conversation, which is obviously the biggest thing right now for all of us.
43:47.453 --> 43:50.116
[SPEAKER_01]: You're a proponent of increasing the minimum wage.
43:50.136 --> 43:52.699
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's just talk about that for a minute because I know it has some pros and cons.
43:52.719 --> 43:54.321
[SPEAKER_01]: So what's kind of your take there?
43:56.213 --> 44:07.101
[SPEAKER_00]: Whether you're opening your first check in account and buying a home, growing a business or planning for the future, you deserve a bank that knows you by name and is invested in the
community you call home.
44:07.621 --> 44:14.566
[SPEAKER_01]: At United Bank in Covington Local Decisions, Personal Service and Lasting Relationships have been at the heart of what we do for generations.
44:15.026 --> 44:23.232
[SPEAKER_01]: Our team is here to provide the financial solutions that you need while supporting the people, businesses and organizations that make Newton County such a great place to live.
44:23.512 --> 44:32.236
[SPEAKER_00]: So stop by our coming to the office or visit access united.com to learn more about everything United Bank has to offer United Bank.
44:32.516 --> 44:36.137
[SPEAKER_01]: Your community bank today tomorrow and wherever life takes you.
44:36.717 --> 44:41.599
[SPEAKER_01]: Member FDSC equal housing lender in MLS number 4130054.
44:54.859 --> 44:57.381
[SPEAKER_02]: 25 years ago, it's it's five, 15.
44:58.142 --> 45:02.207
[SPEAKER_02]: And every time I ask that question, people just they we don't know don't believe it.
45:02.227 --> 45:02.407
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
45:02.567 --> 45:03.608
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
45:03.628 --> 45:12.037
[SPEAKER_02]: Um and you know, and I know that's that number can is considered largely symbolic, but I think it's more than symbolic.
45:13.218 --> 45:25.488
[SPEAKER_02]: And I know that we don't like to see the impact of a raise in the minimum wage on small businesses on employers.
45:27.109 --> 45:27.469
[SPEAKER_02]: And I've...
45:28.530 --> 45:30.011
[SPEAKER_02]: I've done a listing tour.
45:30.051 --> 45:31.773
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm continually doing a listing tour.
45:32.493 --> 45:35.456
[SPEAKER_02]: I've had a conversation with a manager.
45:35.476 --> 45:41.901
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not going to disclose what business or the person.
45:42.602 --> 45:45.024
[SPEAKER_02]: But right here in the town square of
45:54.576 --> 46:05.997
[SPEAKER_02]: mostly all of her employees have two to three jobs and so we're talking about wages and we're talking about quality of life.
46:07.602 --> 46:26.661
[SPEAKER_02]: uh... we're talking about people who are not just working sixty hours a week we're talking about eighty hours a week because wages are stagnant and because they need that in order to to make ends meet where we're at a place now i mean rent is
46:27.743 --> 46:47.582
[SPEAKER_02]: Ren is more than than a lot of our mortgages and you know we've got to see we've got to see wages increase to the point where and I and I don't I don't have a magic number I don't have a magic wage and I don't know how
46:48.763 --> 46:53.007
[SPEAKER_02]: I know you once you start moving, you know, apples out the apple cart.
46:53.488 --> 47:01.497
[SPEAKER_02]: I know we got to talk to some economists, but we got to have the wheel to see wages rise.
47:03.539 --> 47:09.045
[SPEAKER_02]: Because, again, we're living in an economy, well, the wealthier of us.
47:09.924 --> 47:23.996
[SPEAKER_02]: The most wealthy of us are seeing their wages grow exponentially, and 65% of us according to Cornell West are living paycheck to paycheck.
47:24.016 --> 47:26.698
[SPEAKER_02]: And I've always stated, trade that if...
47:27.766 --> 47:36.053
[SPEAKER_02]: If people are feel like they're in a rig game, you never win a fight against somebody who feels like they have nothing to lose, right?
47:36.573 --> 47:42.177
[SPEAKER_02]: We need to make sure that we continue to build the middle class.
47:44.038 --> 47:49.099
[SPEAKER_02]: And that there is something to be gained by hard work, right?
47:49.380 --> 47:53.160
[SPEAKER_02]: If there's nothing to be gained by hard work, we're in trouble, right?
47:53.521 --> 47:53.721
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
47:54.201 --> 47:56.461
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I would just add to this is your time.
