State Sen.

Greg Hecht, D-Jonesboro, has raised about $100,000 so far for a political

campaign that may never happen, he says.

Hecht's Senate

District 34 includes northern Fayette County.

"We did

not make an official announcement," Hecht told The Citizen Friday

in response to area news reports that he had indeed announced his candidacy

for Congress. "I am not planning on running unless those lines go

my way," he said.

"Those

lines" he referred to are the district lines for congressional seats,

which will be redrawn in a special session of the Georgia Legislature

beginning today. Because of growth in state population, Georgia will get

two new congressional districts, and one of those is expected to be in

the south metro Atlanta area.

If that district

favors a Hecht candidacy, he said, he will launch a campaign for it. In

order to begin raising money and get a jump on the competition, he had

to file that intent with federal agencies.

He conducted

his first fund-raiser in Clayton County last week.

Fayette County

Republicans are calling foul, pointing out that Hecht is a member of the

Reapportionment Committee. He shouldn't be directly involved in drawing

the new lines if he is hoping to run for one of the seats, says a press

release from the party.

"It would

appear that the senator has a blatant conflict of interest in that he

has made no secret of his burning desire to serve in Congress, while at

the same time serving on the powerful committee that will determine the

makeup of our congressional districts," said Lane Watts, local party

chairman. "He has positioned himself perfectly to exert extraordinary

influence on the process and thereby benefit himself immensely politically.

With this neat arrangement, no wonder the average citizen feels nothing

but cynicism towards politicians and the political process."

Hecht said

he doesn't have "extraordinary influence" on the process. "I'm

one of many members of the Reapportionment Committee," he said, adding

that he is not part of the all-Democrat subcommittee that is steering

the work of the committee.

There are numerous

proposed district maps, he said, adding that no one person is in control

of the process.

The Jonesboro

lawyer said he has no idea at this point whether Fayette or a portion

of Fayette would be included in a hypothetical south metro district. If

it is, "I would be honored to serve all or a portion. Fayette is

a tremendous county," he said.

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