Q&A: House District 94 Contenders

There are four candidates, including three from Snellville, campaigning to represent the newly formed House District 94.

They are: Patricia Bourdeau of Snellville, Tony Lentini of Snellville, Jaye Lynn Peabody of Snellville and Karen Bennett of Stone Mountain. Vernon Jones, former DeKalb County chief executive officer, recently .

The district includes parts of Gwinnett and DeKalb counties, including areas of greater Snellville, Stone Mountain and Lilburn.

Snellville Patch reached out to the three Snellville candidates with a number of questions regarding their reasons for running and priority issues for the district. Stone Mountain-Redan Patch contacted Bennett.

Unedited responses of two candidates are below. (Bourdeau did not respond to a media request for this article.) Answers were limited to 100 words each.

Candidate: Karen Bennett

Age: 56

Hometown: Richmond, Va.

Family: Husband, Lee; son, Jabari, 24; daughter, Asha, 20

Education: Masters degree in Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University; Bachelor of Science from Howard University; Masters of Education from Georgia State University

Employment: Owner, Metro Therapy Providers Inc., pediatric therapy service..

Candidate: Tony Lentini

Age: 47

Hometown: Grew up and educated in DeKalb County as a 20-year resident, 27-year resident of south Gwinnett County, including the city of Snellville and the unincorpoprated area. 

Family: Married, two children

Education: Bachelor's degree in business, Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, Ga., 1987; master's degree in education, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Ga., 1992

Employment: 23-year employee of YP (Yellow Pages, formerly AT&T Advertising Solutions) in finance

Candidate: Jaye Lynn Peabody

Age: 39

Hometown: 15 years in Snellville, native of Piscataway, N.J.

Family: Divorced (after 15 years of marriage), four children

Education: Bachelor's degree of arts, Ramapo College of New Jersey, 1995; master's degree of public administration, New York University, 1998; master's degree of divinity, Mercer University, 2011; master's degree of arts, Mercer University, 2011

Employment: Executive director and counselor, Covenant Counseling & Family Resource Center in Snellville

Q & A Responses:

1. What made you decide to run?

BENNETT: I decided to run because I care about my community and the people I wish to serve. For over twenty years I have been a community advocate and families have entrusted me with the care of their children.  Now I want to put that trust, dedication and experience to work at the State Capitol.  I am qualified and have the proven integrity, training and experience to serve and give voice to the people in HD 94 to get things done on their behalf that will improve our community and the quality of life for everyone.

LENTINI: Over the last 10 years I have seen a lot of problems in our State Government. I started out as a neighborhood advocate when I felt that the average person had no voice in politics. We need to restore our public trust and bring new and fresh ideas to our legislature. We also need improvements to our schools, communities, and police. I feel that I have a great knowledge of our community and our issues.

PEABODY: When my son Jaden was in kindergarten he was in Emotional Behavioral Developmental classroom. Later he was diagnosed with ADHD and with treatment his challenges nearly ceased. I wanted Jaden mainstreamed and was met with some resistance. I advocated for my son. When he was finally re-evaluated  his IQ was  138.  Jaden started first grade in the general education classroom and in the gifted program.

At the time I was a stay-at-home mom with the time and financial resources to advocate. Not all parents have these opportunities. I want to be a voice for those children and those parents.

2. What do you think are the most pressing concerns in the district and why?

BENNETT: I think the most pressing concerns in the district stem from the state of our economy.  The economy has directly impacted our quality of life and the things that are most important to us such as economic development, jobs, public education, affordable housing, access to healthcare, transportation and public safety.

LENTINI: Foreclosures, Unemployment, School funding, Eroding property tax base, Crime, Juvenile justice reform, traffic. Identity theft.  The issues come from my own observance of our area and from hearing from many people in the district from both DeKalb & Gwinnett.

PEABODY: All students should have access to a world-class education. As an advocate for students, teachers and parents I am confident our collaboration can create an educational environment where each student has the opportunity to succeed.

The number of business in our area who have had to close their doors is staggering. When businesses fail or choose to relocate outside of our district it negatively impacts the community.  Together we will work to increase or focus attracting and keeping businesses including small business and entrepreneurs.