47:56.481 --> 47:58.062
[SPEAKER_01]: But I'm not going to jump in.
47:59.642 --> 48:10.885
[SPEAKER_01]: I think when we have a serious conversation about wages, and if we talk about increasing the minimum of those wages, and let's say now instead of having those two jobs, you could have just one job.
48:11.605 --> 48:14.526
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, now, let's think about the community impact again.
48:14.966 --> 48:20.949
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's think about families who can now show up at the ballpark, or the global study, or the global study on a whizzing night.
48:20.989 --> 48:21.549
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, what?
48:21.729 --> 48:22.229
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
48:22.269 --> 48:22.750
[SPEAKER_01]: Who knows?
48:23.450 --> 48:27.872
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, the community impact, as I'm saying, you can volunteer at the Arts Association.
48:27.912 --> 48:35.415
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, there's more opportunity for community involvement when we aren't stuck at a job or two or three just to make ends meet.
48:35.835 --> 48:39.696
[SPEAKER_01]: So I love that I love someone at least saying, let's have the conversation.
48:41.297 --> 48:42.438
[SPEAKER_01]: And let's get the right people in the room.
48:42.598 --> 48:43.258
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a great point.
48:44.198 --> 48:48.941
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, I know we need to wrap this up because you are a busy guy and you've already been here a long time and I appreciate your time.
48:48.961 --> 48:50.161
[SPEAKER_01]: I appreciate the time you've given it.
48:50.301 --> 48:52.402
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's just kind of wrap it up then like this.
48:54.863 --> 48:57.124
[SPEAKER_01]: If voters have to choose between you and your competitor,
48:58.385 --> 48:59.926
[SPEAKER_01]: what's the what's the major difference?
48:59.946 --> 49:01.006
[SPEAKER_01]: What would you want to say?
49:01.046 --> 49:04.647
[SPEAKER_01]: Hey, here's the difference and and candidate A and candidate Lee.
49:06.128 --> 49:14.511
[SPEAKER_01]: And then, you know, if there are points of agreement, what are those points of agreement, but but then, you know, what what sets you apart and Washington voters vote for the Reverend Dr. Eric Lee?
49:16.251 --> 49:21.393
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, I think I think my opponent is a is a
49:25.209 -->
49:39.353
[SPEAKER_02]: I think he is has some wonderful education and I think he's going to be a really great leader
49:55.939 --> 49:59.221
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm looking to represent the entire district.
50:02.823 --> 50:10.067
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't believe we ought to have a politics of xenophobia.
50:12.008 --> 50:19.593
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't believe that we ought to plot one portion of the district against the other.
50:21.512 --> 50:42.448
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't believe that we ought to put Newton and Henry versus Walton and Morgan, I don't believe in the blue part of the district versus the red part of the district, I believe that we all ought to believe in better.
50:44.029 --> 50:46.030
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm asking for red votes.
50:46.889 --> 50:48.310
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm asking for blue votes.
50:49.291 --> 50:51.092
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm asking for independent votes.
50:52.132 --> 50:53.753
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm asking for libertarian votes.
50:53.773 --> 50:57.676
[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm asking for everybody's vote.
50:58.276 --> 51:00.858
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't believe in the politics of fear.
51:00.938 --> 51:01.678
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm a Christian.
51:02.058 --> 51:07.222
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm a, I've been preaching the gospel longer than my opponent has been alive.
51:08.850 --> 51:09.972
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't believe in fear.
51:10.713 --> 51:13.899
[SPEAKER_02]: I believe that perfect love casts out fear.
51:14.961 --> 51:21.031
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I don't want us to go to the polls because of what we're afraid of.
51:23.120 --> 51:27.162
[SPEAKER_02]: I want us to go to the polls because of what we're believing in.
51:28.123 --> 51:43.291
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I would hope for everyone to get out and vote on October the 13th because you want to be inspired by what we can become and not just
51:44.499 --> 52:02.930
[SPEAKER_02]: mired and who we have already been, and so that's the difference, that's the contrast and and it's a difference between, you know, what we already are and and and do we want to dare to be better.
52:03.951 --> 52:04.452
[SPEAKER_01]: That's good.
52:04.792 --> 52:05.653
[SPEAKER_01]: The great becoming.
52:06.814 --> 52:10.979
[SPEAKER_02]: We're always, we're all, listen, no, all of us can do better.
52:11.119 --> 52:17.646
[SPEAKER_02]: All of us work while it's day, because nighttime is coming when no one can work.
