In what has been a gentlemen’s campaign for the seat vacated by state Rep. Len Walker in the Georgia House of Representative, a candidate forum on Feb. 2 proved to be no different.

The four candidates vying to be elected Tuesday met at the Loganville City Hall to answer questions submitted by citizens at a forum hosted by the Greater Eastside Chamber of Commerce. In a round robin format, the answers showed there is much consensus among the candidates who share largely conservative viewpoints. There were a few differences though on issues such as charter schools and how to deal with illegal immigration.

Of the four candidates, former Loganville councilman Michael Lynch and former Walton County Board of Education member Mark Banks have held elected office before. The other two candidates, Tom Kirby and Paul Smith, have not been elected to public office before, but have been members of several citizen boards and advocate groups. They each, however, said they have spent time at the Georgia Dome in the lead up to the election during 2011 or in the first month of 2012. Smith said he’d been there probably 25 to 30 times, Kirby said probably about five, Lynch said once last year to be recognized for his military service and twice this year and Banks said twice last year and he found both times to be wasted trips.

Two obvious points of consensus among the four was their support of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project and the benefits it could bring directly to District 107. Another was their lack of support for the upcoming T-SPLOST. Although they agreed the decision to bring to a vote had already been made, and would be out of the hands of whoever is elected, as private citizens all agreed they would be voting “No” on the July referendum. 

The election will be Tuesday, Feb. 7, in both Walton and Gwinnett counties, for citizens in District 107. Some voters will have a new voting precinct. Anybody who is not clear on where to vote can find out by going to the Secretary of State’s website. In the event that none of the four candidates receives a clear 51 percent majority, there will be a runoff election on March 6.

The following series of video clips will enable voters to hear, in the candidates' own words, how each feels about the state's role in the following important issues facing the district. 

1. Should the state be allowed to grant Charter School status?
2. Will you commit to voting "No" on any bill that contains unfunded mandates?
3. What changes would you make to the current SDS law?
4. What would you do to help encourage economic development within the district?
5. If elected, what committees would you lobby to be a part of?
6. What changes would you make to the current system with regard to tort reform?
7. Would you support any reform bill that exempts members of the state legislature?
8. What is your view on people’s right to carry guns, even on college campuses?
9. What would you do on the illegal immigration problem in Georgia?