Duncan vs. Amico
First, what does a lieutenant governor do? I googled that question and found basically they're like the vice president. They take over in case something happens to the governor. Beyond that they serve as president of the senate and preside over debates and movement of legislation through the pipeline. It seems that this person is the one who helps get things done in terms of pushing through various pieces of legislation. You can read the job description for yourself here.
I began my research into the candidates for lieutenant governor by going directly to their websites. I branched out to other sites when I wanted clarification or more details. I've included all the links to the sites I visited.
EDUCATION
Since I have 20 years experience in public education I headed to that topic on each page first.
Right away I notice that Duncan is advocating for parents to have more power in public education. He states "We need to empower parents, not education bureaucrats." I agree that parents need to know what's going on at school, however I disagree that they need more power. Just visit a ballpark any weekend and consider whether you want the people yelling at children through the fences to have MORE say so in our schools. (I dream of a day when a politician says "let's ask the teachers what we need in education.") Of course, I know all parents aren't ballpark ragers, but I think reforming education doesn't begin with parents. It involves parents.
Amico mentions the importance of all children receiving a quality education regardless of zip code. She points to "innovation in classrooms, rewarding good teachers, firing bad ones, and partnering with businesses to increase vocational and technical training in high schools and community colleges." "Innovation" is a buzzword in education these days, but I appreciate the sentiment. I have yet to hear a plan that rewards teachers that isn't somehow biased against teachers with challenging populations of students. "Firing bad teachers" is tricky because, I'm not going to lie, sometimes there are bad administrators who use poor judgment in hiring and evaluating the effectiveness of teachers on staff. (Disclaimer - I've worked at 6 different schools in 3 different districts with 9 different principals.) I like the idea of increasing vocational training because I believe not everyone needs to go to college and I also want to live in a community with capable mechanics, electricians, carpenters, plumbers, etc.
BUSINESS
In the area of business, I have much less experience although I was raised by a small business owner.
Duncan says he is a "serial entrepreneur" - what does this mean? Sounds fancy for adult ADHD. But I digress. He says he "took a business from his living room to a full-scale operation in a 10,000 square foot facility." I googled to find out more about this business. Wikipedia says it was a "marketing business." His biography on the state website says the business merged "old fashioned customer service with modern day technology". I'm still unsure of what his business was. He gets some coolness points for playing baseball and making it to Triple A with the Marlins, but he dropped out of Georgia Tech to do so.
Amico owns a trucking business, Jack Cooper, with over 3,000 employees (which she grew from 120). Jack Cooper is the "largest specialty over-the-road finished vehicle logistics company in North America." She mentions putting her own money into the business to save jobs when times were tough. According to her bio on the Jack Cooper website, Amico graduated with a bachelor's degree in politics from Washington & Lee and received her MBA from Harvard Business School. She's worked with a long list of well known companies.
OTHER ISSUES
Both candidates speak to other issues on their websites. Duncan is clearly pro-life and refers to Planned Parenthood as being "malicious." I understand that Planned Parenthood advocates for abortion, but they also stand for so much more. I found this cool site that has a Truth Meter for statements made by various politicians in regards to Planned Parenthood.
Amico doesn't have a clear position on women's access to healthcare services (including abortion) on her website. She does speak to increasing rural healthcare and making sure that all children have regular access to pediatric care.
Both candidates talk about not being your typical politicians. They both speak to wanting to make government more efficient. Both candidates weave comments about their faith throughout their statements on their websites.
I've decided on my choice for lieutenant governor and I'm voting on Nov. 6th - I hope you are too!
First, what does a lieutenant governor do? I googled that question and found basically they're like the vice president. They take over in case something happens to the governor. Beyond that they serve as president of the senate and preside over debates and movement of legislation through the pipeline. It seems that this person is the one who helps get things done in terms of pushing through various pieces of legislation. You can read the job description for yourself here.
I began my research into the candidates for lieutenant governor by going directly to their websites. I branched out to other sites when I wanted clarification or more details. I've included all the links to the sites I visited.
EDUCATION
Since I have 20 years experience in public education I headed to that topic on each page first.
Right away I notice that Duncan is advocating for parents to have more power in public education. He states "We need to empower parents, not education bureaucrats." I agree that parents need to know what's going on at school, however I disagree that they need more power. Just visit a ballpark any weekend and consider whether you want the people yelling at children through the fences to have MORE say so in our schools. (I dream of a day when a politician says "let's ask the teachers what we need in education.") Of course, I know all parents aren't ballpark ragers, but I think reforming education doesn't begin with parents. It involves parents.
Amico mentions the importance of all children receiving a quality education regardless of zip code. She points to "innovation in classrooms, rewarding good teachers, firing bad ones, and partnering with businesses to increase vocational and technical training in high schools and community colleges." "Innovation" is a buzzword in education these days, but I appreciate the sentiment. I have yet to hear a plan that rewards teachers that isn't somehow biased against teachers with challenging populations of students. "Firing bad teachers" is tricky because, I'm not going to lie, sometimes there are bad administrators who use poor judgment in hiring and evaluating the effectiveness of teachers on staff. (Disclaimer - I've worked at 6 different schools in 3 different districts with 9 different principals.) I like the idea of increasing vocational training because I believe not everyone needs to go to college and I also want to live in a community with capable mechanics, electricians, carpenters, plumbers, etc.
BUSINESS
In the area of business, I have much less experience although I was raised by a small business owner.
Duncan says he is a "serial entrepreneur" - what does this mean? Sounds fancy for adult ADHD. But I digress. He says he "took a business from his living room to a full-scale operation in a 10,000 square foot facility." I googled to find out more about this business. Wikipedia says it was a "marketing business." His biography on the state website says the business merged "old fashioned customer service with modern day technology". I'm still unsure of what his business was. He gets some coolness points for playing baseball and making it to Triple A with the Marlins, but he dropped out of Georgia Tech to do so.
Amico owns a trucking business, Jack Cooper, with over 3,000 employees (which she grew from 120). Jack Cooper is the "largest specialty over-the-road finished vehicle logistics company in North America." She mentions putting her own money into the business to save jobs when times were tough. According to her bio on the Jack Cooper website, Amico graduated with a bachelor's degree in politics from Washington & Lee and received her MBA from Harvard Business School. She's worked with a long list of well known companies.
OTHER ISSUES
Both candidates speak to other issues on their websites. Duncan is clearly pro-life and refers to Planned Parenthood as being "malicious." I understand that Planned Parenthood advocates for abortion, but they also stand for so much more. I found this cool site that has a Truth Meter for statements made by various politicians in regards to Planned Parenthood.
Amico doesn't have a clear position on women's access to healthcare services (including abortion) on her website. She does speak to increasing rural healthcare and making sure that all children have regular access to pediatric care.
Both candidates talk about not being your typical politicians. They both speak to wanting to make government more efficient. Both candidates weave comments about their faith throughout their statements on their websites.
I've decided on my choice for lieutenant governor and I'm voting on Nov. 6th - I hope you are too!
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