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Mesha Mainor is unfazed by critics and passionate about school choice
Rep. Mesha Mainor asks a question from her seat in the House chamber during a floor debate on March 29, 2023, at the Georgia Statehouse in Atlanta. (Credit: Georgia House of Representatives)
Editor's note: Shortly after the publication of this article, Rep. Mesha Mainor announced she was leaving the Democratic Party for the Republican Party.
Mesha Mainor, an Atlanta native, is unapologetic about her ideologies and decisions as a state legislator that have ruffled some feathers among Democrats in the Georgia General Assembly.
Mainor was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2020, and she is a Democrat representing House District 56 in the heart of Atlanta. Her upbringing, she described, was in a crime-ridden area called The Bluff. But she was able to overcome a lot of challenges in her life and has worked in the health care industry for more than two decades.
The mother of two is unrelenting in her push to expand private school vouchers, which she prefers to call the "parent choice" bill. Mainor also plans to advocate for other issues during the upcoming session, like victims’ rights and greater prosecutor oversight.
"I would love for us to get the parent choice bill passed. I hate calling it a voucher," she told State Affairs during an interview. “Voucher has a negative connotation to it, which is why they stopped doing food stamps as vouchers.”
Democrats not only in Georgia but across the nation have been largely against the push for the expansion of private school vouchers, an issue they say will harm public schools. Most Republicans think otherwise and believe that more parents should have the option to send their kids to private schools.
“If it doesn't get passed in its current verbiage, maybe we can make it better to bring more people on board,” Mainor said of the private school voucher proposal in the state.
Meanwhile, most Georgia Democrats were relieved that efforts to expand the school voucher program failed during this year's legislative session, but not Mainor. She was the lone Democrat who voted in favor of the measure that would grant more opportunities for children to attend private schools. As a result, she received backlash from party members. State Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, called to oust Mainor from her seat, posting a picture on Twitter of a $1,000 check to donate to a potential primary opponent.
During a nearly 20-minute conversation with State Affairs, Mainor spoke candidly about her frustrations with the Democratic party in Georgia, addressing issues related to the school bus system, how she's endured an ongoing stalking case and more.
Q. Tell me more about your upbringing, passions and what led you to become a state legislator.
A. Well, I am a Georgia native. I went to Howard University. I grew up in an area of Atlanta called The Bluff, which one would say is crime-infested, prostitution, you know, etc. My mom sent me to school on another side of town just to get me out of the elements. And that's partly why I'm so passionate about education and giving kids more opportunities and opportunities that might be in their communities.
I have two children. One just graduated from high school. She is headed to Boston University on a full ride (scholarship). And the other one is in middle school. I'm a Christian and I try my best to listen to what my spirit is telling me.
And when I entered into the politics space, I was listening to my spirit and when I got on the campaign trail, I said, ‘Hey, I don't know anything about politics.’ I am here because my spirit led me here. I know I can do a good job. I'm service-oriented and the people gave me a shot without a platform. I am a physical therapist. I got my masters at Howard University. And I've done that for over 20 years and for the bulk of that I did home health. I have unique insight into what's going on in people's homes as a result of that. I worked for Congressman John Lewis when I was up at Howard at his D.C. office. And I've just done a host of different things. So, I think I'm a pretty well-rounded person.
Q. Besides the private school voucher bill, what are your legislative priorities for the upcoming session?
A. Well, it has become a priority of mine to focus on victim rights. So right now, the laws and the criminal justice system for victims of domestic violence, stalking, child abuse, just any kind of predatory offenses, the system really is not built to help those people. And what I have noticed is, the way the party system is set up, it seems like the Republicans may be trying to support the system and the Democrats are trying to support the defendants, which leaves victims in the middle with no one really advocating for them. There have been families at the Capitol ever since I got there, holding signs up about their loved ones that lost their children to police violence. I have started working with those groups. I worked with Chairman Stan Gunter of the (House) Judiciary Committee. He accepted an invitation to speak to them and was really just trying to figure out what we can do legislatively to give them a voice. You know, part of the reason I supported the prosecutor oversight bill was for these families.
A lot of people like to say the prosecutor oversight bill was for one DA (district attorney) in particular and it was this race thing. But no, there are Black people killing Black people. There are Black law enforcement officers killing Black families and many of these families want justice. And it has nothing to do with one particular DA. I had some legislation that I've had for a couple of years related to ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). So, when we have students in school and English is not their native language, if there are resources out there, the resources are only in English. And so, I would like for us to make sure in school systems where the majority population is not native English speakers that they have resources in their native language.
Q. You dealt with a stalker a few years ago. Can you talk more about that and how it's impacted you? Do lawmakers need more protection?
A. Well, you know, that's the thing about stalking, stalkers never stop. So, it's still ongoing. I have been to court this year about it. He has served one year. But stalkers never stop. And if you were to look up some studies from the U.S. Department of Justice, one of the things they say is the worst crime really are stalkers because they go to such dramatic and extensive links for this fixation they have; so that's kind of where I'm at. It's disheartening because it’s hard to get justice. I'm an elected official. I've done nothing trying to get special treatment. I've gone through the process just like everyone else. And if I can't get justice, and I know everything that I'm supposed to do, then that means there's a real problem. One of my big problems with that is my stalker’s attorney is a (Fulton) county commissioner, Marvin Arrington. He was his attorney. And there are jail tapes of him saying that he was going to talk to (Fulton County district attorney) Fani Willis to take care of it. That is, friends take care of friends. You're elected to office to serve people. But people can't get justice if they're taking up for friends. And I think that happens a lot. That’s what's happening most likely with some of these law enforcement officers; people just deciding not to investigate because of relationships. So, if I can fix that, I would be extremely happy. That would be the win of the year.
Q. You have received backlash from Democrats for supporting private school vouchers. How has this impacted your relationship with other Democrats? And do you want to see any changes within your party?
A. I'm sure you have seen that my colleagues have put up checks for people to run against me, putting up checks to run against me because I support school choice. Is it that serious that I want to help someone in a marginalized community where you wanna get me out? I voted for the prosecutor oversight bill. I have valid reasons why I support the prosecutor oversight bill. