Serving South and Southwest Cobb

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your state representative.  It is an honor to work for my community and do my best to make a difference.

Our 2013 legislative session ended in late March and since then I have held community meetings, visited local schools and held my annual cookout in an effort to stay connected.  Calls and emails have been exchanged with our city and county officials on various issues. It is more important now than ever that our elected officials work together to make south and southwest Cobb the best place to live and raise a family. 

My community meetings are held to hear from you. Many times I hear about quality of life issues.  These issues don’t require new legislation, just action on the part of those elected to serve. A constituent recently asked for help getting potholes filled throughout his neighborhood, another was concerned about the tall grass you see as you drive down the East West Connector, while a third was upset about the 4-3 decision of the school board to delay purchasing textbooks and online materials for the students.  The common factor in each request was that I needed my local officials to help solve their problems or to get answers they requested.

A quick call to Commissioner Lisa Cupid’s office resulted in the county heading to the neighborhood the next week and getting the potholes filled.  An email from the Commissioner’s office gave an update on the status of lawn mowing in the county.  Due to the tight budget situation, the grass is cut less frequently on the roadways, but I can now effectively communicate the status to our neighbors when asked. 

A few emails with our school board gave me an update on the textbook situation. The new Chairman of the School Board, Randy Scamihorn has indicated that textbook purchases will be delayed a year.  While the Governor and State School Superintendent have said we will be moving forward on Common Core, Chairman Scamihorn has heard from some of my Republican colleagues at the Capitol that they will fight to change the standards adopted by Georgia and 44 other states.  

Frustrated parents and teachers have expressed their concerns to me that our students will suffer without the materials.  Chairman Scamihorn told me he understands their concerns but felt comfortable that test scores were fine and a year wait on purchasing books wouldn’t hurt.  While that may or may not be true countywide, the recent test scores in south and southwest Cobb seem to tell a different story. School starts in two weeks, so if you have any questions, I encourage you to contact your local school board representative. 

I will be scheduling my next town hall meeting soon and I hope you will join me. If there is anything I can do for you in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email or call my office.

Rep. David Wilkerson
Treasurer, House Democratic Caucus
David.Wilkerson@house.ga.gov
404-656-0116