RE-ELECT STEVE GOOCH FOR STATE SENATE VOTE EARLY OR ON NOVEMBER 3RD

News, Politics

Run-off candidates make final plea at Union GOP headquarters opening

Community, News, Politics
Union GOP Headquarters

BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – Union County GOP celebrated the grand opening of its new headquarters in the Graystone Building with several Republican 2020 candidates in attendance.

State Senator Steve Gooch, Georgia District 8 Representative and Congressional District Nine run-off candidate Matt Gurtler, Congressional District Nine run-off candidate Andrew Clyde, Congressman Doug Collins’ daughter Jordan Collins, along with other Collins’ campaign representatives, State Senator John Wilkinson, and Public Service District Four Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald were all in attendance.

“Great to be out here today, only a few more days to go to the election. It’s great to see so many people out here,” stated Rep. Gurtler. “I appreciate everybody’s support, get out there, and vote on Tuesday.”

He added that around 40,000 people have already voted in the Ninth District, and they expect another 40,000 on Tuesday.

Gurtler’s competition Andrew Clyde arrived at the event a little later. Fetch Your News spoke with him about his feelings leading up to Tuesday’s run-off.

Gurtler kept it brief and asked for support on Tuesday.

“We’re excited. We think we’re going to win. We think it’s going to be a tight race. We may not have results based on absentee ballots, so it depends on when they actually count them,” Clyde said.

The larger counties, such as Hall and Forsyth, took longer to finalize results in the Georgia Primary. The potential delay could delay a presumptive winner announcement.

When asked about “China Clyde” and democratic donor attack ads, Clyde responded, “It’s all false. Just like all the others, they say fact one, fact two, fact three, it should say lie one, lie two, lie three… I think they say, ‘spends $54,000 to defeat President Trump,’ and they cite a contribution to Republican Candidate Ted Cruz in the Primary.”

In the 2016 primary, Clyde supported Cruz like 40,000 others in the Ninth District.

“Ted Cruz didn’t win. President Trump did. He got the nomination, and so we coalesce around our nominee,” Clyde affirmed. “We support him, and I have supported him since he became the nominee.”

Clyde added that bought and made Trump 2020 signs himself. To his knowledge, he was the first person in the state of Georgia to put up Trump reelection signage.

As for Super-PACs spending money in the Ninth District, Clyde made a definitive statement, “They’re trying to convince Georgian’s what to do. I don’t need them. I don’t think the Ninth District needs them. I just need the Ninth District.”

Pictured on Left Public Service Commissioner Bubba McDonald and Right Ninth District Candidate Andrew Clyde.

Super-PAC Club for Growth has endorsed the Gurtler campaign and produced several anti-Clyde advertisements.

From now until November, the new headquarters on Hwy. 515 will offer information about Republican candidates running for office. Additionally, it features a party store where people can pick up, Trump campaign merchandise, masks, hats, flags, t-shirts, and more. Prices range from $20 to $5. Candidate signs and bumper stickers will also be available.

“Everybody ready to get this Trump rally started this Fall?” asked State Senator Gooch to a round of applause and shouts. He continued by focusing on party unity, which will be necessary after Tuesday’s August 11 run-off.

“We work for victory in November. We’ve got a job to do, not just for Union County or the Ninth Congressional

District, but all over the state of Georgia. The Liberal Democrats are trying to take back control of the house and the senate in our General Assembly…We cannot let that happen. We’ve got to work together. We’ve got to move forward as a family after Tuesday night,” expressed Gooch.

He added that the Democrat party of Governor Zell Miller no longer exists because the Liberals hijacked it.

State Senator Gooch started the process of reconciliation after an intense primary and run-off season.

“We need to fight this year, fight stronger than we’ve ever fought,” Gooch ended.

Union County GOP President Dena Gooch explained that they were looking for a place when Blairsville local Frank Pack offered the space. A lot of work went into preparing the office for GOP use, including a new coat of paint and good old fashioned elbow grease.

As for upcoming Republican Party events, Towns County GOP will be having another Trump Armada on August 29. On September 26, Towns GOP will be hosting a Back the Blue Appreciation Ceremony and Caravan. They will travel from Towns County to Union County, and anyone can join.

Check out all the photos from the grand opening, here.

Gooch condemns impeachment, 2020 legislative session underway

News, Politics
Gooch

BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – With the 2020 legislative session in full swing, State Senator Steve Gooch stopped by the Union County Republican Party meeting to provide an update on impeachment, the Chinese Trade Agreement, and the state budget.

