A longtime East Cobb Republican legislator unaccustomed to a general election challenge has drawn a first-time Democratic opponent for the second consecutive election.
Matt Dollar, a real estate professional who has represented District 45 since 2003, is facing attorney Sara Tindall Ghazal. They were unopposed in the primaries.
Since his victory over Essence Johnson in the 2018 general election with nearly 60 percent of the vote, Dollar has been caught up in the controversial East Cobb cityhood effort.
Near the end of the 2019 legislative session, he filed a bill to call for a referendum and create a city charter.
But Dollar couldn’t find any support from his East Cobb colleagues for the bill, which needed a Senate co-sponsor. At the end of last year, the Committee for Cityhood in East Cobb announced it wouldn’t pursue the legislation.
At an East Cobb Business Association forum this week, Dollar tried to separate himself from the issue, insisting he was only sponsoring a bill, “not pushing cityhood,” that would only set up a referendum.
He also was critical of the pro-cityhood group, saying it “didn’t do a good job of explaining why it would be beneficial.”
In Dollar’s latest campaign disclosure report, however, several cityhood leaders were listed as contributors, including $1,000 each from Owen Brown, Rob Eble and Chip Patterson and $500 from David Birdwell.
Phil Kent, a public relations executive who initially handled publicity for the cityhood forces, also donated $200 to Dollar’s campaign.
Thus far, Dollar has raised $254,029 in contributions and has $174,584 in cash on hand.
Ghazal, a former staffer at The Carter Center and a former voter protection director for the Georgia Democratic Party, has raised $220,906 and has $152,375 on hand.
Here are the latest campaign disclosure reports filed by Dollar and Ghazal respectively.
Candidate websites
Dollar said at the ECBA forum his biggest priority is safely reopening Georgia’s economy, which he said is “is primed for a fast recovery” despite business shutdowns this spring and restrictions that still exist.
“We need to be safe, but people need to have a job to go back to,” Dollar said.
Ghazal said Georgia has to get a better handle on stopping the spread of COVID, which is her main issue.
“Things are going to get worse before they get better,” she said. “This crisis has highlighted the health disparities” that she said have only grown in Georgia.
Access to health care for lower-income Georgians remains “a long-term crisis that Georgia must face.”
When the candidates were asked if the state should undergo another lockdown, Ghazal said she wasn’t sure, and pointed to the lack of a statewide mask mandate as a possible option instead.
“People are making bad choices,” said Ghazal, who added that public health guidance needs to be followed.
Dollar praised Gov. Brian Kemp’s response, and said “Georgia is doing great in our recovery. Whatever Georgia’s doing, it works.”
On East Cobb cityhood, Ghazal said she’s been adamantly opposed all along, saying a city would create an extra layer of government that would result in higher taxes.
The cityhood bill was “putting the cart before the horse,” especially in light of vocal opposition.
Dollar defended his actions, saying it’s his job to listen as a public official, and said he stopped action on the bill after hearing from opponents.
On his website, Dollar has pointed to efforts to secure 100,000 medical masks and other personal protective equipment for health-care workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the forum he noted his support for hate-crimes legislation.
Ghazal favors Medicaid expansion and tax-credits to address affordable housing needs, and would work to repeal “stand your ground laws.”
Like other Democrats running for the legislature, she’s also in support of same-day and online registration and favors automatically sending absentee ballot applications to voters in future elections, instead of them having to request them.
While Dollar said he has “a long history that I am proud of, my opponent is a carbon-copy of Stacey Abrams and her agenda.”
That’s a reference to 2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate.
Ghazal pledged that if she’s elected, “you’ll get someone who is accessible, transparent and responsive to the community.”
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