Carter Barrett defeats three-term incumbent Sheri Gilligan in District 24 race

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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County banker Carter Barrett ousted  three-term incumbent Sheri Smallwood Gilligan in Tuesday’s Republican Primary Runoff to win the Georgia House of Representatives District 24 seat.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Barrett received 2,317 votes to Gilligan’s 1,623. The result marked a substantial turnaround from last month’s General Primary, in which Gilligan outpolled Barrett by about 600 votes in a three-candidate race.

Brent Cox defeated Julie Tressler in the race for Georgia House District 28. Cox, a businessman and former football coach reeived 2,330 votes to Tressler’s 1,829.

In the runoff for 6th District US Congress, Dr. Rich McCormick easily defeated lawyer Jake Evens by a two to one margin, 27,418 to 13,788.

Gilligan, Barrett square off at the Conference Center

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FORSYTH COUNTY Ga. — Incumbent District 24 State Representative Sheri Gilligan and challenger Carter Barrett participated in the Forsyth County Republican Party Runoff Candidate Forum at the Conference Center Wednesday.

Both candidates threw a few sharp elbows early. Some landed, and some didn’t. But no blood was shed and there was no knockout punch. Like the 90+ degree heat outside the conference center, things eventually cooled down.

First, though, both said they would like to clear the air regarding a few salvos fired at them during a campaign that both described as “rancorous.”

Gilligan said one of the lies told about her by the Barrett campaign is that “I don’t support veterans.” She pointed out she and her husband are veterans, her daughters are veterans and their sons-in-law are veterans who graduated from the Air Force Academy.

Barrett accused the Gilligan campaign of distributing fliers that claim he supports high-density development . “I am not the king of high density development,” he said. “I have never developed a neighborhood in my entire life. I have never financed a neighborhood in my entire life.”

Asked what they would do to stop high-density development, Barrett didn’t offer a solution but did say, “I don’t want this to be a community you come to educate your children and make a pot full of money then retire somewhere else.”

He added that he does not support high-density development. “I want this to be a truly great community  where you wouldn’t even consider retiring somewhere else.” He pointed out that he helped lead the Envision 2020 comprehensive plan 15 years ago and is today working on the comprehensive plan for the future.

Gilligan said high-density development has “Caused our taxes to increase, our roads to erode and has driven local government into debt. But seven years in the legislature have taught her that there is little state government can do to stop it. “That is the job of our county commissioners,” she said.

She questioned Barrett’s claim that he opposes high-density housing since he has been endorsed by County Commissioners Todd Levent and Cindy Mills, who she said have voted for the most high-density development of any of the five commissioners. They are at this moment expanding high-density housing. Do you disavow their support?”

The candidates found common ground when asked if there was fraud the 2020 election. Barrett said, “There is no question in my mind whatsoever there was fraud in that election. There was rampant fraud.” He also said he watched the film “2,000 Mules” by Dinesh D’Souza which appears to depict massive evidence of fraud and called it “compelling.”

Gilligan said, “We have evidence of people casting a vote in another state and still voting here in Georgia. We have ballots that were illegally harvested and stuffed into ballot boxes. I signed onto a petition for a special session so we could assess what was going on.”

There was also common ground on their opposition to masked mandates and the need for school choice.

The candidates were asked if they could only get one piece of legislation passed, what would it be.

Gilligan has made school choice her mantra for her seven years in office so she emphatically stated, “If I could only get one piece of legislation passed, it would be school choice.  We need school choice. Right now there are thousands of Georgia children stuck in failing schools. It is unconscionable. For the economy to thrive, you need an educated work force. You need educated students to break the cycle of poverty by getting them out of these failing schools and state dollars need to follow them.”

Barrett considered several important pieces of legislation, he would like to get passed, including term limits, school choice and the state income tax. “That is a tough one,” he said before stating, “I would agree with Sheri 100 percent that school choice is paramount.

The winner will face Democrat Sydney Walker in the November General Election.

 

 

Cox goes solo in District 28 debate after opponent Julie Tressler is injured in a fall

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FORSYTH COUNTY Ga. — The Forsyth County Republican Party held a Run-Off Town Hall Wednesday for District 24 and 28 State House candidates incumbent Sheri Gilligan and her opponent Carter Barrett and Brent Cox and Julie Tressler at the Forsyth Conference Center at Lanier Tech.

Cox a businessman and former football coach had the rostrum all to himself. His opponent, Julie Tressler, was reportedly in the Emergency Room at Northside Hospital after suffering a concussion when she fell and struck her head on Tuesday.

Brent Cox

Cox was given time to introduce himself and discuss his platform. Before fielding questions, he asked the audience at the Lanier Tech Conference Center to join him in prayer for Tressler’s healing.

The University of Georgia graduate has worked in the food industry since 1994, designing hood systems for restaurants globally, including the Department of Defense facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is married with three children and he and his wife attend Free Chapel Church.

A common thread that wound its way through is presentation was less government and more individual freedom, especially less involvement from state and federal government in local affairs..

“Less government. More freedom,” he stated often.

He said he is a strong school choice advocate. “The money follows the student,” he said. “Parents should have the ability to choose where their money is going.”

On divisive programs being taught in the school system, he said, “The legislature did a fantastic job this past year,” he said, referring to the Parents Bill of Rights that Governor Kemp signed into law.

