Republican Barbara Rivera Holmes has only held her position as the head of the Georgia Department of Labor since April, and now she’ll have to defend her tenure leading an agency fraught with challenges against the growing field of Democrats.
Holmes, the only Republican and a heavy favorite in the race, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that her efforts to modernize the department are underway, including overhauling the decades-old unemployment system.
The department has been slow to process unemployment claims and Georgians reaching out to GDOL have reported unanswered calls and generic return emails.
Longstanding problems in the department became acute during the COVID-19 pandemic when an unprecedented number of claims inundated staff. Only 4% of calls were answered and 78% never reached GDOL staff because of limited capacity during the early months of the pandemic.
But Holmes, a former head of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce appointed to the post by Gov. Brian Kemp after the death of Commissioner Bruce Thompson, said she’s working to restore credibility to the department and deliver better services for Georgians and employers in the state.
“We all know what we’re working toward, and we know what winning looks like, and we know what level of service we’re shooting for Georgians,” she said.
She also said she wants to cut red tape but didn’t go into specifics about what regulations she aimed to cut.
“We know that we have outdated regulations that make it just more difficult for people to do work with the Georgia Department of Labor,” she said.
Democrats lining up for the party nomination are also pledging to overhaul the unemployment claims process and modernize the department.
Holmes said it’s one thing to say you will do something; it’s another thing to already be doing it.
“We’re delivering on that plan,” she said. “We’re already delivering results.”
Democrats running to unseat Holmes say they haven’t seen any signs of progress.
The crowded field of Democratic challenges so far includes:
- Political consultant Clarence Blalock;
- Jade Gibbs, another political consultant;
- Entrepreneur Nikki Porcher;
- And Private investigator and former Clayton County police investigator Anthony Robbins.
Under Republican control, Clarence Blalock said that the department has become onerous to people seeking unemployment benefits.
“The work requirements, the bureaucracy, the outdated software — the sum of all that is meant to put barriers between you and your benefits,” he said.
Credit: Courtesy
Credit: Courtesy
Robbins said it’s difficult to get in contact with GDOL staff over the phone and said when a person does, they are often put on hold for an extended period.
Credit: Courtesy
Credit: Courtesy
Gibbs said the department has been using outdated technology for far too long.
Porcher said she understands the frustrations Georgians have with the department and wants to rebuild trust in the agency.
“Too many Georgians still feel disconnected from the systems meant to help them,” she said in a statement to the AJC.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Blalock said he wants to open more service centers to provide access to Georgians who aren’t internet savvy.
That kind of spending is a tall order. The state is preparing for federal spending cuts to a variety of programs, and Blalock would have to contend with a Republican-controlled General Assembly that sets the Labor Department’s budget.
Past requests from agency leaders haven’t always been approved. The department’s 2025 fiscal year budget of about $8.5 million was nearly $10 million below what agency leaders requested from the state.
Another Democrat, Jason Moon, a former aide to the late U.S. Sen. Max Cleland, is expected to file paperwork to enter the race soon.
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