Staff report



THOMASVILLE — A trio of 2010 gubernatorial candidates is set to converge at the Thomasville Municipal Auditorium on Sept. 29. The 6 p.m. gathering, the sixth in a series citizens meetings organized by Times-Enterprise managing editor Mark Lastinger and local teacher Randy Young, will feature Democrat DuBose Porter, Republican Karen Handel and Libertarian John Monds.

“This lineup of guests should make for an informative evening,” Lastinger said. “A wide political spectrum will be represented. I hope a lot of people will take an advantage of the opportunity to learn about these candidates. They all seem eager to appear here and answer questions from the audience.”

The last citizens meeting in May featured State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. Others, dating to November of last year, included U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, Insurance Commissioner and Republican gubernatorial candidate John Oxendine, Georgia Family Council President Randy Hicks, Jody Redding of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson’s office, state and national FairTax leaders, and every member of the local General Assembly delegation except Sen. Tim Golden. Attendance at three of the meetings exceeded 600.

Georgia House District 173 Rep. Mike Keown is also on the Sept. 29 agenda. He recently announced that he is seeking Bishop’s Second Congressional District seat. In addition, Thomas County FairTax supporters will be on hand to answer questions before and after the meeting.

“It is impossible to have good government without having an informed electorate,” Lastinger said. “Our goal is to foster knowledge and participation in the political process at all levels. This meeting will certainly be a fine introduction to some important 2010 races.”

Porter is the minority leader in the Georgia House of Representatives. He has represented District 143 since 1982 and was the administration floor leader for Gov. Zell Miller in 1991-92. The Dublin native is the CEO of The Courier Herald, his hometown newspaper.

Born in Washington, D.C., Handel is the first Republican secretary of state in Georgia history. She was elected in 2006 with 54 percent of the vote. She is a former Fulton County Board of Commissioners chairman and also served as Gov. Sonny Perdue’s deputy chief of staff.

In 2008, Monds, current president of the Grady County NAACP, became the first Libertarian garner more than 1 million votes in a U.S. election at any level. He received 33.4 percent of the vote in a 2008 two-way race with a Republican for a seat on the Public Service Commission.

The Times-Enterprise will publish a series of advance stories with more details about the scheduled speakers in advance of the Sept. 29 meeting. The first installment, set for Sept. 13, will feature an interview with Porter.

“I hope the people here understand how unique it is that so many leaders are wanting our community to hear them,” Young said. “It speaks volumes about our citizens. They care about what is going on, and in the right way. They have shown a sincere spirit of wanting to be proactive instead of reactive.”