Secretary of state candidate says the ’system is broken’
by John P. Boan/Times-Georgian
Democratic candidate Michael Mills told the local Democratic party on Thursday that former Secretary of State Karen Handel failed to ensure that all those eligible to vote had the opportunity. Mills said if he is elected to Handel’s former position, he will prioritize efforts to empower all voters to get out to the polls.
“The previous administration did not live up to their rights or responsibilities. Karen Handel did everything she could to prevent eligible citizens from voting. She made it a partisan election,” Mills said. “The system is broken.”
Mills said that instead of trying to keep the masses from participating in the electoral process, it is the secretary of state’s responsibility to register as many voters as possible and then to mobilize them when the time comes.
Beyond giving Georgia residents a greater stake in the democratic process, Mills said, the secretary of state wears a number of other hats, and these can prove to have just as much of an impact on the citizenry.
For instance, Mills said, he would put a greater emphasis on creating jobs in the state in the coming years by opening a “one stop shop” for business owners to both properly register with the state and also connect with lenders, chambers of commerce and other agencies that will help business grow and flourish.
While it’s always nice to have larger companies like KIA come to Georgia, bringing hundreds of jobs with them, Mills said, the vast majority of those who are employed in the state work with small businesses with a net total of 15 or fewer employees. For this reason, the secretary of state must pay special service to small businesses, Mills said, and if elected, his office will work to help small businesses get off the ground.
Another area which the secretary of state is over is that of professional licensors, and Mills said it is important for the office to limit fraud by acting as a watchdog over these licensors, enforcing any and all regulations that govern the annual approval of professional licenses.
Above all else, he said, he will work to remove partisanship from the office, focusing on reaching across the aisle to make the office of secretary of state office as efficient and effective as possible.
“I am optimistic. Georgia is a tremendous place. Over the last two decades, we have been the engine of the new South … but the bills of that success are coming due, and we must put leaders forth who will tackle these issues with common sense public policy,” he said.
Mills has previously served as legislative aide to former Secretary of State Lewis Massey and as press secretary on Mark Taylor’s successful bid for lieutenant governor in 1998. He has been involved in a number of non-profit and community groups, including: YES!Atlanta, Georgia Breast Cancer Coalition, American Cancer Society, Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta, Communities In Schools of Georgia, Communities in Schools of Atlanta and Hands on Atlanta.
Mills is one of six Democrats in the race for Secretary of State. The primary is in July, with the general election to be in November.
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