The seven candidates seeking to represent Oconee County in the General Assembly in Atlanta and in Congress in Washington interacted cordially in a Candidate Forum on Thursday, sometimes agreeing in response to questions from an audience of more than 90.
At many times in each of the four sessions in the Forum, however, the candidates took very different positions on issues raised by an audience member.
In the first session, for House District 120, Democrat Suzanna Karatassos and Republican Ward Black differed strongly on the state’s abortion law, with Karatassos opposed to the current law and Black supporting it.
In the second session, for House District 121, Democratic incumbent Rep. Eric Gisler and Republican Mack “Dutch” Guest IV didn’t agree on what Georgia House Republicans were proposing in terms of property tax relief.
In the third session, Republican Senate District 46 candidate Marc McMain, and Democratic Candidate Ray Smith took exactly opposite positions on federal involvement in local elections, with McMain supporting and Smith opposed.
In the final session, the starkest difference was that Democratic candidate Pam DeLancy was present, while Republican Houston Gaines was not.
DeLancy used the time allotted to the two candidates to highlight her 35 years of military service, retiring as a colonel, providing a sharp contrast with Gaines, who has been in the Georgia House of Representatives since shortly after he graduated from the University of Georgia in 2017 and has not followed a career path other than in politics.
The candidate forum, sponsored by The Oconee Enterprise and Oconee County Observations, ran from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. on Sept. 24 in the Community Center in Oconee Veterans Park, west of Butler’s Crossing. Audience members asked questions directly of the candidates.
Session 1: House District 120
Katie Vickery, an Oconee County resident, and Patrick Graham, publisher of The Enterprise, co-moderated the forum, and they invited Karatassos and Ward to come to the front of the room as the first session got underway.
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| Karatassos 9/24/2026 |
Karatassos told the audience, in her introductory comments, that she lives in Jackson County, has a four-year-old daughter, and that she is running “as a progressive Democrat” who wants to expand Medicaid, raise the minimum wage and “get the corporations out of housing.”
“The other party has been in control of the state for 23 straight years,” she said, “and there's a lot of things I think we could improve on in our education system and our healthcare system, and Georgia's infrastructure.”
Black said that he lives in Commerce, in Jackson County, that he and his wife “are pretty involved in our local community, also members of Madison Baptist Church,” and that one of his motivations for running is that he wants state government to "respond well to meeting customers' needs.”
“I do have several concerns, and I'm sure we'll talk about different issues tonight,” he said. “I am concerned about the pressures that Georgians, families, and households face every day."
House District 120 consists of parts of Oconee, Barrow, Clarke, and Jackson counties. In Oconee County, the Northeast Precinct falls into the district.
Question To Karatassos and Ward On Abortion
Kathy Hurley, Chair of the Oconee County Republican Party, told the two candidates that “I'd like to hear from each one of you on your position on the current abortion ban at six week in Georgia, and what you would do if elected to change it or to make sure it stays in place.”
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| Hurley 9/24/2026 |
Georgia’s current law prohibits abortions “if an unborn child has been determined...to have a detectable human heartbeat.” That usually is about six weeks. Exceptions are allowed for a physician-determined “medical emergency,” for rape and incest, under certain restrictions, and if a physician determines that “the pregnancy is medically futile.”
“We have the six-week abortion ban in Georgia here,” Karatassos said. “ “It's one of the strictest in the country.”
“Many women go to the hospital, and doctors can't decide what to do with them because they're sort of in that interim between having a miscarriage and not,” she said. “So they end up bleeding out in the parking lot or in a bathroom or something like that because the lawyers and the doctors can't quite get together on what to do.”
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| 9/24/2026 |
“The 14th Amendment of the (U.S.) Constitution says that everyone is treated equal under the law, but this abortion ban is a law specifically telling women that they can't have a medical procedure done to them if they need lifesaving care,” she said.
