United We Stand!

Copyright  ©  KaTesha Sagers

Paid for by Friends of KaTesha Sagers

My Fellow Georgians, as a daughter of this wonderful state, I can truly say “Georgia is on my Mind.” Having lived in Georgia all my life, I have seen the possibilities and promises of our great state. I have grown to love our constant fight to create a better quality of life for residents of Georgia. I was educated and graduated from the public school system in DeKalb County, Georgia. My undergraduate and graduate education was completed in DeKalb County, Georgia. I live in DeKalb County, Georgia. I work in DeKalb County, Georgia and attend church in DeKalb County, Georgia. So my passion runs deep into the corners of a great county and state.

We are in the midst of so many uncertainties in our lives. Families all across this state are concerned about having the basic necessities of life: quality education, safe schools, affordable and accessible healthcare, transportation, employment, and affordable housing. Businesses are seeking ways to sustain themselves and create jobs, versus cutting jobs. Not-for-profit institutions are continually seeking funding to survive and support valuable programs and projects that benefit the lives of many. Informed and educated voters are relying on elected officials to exemplify the moral virtues and trust bestowed on them to ensure that their voices are being heard and something is being done. It is my time to step forward into my life-long call to public service.

I ran on July 15th because I wanted to be the solution to an issue I identified in my community years ago. Understanding the need to know my elected officials and engage them, I contacted the former GA House Representative for District #93 to introduce myself to him and to get answers to community issues that were impacted by state legislation. At the time, I was just elected as the President of the League of Women Voters of DeKalb County, in which I proudly empowered voters to be informed and educated on the issues and to hold their elected officials accountable.

Weeks passed, and I did not get a response. I followed up with additional phone calls and emails. Months passed without a response. On July 20, 2006, I called each committee in which he served (Banks and Banking, Insurance, and Motor Vehicles) to find out if he was actively attending each committee's meetings. All three answered, "No". I monitored his voting patterns and records. Also, I actively sought out other elected officials to identify the whereabouts of my representative. There was nothing they could do. It was the voters of District 93 that would need to hold their elected official accountable.

After two years of unreturned phone calls and emails, I sent an email to the Speaker of the House on March 6, 2007 to let him know that there is was an active and informed voter in District 93 that wanted to be represented in the House. I spoke to my neighbors about the situation and the importance of being active and informed voters. As President of Snapfinger Manor Homeowner's Association, I begin to hold community meetings in addition to HOA meetings, as a way to educate my residents on the various layers and functions of government and legislation locally and statewide. I invited my local and state legislators to discuss issues that my community had regarding code enforcement, public safety, cityhood, immigration, SPLOST, 911, etc.

The homeowners and I researched county code (municode) and state code when questions arose that we needed quick answers, too. I decided to email Mr. Sailor one more time to invite him to a homeowner's meeting, however, this time I copied members of the DeKalb House delegation on the email I sent to him. He showed up at our HOA meeting on Thursday, March 15, 2007.