One-
Advocate,
initiate and institute a more secure form of casting our ballots,
which would support the full participation of citizens in this state’s
political process. I would like to improve the veracity of Georgia’s
election process by establishing reliable, verifiable, transparent and
authentic voting results. Today, Georgia does not own the software in
its very own electronic voting machines. I am proposing to retrofit our
state’s voting machines with open source software that the state, as
owner, can use to create verifiable paper ballots, which will serve as
the ballot of record. Although adding a paper ballot is important,
instituting such a change without having more up to date and secure
software is a fruitless act.
As Secretary, I will advocate for bills such as SB591 or any newly
proposed bill, which designates the paper ballot as the
official ballot.
This means that whenever there is a discrepancy between man and machine
the paper ballot will serve as the official record in all Georgia
elections.
Two-
Begin contiguous state
environmental initiatives to help reduce residual
nutrients (raw material) in the Chattahoochee River, Lake Lanier, the
Lakes of North Georgia and other large bodies of
water here in
Georgia by 10% each year during my tenure. Many are unaware that the
Secretary's office governs wastewater management companies and, as
such, regulates this process and makes recommendations to other states
whose waters flow down stream into Georgia. The Secretary also licenses
and regulates building contractors who play a large roll in either
adding to or helping to reduce such pollutant problems. The pristine
lakes in North Georgia are an attraction to many sport anglers and are
known for their prize trout fishing. Pollutants flowing down stream
from other states ultimately will compromise the aquatic eco system in
the state, thus decreasing Georgia's natural resources for future
generations. By allowing the continuous buildup of waste nutrients,
Lake Lanier remains in danger of having all motorized watercraft halted.
By keeping within the guidelines of the clean water act – the merits of
which are seen in success stories from Maryland, Arizona and Virginia -
and by reducing the unhealthy nutrients that flow in and around our
water ways down and into Alabama and Florida, Georgia can become a part
of the solution to establishing a cleaner and healthier Eco system.
Three-
Begin a statewide
campaign on real everyday issues that all residents can
relate to under the Securities Division of the office of the Secretary
of State. As an example, some investors may not fully understand
important aspects of their investment plan, or may have accounts that
are not being properly serviced by a securities firm. Identity thieves
as well as real estate and mortgage fraud and, yes, even mortuary
fraud, are very real issues here in Georgia. Educating the constituents
of Georgia on real issues that affect their day-to-day lives in a
manner that is receptive, clear and understandable will be a priority
during my tenure.
Four-
Streamline Georgia's
business licensing process to encourage and expedite
economic growth by combining professional and business licenses fees
for all professionally licensed individuals who choose to operate their
own business here in Georgia into one “Smart Package”. I will begin the
process of finding ways to reduce fees to Georgia Bourn (businesses
established in Georgia) by offering solid business incentives. Finally,
under an
interstate co-op,
I will work with other Secretary of States to ease the transition of
individuals who currently hold a professional license in other states
who desire come to Georgia to continue their professions without
interruption of employment opportunities, making Georgia one of the
most attractive and business friendly states to do business in and with.
Five- Institute an official world class
State Museum here in Georgia. Almost every state in the
union has an official museum within walking distance of their state
capital, Georgia being one of the exceptions. Currently, Georgia
displays all of its historical artifacts under the gold dome. These
artifacts are rotated out every several months to allow even viewing
distribution to the public because there is insufficient room to
display all that Georgia has to offer at one time. It literally costs
the state thousand of dollars per month to store and redistribute these
historical treasures. All of Georgia’s history should be on display in
its entirety in order to tell the complete story of Georgia's history.
As the custodian of Georgia's historical artifacts, one priority will
be to collaborate with other states and their officials to obtain
suggested guidelines in establishing an official state museum in
Georgia. It is also essential to have a secure emergency plan
to protect and preserve our historical artifacts in the event of a
natural disaster or acts that are terroristic in nature.
Six-
Bring major boxing back
to the State of Georgia. Many are unaware that the
Secretary of State is the boxing commissioner for the state of Georgia,
renamed Georgia’s Athletic & Entertainment
Commission. Currently, Georgia has every major venue required
to facilitate such major entertainment events as established in Las
Vegas and New Jersey. Bringing professional boxing events back to
Georgia means a boost to Georgia's economy as well as the budget for
the office of the Secretary, thus allowing this office to become a
self-sufficient entity, with the possible implementation of securing
emergency bonds for use by the Secretary. With each major
event, every mom and pop shop, every restaurant and hotels near and
far, and many other vendors will bustle with visitors and patrons from
Georgia, other states, and from across the world, thus allowing Georgia
businesses to reap economic benefits from an event that could last up
to several days. Large and small airlines will also realize a
definite benefit as well. If you recall, it took a mere 3 days for some
of our major airlines to fold under and go out of business due to the
financial impact of 911. Although boxing sounds minimal at best, it is
a major worldwide sporting attraction which can and will lend a new
financial option to Georgia's economy. And let’s face it, SPORTS SELL.
