Cost of living tops concerns for candidates in Gwinnett County House race
Candidates for a state House district in Gwinnett County said the increasing cost of living was the top concern they heard from voters in the district, but they have different views for how best to make the community more affordable.
Two Democrats, Akbar Ali and Marqus Cole, and one Republican, Jamie Parker, are competing for the House District 106 seat in a special election Nov 4.
The winner will replace former Democratic state Rep. Shelly Hutchinson, who resigned this summer to care for a family member with serious health issues.
“People are just being crushed under the weight of too high prices,” Ali said, “mainly with health care, insurance and housing.”
He’s raised about $31,000, the most of any candidate, and has been endorsed by Hutchinson, former Gov. Roy Barnes, House Democratic Whip Sam Park and several state lawmakers and local elected officials.
Cole raised about $4,200 in campaign donations, and Parker received about $5,300, according to filings.
Ali was the first vice chair of the Gwinnett Democrats, the youngest elected to that position.
“We need new leadership that has drive and energy and the knowledge and skill set to operate in this new era,” he said.
Ali is also focused on improving public education and school safety. Issues related to homeowners’ associations have come up on the campaign trail, too.
“This is a neighborhood campaign, first and foremost,” Ali said. “What we are campaigning on, and the chief focus within my scope, is to tackle things like affordability and housing and health care.”
Ali supports expanding Medicaid and growing the supply of housing available in Gwinnett.
He and Cole are largely aligned on those issues.
“The biggest thing affecting the district that I’ve heard from constituents when knocking doors and talking to people on the phone is affordability,” Cole said. “One thing that Georgia could definitely do is expand Medicaid.”
Cole is a director at an energy and environmental nonprofit.
Voters he’s talked to say they are concerned about medical debt and affording the basics, including paying their rent or mortgage and buying groceries. The shutdown is reinforcing conversations about affording medical insurance, he said.
“If you want to open a small business but can’t afford (insurance) and you can’t afford the (Affordable Care Act) marketplace, what do you do? Maybe you go without, and then you’re just one critical accident away from real, serious harm, both physically and on your budget,” he said.
Cole, who has been endorsed by state Sen. Nikki Merritt and Gwinnett Solicitor General Lisamarie Bristol, said he also is concerned about housing.
“We don’t want to see families priced out of starter homes by these private equity firms that are just buying and holding homes in our community and locking out families,” he said.
He sees opportunity for bipartisan policies to prevent absentee landlords from dodging responsibilities and create a tenant’s bill of rights.
Like Cole and Ali, Parker is concerned about the cost of housing.
“People are being squeezed, whether it’s high auto insurance, homeowners insurance, bills overall,” he said.
Parker is a real estate agent who has served on the city of Snellville’s tourism board and taught in local schools.
“We need to really work with local entities to see what we can do to bring more affordable housing to the area, to work with developers in the area to try to help make it more accessible for people,” he said.
He also wants to work on education legislation to support public schoolteachers and find near-term fixes for unclogging busy roads. Transit, he said, may be part of the answer.
“That little 2-or-3 mile stretch between (Highway) 78 and Sugarloaf (Parkway) could take 30 or 40 minutes to drive,” he said. “What can we do to make life better to the people traveling down that area?”
He also cites an endorsement from Tami Wilder, a member of the Gwinnett Chamber board of directors.
If elected, he would be the first Republican to represent the area in years.
“I’m here to listen to the needs of the people and their concerns,” he said.
About the Author
Michelle Baruchman covers the Georgia House of Representatives and statewide issues. She is a politics news and enterprise reporter covering statewide political stories.
