Seven questions for the House District 47 candidates
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Tuesday · early voting opens Both House District 47 candidates’ answers, side by side. |
Seven questions for the next state representative. At 1 p.m. Wednesday we sent Democrat Lindsay DeFranco and Republican Jack Miller the same seven questions in the same minute. Answers are due Monday at noon, about 200 words apiece. Tuesday’s issue and our House District 47 page will carry every answer exactly as written. We’ll mark any skipped question “Did not respond.”
Eleven of Milton’s 13 precincts vote in House District 47, and Election Day is Nov. 3. The state’s My Voter Page tells you whether yours is one of them.
Readers sent us two of the questions. Each candidate wrote one, and both answer all seven, their own included. We wrote the other three, on issues facing Milton. Here they are, word for word and in the order the candidates got them. The candidates’ own questions appear in alphabetical order.
The seven questions, as sent |
1 · From a reader What, if anything, do you intend to do regarding property taxes for Fulton County homeowners? |
2 · From a reader Milton has a deer problem that I never see mentioned in print or in the city’s minutes. Dogs have died, animals have been mauled and people have been threatened. What would you do about it? |
3 · Written by Lindsay DeFranco Vouchers are a big topic of conversation in Georgia right now. The basic idea is that state education dollars follow a child out of the public-school system and can be used for private education. But public schools do not disappear when a student leaves, and neither do their fixed costs. Fulton County still has to pay for buildings, buses, teachers, special education, and other essential services. At the same time, the quality of our public schools is directly tied to the value of our homes, and for most families, their home is their largest investment. How do you lower property taxes while protecting the funding and quality of our public schools? And if more state education dollars are redirected through vouchers, how do we prevent that from either shifting more of the burden onto local taxpayers, reducing services in our public schools, or weakening one of the biggest drivers of home values in this community? |
4 · Written by Jack Miller Georgia holds a multibillion-dollar budget surplus. How do you plan to handle it: return more of it to taxpayers through rebates and rate cuts, keep it in reserve, or spend it on new state programs? If new programs, which ones? |
5 · From The Roundabout Milton has worked to keep its rural character: horse farms, large lots and open space. Some decisions that shape it are made by the state, from widening state highways to state rules on local zoning. What would you do to help Milton keep its rural character and greenspace? |
6 · From The Roundabout Milton’s police use license plate cameras from Flock Safety, and state law sets the rules for how long that data may be kept and who may use it. Should the legislature change those rules? If so, how? |
7 · From The Roundabout Data centers are driving much of the expected growth in Georgia’s demand for electricity. What, if anything, should the state do about them, including their effects on residents’ power bills and water supplies? |
Know someone who votes in House District 47? Forward this so they have the questions before the answers arrive Tuesday.
This story ran in Issue #68. The Roundabout publishes three mornings a week, free, Milton-only, and the next one can be in your inbox.