“So I'm very much against it,” she continued. “But what I would do is put it up for a vote to the state, let the people of the state decide what we should do, if we want to protect reproductive freedom or not.”
“Just from the top, I do believe that life does begin at conception,” Black said. “and every opportunity for life is an opportunity to change the world.”
“And if you ask the women in the Republican caucus that voted for the six-week ban how they feel about it, I think they would give a very unique perspective, and I support their opinion on that,” he said.
“If elected, I would hope to support the six-week ban,” Black said.
“But just personally, that's what I believe in,” he said. “I believe that life does begin in the womb. When there's a heartbeat, there's an opportunity for a child to be born and that child to change the world. So that's where I am.”
Session 2: House District 121
Guest, when he and Gisler were invited to come forward for the House District 121 session, told the audience that “I've been in the Oconee County community, Athens area, for over 20 years.” He currently lives in Oconee County.
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| Guest 9/24/2026 |
“I have a truck and logistics business here with my father,” Guest continued. “I have a beautiful wife, Mary Beth, who's somewhere in the back. And I’ve got a 16-year-old daughter at home, as well as a 12-year-old son.”
“One of the reasons I'm running is because I feel like I know this community,” he said. “I know what it needs. I'm passionate about our youth, our education.”
“I'm passionate about bringing people together and having common sense, and just being able to get things done,” he said.
In his introductory comments Gisler said. “I have two children. They're both college age right now, a son and a daughter, both go to school. Both went through the Oconee school system.”
“I've been in Oconee for 14 years,” Gisler continued. “Nine years before that, I was in Clarke County on the east side, which is actually inside this district as well. So I know the district very well. I've lived on both sides, both counties of the district.”
“I actually have a rental house over there now, so I pay property taxes in both counties,” he said.
“My day job is I work for an insurance tech startup. We're trying to do some pretty cool, innovative things.” He said he also owns the Olive Basket in downtown Athens.
“And then, of course, I am the state representative,” he said.
House District 121 includes Oconee South, Oconee Central, and Dark Corner precincts and parts of Clarke County. It is dominated by Oconee County.
Capping Property Taxes And Assessments
At the end of the second session, Dan Magee said: “The legislature's talking about phasing out homestead property taxes and capping assessment increases. There's 159 counties, 535 cities. Most of the cities and counties, the overwhelming majority, have Republican-controlled majorities, city council, and county commissions.”
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| Magee 9/24/2026 |
“I don't understand what they're doing wrong,” Magee said. “What's John Daniell in Oconee, Brian Broderick in Watkinsville, what are the specifics they're doing wrong that the state's got to come in and step on them and say, ‘Hey, you got to cap, no more homestead property tax exemptions’?”
“Property tax has definitely been a hot button issue,” Guest said. “So one of the things that the state legislature did this past session that didn't go through was we want to give the vehicle for how counties and cities collect their property tax,” he said.
The initiative in the regular session this year to eliminate the tax on property occupied by a homeowner came from Republican House leadership. It cleared the House but not the Republican controlled Senate.
Property taxes also were discussed in the special session this summer, but no action was taken.
“All the state can do is provide the vehicle for the voters in that county and city to vote on it,” Guest said of a plan to allow counties and cities to replace property taxes with sales taxes.
“So that's what happened in the special session,” Guest said. “We just wanted to give the voters the opportunity to make their choice on how that's collected.”
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| Gisler 9/24/2026 |
“So as far as the state saying, ‘You can't collect property tax,’ or, ‘You got to lower property tax’," we can't do that,” Guest said. “All we can do is provide the vehicle for how that tax is collected.”
“I will correct you on one thing,” Gisler said. “the thing during the special session, this LHOST thing, that would have been one penny that had to go towards homestead taxes, but there was no cap on raising millage rates.”
During the June special session, at Gov. Brian Kemp’s request, the House considered passing local legislation to implement a Local Homestead Option Sales Tax (LHOST).
