Cynthia
Johnson
Igniting Hope for
Georgia State House District 148
Georgia State House District 148
Housing, Revitalization & Economic Development
Our Communities Deserve Investment — Not Just Extraction
For too long, HD-148 has been treated as a resource to take from rather than a community to invest in. Land is cleared, water is drawn, incentives are paid out — and the wealth generated flows elsewhere. I have watched it happen for 45 years. As your State House Representative, I will change the terms of that equation.
Economic development that leaves our families behind is not development. It is a subsidy with no return.
The Housing Gap Is Real — And It's Fixable
Families in our district are earning $42,000 to $48,000 a year in a state where the median income is $77,000. That gap does not close through inspiration. It closes through specific policy changes that either put money directly back in people's pockets or remove the barriers that keep housing costs artificially high.
Rural Workforce Housing Grants.
Georgia's Department of Community Affairs administers a Rural Workforce Housing Initiative with approximately $34 million in competitive grant funding for affordable housing development in rural counties. The problem is that the smallest counties — the ones that need it most — consistently lose those competitions to better-resourced applicants. I will advocate for a dedicated funding set-aside within that program reserved for counties under 15,000 in population, so that Wilcox and Pulaski are no longer competing against suburban counties for the same dollars.
I will also support HB 1153 and HB 1177, currently before the General Assembly, which expand the Low Income Housing Tax Credit to single-family homes and give local development authorities broader financing capacity for affordable housing projects.
Revitalizing What We Already Have.
Low-income families in our rural communities are locked out of homeownership not just because of income — but because of deteriorating housing stock and aging infrastructure. I will direct state resources toward revitalizing existing housing in communities that have been historically left behind, and fight for investment in the roads, water systems, and public infrastructure that make neighborhoods livable and communities sustainable.
Growing Jobs and Small Business
Local First: A Fair Deal for Every Employer.
Georgia's tax incentive system hands out substantial benefits to a wide range of large employers: data centers, film production companies, manufacturing facilities, distribution hubs, and private detention operators. In most cases these deals come with no local hiring requirement, no environmental review, and no legal obligation to contribute to the infrastructure costs the development imposes on local government. A company can receive millions in state tax credits and leave the county responsible for the roads, water, and utilities its operation demands. That is not economic development. That is a subsidy.
In my first session, I will introduce or co-sponsor legislation requiring Community Benefit Agreements as a legal condition of receiving state tax credits above a defined threshold. Those agreements must include verified local hiring targets, a workforce training pipeline, documented water and land protections, and a defined infrastructure contribution. Signed before the first shovel hits the ground.
Rural Zone Tax Credits.
Georgia's Rural Zone tax credit program offers $2,000 per new full-time job for up to five years in designated historic downtown areas. Cordele and Hawkinsville need to be in that program, and I will push to ensure they are. This is the kind of state investment that rewards small business growth and downtown revitalization — and our communities qualify.
Broadband: The Foundation of a Rural Economy.
No economic development strategy for a rural district is credible without broadband. Federal BEAD Program funding is available right now to expand broadband infrastructure in underserved rural communities. I will make it my business to ensure HD-148 counties are at the front of that line — because without reliable connectivity, remote work is not possible, telehealth is not possible, and small business growth is severely constrained.
Here is the irony we need to name plainly: if our district is being asked to host the infrastructure of the digital economy — data centers that serve the entire internet — our residents deserve to participate in it. That means broadband access, good-paying local jobs, and a say in how that development is structured.
The Data Center: Getting It Right
A hyperscale data center is going into construction in our district — one of the largest in the country. I cannot undo that approval. What I can do is lead a strong, sustained public oversight effort to ensure it is built right and operates responsibly.
That means pressing for:
Our Environment Is Our Economy
Clean water, healthy farmland, and good air quality are not abstract values — they are the foundation of our local economy. Our farmers, our families, and our future depend on them.
I will fight for:
I believe that responsible environmental stewardship and a strong rural economy belong together. You don't have to choose between protecting your land and growing your community. In HD-148, we can do both — if we demand it.
For too long, HD-148 has been treated as a resource to take from rather than a community to invest in. Land is cleared, water is drawn, incentives are paid out — and the wealth generated flows elsewhere. I have watched it happen for 45 years. As your State House Representative, I will change the terms of that equation.
Economic development that leaves our families behind is not development. It is a subsidy with no return.
The Housing Gap Is Real — And It's Fixable
Families in our district are earning $42,000 to $48,000 a year in a state where the median income is $77,000. That gap does not close through inspiration. It closes through specific policy changes that either put money directly back in people's pockets or remove the barriers that keep housing costs artificially high.
Rural Workforce Housing Grants.
