Northeast Cobb legislative incumbents face election challenges

Two established members of the Georgia House Republican leadership and a Democrat who unseated a GOP incumbent two years ago are all facing opponents in the Nov. 3 general election.

The latter is first-term State Rep. Mary Frances Williams, of the 37th District, who is facing Rose Wing, the former head of the Cobb Republican Party.

In 2018 Williams upended Rep. Sam Teasley in a tight race, then withstood a recount to break an all-Republican roster of state representatives with East Cobb constituencies.

Wing, who was defeated as Cobb GOP president after the 2016 elections, is making her first run for public office.

Both candidates are residents of the city of Marietta, which makes up most of the district. It includes an area of East Cobb along Piedmont and East Piedmont roads, down to Barnes Mill Road and east of Interstate 75 (map here).

Candidate websites: Williams | Wing

During her first term, Williams sponsored legislation requiring the release of audio and video law enforcement body camera recordings and supports repealing “Stand Your Ground” laws.

A former lobbyist for education and children’s issues, Williams said the state’s response to COVID-19 is her top priority, and she supports Medicaid expansion and measures to curb surprise medical billing.

Wing, a retired former prosecutor in the Cobb District Attorney’s Office, said she wants to promote conservative values, especially keeping taxes low to spur business and economic growth and to “protect an environment for local businesses to succeed.”

The daughter of a teacher, Wing also said her priorities include COVID response and strengthening public education and public safety.

State House District 44

First elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1994, State Rep. Don Parsons has a Democratic opponent for the second consecutive election.

The district stretches from Wade Green Road to Hembree Road (map here).

Parsons, a Republican, is chairman of the House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee and also serves on the Appropriations and Ways & Means committees.

Parsons is touting that experience, along with what he said is his commitment to fiscal responsibility, including tax cuts. He also voted for Hate Crimes legislation the last two years

He supported a bill that would extend hate-crime protections for police officers and other enforcement personnel who are threatened, harassed or intimidated because they are first responders. That bill was signed by the governor and becomes law next year.

Campaign websites: DiCicco | Parsons

Running against Parsons is Connie DiCicco, a former chief of staff for Mary Frances Williams.

A parent in the Addison Elementary School area, she said her priorities include improving health care access, including Medicaid expansion, better funding for public education, environmental justice and protecting voting rights.

DiCicco also supports “common sense” reforms to encourage gun safety and while she advocated the main Hate Crimes bill that passed last session, she said “Georgia still has a long way to go to end systemic racism in our justice system.”

State House District 46

Since winning a special election in 2011, State Rep. John Carson has risen quicky in the ranks of House Republican leadership.

District 44 includes the northeast corner of Cobb and part of southern Cherokee County (map here).

He’s vice chairman of the Transportation, Ways & Means and Energy, Utility and Telecommunications subcommittees.

A certified public accountant, Carson stresses a platform with low taxes, including eliminating state corporate income taxes, and he opposes Obamacare.

He has voted for a public school teacher pay raise but also has sponsored legislation to allow for a tax credit for private school tuition.

Candidate websites: Carson | Holko

His Democratic opponent is Caroline Holko, who got 48 percent of the vote against District 3 incumbent Joann Birrell in a run for the Cobb Board of Commissioners in 2018.

Her priorities are Medicaid expansion, voter protection, what she calls reproductive and environmental justice, full funding of public education and legalizing cannabis in Georgia.

Holko, who is a supporter of unabashed liberal causes, has had to explain during her campaign using a racial slur a decade ago in a blog post about black males and crime.

In September, on her campaign blog, she wrote that that 2009 blog post “was written in ignorance and anger” and that “my position has drastically changed since then.”