52:17.766 --> 52:18.707
[SPEAKER_02]: So.
52:19.688 --> 52:20.228
[SPEAKER_01]: Wow.
52:20.509 --> 52:22.090
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, look, man, I appreciate that.
52:22.470 --> 52:23.811
[SPEAKER_01]: Appreciate your pastor's heart.
52:24.432 --> 52:28.535
[SPEAKER_01]: I've always appreciated what Springfield has brought to our community into the public school system.
52:28.995 --> 52:35.040
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, I feel like just as a new Tony in, or even anyone from this District 42, I feel like, oh, you're a debt of gratitude.
52:35.060 --> 52:36.441
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, thank you for your service.
52:36.841 --> 52:39.103
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for your church's service and the ministry you guys have done.
52:39.724 --> 52:42.786
[SPEAKER_01]: And I really do wish you good luck on this campaign.
52:42.846 --> 52:47.349
[SPEAKER_01]: And if people wanted to get in touch and find out more and maybe wanted to make a donation,
52:48.250 --> 52:52.454
[SPEAKER_01]: that because it's different than being to the church, yeah, when the people go, what's the website?
52:52.474 --> 52:52.694
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
52:53.074 --> 52:56.697
[SPEAKER_02]: First of all, thank you for your, for your acknowledgement of our church.
52:57.418 --> 53:08.288
[SPEAKER_02]: A lot of people don't appreciate the fact that our church while it sits in Rockdale County founded in 1879 on the banks of the Yellow River in Newton County.
53:08.888 --> 53:14.010
[SPEAKER_02]: we moved it to Rockdale in 2005.
53:14.310 --> 53:15.430
[SPEAKER_01]: You really touch in the land.
53:15.450 --> 53:17.030
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you get to get there, aren't you?
53:17.071 --> 53:24.933
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and a lot of people, if you really want to delve into history, that being no Rockdale County were not for Newton County because we donated the land.
53:25.513 --> 53:26.974
[SPEAKER_02]: to make Rockdale in 1871.
53:27.034 --> 53:33.016
[SPEAKER_02]: So our campaign is Eric Lee for Georgia.com.
53:33.156 --> 53:34.537
[SPEAKER_02]: Eric Lee for Georgia.com.
53:34.557 --> 53:36.558
[SPEAKER_02]: You'll find it on the website.
53:36.738 --> 53:40.480
[SPEAKER_02]: There's some opportunities to give their opportunities to volunteer.
53:40.900 --> 53:41.820
[SPEAKER_02]: We're campaigning.
53:41.860 --> 53:43.701
[SPEAKER_02]: We're going door to door,
53:49.144 --> 53:59.513
[SPEAKER_02]: We're foam banking, we've got 40 days, maybe by the time this airs, we don't have 40 days but we're excited about our campaign.
53:59.573 --> 54:12.444
[SPEAKER_02]: We know that this district was drawn in a very peculiar way, but all of our internal polling tells us that we've got better than a better than a
54:13.145 --> 54:17.006
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't want to like to use the term fighter because I'm not fighting anybody.
54:17.086 --> 54:18.367
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
54:18.507 --> 54:20.608
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not at war with my opponent.
54:21.108 --> 54:23.048
[SPEAKER_02]: As a matter of fact, this is not about two people.
54:23.809 --> 54:28.270
[SPEAKER_02]: This is about 200,000 people that you mentioned earlier.
54:28.310 --> 54:31.331
[SPEAKER_02]: And 165,000 of them are eligible to vote.
54:32.152 --> 54:35.793
[SPEAKER_02]: And so it's about who they want to represent them.
54:36.473 --> 54:54.189
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm of the Georgia dome and by and over in with the fourth we'll find out who it is and I'm hoping it's me And I look forward to serving this community Whether I'm elected or not on over the fourth and yeah, that's right Well man certainly appreciate you being here and I hope you get a new pair of shoes.
54:54.209 --> 54:54.850
[SPEAKER_01]: What's this thing's over?
54:54.870 --> 54:59.013
[SPEAKER_01]: Because I know you've worn this So I'm gonna couple I'm gonna couple Naps in before that.
54:59.774 --> 55:00.214
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, man.
55:00.234 --> 55:01.155
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for being here.
55:01.175 --> 55:01.696
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you, Troy.
55:01.716 --> 55:01.836
[SPEAKER_01]: See