(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Augusta Press.)
It took the British centuries to figure out that hereditary seats in Parliament were a bad idea and yet on this side of the pond, some people in Augusta embrace the notion that a General Assembly seat can belong “in the family.”
Karlton Howard’s announcement for the District 129 State House made it clear that he feels he is entitled to the last name because of his family connections. He also showed that he is unfamiliar with what legislators can and must do. His comments made it appear that he has no intention of working for Augusta and its citizens if doing so means putting partisan differences aside.
At his campaign launch on Oct. 31, Karlton Howard was quick to remind the crowd gathered that the House 129 seat has been in his family for 20 years, then quickly backtracked and said he planned to run on his own merits.
Karlton Howard then listed what he saw as his brother Wayne Howard’s legislative accomplishments, and offered them as reasons to send him to Atlanta and continue what has become a family tradition.
A furniture store owner and television host, he later displayed his own ignorance of what a member of the General Assembly can accomplish in office for a local community. He seemed to think he can lower property taxes for people living in Augusta and change the local procurement process to be more inclusive to minority owned businesses. These are not issues that are tackled at the state level.
In fact, Karlton Howard’s brother Wayne, father Henry and stepmother Earnestine never really fit into the reality of the political situation in Georgia. Like it or not, the Georgia legislature is a Republican-held body for now. That does not mean that Democrats should leave their ideas and values at the door, but if they want to get anything done for their local constituents, they must learn the art of compromise.
None of the Howards who have held that seat were prepared to compromise. Instead, they chose to obstruct. Whether Karlton Howard will be any different is an unknown right now, but chances are he would work in a similar vein.
The House 129 seat will be a Democrat-controlled seat for the foreseeable future. However, it needs to be occupied by someone who knows the issues of the local community and what role the state government can play in solving those issues.
More importantly, the seat needs to be held by someone willing to work across the aisle for the betterment of all of Georgia.
