Carl Camon
“I will be the education governor,” Carl Camon said.
The candidate, who qualified Wednesday in Atlanta for the Democratic primary, this summer says cutting education budgets – in primary and secondary schools – is not the answer to solving the state’s budget woes.
“If we cut education, how are students going to graduate and get good jobs and pay back into the system,” said Camon, who was a teacher for 15 years and has five degrees, including an education specialist degree and a master’s in education.
“If I’ve graduated five times, why not work so that you all can graduate one time?” he asked the students.
Camon said he supports funding higher education, including tuition-equalization grants, which help students at private colleges around the state such as LaGrange College. The grants were on the chopping block earlier this year, but Gov. Sonny Perdue is reportedly reinstating the funding.
“If we don’t invest in higher education, what kind of message are we sending to the world? ‘I’ve got mine, you have to do what you can to get yours,’ ” Camon said.
Camon is the first black mayor of Ray City, which is just north of Valdosta and Moody Air Force Base in south Georiga. As mayor, he said he saw politicians at all levels skip over his city and head to Valdosta to make appearances.
As a result, he’s made it a point of his campaign to travel to areas of the state candidates don’t normally visit. On a recent day that meant traveling from Ray City to Savannah, then up to Catoosa County in the northeast corner of the state, and back to Ray City.
“All of Georgia counts,” he said. “I wanted to be there and that’s why I went. I didn’t think about the numbers (of registered voters). At election time, everyone wants to be your friend, but that’s old politics. People now are concerned about the future.”
Jennifer Shrader may be reached at jshrader@lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.
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