Speaking to business and community leaders from across the state Tuesday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp urged them to help officials tackle crime in their communities — then closed his speech by asking them to spread the word about vaccines in the fight against COVID-19. Kemp was one of several speakers at The Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Congressional Luncheon in Columbus.
“Today, I’ve talked a lot about our successes on what some people would call ‘Chamber issues’. Taxes, job growth, investment, workforce, and economic development,” Kemp said. “These are the foundation of what has made Georgia so great – and it would have been impossible without all of you in this room.
“But it is absolutely vital for all of us here today to address what I believe is the most significant threat to our state’s future,” the Governor continued. “Creating jobs, landing another prospect, helping a local business expand, hiring a talented workforce, and promoting your community for tourism all require strong public safety. Simply put, if crime is rampant on the streets of your local community, businesses will look elsewhere, workforces will leave, visitors won’t show up, and investment will stop.”
Kemp pointed to the “crime and public safety issue” in Atlanta, but went on to say, “it is also a challenge facing many of our communities across Georgia. Chambers of Commerce across our state – including the Georgia Chamber and the Metro-Atlanta Chamber of Commerce – have a responsibility, just like I do, to speak up about crime and work toward meaningful solutions. Because, as leaders, we have a duty to act.
“Conversations about crime and how to address it aren’t easy ones to have. It isn’t what normally comes up at a luncheon like this, but it needs to be.”
Speaking to many leaders of local Chambers of Commerce, Kemp said, “Local chambers are in a unique position to bring communities together to solve tough problems. Your knowledge of the diversity of your friends and neighbors, your experience in leading teams and being a voice for the businesses and industries that employ people in your community, all of that is crucial to this effort. Because when local leaders have difficult conversations about issues that impact the daily lives of everyone around them and hold people accountable, real change can happen.
“Talk to your sheriff and your police chiefs, talk to your local prosecutors, and talk to schools, churches, and community organizations. Work with them to put forward new job training or mental health programs that deter people from lives of crime, and work with local elected leadership to appropriately fund law enforcement. If your Chamber is already accomplishing these goals, I applaud your leadership, and then ask what more you can do.”
Kemp also talked to the business and community leaders about the importance of vaccines in the fight against COVID-19, stating that “vaccines are the most effective weapon against the disease.”
“With cases and hospitalizations continuing to rise, it is now more important than ever for unvaccinated Georgians to talk to a medical provider and make the right healthcare decision for them and their family,” he said.
He went on to emphasize his opposition to a statewide mask mandate or tightening COVID-19 restrictions, saying the state would continue to “protect both lives and livelihoods.”
“Georgians know how to protect themselves from COVID-19,” he added. “It’s my belief that lockdowns, mandates and school closures show little sign of stopping the virus while only creating societal and economic issues of their own,” he said. “We aren’t going to shut down any businesses. We’re not going to let anyone destroy the lives of our citizens.”
At the close of the luncheon, Chris Clark of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, announced that a mobile vaccination unit was outside the convention center, offering free vaccinations to anyone in attendance.