“What we've seen with the FLOST penny in a few places around the state,” Gisler continued, referring to is Flexible Local Option Sales Tax, governments, school boards pass a FLOST penny, they raise their sales taxes, and then they raise their millage rates to the point where nobody actually gets any relief. So that's why that didn't make sense to do.”
Gisler said in the regular session, the Republican leadership was calling for complete elimination of property taxes on homesteaded property. Oconee County Commission Chair Daniell and Watkinsville Mayor Brodrick testified against the bill.
“It's very easy to be a politician sitting in Atlanta and say, ‘I'm going to cut your property taxes,’ when you're not the one that has to deal with that budget shortfall. It's very easy to do that,” Gisler said.
“That was going to cause a massive budget shortfall for a city and a county and a school system,” he continued. “So I'm glad we didn't do that.”
Session 3: Senate District 46
Smith, in his opening comments at the beginning of Session 3, said “I'm running because when I was growing up, I was taught that if you have the capacity to help, you have an obligation to help.”
“And I know that I don't have to tell anyone in here that things have been getting more difficult every single day,” he said.
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| Smith 9/24/2026 |
“We're facing another war in the Middle East, $4 gas, $6.50 diesel, and reckless tariffs and trade wars with our best trading partners,” Smith said, “devastating our small businesses and increasing the prices of things that we have to buy every single day.”
“At the state level,” he continued, “we've had 20 years of corporate handouts, giving billions of dollars to data centers instead of fixing our healthcare crisis.”
“And at the local level, we have a Georgia Department of Transportation bypass threatening to take multi-generational farms,” he said.
“I'm a father, I'm a software engineer, I'm a community organizer, and I'm thrilled to be here to answer your policy questions,” Smith said. He lives in Oconee County.
McMain began his comments by saying “I am a Christian conservative Republican.”
“I've been self-employed since the age of 19,” he said.
“I'm married to my beautiful wife, Liliana...We have two boys. Matthew is 25 years old. He's a helicopter pilot for the United States Navy. And my son Marcus is 23. He's a graduate of Georgia College down in Milledgeville. He has a job in Atlanta, and he's pursuing his version of the American dream.”
“And that's why I'm running--to preserve the American dream,” he said.
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| Noakes 9/24/2026 |
“There's four pillars to my campaign,” he said, listing law enforcement, mental health, education, and affordability.
“I look forward to having this conversation with you,” he said.
All of Oconee County is in Senate District 46, which also includes parts of Clarke, Walton, Barrow, and Gwinnett counties.
Federal Involvement In Local Elections
“Do you think it's appropriate for federal agents to seize ballots or voting equipment in Georgia, especially before an election is certified?” Susan Noakes asked.
“Look, when there is ambiguity as to the validation of election, voters want to have confidence in the process,” McMain said.
“And so, yes, if there is reasonable cause that we think there is something that nefarious took place in an election, then I want to be sure the authorities have the ability to go in and verify.”
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| McMain 9/24/2026 |
So I think it's as simple as that,” he said.
“I do want to be sure that our elections are 100 percent secure,” McMain said, “and I think what comes with that is having the ability to investigate and be sure that they are honest and truthful elections.”
“No!” Smith said, in response to the question.
“The fact is that states have the right to regulate their own elections,” he said. “That is not the federal government's job.”
“Georgia has one of the best election systems in the country,” he said. “And Oconee County, actually is a point of pride.”
“It's a point of pride for Oconee County that we are one of the first counties in the state to submit our election results every single election, and that is a testament to the efficiency and the security of our election system,” he said.
“So it's really frustrating when people talk about fraud and stolen elections,” Smith said, “because we have an amazing election system.”
Session 4: Congressional District 10
When Graham opened Session 4, he invited DeLancy to come forward.
“And I just wanted to also let everyone know Houston Gaines was invited to participate,” Graham said. “He had indicated early on that it was a maybe, that he had several scheduling conflicts, and just unfortunately was not able to attend tonight.”
