Tim Riley reenters political career by running to represent House District 147

HOUSTON COUNTY — Tim Riley will be placing his name on the ballot once again, but this time, he is running for the State House of Representatives, District 147. 

Riley hopes to bring his vast experience in politics to the state capitol and listen to the citizens of District 147. 

Riley has been living in Warner Robins since the 1960s, attended Parkwood Elementary and Northside Junior High School (now Northside Middle School), and graduated from Northside High School. He then went on to receive his Bachelor’s degree from Mercer University and received his Master’s from Georgia State University. Finally, he completed his higher education with a PhD from Clark Atlanta University. 

Riley worked as a therapist at the Department of Corrections in the state prison system. After working in the prison system, he worked in the state mental health system. While he was there, he worked with children who were in state custody or sentenced for mental health issues. Riley then went into private practice, specializing in addiction counseling and general mental health. He retired recently after a long career. 

Riley has also been very active in the community by serving in multiple local nonprofit organizations. He served as President of the Genesis Joy House Board, which is an organization that helps homeless female veterans. Another organization is Diamond in the Rough, where he sits on the Advisory Board. The organization helps end homelessness and is the parent company of Buttons and Threads Thrift Store, where all proceeds support homeless programs and services in the community. 

Riley said he was the Democratic Party nominee for State Senate in 1988, 2008, 2010, and 2012. He has been politically active his entire life, remembering Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan as a significant influence. He believes that she delivered one of the greatest keynote addresses at Jimmy Carter’s nomination convention in the 1970s.

From there, Riley decided to become pen pals with her and, through her letters, was encouraged to become politically active. When Jordan passed away, Riley said he was heartbroken because they had been friends for years. 

He shared that one of his prized possessions is a letter she sent when he graduated from college, which said she was honored to have been part of his decision to pursue his degree and that she appreciated their time as friends.

After retiring, he relocated to Hawaii, where he was elected Vice Mayor of Waianae, a municipality located 30 minutes from Honolulu. During his time in office, he successfully secured funding for roadways that the city had been seeking for years. He also mentioned that he flipped the Republican seat, accomplishing projects that his constituents previously believed were impossible.

He served two terms before returning home to care for his family, who were greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Riley said that although he is considered a senior citizen, he does not feel like it. He has observed that there are many older people in the district, which has become one of his priorities. If elected, Riley said he would target protecting Medicare and Medicaid as the first issue. 

“We’ve got to protect our senior citizens. We’ve got to protect Medicare and Medicaid; they’re being destroyed,” he said. “One thing I can do is run and be the representative from the 147th and make sure that I’m taking care of our senior citizens and protecting Medicare and Medicaid. That is a huge issue for me.”

He shared that many have asked him to run for the seat, and he decided to go ahead and do it.

Riley said the campaign is going very well so far and he is optimistic about his chances of flipping the seat from red to blue and moving closer to equal representation at the Capitol.

“I think that’s crucial,” he said. 

Riley said he has a “boots on the ground” approach to his campaign. He hopes to eventually host town hall meetings and get involved with teachers and staff, since another of his priorities is protecting the educational system. 

“That’s one of the biggest issues that I’ve got to contend with. I’m going to be trying to heavily rely on our educators and staff to make sure that we get their needs met,” he said. 

Another one of Riley’s priorities is reducing crime and supporting law enforcement. During his time as Vice Mayor and working in the prison system, he became used to dealing with law enforcement. 

“I worship the ground that the law enforcement walks on. We’ve got to take care of them,” he said. 

Riley believes law enforcement and teachers have common threads. He said the state appears to be the perfect training ground for both, then they reach excellence and leave Georgia for better opportunities.

“That’s an issue. We’ve got to be able to retain our educators and our law enforcement. As a state representative, I would be doing everything I can to fully fund our education and our law enforcement,” he said. “If your population is not safe and are not educated, they cannot be excellent members of our society and add to our tax base. We have to protect them and we have to educate our population. That would be a huge issue for me.”

Another local issue he hopes to address is changing the election system of the Houston County Commissioners. He said the county is in a unique situation because it uses a countywide system rather than a district system. Riley wants to make sure the county has appropriate representation. 

To change the election system, it has to be introduced as legislation in the state house, Riley explained. 

Riley describes his leadership style as following an “open door policy, which he believes has contributed to his success in politics. He sees himself as the people’s employee and encourages constituents to approach him with concerns. 

Riley said his job is to listen to their suggestions and ensure their voice is heard. While he may not agree with every constituent, he believes in full representation. 

He said he aims to gather feedback from the community. If citizens express a need, he is committed to making it happen. Instead of making the trip to Atlanta to tell people what they want, that is what their local state representative is for. 

“I may be one opinion, but my constituency says this and so I’m here to advocate for this because that’s what my people want. I’ve done that forever, I’ve always done that and I always will,” he said. 

Riley expressed that he is not interested in the “status quo.” He hopes that current House leadership will change if enough people share his ideas, making the House of Representatives more balanced between the two parties rather than one-sided.

He said that he has consistently compromised throughout his political career, viewing it as a blessing. Riley also learned the importance of compromise and problem-solving during his time as a mental health therapist. His experience serving as Vice Mayor in Hawaii has further prepared him to run for a seat under the Gold Dome.

“I’m used to taking on that type of a leadership role where everybody, I don’t care what their race, creed, color, national origin is, they’re all represented. Everybody has been represented through me,” he said. 

Riley is prepared to “hit the ground running” and believes his experience will help him stand out among other candidates. 

He has concerns about his main opponent, Renita Duncan, claiming she is insincere about her political affiliation. Riley said although Duncan is currently registered as a Democrat, she previously ran as a Republican when campaigning for Congress in California.

“I think that’s disingenuous. She wants to claim she’s a Democrat but she’s on record as being anti-abortion [and] anti-women’s choice,” he said. “She just said in her most recent interview that she’s pro-women’s rights. How can that be when she’s voting against women’s rights, willing to throw women under the bus?”

Riley, running as a Democrat, expressed his frustration with the party being labeled as “crazy liberals,” despite their family values. He emphasized that they value every family and believe everyone has the right to be themselves.

“We believe in strong, loving families, no matter what they look like,” he said. 

Riley believes that House District 147 should vote for him because he knows how to do the job correctly and effectively.

“The choice is clear. If you want somebody that’s going to fight for a Democratic value, I’m the one,” he said. 

To find out more about Riley, he encourages people to contact him via email: RileyForGeorgia@juno.com. 

Riley will be running against Duncan and incumbent Bethany Ballard. To see if you are in District 147, click here. 

The General Primary Election is May 19.