The public

and party regulars gathered at Baci Italian Restaurant

recently to listen to and question incumbent state Sen.

Rick Price and his three challengers.

The short,

informal Senate District 28 forum was hosted by the

Fayette County Republican Party at its monthly First

Saturday breakfast. Senate District 28 encompasses a

small portion of Fayette County including Peachtree City,

all of Coweta County and all of Spalding County.

Price,

Charlie Harper, Dan Lakly and Mitch Seabaugh answered

questions from the audience regarding Gov. Roy Barnes'

recent education bill, the Atlanta Regional Commission,

the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the

Georgia flag.

Throughout

the forum Price asserted he is proud of his record during

his two terms. He was challenged regarding his procedural

votes on two main bills, the governor's education bill

and creation of GRTA.

While Price

ultimately voted against both bills, Harper, Lakly and

Seabaugh indicated they would have voted against the

bills throughout the process. Price defended his earlier

votes to "study the issues" or to "bring

them out of committee," noting that it was his job

to take poor legislation, that would pass with a

Democratic majority in power, and make it better.

All four

asserted that they would not support any legislation to

change the state flag. Seabaugh said that proponents of

taking the Confederate battle emblem off the state flag

are trying to make it a racial issue. Harper stated that

"pressure to change the flag is led by outsiders

trying to drive a wedge."

Price

answered simply "No," and gave a brief

background on the recent history of the flag, and Lakly,

referring to Zell Miller's attempt to change the flag in

1993, said, "They didn't change it then and they

won't change it now." He further noted that changing

the flag "takes the focus off things that are

important."

Price was

questioned regarding his stance on the Atlanta Regional

Commission. He has been attacked recently by his Senate

challengers regarding the vote to include Fayette County

in the ARC during his term on the Fayette County

Commission. Price said he abstained from the vote and did

not vote to include Fayette as asserted, later noting he

did not believe there had been sufficient information

provided to the commission to allow him to vote in good

conscience.

Lakly, who

served on the County Commission at the same time,

interjected that he (Lakly) had made the motion and voted

for inclusion because, "We had two choices: to be

part of the regional commission centered in Barnesville

or in Atlanta."

He said he

felt Fayette was closer aligned to Atlanta than Lamar

County. Harper continued to assert that Price had voted

for inclusion, referring to commission minutes while

Seabaugh, who lives in Coweta County, talked about

positive leadership.

All of the

candidates voiced opposition to GRTA and the ARC's

current proposals regarding rapid rail, higher density

and what they perceived to be a lessening of local

government's ability to control local issues. Price said,

"Local government is the best government."

Lakly spoke against the "usurping of county

authority" and said, "No thank you to rapid

rail and rapid density." Lakly also said he would

make his first campaign promise, which would be to

"introduce legislation to repeal [regional

development commissions]."

Regarding

Bill 1187, the education reform bill, Harper said he was

"opposed from beginning to end." Lakly noted he

would have "fought with every breath of my body

[against the bill]." Seabaugh stated the bill did

not help education and he would have voted against it.

Price voted against the final bill.