A New Era

Last night, Gilmer, Fannin, and Dawson Counties saw a big change. While that wasn’t my district, it does affect a lot of people outside of the district. I think it will affect them in mostly a good way. Sometimes for things to move forward, you just have to have change. I don’t know Johnny Chastain but I’ve heard good things about him and his family. I know Sheree just a bit in passing. While I believe she meant well, I am convinced that the voters of District 7 were ready for a change even if they continued to vote Speaker Ralston back in. It’s the end of an era but it’s the beginning of a new one.

Regardless of what you think or feel about Speaker Ralston, he served Georgia and his district. He did good things as well as questionable things, just like any politician. That said, I will always respect him for the mental health overhauls, and I appreciate everything he did for North Georgia. Further, people like Nathaniel Darnell need to take his sanctimony and shove it for his classless statements. The Grifter with No Name did a fantastic job with their post on the subject. It’s not even so much about the tact (or lack thereof) with statements like Nathaniel made, effectively thanking God for taking Speaker Ralston’s life. It’s about the hypocrisy in those statements. 

But, I digress. I think we can all be grateful for the good things that Speaker Ralston did to serve his district and Georgia. As we do that, we can look ahead and also be grateful for new horizons. Mr. Chastain seems like a good man. He didn’t have the endorsements of any Governors. He did have a grassroots effort behind him, though, and that speaks volumes for him and his character. As we continue on in this session, let’s pray for him and the other winners in the special elections last night that they can get their feet on the ground and jump right in three weeks into this game. They are going to need prayers, but I’m fully confident they will be just fine.