Gooch sponsored Senate Resolution (SR) 538 condemning the impeachment of President Trump and calls out members of the United States Congress for “not abiding by the merits of our republic as outlined by our founders, forefathers, and the intent of the United States Constitution.”

SR 538 should have its first reading the week of Jan. 27 with several republican senators backing the resolution. It’s sponsored by Senators Gooch, John Wilkinson, Jeff Mullis, Brandon Beach, Burt Jones, and Bruce Thompson.

“President is amazing, not going to let this get him down,” said Gooch during the meeting. He also spoke about the stark contrast between the executive and legislative branches. Gooch attended the signing of the Chinese Trade Agreement at the White House with the Chinese Delegation, CEOs, and other elected officials. “It was exciting to be there, next to the president for this historic trade agreement,” stated Gooch. Meanwhile, congressional democrats were smiling and posing with pens while signing the articles of impeachment.

Turning to state matters, Gooch urged everyone to get the word out and go vote this year, especially since democrats will turn out in force to try and flip Georgia in 2020.

The 2020 budget was a concern due to the lost agriculture revenues from last year’s hurricane. The economy in southwest Georgia hasn’t recovered, but Gov. Brian Kemp has committed to a significant pay raise for Georgia teachers.

2020 Census

The Complete Count Committee Chairman Pat Malone also spoke during the meeting to educate everyone on the upcoming census. 2020 marks the first year that the census can be completed online as well as by paper or phone.

Postcards with codes necessary to complete the census online will be mailed out between March 12th and 20th with reminders being mailed between March 16th and 24th. To avoid anyone knocking on doors, citizens need to complete the form before April 27th.

Households need to consider who is living there as of April 1st and parents with children living in dormitories shouldn’t count their children as part of the home. College students living in dorms are counted by the college.

During the 2010 census, Union County had an 86.4 percent response rate, which was the fourth highest in the state.

Seven states are expected to gain congressional seats while 10 are expected to lose seats after the census.

The federal government is still hiring people to assist with the 2020 census at $17.00.

Events

The republican women of Union, Towns, and Rabun counties are hosting a Hats Off to Trump event at The View Restaurant in the Union County Community Center on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 12 p.m. for $25.

Attendees are invited to wear a decorated hat or purchase and create one at the door for $10. All proceeds go to the Trump for President campaign, and tickets are non-refundable.

Georgia Trend Names Sen. Steve Gooch One of Georgia’s Most Influential People

State & National

Georgia Trend Names Sen. Steve Gooch One of Georgia’s Most Influential People

ATLANTA (January 8, 2018) | Senator Steve Gooch (R – Dahlonega) was recognized as one of Georgia’s most influential people by Georgia Trend magazine. The magazine’s annual list recognizes the 100 Most Influential Georgians.

“It is an honor to be recognized among this distinguished list of leaders in our great state,” said Sen. Gooch. “I look forward to working with my colleagues and local community leaders to keep Georgia moving in the right direction. Over the past several years, we have seen numerous businesses moving to Georgia leading to additional economic growth and job creation. We will work hard during this upcoming session to continue this progress for our state.”

Georgia Trend recognized Sen. Gooch’s work in the Georgia Senate and his consistent efforts to improve education and public schools for children in his district and around the state. They also acknowledged his work on job creation, immigration, tax reform and the right to bear arms. Sen. Gooch has also been a leader for transportation in Georgia.

Georgia Trend releases their 100 Most Influential Georgians list annually. The list includes individuals who make a positive impact on the lives of Georgians and make decisions that affect the wellbeing of the state. Naming the top 100 is a year-round process and the final list includes those who “have exhibited the character necessary to inspire, challenge, lead – and influence us.”

Additional information can be found on the Georgia Trend magazine website link below:

http://www.georgiatrend.com/January-2018/2018-100-Most-Influential-Georgians/

Getting Started in 2018

State & National

Getting Started in 2018

By: Sen. Steve Gooch (R – Dahlonega)

On Monday, January 8, 2018, we reconvened for the second session of the 154th Georgia General Assembly, which many anticipate will be very fast-paced. The Georgia Senate began our business with leadership changes and three new members. We will also welcome another new member next week who won a special election on Tuesday, January 9, 2018.

In addition to welcoming three new members, Sen. David Shafer, who served as the Senate President Pro Tempore since 2013, resigned his position and the Georgia Senate nominated and elected Sen. Butch Miller to serve in this role. Sen. Miller is a fellow North Georgian and we are honored to have him as our next Pro Temp. The Senate Committee on Assignments also announced chairmen and committee assignments for the upcoming year.

