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June 24, 2008

Jenkins seeks Atlanta post

Election profile

By Charles Oliver

Georgia has traditionally had some of the lowest fuel taxes in the nation, says Dalton attorney Robert D. “Bob” Jenkins.

“One of the benefits is that we’ve traditionally had low gas prices. We’ve traditionally been 20 and sometimes 30 cents cheaper on the gallon than our sister states,” he said.

“But we now rank 19th highest in the nation (in fuel taxes),” Jenkins said. “That’s a problem. I would like to reduce or suspend the gas tax to afford some immediate relief. We need that now.”

Jenkins, 44, is seeking the Republican nomination for state House of Representatives District 3. Republican incumbent Ron Forster is not seeking re-election. Jenkins will face Catoosa County attorney Tom Weldon Jr. and Catoosa County youth minister Brad Scott in the July 15 primary. District 3 includes parts of Catoosa County and the western and southern part of Whitfield County. The winner will face Democrat Ralph Noble in the November general election.

Jenkins said the state also needs to put more emphasis on mass transit.

“We’ve talked about a high-speed rail from Chattanooga to Atlanta. We need to look at that seriously,” he said. “We need to consider how to make MARTA or other mass transit opportunities more readily available to the people of Atlanta.”

But Jenkins says transportation funding needs to stop being so concentrated in Atlanta. He said Northwest Georgia, in particular, deserves more funding for roads.

“We aren’t given the love in Atlanta that we should be,” he said. “We don’t get the attention that we should be, so we need to do a better job of communicating those needs to our fellow legislators as well as the governor and the executive branch.”

Jenkins graduated from Georgia Southern University with a bachelor’s in business management. He has a law degree from Mercer University.

Jenkins says Northwest Georgia needs a regional university. He says he was disappointed that Gov. Sonny Perdue vetoed a measure that would have created a satellite campus for Dalton State College in Ringgold.

“That would have allowed more people to have access to college courses,” he said.

Jenkins says he prefers a free market approach to health care.

“I would like to be able to pull more insurance companies to the table to offer health insurance to small business and individuals,” he said. “We can provide some incentives, some tax breaks, to small businesses and individuals who are doing the right thing by getting health insurance.”

Jenkins says he supports laws which will help stop illegal immigration.

He says a “fluid and comprehensive plan” needs to be developed to meet the area’s water needs. He says that plan should be region-wide, with participation from neighboring states such as Florida and Alabama.

“We need to have help from the federal government as well,” he said.

“The water needs of Atlanta are significant,” he said. “But the needs of our area are significant, too. We need to have a seat at the table, for Whitfield and Catoosa County to make sure that we have an adequate water supply for our citizens and our industry.”

Jenkins and his wife Kathy have two children: Katie Beth, 14, and Robby, 11.

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