Middle Georgia Matters forum gives voters chance to hear from candidates
Candidates Keisha Lance Bottoms and Josh Tolbert spoke about issues affecting Middle Georgia during a forum in Macon.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Middle Georgia Matters was the message at a forum in Macon Thursday, where voters had the opportunity to hear directly from candidates running for office.
Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is running for governor, spoke about several issues she says are important to Middle Georgia, including data center construction, education, healthcare, mental health services and support for veterans.
“There are so many issues that are facing Middle Georgia, and Middle Georgia deserves to have a governor who’s focused on the things that matter most, whether it be the construction of data centers that will draw millions of gallons from the Ocmulgee River, or whether it’s funding of education or access to healthcare, access to mental health services, supporting our veterans,” she said. “It all matters, and it’s important that I’m here, not just to talk, but more importantly, to listen.”
Bottoms was also asked about her Republican opponent, Rick Jackson, who did not attend the forum.
“He received an invitation to be here in the same manner I did, and he chose not to show up because Middle Georgia does not matter to him,” Bottoms said.
One Republican who did attend was Josh Tolbert, who is running for Public Service Commission District 5.
Tolbert focused on the technical decisions made by the Public Service Commission, including decisions involving power bills and power plants. He said his background as a licensed professional engineer and his experience working with energy systems would bring technical expertise to the commission.
“The Public Service Commission makes technical decisions about your power bill, building power plants, what type of power plants, and these are decisions that are extremely technical,” he said. “Even though they are technical, we don’t have a single engineer on the commission, and that’s why I’m running.”
The Middle Georgia Matters forum was designed to give voters an opportunity to hear directly from candidates before the election.