In addition to my duties as Senate Majority Whip, I will continue to serve as the Vice-Chair of the Transportation Committee, the Secretary of the Appropriations Committee, as a member of the Finance, MARTOC, Regulated Industries and Utilities committees and as ex-officio on the Senate Assignments and Rules committees.

As we draw near to the second week of session, we will begin budget hearings as we craft the Amended FY18 and General FY19 budgets. During these meetings and agency presentations, I will keep the prosperity of all Georgians in mind as we finely comb through proposals. Our focus will be on saving tax payers’ dollars while ensuring economic growth and job creation continues to grow in our great state.

Something new here at the Georgia Senate is livestreaming of standing committees that meet in one of the five rooms wired during the Senate Transparency Project. This is in addition to the Senate Chamber being livestreamed during session days. The goal of this project is to bring transparency to standing committee meetings, where legislation is discussed and vetted before moving forward in the legislative process. Another objective is to provide access to our process for those who do not live in the metro area and cannot get to Senate committee meetings quickly. I truly encourage you all to take the time to watch these livestreams. But, if you can’t get to a computer during the meeting time, each and every meeting video is archived to be watched during any time—day or night.

On day four of the session, Gov. Deal gave his last State of the State address. Within his address, Gov. Deal focused on the growth across the board within the state of Georgia. For the past five years, Georgia has been named the number one place to do business. Overall, we have a very busy session calendar ahead of us as we work on the Governor’s budget proposals, legislation pending from last year and other issues that may arise.

I would like to say thank you to all of my constituents for your encouragement and care for the 51st District of Georgia. Please call or email me with any questions, comments or concerns you have and I look forward to hearing from you.

Wastewater Plant Starts Processing Landfill Runoff

News

Blairsville, Ga – Blairsville’s Wastewater (WWTP) plant to begin processing leachate from local landfills after City Council approves a partnership with The Water Authority (TWA).

TWA approached Superintendent of WWTP Jody Cook two months ago about allowing the company to use the plant for leachate processing. Blairsville’s WWTP makes a good candidate to take on processing due to the extra capacity in the tanks. TWA will pay the city $0.5 per gallon for the amount of leachate that the city accommodates.

“We’ve crunched the numbers and the amount of air available, we can treat it, and it would be a lot of revenue for the city,” explained Cook, “The only thing that we’ll have to purchase would be a pump because we don’t have an in-ground tank. We’re going to do a trial period, and they’ll give a pump until we get it approved by the city.”

In last month’s city council meeting, Cook and the council decided against adding leachate out of concerns that ammonia levels would be too high. However, after spending more time analyzing the procedure, Cook and TWA found that the WWTP can process leachate as long as enough air is available.

TWA’s proposal of $0.5 per gallon will provide the city in the worst case scenario with $526,600 a year if the plant only processes 28,800 gallons a day. The best-case scenario: if the plant can process 93,600 gallons a day, then TWA will pay the city $1,708,200 a year.

Councilman Tony Dyer asked, “This all is going to be hauled to us?”

Mayor Jim Conley confirmed, “It would be hauled to us and pumped into one of our digesters that is not in use at this time.”

The above ground tanks require the city to purchase a new pump to process the leachate.

It won’t alter the existing process at the WWTP, just act as an additive. It’s a chance for extra revenue for the city. Blairsville’s WWTP currently using approximately 30 percent of the facilities capacity at the moment.

“I don’t think they’ve tried it in an SVR plant before, which is why they want to have a trial,” said Cook, “We can’t violate our permit period, so if that happens then we don’t do it. I don’t foresee that, and we have no issue with ammonia, and we’re not using all the air in the tank now.”

The plan’s to start slow and let the organisms acclimate to the leachate with 5 gallons a minute for two weeks, then increase it to ten gallons a minute. Eventually, leachate will reach the 15 gallons a minute and maintain that setting.

Ellijay has implemented a similar process, and Cook visited the facility to see how it works and how Blairsville can undertake the process.

“I talked to the operator down there, and he said as long as you’ve got enough air, then you can treat it. There’s nothing else bad in it. It’s just high ammonia,” stated Cook.

TWA’s a Georgia Environmental Service Company and owned by several parties including State Senator Steve Gooch who explained that the treatment of leachate by under capacity plants’s a “good source of revenue for the city.”

“Typical municipal systems and septic waste systems take it,” said Gooch, “It’s a clean and effective way to dispose of the liquid and to treat it.”

Leachate consists of water, suspended materials, dissolved solids, nitrogen, and other organic substances, which makes it ideal to supplement the WWTP living ecosystem. The nitrogen will turn into ammonia during the aeration.

