Leah Aldridge
Occupation: I am an attorney formerly with the law firm of Morris, Manning and Martin, LLP where I worked in the corporate healthcare sector. I am an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and currently work through the business I own and operate, Atlanta Breastfeeding Consultants, LLC.
Previous experience holding elected offices: None.
Other community service experience: I have served on the Board of the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia, including serving as its Board President. I have served as a breastfeeding support leader for La Leche League for more than 10 years, and I have been a member of the Junior League of Atlanta for over 15 years. I have served on the Boards of the Anti-Prejudice Consortium and as the Board President of Embracing Differences, Inc. I am the 2009 ROSE Award recipient from the Junior League of Atlanta and the 2016 Award of Excellence recipient from the United States Lactation Consultant Association.
Why should the voters choose you for this position?
Voters should choose me to be the next state senator for the 6th District because experience matters. I am a small business woman, running a healthcare business in Fulton County for the last five years, and a corporate attorney who has closed multimillion-dollar public company deals. I advocated for four years under the Gold Dome on a piece of Republican-sponsored legislation– from drafting the bill, to testifying in six hearings, to negotiating amendments, to working with the Governor’s Office. I have proven I can and will get the job done at the Capitol for the 6th!
What is the biggest issue facing the district and how will you address it?
The overreach of our government is my biggest concern. As senator, my first priority is tax relief—both property taxes and state income taxes. Property owners need a fixed tax metric so that we can plan budgets and stabilize our neighborhoods. To keep Georgia competitive and money in our checkbooks, I will work to decrease the state income tax to a flat 5.5 percent. We need to step up to create traffic solutions to get us all out of our cars and spending time with family and its time to stop waiting on Washington to solve our healthcare crisis in Georgia.
The legislature is expected to discuss proposals for increased state funding of mass transit and possible new governance of public transit. What is your position on those issues?
This district includes two counties and four major cities. One solution does not fit all. What is universal is that the daily gridlock on the roads in our district is beyond frustrating. As I knock on doors, folks tell me that their commute to work is their worst daily stressor. I will consider all proposals on the table and will be active in crafting and supporting solutions that will provide us with traffic relief. Importantly, I pledge to hold a town hall meeting in Cobb and Fulton counties to hear from you before I vote for any transportation bill.