Georgia's Department of Community Affairs administers a Rural Workforce Housing Initiative with approximately $34 million in competitive grant funding for affordable housing development in rural counties. The problem is that the smallest counties — the ones that need it most — consistently lose those competitions to better-resourced applicants. I will advocate for a dedicated funding set-aside within that program reserved for counties under 15,000 in population, so that Wilcox and Pulaski are no longer competing against suburban counties for the same dollars.
I will also support HB 1153 and HB 1177, currently before the General Assembly, which expand the Low Income Housing Tax Credit to single-family homes and give local development authorities broader financing capacity for affordable housing projects.
Revitalizing What We Already Have.
Low-income families in our rural communities are locked out of homeownership not just because of income — but because of deteriorating housing stock and aging infrastructure. I will direct state resources toward revitalizing existing housing in communities that have been historically left behind, and fight for investment in the roads, water systems, and public infrastructure that make neighborhoods livable and communities sustainable.
Growing Jobs and Small Business
Local First: A Fair Deal for Every Employer.
Georgia's tax incentive system hands out substantial benefits to a wide range of large employers: data centers, film production companies, manufacturing facilities, distribution hubs, and private detention operators. In most cases these deals come with no local hiring requirement, no environmental review, and no legal obligation to contribute to the infrastructure costs the development imposes on local government. A company can receive millions in state tax credits and leave the county responsible for the roads, water, and utilities its operation demands. That is not economic development. That is a subsidy.
In my first session, I will introduce or co-sponsor legislation requiring Community Benefit Agreements as a legal condition of receiving state tax credits above a defined threshold. Those agreements must include verified local hiring targets, a workforce training pipeline, documented water and land protections, and a defined infrastructure contribution. Signed before the first shovel hits the ground.
Rural Zone Tax Credits.
Georgia's Rural Zone tax credit program offers $2,000 per new full-time job for up to five years in designated historic downtown areas. Cordele and Hawkinsville need to be in that program, and I will push to ensure they are. This is the kind of state investment that rewards small business growth and downtown revitalization — and our communities qualify.
Broadband: The Foundation of a Rural Economy.
No economic development strategy for a rural district is credible without broadband. Federal BEAD Program funding is available right now to expand broadband infrastructure in underserved rural communities. I will make it my business to ensure HD-148 counties are at the front of that line — because without reliable connectivity, remote work is not possible, telehealth is not possible, and small business growth is severely constrained.
Here is the irony we need to name plainly: if our district is being asked to host the infrastructure of the digital economy — data centers that serve the entire internet — our residents deserve to participate in it. That means broadband access, good-paying local jobs, and a say in how that development is structured.
The Data Center: Getting It Right
A hyperscale data center is going into construction in our district — one of the largest in the country. I cannot undo that approval. What I can do is lead a strong, sustained public oversight effort to ensure it is built right and operates responsibly.
That means pressing for:
- Sustainable building materials and energy-efficient design
- Modern cooling systems that minimize daily water withdrawals — this facility is projected to use 25 million gallons of water per day in an area where many residents rely on wells and small water systems
- Protection of nearby streams, wetlands, and tree cover that act as carbon sinks and flood buffers
- Site plans that reduce noise, light pollution, and traffic impacts on surrounding neighborhoods, schools, and churches
- Mandatory Environmental Impact Assessments with a genuine public comment period before any additional phases break ground
Our Environment Is Our Economy
Clean water, healthy farmland, and good air quality are not abstract values — they are the foundation of our local economy. Our farmers, our families, and our future depend on them.
I will fight for:
- Stronger groundwater monitoring and protection, particularly for wells and small water systems that rural families depend on
- Agricultural runoff accountability — documented contamination of South Georgia groundwater is a real and underaddressed health risk
- Mandatory buffers and design standards for industrial developments near wetlands, streams, and active farmland
- Opposition to new fossil fuel expansion that locks our region into higher costs and greater pollution without corresponding community benefit
- Support for clean energy access for low-income households and seniors — because energy efficiency and solar access should lower bills and improve health, not be reserved for wealthy suburban counties
I believe that responsible environmental stewardship and a strong rural economy belong together. You don't have to choose between protecting your land and growing your community. In HD-148, we can do both — if we demand it.
PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS & CONDITIONS
PAID FOR BY CYNTHIA JOHNSON FOR GEORGIA
P.O. Box 42 Cordele, GA 31010 | (229) 805-0094
copyright 2026 Cynthia Johnson for Georgia
PAID FOR BY CYNTHIA JOHNSON FOR GEORGIA
P.O. Box 42 Cordele, GA 31010 | (229) 805-0094
copyright 2026 Cynthia Johnson for Georgia