Local & State Headlines

Sims enters Senate race

• A State Representative announces plans to run for the vacant District 12 State Senate seat.

Carlton Fletcher

ALBANY — Finally, John White has a challenger for the District 12 State Senate seat.

Since Michael Meyer von Bremen, the man who held that seat for the past 10 years, announced that he was leaving the Senate to run for a vacant seat on the Georgia Court of Appeals, potential candidates for the Senate have been the topic of much speculation. One by one those candidates have dropped out of the race.

On Friday, however, the news turned to who was entering the race, as State Rep. Freddie Powell Sims confirmed that she would seek the post. A formal announcement will take place at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the courtyard of the Albany/Dougherty Government Center.

“I’m just a glutton for punishment,” Sims, D-Albany, laughed when asked about the run. “Actually, I saw this as an opportunity to help not just Dougherty County, but all of Southwest Georgia. This is an expansion from one county to eight.

“Since that district is one of the poorest in the state, there is a lot more to be done. Michael (Meyer von Bremen) is leaving some very big shoes to fill, but I think the people in this region are looking for someone willing to roll up their sleeves and get to work. I’m ready to do that. I understand that this seat does not belong to a politician; it belongs to the people.”

Sims has represented House District 151 through a couple of two-year terms. She ousted long-time representative Lawrence Roberts in a heated race in 2004 and was re-elected in 2006. In the House, she has served on Economic Development, Education and Transportation committees.

“I certainly hope to continue work in all three of those areas in the Senate,” she said. “All three are suffering in this district. As a retired teacher, I have a passion for education, and I’m concerned at the fallout from the loss of jobs in our region.

“As for transportation, I think the public has spoken loudly in telling us we can’t continue to do business the way we’ve been doing. We’ve got some management problems that we must get under control. We are being — and we should be — held accountable.”

Former Rep. White, who has watched a number of potential candidates jockey for position in the race, said Sims’ announcement will not change his plans.

“I’m not changing things one iota,” he said. “The way I plan to run this race is to go directly to the people. Certainly Ms. Sims has experience in the Legislature, but she’s been up there, what, two terms? She hasn’t really had an opportunity to learn her way around the chamber.”

Dougherty County District Attorney Ken Hodges, who said he has been waiting for a “viable candidate” to announce for the position before ruling out a run for the Senate seat, said Friday he now plans to throw his full support behind Sims.

“I’ve been discussing this possibility with Freddie for the last several weeks, throughout this process,” he said Friday evening. “I’m delighted that she has decided to run. Like when Denise Marshall announced her run for Superior Court Judge, I know now we have a quality candidate in the Senate race. I’m delighted and think (Sims) will make an outstanding Senator.

“I’ve worked with Freddie while she was ably representing us through her two terms, and when I called on her, she was always responsive and supportive. She’s running, I believe, for the right reasons, and she will have my full support.”

Dougherty County Commissioner Chuck Lingle said District 12 would be well represented by Sims.

“She is an upstanding person, someone who always has time to listen to your concerns,” Lingle said. “She doesn’t go into a debate with her mind made up; she listens and makes informed decisions. Freddie’s a good, good woman, and she deserves a lot of consideration.”

Sims said she wished White and anyone else who might enter the race well, but she said she would concern herself with earning the votes and the respect of the people in the 12th district, which encompasses Baker, Calhoun, Clay, Dougherty, parts of Mitchell, Quitman, Randolph and Terrell counties.

She said some legislation may have gotten “lost in the shuffle” during the recently completed session, but she said the overall results was progress for Georgia.

“Every now and then someone might flex their muscles a bit about a piece of legislation, and then when someone else tries to flex their muscles, the legislation can get lost in the shuffle,” she said. “But for the most part, the men and women in the Legislature truly believe in moving Georgia forward.

“There’s been a lot said about the (infighting during the session), but overlooked sometimes is the fact that we did what we were supposed to do. We delivered a budget.”

Qualifying for the Senate race will be held April 28-May 2.

More Headlines>>