Houston County’s House of Representatives District 147 candidates – Ariel Phillips

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Rep. Heath Clark announced that he would not be seeking reelection in early March of this year. With no incumbent running for the seat, Georgia’s House of Representatives 147th District would go empty at the end of his term. Filling in the vacuum, a number of candidates have risen to the occasion following the primary election and two remain: Democratic candidate Ariel Phillips and Republican candidate Bethany Ballard.

The Journal reached out to both for a closer look at their campaigns, what is first on their agenda and how they hope to serve the citizens of Houston County. Here is what they had to say:

Ariel Phillips was born and raised in the state of Mississippi. After graduating from high school, she joined the United States Air Force, which led her to eventually call Warner Robins home. She retired in 2018, and after working a number of service jobs, took on the role of manufacturing analyst at Northrop Grumman. She is also an entrepreneur and a disabled veteran.

She decided to run for office after becoming active in politics in recent years and involved with the Houston County Democratic Committee. Today, she runs to fill the seat previously held by Heath Clark.

Phillips’ campaign focuses on many key issues, namely human rights, voting rights, veterans’ issues and healthcare.

The issue at the forefront of Phillips’ mind is human rights — for Black and brown communities, for members of the LGBTQ community, for people who are homeless and prisoners working to find resources to succeed once they have gotten out. Phillips said she hoped to ensure that these groups — which have historically been victims of hated crimes, treated unjustly and have been systemically and physically attacked — are treated fairly and given opportunities to succeed.

When it comes to voters rights, Phillips hopes to work in providing voters with access to the ballot box on election days as well as information necessary on when to be there and where to go. Informing the public of their rights and the information necessary to vote is a key part of Phillips’ campaign.

Phillips can attest to some of issues veterans face firsthand. She told The Journal that she struggled to find work after retiring, only being able to find employment through her established network of friends. She hopes to help ensure that veterans in Georgia are provided job opportunities and help them find available resources in their area.

Lastly, Phillips hopes to place some of her focus on ensuring that Georgia’s citizens are given the healthcare they need, including comprehensive reproductive rights and treatment. She also hopes to expand Medicaid and make resources more available to those who need them.

More than anything, Phillips hopes to show people in Houston County how she cares for these issues rather than by just telling them.

“If you want it done right, you’ve got to do it yourself — actions speak louder than words,” Phillips said. “I don’t ever want to have to tell people who I am.

“Obviously I’ll have to, to an extent. You should be able to see by what I’m doing. I’m going to give a long paragraph on Facebook about how I feel about something, because I can go out into the community and show them how I feel about it. If I have a problem with homelessness, I’m going to be out volunteering at a homeless shelter. I don’t like having to talk about — I like doing it.”

To accomplish these goals, Phillips’ first days in office would be spent establishing herself among her peers, getting to know the people she will be working with and creating a network of people with similar goals to help her accomplish her own. This is not limited to just Democrats like herself but also the republicans across the aisle.

When asked why Middle Georgia should vote for her, she said, “Because I’m doing this; because I love people.”

“The first thing I ever wanted to be growing up was a super hero,” Phillips said. “I think I have a really good moral compass, I think I have a really good idea of what the world is like and what needs to be done to make things right.

“I think a lot of people are doing it because they want power. I don’t want any of that. If I could be anonymous, I would love to be, but I know that I have good ideas, and I know that I have a loud, aggressive voice, and I know that there are people here that need that. That’s what I’m doing. I’m not here to be a leader, I’m not here to be a politician — I’m here to amplify the voices of the people around me, to be a mediator for them.”

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