Collier Heights Community Hears from Gubernatorial Candidates Ahead of Georgia Primary Election
Residents of the historic African American neighborhood of Collier Heights gathered to hear from candidates running for governor and discussed issues such as healthcare, wealth, and opportunity. The post Collier Heights Community Hears from Gubernatorial Candidates Ahead of Georgia Primary Election appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.
Black News 
Nearly 30 residents of the historic African American neighborhood of Collier Heights gathered at the Atlanta Berean Seventh-Day Adventist Church for their monthly community meeting and to hear from candidates running for governor.
Juanita Morton, the Collier Heights National Historic District Neighborhood Association president, opened the meeting with a reminder that the neighborhood is celebrating its 80th anniversary.
“Our job is to make sure that we educate, and that’s what we are here to do in historic Collier Heights. We have to maintain our integrity, and we have to make sure we keep our rich history because we stand on shoulders.”
Before the candidates took to the podium, community members heard from a Department of Watershed Management representative and two Atlanta Police Department officers who took in concerns about issues such as clogged drains from street debris, flooding, noise ordinance enforcement, and Airbnb party houses.
Jason Esteves and Derrick Jackson attended the candidate meet-and-greet to introduce themselves to the community, share their platform, and answer questions from the audience. While a few community members pointed out that they recognized Esteves as the former chair of the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education, Jackson seemed to be a new face and name for the audience. Seven Democratic candidates are running, and community members noted that it was hard for them to keep track of everyone. Jackson used it as an opportunity to help them familiarize themselves with his campaign.
“I’m the most qualified candidate running for governor right now,” Jackson said. “The Georgia Constitution requires you to have a commander in chief and a chief executive. No one wants to talk about the commander-in-chief part because I served 22 years in the United States Navy. I’ve been fighting for our country and your rights and my rights since 1983. I joined the Navy at the age of 17. I was serving my country before I could even vote. That’s how dedicated I am.”
Esteves noted that he’s served Collier Heights in different capacities, from school board member to state senator.
“I’m going to focus on the issues that matter the most, standing up against Donald Trump, but also making sure that we focus on the issues that existed in Georgia long before Donald Trump became president,” Esteves said. “That’s why I’m going to focus on health, wealth and opportunity, making sure that we expand access to affordable health care, that we lower the cost of living, provide people with opportunities to build their own wealth through home ownership, through good paying jobs, making sure that we can open and grow our own small businesses and at the end of the day, invest in our children so that they have more opportunities than what we’ve had. That’s my commitment to you. That’s why I’m running for governor.”
The audience used it as an opportunity to ask the candidates questions about healthcare for Black communities, funding, Jackson’s background, and his status as a member of the House of Representatives, and whether they would stand behind the winner of the Democratic primary if either of them were to lose the race. “If it’s Geoff Duncan, I can’t,” Jackson responded to the latter question.
The community members expressed concern about low voter turnout in Atlanta and encouraged those who hadn’t already voted early to do so as soon as possible.
The post Collier Heights Community Hears from Gubernatorial Candidates Ahead of Georgia Primary Election appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.