On the participation of transgender athletes competing in girls sports, he said, Absolutely girls sports needs to be girls sports. We’ve got to protect girls and women’s sports in this state not only at the high school level but the collegiate level and Olympic level.” He also said he would never support a shutdown in the economy or masked mandates.

Cox also added that he would work to bring the best cyber security systems in the nation to Forsyth County. “That is legislation I hope to create,” he said.

 

Republican Party runoff debates Wednesday

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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The Forsyth County Republican Party will host a candidate forum……. for candidates in the House Dist. 24 and District 28 State Representative Runoff Election on June 15 in the Forsyth Conference Center, 3410, Ronald Reagan Blvd. in Cumming. Doors open at 6 pm. The debate begins at 6:30.

Two University of Georgia graduates will square off in the District 24 runoff.

District 24 incumbent Sheri Gilligan defeated Barrett by more than 600 votes in the Dist. 24 General Primary Election last month and needed only 25 more votes to avoid a runoff. Ed Solly, who finished third in that race with 675 votes, has endorsed her.

Gilligan is a veteran legislator and one of the most conservative members of the Georgia House of Representatives. She was named Conservative Legislator of the year by CPAC in 2021 and 2022. She has an A  rating by the National Rifle Association and has been endorsed by the NRA, Frontline Policy Council and Rep. Ed Setzler.

She has served in the United States Naval Reserves and as an analyst for the United States Central Intelligence Agency.

As District 24 State Representative the past eight years, she has supported legislation on the Heartbeat Bill, Campus Carry, teacher pay raises, reduction in taxes, and school choice.

Barrett has been a successful banker and community leader in Forsyth for 30 years. He founded Community Business Bank and now serves as the North American Market President for Affinity Bank.

He has served the county on numerous boards, including the Sawnee Community Center, Northside Hospital Foundation, United Way of Forsyth County, and The Place of Forsyth and the Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce. He has received the Chamber’s Chairman Award twice and the Paramount Achievement Award.

Barrett has been endorsed by State Representatives Lauren McDonald, Rick Jasperse and State Senator Clint Dixon as well as Forsyth County Commissioner Todd Levent. He has also been recognized by the Georgia House of Representatives for his contributions and service to Forsyth County.

He and wife Jamie live in Cumming where his two daughters graduated from West Forsyth High School. They atten North Point Community Church.

 

 

 

 

Carter Barrett campaigns for State House Dist. 24

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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – Carter Barrett has built a 30-year reputation of getting things done for the community from the startup of Community Business Bank during the great recession to rebuilding the Rotary Club of Lanier Forsyth and Leadership Forsyth. Now he would like to take that record of success to the state capitol as the District 24 State Representative.

It was during that recession that 89 Georgia banks failed and the Wall Street Journal labeled the state of Georgia as the Chernobyl of Banking.

“In the seven years we were open, I built one of the cleanest banks in America,” Barret said. “When we sold the bank to Community and Southern Bank in 2015, we delivered a very good outcome for our investors at a time when banks were dropping like flies.” Before the sale, the bank received a 5-star ranking from BauerFinancial, the highest a bank can receive.

A banker by profession, Barrett said he understands government and knows his way around the Gold Dome. I’ve dealt with big government, the FDIC and the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance.” he said. 

 In 2019, he was honored to receive a resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives commending him for generating nearly $2 billion in new business investment and 25,000 jobs in Forsyth County and for his contribution and leadership to civic organizations including the Rotary Club of Lanier-Forsyth.

Regarding the issue that has festered between parents and the school board for mort than a year, Barrett said, “We are not going to have pornography in our schools and we are not going to indoctrinate our children with liberal dogma.”

Barrett is now the North Atlanta Marketing President of Affinity Bank and a founding member of Dime Capital.

Forsyth County Tea Party and Young Republicans shootout set April 30

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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – The Forsyth County Tea Party and Forsyth County Young Republicans have a special event planned for those who support Constitutional Carry and the Second Amendment on April 30 at Freedom Mill Gun Range and Brew and Shine on Spot Road in Cumming.

The day will begin with a shootout on the range at 11a.m. and will continue until 2 p.m. You can shoot just for fun or test your skills and maybe take home bragging rights or a prize AR-15. There will be a short warmup of 17 rounds.  Next the real competition begins.  You have 7 shots to fire on a deck of cards target.  The best 5 card poker hand wins.  Then you have 10 rounds to fire on a bullseye target.  Best score wins.  Everyone that participates will get 1 free ticket for our AR-15 Raffle.  There will be men’s and women’s winners.  The men’s and women’s winner from each competition will receive 20 tickets in the AR-15 raffle.

Following the shootout, there will be a candidate meet and greet starting at 2 p.m. where you can meet and have lunch with Republican candidates including 6th District US Congressional candidate Dr. Rich McCormick, State House District 24 incumbent Sheri Gilligan and District 24 challenger Carter Barrett and State House District 28 candidate Blake McClellan. You are welcome to attend one event or both.

Tickets for the event range in price from $10 to $50. If you can’t attend, but want to support the effort to continue to support the 2nd Amendment, donations are welcome.

You can Purchase tickets at Eventbrite at the Link Below.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/forsyth-county-yr-and-forsyth-county-tea-party-cc-2a-event-tickets-294322034127?fbclid=IwAR2GsZDgG_TsZK_dxNoWRnnCLr8wPp0CvYOQ-hFqcc7R_a-52h0TvB34f68

 

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