News

Evans for Congress Weekly Update

12/7/2009

On the 68th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, I am reminded of the nearly 2,400 Americans who lost their lives in that unprovoked attack on our naval forces and our nation. As Americans, it is difficult to remember Pearl Harbor without remembering too, the terrorist attack on this nation on 9/11. Today, Gena and I pray for those who lost their lives in those despicable sneak attacks and I pray that God will prevent America from ever letting its guard down again.

Following a wonderful Thanksgiving with his family, Mike hit the campaign trail hard last week. On Tuesday, he attended the Pre-Legislative Forum sponsored by the Cumming-Forsyth Chamber of Commerce at the new Lambert High School. There was an added twist to the event this year as students were invited to meet with elected officials, ask questions, and offer suggestions. It was a great event that hopefully helped students gain a better understanding of how government works.

"I was very impressed with the students' knowledge of government and their interest in some of the most important topics of the day such as water, jobs, and education," Mike said.
Later that day, the campaign headed north to Union and Gilmer counties. In Blairsville, County Commissioner Lamar Paris hosted a luncheon for Mike at the Blairsville
Restaurants. It was a tremendous success. Mike had an opportunity to speak to a group of 25 and win several new supporters. After lunch, Bob Head, Chairman of the Board of United Community Bank, took Mike to visit over 10 businesses in town. Mike assured business owners he will help small businessmen and women get back on their feet when he is elected. Mike has always believed that small business is the backbone of our economy.

That afternoon, Mike attended a Christmas party hosted by the Gilmer County Republican Party at the Gilmer County Bank Conference Center. It was a great event and Mike was happy to meet some old friends and to make some new ones.

On Thursday, the campaign rolled into Hall County where Mike attended the Greater Hall County Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event at the historic Quinlan Visual Arts Center. Quinlan is over 60-years old and it has enjoyed unparalleled excellence in visual arts programming.

"It was great to be able to share with people why I'm running for congress," Mike said. "The concerns that I have about jobs, water, health care and education are the same that many Americans have. I was able to talk with many different people about what they see is going on or not going on in DC. Most of them say our government has lost its mind and we need to put an end to this." Mike has pledged to put an end to it by bringing good old-fashioned common sense and north Georgia values to Washington.

On Friday, Mike was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony for Phase 1 of the Big Creek Greenway in Forsyth County. Phase 1 is a mixture of paved areas and boardwalks. It stretches 4.5 miles between McFarland Parkway and Atlanta Highway. The Greenway is destined to become a popular spot for biking and hiking. Mike is proud of his role in allocating funds for this important project while he was on the State Transportation Board.

Later that evening, Mike and Gena were guests of former Forsyth County School Board member Paul Kreager and his wife, Marcie, a former Forsyth County commissioner, at the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission meeting at the Dillard House in Rabun County. This event gave Mike an opportunity to speak to business and community leaders from Forsyth, Hall, Dawson, Lumpkin, White, and Union counties. The commission is an organization of vital strategic importance that provides a forum to address issues and opportunities of common regional interest. It is made up of 13 counties from north east GA.

Saturday was an extremely busy day that started with breakfast at the Dillard House with members of the North Georgia Regional Commission. After the breakfast Mike and Gena headed down to Helen, GA for their Christmas Parade. Then, it was back home to Forsyth County for the Junior Service League's chili cook off at the Wal-Mart Supercenter, followed by the 2009 Cumming Christmas Parade & Festival and the Celebration of Lights at Northside Hospital-Forsyth. Mike, Gena and Team Evans participated in the parade, handing out candy to the kids and campaign literature to the adults.

After spending the afternoon in Forsyth County, Mike and Team Evans headed back up to White County for the Cleveland Christmas Parade at night. It was a cold one, but Mike was able to greet lots of people and see many friends. Thanks to Mayor Donald Stanley for his support and it was great to see Sheriff Neal Walden leading the way!