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| DeLancy 9/24/2026 |
“I'm the Democratic nominee for District 10,” DeLancy said in her introduction. “I'm retired currently from the United States Army. I served in the United States Army for 39 years.”
“I believe in the Constitution of the United States of America,” she said. “I believe in taking an oath to the Constitution, and also the first few words says, ‘We the People.’ All of us in this room, are we the people, and that is what I'm going to be standing up for when I go to Congress.”
She said she has lived in Henry County for more than 23 years and retired back to there in 2019. She retired at the rank of Colonel.
“When I retired back to Henry County in 2019, I immediately got back into the community. I volunteered at the food bank. I'm also a lifetime member of the American Legion because I'm very partial to veterans, because number one, I am a veteran, so I respect the benefits of veterans.”
“I also serve on District Four Board of Public Health. I am a registered nurse by trade. I am a cancer survivor,” she said.
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| Rose 9/24/2026 |
“I am running for Congress because I do believe in we the people,” she said, “and I believe in this country.”
“And I don't believe I served in that uniform for 39 years to watch the country’s constitution be dismantled, disrespected, and disregarded as our living document to govern the United States of America,” she said.
All of Oconee County is on the 10th Congressional District. The District includes all of 16 counties and parts of four more.
Democratic Party Policies
James Rose asked: “If you're going to be elected as a Democrat from this district, do you intend to caucus with the Democratic Party in Congress? And would you support the same type of agenda that they apparently have, and they're doing this on a national campaign, of all the issues they're going to do to destroy the Constitution, do away with the Senate, do away with the presidency, and do away with our Electoral College and go back to a popular vote?”
“Are you in favor of all those agendas that are being put forward right now, which seem to be a little bit unconstitutional?” he said.
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| DeLancy 9/24/2026 |
“I think what's happening right now is severely unconstitutional,” she said. “We started a war that Congress did not fund.”
“I am running for office to defend democracy,” she said. “I have served in the military just like you have, and I can say this, we work together for the mission. I've never asked my service member what their political affiliation was.”
“But I'm here to tell you tonight that if we do not stand up for democracy in this country right now, we're under authoritarian, fascist leadership,” she said. “We went to World War II to defeat that, and now we're looking at that again on the grounds here in the United States of America.”
“That is not democracy,” she said. “Because let me tell you, you will not be a Republican, there will not be a Democrat, an Independent, or a Libertarian party in an authoritarian leadership or a fascist leadership.”
Video
The first video below was recorded from the right side of the candidates and follows to the audience when a questioner posed a question.
The second video was shot from the left side of the candidates and stayed focused on them throughout the session.
In my summary above, I have selected only one issue discussed in each of the sessions and presented the question asked and the answers given in the words of the questioner and the candidates.
I chose the issue because I thought it captured not just that specific responses but also the more general context of the responses in that session.
The candidates addressed many other issues, and the video below provides all of the questions and answers for each session.
Many of the questions came University of Georgia students in the audience.
Session 1 begins at 6:28 in the video.
The candidates responded to questions on public transportation, housing costs, the ability to work either with the majority party or with the minority party in the state House, gun violence, Flock cameras, the rising cost of healthcare, property taxes, in addition to abortion.
Session 2 begins at 46:42 in the video.
The candidates responded to questions on homelessness, public education, social security, safety of downtown Athens, funding of the state crime lab, in addition to property taxes.
Session 3 begins at 1:13:55.
The candidates responded to questions on the minimum wage, infrastructure and growth in Athens-Clarke County, healthcare, support for small farms, the role of third parties, increasing the number of nonpartisan elections, in addition to federal agents seizing ballots or voting equipment in Georgia.
Session 4 begins at 1:46:50
DeLancy responded to questions on college costs, data centers, what she wants to accomplish in Washington, the cost of living, her experiences working in Washington, Flock cameras, the minimum wage, and the national debt, in addition to here support for Democratic Party positions.
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