By adding leachate to the plant on days when the plant can’t maintain a level feeding schedule for the organisms in the WWTP. By using an empty process tank to store the leachate, it can readily meter the substance into the plant.

Until recently, most activated sludge plants operated at a max flow of 200mg/L BOD and TSS at 20mg/L ammonia loading. The TKN will be around 40-60mg/L. To better illustrate this example, TWA provided the following: A plant designed at 1.0 MGD should process 200mg/L BOD and 20mg/L and it can remove 1668 lbs/day of BOD and 166 lbs of ammonia. However, if the plant only operates at 0.35 mg/L with an average of 150mg/L and 15mg/L, then it’s only processing 437 lbs/day of BOD and 44 lbs/day of ammonia.

The leachate will keep the organisms at the WWTP eating at a slow rate by maintaining an even flow at all times.

I support Casey Cagle for Governor

Election 2018, Letters to Editor

On July 24th –  it is vitally important that we cast our ballots for a strong leader who is prepared to be our state’s next CEO. As your state Senator, I want you to know that I’m 100% behind Casey Cagle for governor. I have served with him for 8 years in the Senate now and I am confident that he is the best choice on the ballot.  

Casey is a proven, consistent leader who has always delivered for our state – as well as our community and North Georgia. Due to his leadership as Lt. Governor, Georgia has been named the number one state to do business for five straight years, and we’ve added nearly 700,000 jobs and 40,000 new businesses. This year, Casey was the leader who fought to deliver the largest tax cut in Georgia history

Casey has also led to advance nationally renowned education reform measures – including the Charter Systems Act, College and Career Academy Network, and GA CATT apprenticeship program – which have been integral in transforming Georgia’s one-size-fits-all education system into a revolutionary model that puts students first. Not every student needs to get a four year liberal arts degree to be successful, and Casey is leading to prioritize workforce development so that all Georgia’s students graduate from high school with post-secondary experience or technical training that gives them the skills to attain rewarding careers.

Casey has stood up for our conservative principles his entire career. He has led to outlaw and defund sanctuary cities in Georgia, expand gun rights (earning him an A+ rating from the NRA), protect innocent life (earning him the Champion for Life award from the Georgia Life Alliance), and reform our adoption/foster care system to give faith-based organizations more opportunities to help children find loving homes.

Please join me in supporting Casey Cagle and voting to elect him as our next Governor on July 24th.   I have been honored to serve as your Senator and I look forward to working with the next Governor to continue the progress we have made.  

Steve Gooch
State Senator
District 51

State Senator Steve Gooch Talks About Economic Development in Rural Georgia

Politics

This past Friday we continued our discussion about rural Georgia with 51st district (R) State Senator and Lumpkin County’s economic development director, Steve Gooch. Our three areas of focus: rural Georgia economy, broadband access, and health care. Although the district doesn’t want to see something in the line of the KIA plant they most certainly would be open to small companies offering high paying, high tech jobs. In order to attract these types of companies; the area must provide good schools, fast internet, and quality health care. We discussed Piedmont Mountainside new stand alone emergency health care center in Gilmer County; a model for quality health care in rural areas. When our discussion turned to high speed internet for the area, Gooch was unable to say they “moved the ball” concerning Senate Bill 232, Facilitating Internet Broadband Rural Expansion (FIBRE) Act.

Senator Steve Gooch Honors City of Dahlonega

State & National

ATLANTA (January 29, 2018) | Senator Steve Gooch (R – Dahlonega) is pleased to announce Monday, January 29, 2018, as Dahlonega Day at the state Capitol with Senate Resolution 590.

“Dahlonega is the gateway to North Georgia and I am grateful to be able to share my home with the rest of my colleagues,” said Sen. Gooch. “This year marks the 60th anniversary of Dahlonega and Lumpkin County citizens delivering gold, by wagon, for the installation of the state Capitol building’s gold dome. I could not be more proud to have representatives from our local community here today to celebrate this honor.”

The City of Dahlonega is a small city in northern Georgia founded in 1832. Dahlonega was the site of the first major U.S. gold rush and now is commonly referred to as the ‘Gold City’. The city sits at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is surrounded by many natural elements. Dahlonega is the county seat of Lumpkin County. In addition to its history of gold mining, the city of Dahlonega is also known as the Heart of Georgia Wine Country, with six wineries and nine winery tasting rooms.

 

Gooch: Senate Gets Down to Business

State & National

Senate Gets Down to Business

By: Sen. Steve Gooch (R – Dahlonega)

Although the Senate was in session for only two days this week, my colleagues and I were very busy under the Gold Dome addressing budget proposals and a key piece of legislation on the Senate Floor.

