Rep. Mandi Ballinger Passes Away
Representative Mandi Ballinger (R-Canton) passed away yesterday at the age of 50 from a lengthy battle with cancer.
At her death, Representative Ballinger was Chair of the Judiciary Juvenile Committee in the House. She was first elected to the Georgia House in November 2012.
At this time, a special election has not yet been called to fill her now vacant seat. That information will be coming soon.
You can see Speaker Burns and Governor Kemp’s statements below.
I had the pleasure of working with Rep. Ballinger while I was at the Council of State Governments. I served as the staff liaison to the Human Services and Public Safety Committee. In my first year, my Chair was Rep. Fred Love of Arkansas (he’s now a Senator), and Rep. Balliger was my Vice Chair. In my Second year, she became my chair.
When I first learned in 2022 that I would be working with Rep. Ballinger, I was concerned. She had a reputation for being a little gruff, and some might even say as prickly as a cactus. But I was also the political director for Marsy’s Law for Georgia from 2017 to 2018. I was worried that she might still be upset about Rep. Rich Gollick carrying the legislation in the House. She was one of the strongest advocates for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking at the Capitol, and she felt that she should carry the legislation. Our team had decided that, strategically, it was best if the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee carried it.
I learned during my two and a half years with CSG that she did indeed have a strong personality. But she also had a heart of gold when it came to policy affecting the most vulnerable. We talked a lot about foster care policy, which remains a continuing challenge across the South, and I was going through the nearly 4-year process to become a licensed foster parent. Other friends got their license in 6 months, in the same county. She didn’t always use the most delicate language, but it was clear to me that she was intellectually and emotionally invested in doing the right thing for maternal mortality, child welfare, and juvenile justice issues.
We also shared an interest in stationery. I had fountain pens, and her favorite tool was the Blackwing 602 pencil. Which is a solid choice. I like the 602, but my go-to wooden pencil is the Blackwing Natural. We would laugh about the confusion at courthouse security when the pencil sharpener in her bag caught the X-ray operator’s attention.
May we all lift up her family with our prayers in their time of grief.
