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Health & Fitness

Smith: State and District Should Focus on Boosting Economy

Interview with Paul Smith, one of the four candidates for Georgia House seat 107.

I chatted last Saturday at the Loganville Starbucks with Georgia House District 107 candidate, Paul Smith and his wife, Tammy. Michael Lynch, Mark Banks and Tom Kirby are the other candidates in the race for the seat which has been open since former State Rep. Len Walker resigned to take a position as Chaplain at Big Canoe in North Georgia.

Paul Smith is a man who believes strongly in the importance of family values and in the sanctity of human life. As a candidate, he is perhaps proudest of his endorsement by GRTL (Georgia Right to Life). He and his wife have taught courses together at a pregnancy resource center.

”Protecting human life is not just a political position for us-it’s one of our core values,” he said.

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His Christian-based belief in the value of every life and in the values of family and country has led to Paul Smith’s extensive involvement in public policy at the legislative level.

Though he has never held any elected office, 107 candidate Smith has been at the forefront of public policy for 15 years. He has been at the helm of projects and organizations which serve to educate and advocate for Conservative causes that empower those principles of faith, family and country.

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As both the state and legislative director of the Georgia Association of Christian Schools, and the founder of Citizen Impact (www.citizen impactUSA.org) he makes two trips annually to Washington, D.C. to meet with Georgia’s legislative delegation to discuss public policy regarding his specific advocacies.

The educational arm of Citizen Impact has as its purpose to inform and arm citizens with knowledge about public policy issues. It serves to teach citizens who legislates what, what issues are currently being addressed, and how they as citizens may make an impact themselves on public policy. As the director of Citizen Impact, Smith has spoken extensively - in 2011, he spoke at about 45 venues.

Citizen Impact’s Student Legislative Days host 140 high school juniors and seniors over a two-day period annually. It offers a fast-paced civics course and teaches students all about parliamentary procedure, how to debate, how to introduce actual bills that are being considered in the Georgia assembly and brings in legislators to speak to the students.

With the legislative arm of Citizen Impact, Smith attended Georgia legislative sessions, met with legislators and took part in committee meetings. He was also actively involved in introducing a bill regarding regulations for pre-schools.

In his leadership roles with the Georgia Association of Christian Schools, Paul Smith has worn many hats. He served as the state Athletic Commissioner overseeing junior varsity and varsity interscholastic athletic competitions. Smith was a vital part of the state level school accreditation process. He also helped coordinate teacher’s conventions and assisted with school arts festivals. 

He still serves as the legislative director of the Georgia Association of Christian Schools as well as the South Director for the American Association of Christian Schools.

Paul Smith says that his advocacy roles have qualified him to understand the legislative process. “It’s allowed me to be intimately involved with writing bills and getting them passed.” He has also formed valuable working relationships with legislators and public policy staff.

Smith holds a B.A. from Pensacola Christian in Pensacola, Fl and a Masters in Ministry from Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. He has served as pastor and assistant pastor at several churches. He and his family, attend Berean Baptist Church in Lilburn, where his wife, Tammy, is a full time member of the staff.

When asked what he thought were the main challenges facing Georgia House District 107, Paul Smith said both the district and the state should focus on factors that boost our slumping economy.

“Voters are extremely concerned about the economy," he said.

Referring to the business which he founded, Citizen Impact, he explained, “As a small business owner myself, I have seen how government red tape can hinder business.”

Candidate Smith said that taxes can strangle businesses and overregulation can hamper growth. “We need less government intrusion so businesses can thrive and create jobs,” he noted.

He said that he is a big supporter of tax reform and especially moving away from an income tax and moving towards a consumption tax on the state level. Regarding the FairTax, Smith said, “The Fair Tax is a federal issue and that legislation is only being considered in Congress." However, Smith said he is totally behind efforts to eliminate the energy tax in the state of Georgia.

Paul Smith said that it would be his job as a state representative to support any and all legislation that would “make sure District 107 is friendly to business….we need to make sure small businesses have the tools to thrive and create jobs.”

As someone who has worked extensively for and with students in his tenure with the Georgia Christian Schools Association Smith have very definite opinions about the situation regarding education in our state.

“When it comes to education, I favor local control,” Smith said. He went on to say that programs like Race to the Top have too large of a federal footprint. He believes that Georgia was too quick to pounce on those funds offered to our education program through Race to the Top.

“Race to the Top would require the adoption of core curriculum based on national standards and I don’t believe that Washington, D.C knows what is best for schools in District 107,” Smith observed.

On the very controversial subject of charter schools, he supports the idea, though he said there are some constitutional concerns to work out in its details. “Since charter schools accept money from the state, they need to accept state regulations,” he said. “But I totally support parents having the choice to educate their children as they see fit.”

Regarding the hot button issue of immigration, Smith said, “I believe the federal government is not doing their job.” If the federal government continues to fail to act then, “the state is compelled to act,” he added.

Though there are technicalities to work out in the immigration bill passed last year in the Georgia legislature, he said he basically agrees with it. “I believe in tough immigration law,” the 107 candidate insisted.

He also believes that the role of government is to protect people’s God-given rights. Smith said that the government does not bestow these rights on its citizens. “The Founding Fathers said we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” he said. “Too much government intrusion tends to hinder our freedoms.”

One of those freedoms that he holds sacred is that right guaranteed by the Second Amendment. Smith said, “I have an AQ rating with the NRA.” According to the NRA, an AQ rating is interpreted by their members as “being a solid pro gun/pro hunting candidate who supports the right to keep and bear arms.”

Paul Smith has worked for many years in the public policy arm of government. He is obviously a man of faith who is willing to fight hard for what he believes. “I think we need more ethical people in government,” he said. The breadth of his efforts would seem to demonstrate the man’s dedication and commitment to the basic values he holds dear.

There will be a candidate forum for the Georgia House 107 Special Election at 7:30 on Thursday, February 2 at Loganville City Hall.

The Special Election will be held next Tuesday, Feb. 7.

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