Mary Wilhite- A New Kind of Leader

Are you tired of politicians who are so focused on getting re-elected they forget who they represent? Are you tired of political sound bites and rhetoric? If you are tired of politics as usual and want a change for the better, your opportunity is coming on July 15! Mary Wilhite believes you deserve someone who listens to you, who actively works for Cherokee County and who puts people before politics.

It is Time for a Change — After a legislation session that was considered by many a waste of time and taxpayer money, Canton resident Mary Wilhite decided to throw her hat into the ring and offer voters a choice for new Republican leadership. Many citizens have expressed frustration that the 2008 legislative session did absolutely nothing to deal with traffic challenges, especially when Atlanta is considered the worst commuting city in the entire United States! The 2008 legislative session was filled with politicians trying to push election year tax gimmicks to appear as if they were lowering taxes, when in fact they were not.

Jerguson Supports 175 New Taxes — The “GREAT” tax plan, supported by current State House District 22 Representative and Mary’s opponent, Sean Jerguson actually would have added taxes on 175 everyday goods and services! The GREAT tax plan would have put new taxes on everything from beauty and nail salon services to automotive services to banking services to landscaping services to real estate services, even groceries and prescriptions, you name it, and there was a NEW TAX for it! Just imagine the additional state government bureaucracy that would be needed to administer and collect 175 new taxes! Mary believes in less government not more government. Tax laws should be simplified, not made more complex and cumbersome. A simplified tax process creates a lower tax burden because it doesn’t require a lot of state employees to manage it. Common sense is certainly needed at the State Capitol!

At a recent candidate forum sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and Cherokee County Farm Bureau, Jerguson denied support of the GREAT tax plan that would have resulted in the 175 new taxes. Wilhite challenged voters to review Jerguson’s record, where he clearly supported the GREAT tax plan. Wilhite said Jerguson’s record is public and should be studied by voters for the truth!

More Election Year Tax Gimmicks — Jerguson also introduced legislation that would create tax increases for anyone buying a primary residence in Cherokee County, plus any current owners of land, rental properties or commercial properties. Mr. Jerguson made the legislation sound like a tax cut (“freezing local property tax assessments”) when in fact, it would raise taxes for many citizens and shift tax burdens to others! The Cherokee County School Board said the tax shift proposed by Jerguson would have resulted in a loss of $6 million to the school district, causing drastic cuts in classroom personnel and programs. The City of Woodstock was not consulted on this legislation and consequently, requested Governor Sonny Perdue veto it. Mary Wilhite responded to this fiasco by saying, “I want the citizens and elected officials of Woodstock as well as the leaders of the school district to know that I will work with them, not against them.” Mary further stated, “Truly ‘representing’ constituents means getting their input and ideas PRIOR to creating new laws that affect them. Going behind the backs of citizens and local elected officials to pass laws simply is unacceptable!”

Endorsed by Congressman John Linder — Mary has a strong following among both grass roots citizens and wellrespected national leaders. Congressman John Linder succinctly described Mary in his endorsement of her candidacy:

“I have known Mary for several years, and she is a woman of experience and hard work. Mary has conservative values and is a caring leader. We need her honesty and integrity in the General Assembly. To me, the clear choice is Mary Wilhite. I support her 100 percent and encourage all voters to put her in office to represent them at the State House!” — Congressman John Linder

Congressman Linder thinks so highly of Mary that he not only endorses her candidacy, but he also he donated $1,000 toward her campaign.

Mary Wilhite and Congressman John Linder