Brandon Beach for State Senate

A Conservative Champion for District 21

By Ellen Samsell Salas

When State Senator Brandon Beach and his wife Shuntel put down roots in Alpharetta 26 years ago, they set out to do whatever they could to make their new community a place their children wouldnt want to leave. That meant getting involved and helping the area thrive.

I knew that if our kids, Courtney and Hunter, grew up and there were no opportunities here, then shame on me, Beach says.

Making a Difference
In those 26 years, Beach has championed the interests of the community. While serving four years on the Alpharetta City Council and 15 years as president and CEO of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, he has also been a member of numerous other community boards. And, as executive director and co-founder of the North Fulton Community Improvement District (CID), he has been instrumental in bringing millions of dollars in infrastructure to the area.

Championing District 21 Needs
Since being elected in 2013, Beach has proven he is not a senator in name only. A solution-driven public servant, he has earned the reputation for making a direct, positive impact on the quality of life in District 21 from his support of public education, to building better roads, keeping taxes low, and enacting business friendly policies. Believing that our job in government is to be customer-centric and make life better for all our citizens, he works for his constituents including the unborn, the student and teacher, the entrepreneur, the commuter, law enforcement officers, and those needing medical care.

If we have an educated workforce, lower taxes, less regulations, and invest in our infrastructure if we do those basics and just get out of the way the private sector will create jobs, and we will remain the No. 1 state to do business, and our area and its residents will thrive, Beach says.

Advocating for Children and Education
A conservative Republican, Beach is staunchly pro-life and voted for the heartbeat bill. He is also passionate about maintaining the areas excellent public schools and technical colleges and ensuring that they have the staff and facilities needed to offer 21st century skills and knowledge.

This legislative session, determined that Georgias best and brightest stay here, work here, and raise their families here, Beach is sponsoring Senate Bill 282, which he has dubbed the Keep Georgia Kids First Act. This bill mandates that 90% of early action admissions at Georgias state colleges and universities are Georgia residents.

Fixing Infrastructure
First elected to the Georgia Board of Transportation in 2008 by state legislators and now as chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, Beach is intent on solving the areas traffic woes.

Transportation is my passion. We can fix it. It will take a combination of teamwork, technology, quick and efficient attention to our roads and bridges, but we can do it. We are going to catch up. When I first became involved, agencies didnt talk to each other and were often undermining each others efforts. Now, we have lunch once a month, so that we can work for our citizens, says Beach.

With the governor and the transportation commissioner, Beach helped facilitate the communication and cooperation that were vital to the speedy repair of the I-85 bridge in 2017 and to the completion of multiple other projects.

Anyone who travels Georgias highways has benefited from Beachs determination to ensure infrastructure upgrades become realities. So that funding is available, he supported House Bill 170, adding over $1 billion annually in revenue for projects. When he saw that using federal dollars meant jumping through time-consuming hoops, he found a faster route to a solution.

As chair, I proposed to the governor that we allocate state revenue and speed up our progress, he recalls. For the widening of State Route 20, we were able to allocate $250 million of state revenue and we began putting shovels in the dirt in March not seven years from March. We still use our federal dollars, but on smaller, less crucial projects.

Brandon was also a vital force in the completion of the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes and the connection of State Route 20 and State Route 140 via Northside Cherokee Boulevard, allowing quick hospital access.

The new beautiful Northside Hospital (Cherokee) is not only an economic engine for the area, he says, it brings first class health care to our citizens. Now, Beach is actively working to implement upgrades to State Route 140.

Likewise, Cherokee County Airport, which is projected to bring $1 billion in tax revenue to the county when it is upgraded, has benefited from Beachs efforts. Chair of the Airport Authority, Don Stephens, credits him with helping to secure the funding for the upgrades.

Twenty-six years ago, Brandon Beach set out on a mission to make our community thrive. Today, he remains dedicated to that mission.

I got involved because I wanted my kids and grandkids to be here, to call this home, and Im so happy that they do. I want everyone to have the same opportunity to come back here, have a job, and call our community home.

To learn more about Senator Beachs efforts for District 21, please visit his website.

Brandon Beach for State Senate
303-B Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
678-640-1811
BeachForSenate.com

Paid for by Brandon Beach for State Senate