The week started with Joint Senate and House Appropriations hearings on the Amended FY18 and General FY19 budgets. Governor Deal kicked off the hearings which included several different agencies presenting their budget proposals. I am happy to say that the state’s budget continues to be in good shape, with the General FY19 budget topping $26 billion for the first time. The General FY19 budget proposals were drafted with an estimated 2.9 percent state fund growth and around 3.8 percent tax revenue growth over the Amended FY18 revenue estimates. Included in the General FY19 budget are increases in funding for education and transportation.

The General FY19 budget addresses the needs for the state to meet determined employer contributions within the Teachers Retirement System with a proposed increase of around $364 million. Additionally, around $120 million would be appropriated for enrollment growth and training. Along with these positive changes in the General FY19 budget, an important proposal in the Amended FY18 budget is adding $15 million to purchase 194 school buses statewide. This will positively impact our students by ensuring that buses are not overcrowded.

The state’s growing need to address transportation infrastructure is also addressed in the General FY19 budget. An additional $31.6 million in projected revenues resulting from House Bill 170 – passed during the 2015 Legislation Session – will be added to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) budget. I am very happy to see that a piece of legislation we passed a couple of years ago is still making positive impacts for GDOT.

Along with attending the budget hearings and carefully reviewing the proposals for the Amended FY18 and General FY19 budgets, my colleagues and I took up a very important piece of legislation in Senate Chamber. On Thursday, the Senate passed the Supporting and Strengthening Families Act, also known as the Adoption Bill, or HB 159. This bill passed with bipartisan support and is now headed over to the House of Representatives for their review. Final passage of this legislation and a signature into law by the Governor would allow our state to update our adoption system which has been the same for nearly 30 years.

The Senate’s version of HB 159 clarifies many of the laws regarding who can adopt, who can act as a legal guardian and the rights held by the biological parents before and after giving their child up for adoption. Additionally, the version the Senate passed on Thursday states that if an agency is not involved in a private adoptive process, living expenses cannot be paid. The only expenses that can be paid in a private adoption are medical and counseling. These are just some of the highlights of the Senate version of HB 159. As this legislation moves through the legislative process, my colleagues and I will work with the Governor and House of Representatives to ensure there is cooperation to address concerns anyone may have. It is imperative that we pass this legislation so that we can assist the large number of children who are in foster care and need a loving and stable home.

The pace of the session is going to pick up quickly with standing committees beginning to hold meetings next week to vet legislation pending from last year along with new bills introduced this year. As we move forward in the session, please do not hesitate to reach out with questions, concerns and feedback. It is always great to hear from my constituents and our door is always open.

Union County Local Primary Results

Election, News

Local Results

Sheriff – M. Mason     72.48%;     E.T. Wood     27.52%

Coroner – B. Erwin    65.74%;    B. Brookshire     34.26%

Board of Education District 1 – J.D. Akins    67.43%;     A Smith    32.57%

Board of Education District 3 – C. Byers    56.64%;    T.A. Collins    43.36%

Magistrate Court – C.D. Cox    60.54%;    R. Knox    13.66%;    J. Leone    25.81%

State Senator District 51 – Steve Gooch     81.55;     John Williamson     18.45%

State Representative District 8 – Matt Gurtler     41.43%;    David Barton     34.43%;   Joshua Littrell    12.49%;     Kent Woerner    11.65%

 

District-wide Results

State Senator District 51 – Steve Gooch     73.12%;     John Williamson    26.88%

State Representative District 8 – Runoff – Matt Gurtler    34.66%;    Kent Woerner    22.59%;    David Barton    20.30%;     Joshua Littrell    22.45%

51st District State Senate Candidates on FYN’s Candidate Day

Election, Politics

Steve Gooch and John Williamson speak on FYN’s Candidate Day for the citizens on the eve of the election day.

https://youtu.be/NfjOyY2DcF8

Williamson Announces for Georgia Senate Seat in the 51st District

Politics

John Williamson, a 34 year resident of Gilmer County, announced today that he has qualified for the 51st District Senate seat in the May 24th Republican primary.  “I am dissatisfied with the paths taken by our legislative leaders, especially with their increased taxation. Rather than sitting back and complaining I decided to take action, to volunteer to be a part of the political process and do what I can to move the ship of state back to common sense Republican ideals.  I want to give the voters in the 51st district a choice, one that values transparency; a choice to break away from the entrenched power politics that intimidates us in North Georgia and responds only to the wishes of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the corporations that want to force their values on us and our state.  I recognize the difficulties of making a significant change in our state government, but I can promise you that my votes will reflect our shared values.”

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