Local News
Handel presses gubernatorial bid
MOULTRIE — Eliminating Georgia Bureau of Investigation laboratories in Moultrie and other locations would constitute neglecting governmental responsibilities and likely end up costing more, a gubernatorial candidate said this week.
During an interview Monday at The Observer, Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel addressed local issues as well as her plans to boost economic development in the state.
Handel, the former chairman of the Fulton County Commission and senior policy adviser to Gov. Sonny Perdue, is one of seven Republicans who have announced their intentions to seek their party’s nomination for governor in the 2010 race. The others are: Former Glynn County Commissioner Jeff Chapman, U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, state Senate President Eric Johnson, Ray McBerry, Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, and state Rep. Austin Scott of Tifton.
On the topic of the planned closings of three crime laboratories, Handel said that the move would merely shift costs from the state to local governments, possibly meaning increases in local taxes.
Law enforcement and court officials have criticized the move, saying it would force officers to spend time driving evidence to far away labs in Atlanta and could delay trials.
“Certainly public safety is a core function of the state,” she said. “As a former county commission chairman I am certainly sensitive to unfunded mandates.”
The GBI has announced plans to close the Moultrie laboratory and two others by March 31.
Rather than the across-the-board cuts that have been made to state agencies, Handel said, priorities should have been established whereby vital services such as public safety would not be affected to the same extent as less vital services.
“I think a strong case can be made that by eliminating GBI labs, rather than saving money it’s going to cost more money,” she said. “It’s not really a budget saving if you have a local government” take up the slack. “That’s just a shell game.”
Mental health services is another service that is important, she said.
Earlier this year Georgia Pines Community Services, which provides mental health services in several Southwest Georgia counties including Colquitt County, eliminated most counseling services and prescription drug services here. The move, which the agency said was spurred by state cuts of $600,000 last year, forced clients of the Moultrie office to travel to Pelham or Thomasville to receive those services.
The state is under a federal court order to improve its abymsal mental health system, and Handel said it is in the state’s interest to fix the problem before the feds step in and mandate a course of action.
“We have to improve what we’re doing there,” Handel said. “That means bringing in the right people who are mental health experts.”
Handel said that completing the four-laning of Ga. Hwy. 133 would be among her priorities for economic development in the Moultrie region. That road, linking Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany, to Interstate 75, would open up significant opportunities to the communities in the area. It would open up ports in Savannah and Jacksonville to access to alternate trucking routes, as well as connecting to Rome, Ga., via U.S. Hwy. 27.
The state, ranked 27th in overall tax burden by the Tax Foundation, also needs to revamp its tax codes, Handel said. Her goal as governor would be to place Georgia in the top 10 states in terms of tax burden.
Handel also envisions boosting the use of technology in schools, including more technical coursework in middle school grades and expanding the grades served by virtual classrooms.
“That would expand the education day without exponentially expanding costs,” she said. “Technical colleges are some of our most valuable assets.”
On the issue of allowing illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses, Handel said she is opposed.
In an interview on Monday, Colquitt County Sheriff Al Whittington said he favors allowing illegals to get licenses so they could legally drive and get auto insurance.
The issue has come up frequently in The Observer’s Rant and Raves section following a recent road check that resulted in numerous traffic charges. Whittington said during a talk to Hispanic people at a church 85 percent of the group admitted that they drive without licenses and will continue to do so in order to get to work, he said.
“They’re good folks,” Whittington said. “They need some way to give those folks a driver’s license. Get these people, the Hispanic community, a way they could get insurance and they’ll be legal to drive. They’ve got to work for a living. They’ve got to support their families.”
Whittington said the license could be renewable every year and could bring in some additional money to the state. Officers have no choice but to arrest those people who are violating the law. He added that the law does not allow him to hold those who may be in the country illegally.
The department notifies U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in some cases, but if the agency does not return a call within a specified time the department cannot hold a suspected illegal immigrant, Whittington said. In cases of traffic charges, “if that’s the only thing, we can’t hold them. If they post bail they’re free to go.”
Handel said that making it possible for illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses sends the “wrong message” and does not ensure that they will purchase auto insurance.
“I am cognizant of the need to have migrant workers in the area,” she said. “At the same time we need to deal with the situation of illegals, not just in Georgia but in the country. I would not see opening up licenses to illegals, just like I wouldn’t open up other services to illegals.”
