Together, We Can.

Looking Forward

The election season is over and we will continue to work towards helping our community in education and health issue awareness, community development and smart growth .

When I embarked on this campaign – my first - I knew that I was about to encounter many new experiences and emotions. Well, I was not disappointed, and I hope to be able to use this experience in the days to come. But I will tell you this much now: It is truly a privilege to have had the opportunity to run for State Senate... and I am not going away. I will continue to work very hard to do my part in our community, engaging the dialogue with new ideas, organizations and efforts.

To all the candidates of all the contested races, I commend you. You know all the tribulations of running for office: from the wonderful commitment of your volunteers, to attending meetings with passionate (or, let's be honest, sometimes disengaged) audiences, to going through endorsement interviews and making door-to-door pitches. You understand the challenge of communicating everything about you and your campaign in 5-minute, 2-minute or 1-minute pitches, trying to get it all in before the bell, buzzer, gong or shepherd's hook.

To all the voters and volunteers, I commend you for your restraint and your open-minded engagement as you listened for the candidate who speaks with your voice, while allowing for the inevitable differences of opinion. If, in the din of special interest spin, you are able to keep your own counsel, then you truly have my admiration. I also want to thank in particular my voters and volunteers for their support and their commitment.

We have a lot of work to do as a nation, a state and a community. We cannot let ourselves be distracted by wedge issues, gotcha politics, self-righteous pronouncements and partisan attitudes. We must not forget our common sense, our love of inclusion and our search for good solutions.

Anatole France said, "I prefer the errors of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom." I could not agree more. Together, we can continue our journey to a thousand solutions from thousands of votes that start with the most important vote: Yours.

Thank you for all you do and may the vote be with you.

The Live Oak: the state tree of Georgia. Strong, stable, vibrant and beautiful, it is both a living history and a promise to keep reaching higher levels. I want to see a Georgia that lives up to the lesson of the live oak, a Georgia where we respect and protect the best of what we are while growing toward the best of what we can be.

I have a vision for our state: smart growth, small business development and educational opportunities that know no limits. I bring a new perspective, fresh resolve and a passion for results. We have an abundance of talent, resourcefulness and creativity in our district, which includes western Gwinnett and northern DeKalb Counties. With a new spirit of inclusive, non-partisan collaboration and a creative mindset, we can address the root causes of our state's and district's present challenges and realize our great potential. Together, we can make a difference.

Together, we can create new opportunities for our children, grow a stronger sense of community, improve our neighborhoods and create attractive job opportunities. I look forward to hearing from you and meeting with you in the coming weeks.