The end of the Clark era

You could say that Heath Clark has a lot on his plate. He has a family, his day job as a financial service representative and a responsibility in the Georgia House of Representatives. He has a busy schedule, but in the near future, he may have a bit more free time. The Houston County representative announced on Facebook last Sunday that he would not be running for reelection after serving in the role since 2014.

“After a lot of thought, prayer and candid conversation with my family, I have decided not to seek reelection,” Clark wrote. “This decision is not something that I have taken lightly. Earning your trust and serving the community that I grew up in has been the honor of my life.”

On Facebook, followers reflected on his tenure with the Georgia House of Representatives. They expressed feelings of gratitude and nostalgia, thanking him for his service and representation. For Clark, it goes deeper than those eight years with the House. His passion for his community started long before that.

Before serving with the House, Clark served his community as a youth pastor with Avondale Baptist Church and Bethany Baptist Church. He even helped start a church in Macon, a branch of the New City Church. He said this led to the formation of Sojourn Church, a congregation that started with about 40 people and used to meet at an unusual spot: The Galleria Movie Theater.

His passion for creating churches is what led him to consider running for the House of Representatives. He believed in the mission from the church, and a spot in politics naturally followed; he compared it to the story of Jeremiah in the Bible. He became more involved with politics as time went on, and he was passionate about the welfare of Warner Robins. After seeking out advice from family and friends, all signs for him pointed to run for the House of Representatives.

He worked hard to get there. He recounted having a grassroots door-to-door campaign, estimating about 5,000 doors that they knocked on. He remembers hitting the pavement seven days a week. He was shocked that he had won.

“We’d knock until it got so dark that people were scared to answer their door,” he said.

Clark worked hard to pass legislature that he felt would help the community. But as he reflected on his time in the House of Representatives, he thought often of the about the legislature that helped military members and their spouses — especially when it came to tax exemptions and transferring licensure from state to state.

In 2016, he helped form the Military Affairs Study Committee and is currently the chairman of the House Committee on Defense and Veterans Affairs. He recalled the overarching theme was the same as his committee’s namesake: defense.

“Our defense communities are pockets of economic vitality,” Clark said. “They’re bringing extension into rural Georgia. You see our defense installations becoming catalysts for high-paying STEM jobs.”

But the job that will soon switch over is the House of Representatives job Clark currently holds. As for his successor, we’re still waiting on an announcement, but the advice that he gives to them is simple: “You’ve got to understand that not everybody is coming from where you are, but you’ve got to know where your core values are and not give on those.”

He encourages cooperation: “I think that’s the biggest thing missing in politics in general, whether it’s the politicians or the public. We don’t want to hear people that we disagree with. They might be addressing a problem that you didn’t know existed, and you can find a solution to that problem.”

When asked why he chose not to run for reelection, he was satisfied with what he had helped accomplish in the House, and he is looking forward to spending more time with his family. Clark’s four children range in age from 6 to 11 years old, and he says that as they hit their formative years that it’s important for him to be there for them.

“I want to be the dad that they need me to be,” he said.

What’s next for his family? That’s still up in the air, for now.

“I know I still have a heart of service for the community, I do think God’s going to honor that,” Clark added.

Whether that’s in the church or for his current job, he doesn’t quite know. But as far as politics is concerned, he felt that “it was time to come home.”

HHJ News