WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Georgia's 2020 General Primary Election is less than a month away, so we want to take a closer look at the candidates.
Republican Miranda Britt is running against incumbent State Representative Heath Clark for District 147, which covers Warner Robins and Centerville.
Britt was born and raised in Warner Robins. She graduated from Northside High School and has five children. She is currently at Health Tech of Georgia working on her Certified Medical Assisting degree.
Britt said she is very active in the community by helping the homeless and veterans. Her family also owns a small business in Warner Robins.
She said if elected to the Georgia General Assembly, she wants to focus on education, problems with food stamps and SNAP benefits and maternal mortality rates.
She said 60% of maternal deaths are preventable.
"There are 64 counties that do not have an OB-GYN in them, so women are not able to get the prenatal care that they need," said Britt.
Britt also said she is in favor of term limits.
Heath Clark was elected in 2015. He grew up in Warner Robins and has four kids. He worked as a software engineer at Robins Air Force Base and started the Sojourn Church in Warner Robins.
He said one of the things he is most proud of during his time in office is the Military Studies Committee. They have traveled to all the bases in Georgia to find out how they can help veterans and military members beyond the gates of the base.
Clark said if he is re-elected, he wants to continue to help military members and their spouses through the Spousal Licensure Bill, which would allow spouses who come into Georgia to keep practicing as a nurse or teacher if they fit certain criteria without having to get re-licensed.
He also wants to push for the Child Victim Protection Act.
"As a parent, something could happen to your kid, and you don’t know. But this organization might have known, and they don’t even let you know, and then by the time you find out as a parent or the kid feels comfortable enough or discovers that this is what really happened to me way later in life, there’s no recourse or action to be able to be taken," said Clark.
He also wants to continue to grow a STEM-based private sector.
"If we had that private sector here that was strong, it would help support Robins Air Force Base and the workforce needs they have," he said.
Britt said the largest issue facing the district is the lag time in people getting their food stamps and SNAP benefits.
"They are behind three, six, eight months, so that means the people that need these benefits are not receiving them, and especially right now during COVID-19, people are not receiving unemployment, and that’s definitely something we need to address," she said.
Clark said he thinks the biggest issue is how the community and the state will recover from the economic impact of COVID-19.
"We just need to make sure that on the other side of this is these people who have a desire to work hard, provide for their families, improve the quality of life for their children, that we’re able to deliver the opportunities for that through jobs and businesses staying alive," said Clark. "Our track record here in Georgia underlines that we’ve done a good job of positioning ourselves to come out of this well."
Britt said she decided to run, because she got tired of talking about issues only on social media, and it's time for a new voice.
"With the incumbent, he has done his three terms. He has done his six years, and I believe it’s time for someone new with new ideas to come in," she said. "I will be your listening ear, I will stay in the community and listen to your needs, not just what I believe you need. So, give me a call, talk to me, I am here to listen to you. I don’t just want your vote and then to just disappear."
Clark said serving this community has been one of the greatest honors of his life.
"Not many communities are like Warner Robins and Houston County where you see military members every day and these patriots that have served our country and are serving our country well. It is just an honor and a privilege to be able to serve them and represent them," said Clark. "I can promise that I will always be honest with you, I’ll be transparent with you, and I will try… try with everything I am to be accessible to you."
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