Smith announces re-election bid to Ga. House
By ALEX McRAEalex@newnan.com
State Representative Lynn Smith, R-Newnan, has officially announced she is seeking re-election for Georgia House District 70, which includes the city of Newnan, the western part of Coweta County, and the Whitesburg precinct in Carroll County.
Smith made the announcement during a Tuesday reception attended by more than 150 supporters at the Redneck Gourmet in downtown Newnan.
In addition to service in the General Assembly, Smith has served as chairman for the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce, the Newnan-Coweta Carnegie Library, the Newnan-Coweta Public Library, the Coweta Economic Development partnership, and the Shenandoah Georgia Youth Science and Technology Center. She also served as president for both the Newnan Junior Service League and the Driftwood Garden Club. She was a member of the Newnan-Coweta United Way Board and the Newnan Hospital Board. She continues to serve as a Georgia Master Gardener, and as a member of both the advisory board for the Newnan Campus of the University of West Georgia and the Newnan Rotary Club.
Presently, Smith serves as chairman for the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee. She champions sound environmental policies that protect Georgia’s environment as well as Georgia’s economy. Smith serves on the Appropriations, Rules, and Reapportionment Committees.
Besides state committees, Smith currently serves as an alternate to the Southern States Energy Board (SSEB), and is an appointee/member to the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Environment and Agriculture Committees, the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC) Energy and Environment Committee, and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Natural Resources Task Force.
She is a former lay appointee to the State Bar of Georgia Investigative Panel and is a former vice-chair of the NCSL Environment Committee. In 2007, the Stennis Center for Southern Women in Public Service selected, for the second time, Chairman Smith as a Pace Setter. In 2004, she was one of 13 elected board members of The Executive Board of Women’s Legislative Network of the NCSL. During that same year, she received the Trailblazer Award from the African American Alliance of Coweta County for her efforts in building community relationships. Smith has spearheaded the development of Chattahoochee Bend State Park, secured state funding for the development of Central Education Center, new construction for the West Central Technical College Campus in Coweta, and grant funding to assist Coweta County in the purchase of the Brown’s Mill Battlefield land.
Smith has received numerous other prestigious awards, including:
• 2012 Top 100 Most Influential Georgians List, Georgia Trend Magazine
• 2011 Top 100 Most Influential Georgians List, Georgia Trend Magazine
• 2011 Environmental Leader in Golf Award, Georgia Golf Environmental Foundation
• 2011 James Magazine House Hero Award
• 2011 Friends of Business Award, Regional Business Coalition
• 2011 Tourism Champion Award, Government Category, Governor’s Conference on Tourism
• 2011 Winner, Legislative Livestock Showdown, Georgia National Fair
• 2010 Voted Legislator of the Year by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce
• 2010 Voted One of Georgia’s Most Influential, James Magazine
• 2006 Georgia Municipal Association’s “Champion of Cities” Award
• 2006 Legislative Achievement Award, Georgia Forestry Association
• 2006 Association of County Commissioners Legislative Award
• 2005 Association of County Commissioners Legislative Award
• 2005 “Gracious Lady of Georgia”
During the 2012 Legislative Session, Smith authored HB1102, which has modifications to the successful Brownfield program. This program offers liability protection and tax incentives for those who cleanup environmentally damaged land. Governor Deal signed this bill into law May 1.
Representative Smith and her husband, both UGA graduates, met at the University of Georgia. They have two daughters and two grandsons. A few years ago they sold Murray Printing Company, which the representative managed for several years. She also taught French and Social Studies in the Newnan and Coweta school systems and continues to volunteer in the schools.
Aside from her accomplishments as legislator, mother, business owner and teacher, Representative Smith is quite the gardener, photographer, and hat collector. In her office you may enjoy her vibrant photographs of flowers she has cultivated over the years. Just recently she donated her extensive vintage hats collection of more than 300 hats to the Newnan-Coweta Historical Society, assisting them to offer one of the finest collections in the South.
