Banks: Common Sense and Business Experience

I recently met with Mark Banks, candidate for the Georgia House from District 107 House at the Loganville Chili’s. The 107 House seat was left vacate when former State Representative Len Walker resigned. Mr. Banks said that he decided to run for the Georgia State House because after many years in the educational trenches and being involved in local community affairs he realized that “If you’re concerned. and you’re going to complain, you should make a difference and step up.”

Before he resigned his position recently to run in the House 107 Special Election, Banks was on the Walton County School Board for seven years, serving as Chairman from 2008-2010. He is also a graduate of the Leadership Walton program which trains community leaders to address the issues that affect their county.

Mr. Banks began his involvement in public service in the local schools which his daughters, April, Dori, and Brittany, attended in Walton County. His first venture into elected office was when he ran unsuccessfully against Ken Cloud for the Walton County School Board. He was later successful in running for the School Board against Cloud and Mark Peavy.

Mark Banks is a native of Snellville and has been married for 33 years to his wife Sheila Geiger Banks. He has a high school education but went straight into the workforce and has worked in the golf industry for more than 35 years. Fifteen years ago, he joined with several partners and founded the very successful Cedar Lakes Golf Club. He and his wife attend Sharon Baptist Church in Loganville.

When asked what he feels are the most pressing issues for his District, Banks said that the Hard Labor Creek Reservoir Project was the most important since, “I feel like it will take care of all the water needs in our area for the next 40 years.” Banks said that currently Walton only gets a percentage of the water in the reservoir it now shares with nearby Newton County.

Though Mr. Banks acknowledged that developers have already purchased 70 percent of the property and some of the necessary permits, he said there are still ongoing complications with acquiring some of the required Federal permits. The state may have to get more involved in the permit battles according to Banks.

Another problem with the Hard Labor Creek Reservoir Project is that of funding. “Funding is still one of the biggest hurdles,” Banks said. He went on to say that if the state doesn’t come through with the needed funds for the project, “We may have to ask for local bonds here in Walton County and that is not an easy thing.”

The former Walton School Board chairman said that the biggest challenge in the state of Georgia would have to be the terrible economy that we find ourselves in. Banks said a great beginning to encourage economic growth would be to address the needs of the Savannah Harbor. “It's something we should definitely take care of.” He says that he was down in Savannah for a trip recently and stayed on the river where he saw the problem for himself. “It's amazing how much ship traffic comes in now. Ships seem to be stacked up almost twenty high.”

Banks said, with regards to the sinking economy, “Thankfully, we have a balanced budget act.” He said that would go far in helping with the state’s financial struggles. Furthermore, he observed, “Nobody should be promising that we’re going to start any new projects while we’re promising also to cut taxes which definitely needs to be done.” He also said that there is a “big difference between tax cuts and a tax shift.”

On the question of tax reform in general, Mark Banks is a firm supporter of the FairTax, although, he says, “Don’t know if we’ll see it passed in my lifetime.” But he went on to say that it will be a matter of taking small steps to get the FairTax enacted into law: “You play checkers one box at a time. If we could move one step closer to fairtax, it would be a good change.”

Banks is also a vigorous proponent of the ESPLOST(Education Special Local Option Sales Tax) which he believes is a “penny put to good use” in the local school systems in Georgia, and especially in Walton County. “It’s been a tremendous relief for property owners in Walton County,” he said. He further stated that he didn’t think it was possible for anyone to say that they were against the ESPLOST and for the FairTax in the same breath, since both paid for things right off the top-with a sales tax.

The second greatest challenge that District 107 and Georgia faces is improving education. Banks years working in the school system at various levels would seem to give him an especially qualified perspective on the problems facing our education system. He saw the No Child Left Behind program as a good idea at its inception but believes it has turned into a disaster over time.

Banks said, “Teachers have their hands cuffed. They have to teach to the test requirements and their jobs are always on the line.” He said they start to be more afraid of losing their jobs than they are concerned with being good teachers.

At one point, the state even considered cutting funding for school nurses. Banks said that was part of the problem with the education system in Georgia. Legislators don’t understand the practical matters of providing the proper environment for students and giving them the things they need, like medical care.

He said so many students need medical care these days and take medicines on a daily basis. Thankfully, they restored funding for the nurses, but that kind of uninformed decision worries Mark Banks. “Sometimes, folks at the Capitol don’t have a clue about what’s really going on,” he said.

Another thing he worries about regarding education is the accreditation problems that have faced Georgia schools in recent years. “I’m not sure the governor should go after board members in these counties that lose their accreditation but I do think that if schools lose theirs, like happened in Clayton County a few years ago, there should be special election 30 days later.”

Mark Banks is also very vocal on his opinion of charter schools. “I’m not a big advocate of them. I support public schools. They serve 95 percent of our people.” He said that children need to be exposed to things at school that they’re exposed to in real life. Banks said “Education is much more than what we learn in books. It's what you learn about life.”

One thing he doesn’t think the government has any business doing is worrying about educating illegal immigrants. “I think the government should take care of their own first,” the candidate told me. He doesn’t feel that we should be responsible for the children born here of those people who are here illegally - or as he phrased it, “two illegals don’t make a legal.”

What the state of Georgia is doing with legislation to handle its illegal immigration problem is all well and good, Banks said, but "if we had cracked down on businesses years ago regarding their illegal immigrant hires, we wouldn’t be in the shape we’re in now.”

When asked if he had any particular bills in mind that he would like to introduce if he were elected to the Georgia House, he said he was not focusing on that this first term since, because I would be going in late to a session like this, all the committees are pretty much already set, so there really isn’t a chance for me to introduce legislation. Banks said that he would like to say he could go in and change the world all of a sudden, but,“this session is more about forming relationships to build on later.”

Mark Banks is a dedicated family man and concerned citizen who has devoted his life to building a successful business and to being an integral part of the community, especially in the education system. He feels he possesses the kind of practical common sense and hard-working business experience that people can relate to. “I want the people to feel they have a voice at the capitol they can trust,” Banks said. “And I hope I’ve established I am such.”

There is a candidates forum, for the Georgia House District 107 Special Election, scheduled for tonight, February 2, at 7 p.m. at Loganville City Hall.

The Special Election for Georgia House District 107 will be held on Tuesday, February 7th.