Sally Harrell

Sally Harrell was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and earned both her bachelor's degree and master's of social work from the University of Georgia. Harrell's career experience includes working as executive director of the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia and the legislative advisor for the Well Being of Children Issues.[1] She was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives before being elected to the state senate in 2018. Harrell has served as a member of the Senate Ethics, Higher Education, and Natural Resources and the Environment Committees.[2]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Born in the midwest and raised with old-fashioned midwestern values, I have made Atlanta my home for all of my adult life. I married an Atlanta native and raised two children here, one of whom is at GSU in computer science, the other went west to the University of Oregon to pursue a Ph.D. in earth science. I earned my Master of Social Work at UGA and focused on non-profit administration and maternal & child health. I served three terms in the Georgia House in the early 2000s, left politics to raise my children, then returned to the Georgia Senate where I am completing my third term. In the Senate I have focused on making higher education more affordable and ensuring that Georgia meets its obligation to help families who have children with severe developmental disabilities. I look forward to serving another term!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Quality public schools are the backbone of our state. We must guarantee early childhood education for every child. We must create K-12 educational environments that are safe and adaptable to individual student learning needs. We must guarantee that qualified students are able to attend college and technical schools without the burden of large debts. The future of our state depends on this.Georgia needs to join the 40 other states that have already chosen to expand Medicaid. Our rural hospitals need this revenue in order to keep their doors open. Georgia has abysmally low maternal mortality rates, especially for new Black moms. You shouldn't have to go broke to get healthcare.Georgia is growing, which is a good thing! But our transpotation infrastructure is choking us in the Atlanta area. We need to invest in public transit and clean energy, connecting Atlanta with communities across rural Georgia. An affordable supply of housing must be built to accomadate our growth.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about improving state-wide services for families living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Someone once wrote about my father, "Richard restores civility to every conversation." I strive to be like my dad, serving with dignity, kindness and compassion.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Once elected, there are many distractions and pressures that can steer you off course. The most important thing is to be clear about what your values are, and stick to them!

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I babysat all the time for baby boomer parents! I made $1/hr.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The Governor serves the executive branch, which should lobby the legislative branch for whatever makes for better, more efficient state government.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

During the next ten years, Georgia must deal with housing supply and transportation infrastructure, which in turn impacts clean air and water, which in turn impacts climate change and our atmosphere.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I do not believe new legislators need political or legislative experience to be good representatives. For a well balanced legislature, we need a membership that reflects Georgia’s population.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Getting anything done in the political environment means building good relationships, both within your own party and across the aisle.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

There are many legislators I admire -- most of whom are not “famous.” The qualities they possess are energy & passion, perseverance (they never give up) and empathy. They recognize injustice when they see it, and when they see it, they take action.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I do not see myself being in politics forever. I am very happy where I am now.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

As a new legislator, I got several phone calls from elderly parents of adult children with developmental disabilities. They had been on a waiting list for services for at least a decade while nothing happened. They were afraid they would die not knowing their child would be cared for when they couldn’t do it anymore. I got to work reforming the system of care.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Georgia has a part-time “citizen” legislature, so it is therefore appropriate for emergency powers to reside in the Governor’s office.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

Next session, the first bill I will file will be to create an independent system of building inspections for our K-12 school buildings, including trailers.

What committees interest you?

I would love to serve on Health & Human Services, Natural Resources and the Environment, and Education.

Sally Harrell did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Sally Harrell did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1) Education: Our K-12 public education system needs to be fully funded, restoring cuts made since 2008 and before, and reversing the trend toward sending public dollars to private schools. Pre-school, college and technical schools need to be made affordable. And perhaps most urgently, we need to slow the destruction of our environment by investing in innovative, clean energy solutions, especially in the area of regional traffic planning.

2) Healthcare: Medicaid needs to be expanded to save our failing healthcare system state-wide.

3) Environment: Perhaps most urgently, we need to slow the destruction of our environment by investing in innovative, clean energy solutions, especially in the area of regional traffic planning.[5][6]

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

My area of expertise is healthcare, including mental health. I have spent my career advocating for increased access to affordable healthcare. As a social worker, I am gravely concerned for the mental health of our young people, and would like to see affordable systems of mental healthcare available to all who need them.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[6]

[the profile publisher] also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Sally Harrell answered the following:

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

My Core Values: 1) A Positive Role for Government: A strong government ensures that an economy based on maximizing profits does not trample basic human needs. 2) Social Justice: A civilized an humane society ensure that its weaker and poorer members and treated fairly and equitably. 3) Inclusiveness: We extend our world beyond our own families, communities, ethic groups, and races to include a wide range of outsiders, marginalized peoples, and even the earth itself.[6]