Evans hits 'Obama-Pelosi liberalism'

CHATSWORTH — James Owens is concerned about the “spread the wealth around” attitude of Washington, D.C., legislators in the wake of the new presidential administration.

“There’s nothing that they’ve done but take from the makers of production and given to the neediest person,” he said while attending the Ninth Congressional District campaign kickoff of Mike Evans in Murray County. “They’re taking the old ‘spread the wealth around’ idea and making it come true, and that’s the sad part about it — they’re taking things in our life and making us subservient to the federal government.”

Evans spoke to around three dozen citizens on Wednesday, hammering away at the “Obama-(Nancy) Pelosi liberalism” that is part of his campaign push. Evans and five other Republican candidates — Whitfield County commissioner Mike Cowan, current House District 12 representative Tom Graves from Ranger, former state Senate majority leader Bill Stephens of Blue Ridge, state Sen. Lee Hawkins of Gainesville and political newcomer Jeremy Johnson of Ringgold — are seeking to fill the seat of Republican Nathan Deal, who is running for governor.

Evans, originally from Ellijay, served in the Georgia House from 1993-2001. He blamed Republicans on the national level for ceding control to the Democratic Party following last year’s national election, saying they “set the table” for Obama’s ascendancy.

“The problem is, we promised — Republicans — in the 1980s and ‘90s, if we ever had control we’d do things differently, and we wouldn’t put up with the pork barrel spending and huge deficits for generations to come,” he said. “When we took over (in 1994) after all those promises, we did exactly what they’d been doing.”

Evans said in eight years as a state representative he voted 32 times against budgets that increased state spending. He also said he “fought for reform at the (state Department of Transportation) where it is badly needed” when he served as chairman of the state transportation board.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but an audit just came out last week of the DOT, an audit that I called for back in December of ‘07, an audit of the whole department,” he said. “When I became chairman in the summer of ‘06, it was easy to recognize that the department had some problems, and I called for an efficiency study of the entire department ... it took a long time to see that the department was in a mess.”

Evans said many DOT employees are dedicated, and that it is “unfortunate” there were people in certain positions who “tarnished” their reputations.

Evans resigned as chairman last year amid publicity he was dating the new DOT commissioner, Gena Abraham, who was later fired by the state transportation board. He was asked if the controversy would be a campaign distraction.

“I don’t know what I would have done any different,” he said. “We were both single. A month after we had been working together (we) started dating. We realized really quick that it was something special, and within two weeks I went to the vice chairman — she and I both did — and said look, we got an issue ... we’re dating.”

Evans said Abraham offered to resign, but he decided to step down instead because “she was 1,000 times more important” to the department than he was. He said their 11-month wedding anniversary is today.

Randy Dunn, a 1975 graduate of Murray County High School and now athletics director at North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega, said he became friends with Evans through his father, Jerry Evans.

“I’m impressed with his commitment to serve,” Dunn said. “He’s willing to say yea or nay on critical issues.”

Chatsworth Mayor Tyson Haynes, a former DOT employee who has worked with Evans for almost 10 years on projects in Murray County, introduced him at the campaign stop, saying, “He knows us — and he knows our issues.” He cited economic development in an area where diversification of industry is needed.

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