I intend to promote providing quality affordable and accessible healthcare particularly for women and children.

3. What is the first thing that you would do in office if elected?

BENNETT: The first thing that I will do when elected to office is to support legislation that will enhance economic development and education in our communities. My top goal is to bring Jobs to our district and promote Economic Development in Georgia. Jobs and economic development impact the sustainability of the quality of our life in the ability to fully fund our public education, provide access to affordable housing, adequate healthcare and improve our public safety.

LENTINI: I would like to work heavily on foreclosures. This is an epicemic around our area. It tears at the basic threads of society. Georgia has some of the weakest laws on this and has past no meaningful legislation. Most if not all were bottled up in committees. I feel that this is destroying our communities, families, & our tax base used to fund our schools.  I feel that this is destroying our communities, families, & our tax base used to fund our schools.  

PEABODY: Listen. One of the best parts of campaigning has been knocking on doors and getting to hear the concerns of the voters. I want to hear more from both DeKalb and Gwinnett residents regarding the issues important to them. I want to listen to those in the General Assembly even those who may think different then me. By listening, I learn and together we can come together and begin to create win-win situations for all Georgians.

4. This is a new district. What opportunities do you think this highlights for the citizens there?

BENNETT: Having a new district gives our citizens the opportunity for a fresh new start.  I am someone who is dedicated to stakeholder involvement and I advocate for the rights of all citizens.  New leadership allows citizens direct access to representation that will listen with fresh ears and approach solutions to concerns and problems with fresh new lenses.

LENTINI: This is a new District that finally allows the majority of the population to have a representative who is politically on their wave length. This is a majority Democratic area and will have a Democratic Representative. For years the Gwinnett portion was representated by a Republican who many viewed as not having the same concerns as them. 

PEABODY: As a new district we are forced to look within the new boundaries and explore issues important to the community. This reflective work should be ongoing but as a new district we begin now.

5. [For Snellville-based candidates] As a Snellville resident, how will you strive to serve not only your immediate constituents but those in Gwinnett and DeKalb County?

LENTINI: I feel that the two areas South Gwinnett and South DeKalb have some of the same issues such as the foreclosures and lack of school funding, crime, and general neighborhood decline.  Having lived in both areas I feel that they are both important and can work to bring the two areas together and pool resources such as sharing of information for traffic concerns, crime (police working together)  and other resources.

PEABODY: Relationships are foundational. To identify issues important to constituents I will establish a relationship based on accessibility and mutual discussion. Methods of communication would include traditional methods such as e-mail and phone calls plus innovative techniques such as Facebook, Twitter and other social media venues.

I live in Gwinnett -Centerville area. Yet have served for many years at a church in DeKalb County and currently serve at a church in Rockdale county.

I intend to be a bridge builder; working for solutions that benefit the constituents in Dekalb and Gwinnett while understanding the impact on neighboring counties such as Rockdale.

[For Bennett] As a Stone Mountain resident, how will you strive to serve not only your immediate constituents but those in Gwinnett County and other areas of DeKalb County?

BENNETT: I am no stranger to Gwinnett or DeKalb. As 27 year residents, My husband and I decided to live and raise our children in DeKalb County, however, because we live on the boarders of both counties we have invested our and time and resources in both counties.  I consider both DeKalb as well as Gwinnett as my immediate constituents.  As a representative of both counties, I will work hard to continue to make my presence available to both communities and I am committed to working equally hard for the best interests of the entire district. 

Bonus Question:

6. What was the last movie you saw and why?

BENNETT: The last movie I saw was Spiderman because my daughter invited me to go with her to the movies!

LENTINI: I recently watched Norma Rae on TV. I really liked this movie because I have been a union member for many years and have fought for many labor issues.  Many have forgotten the bad conditions of the past as we have gotten more affluent over the years.  However the last few with the bad economy have brought back the memories.  Also we can learn a lot from the past.

PEABODY: "The Avengers." At the end of the day, I still believe in superheroes. Superheroes are those who have been given a unique gif and use that gift to protect and care for others in their community. Teachers, volunteers, moms, dads and the list goes on; all superheroes.

Snellville Patch first ran this article on candidates from the Snellville area.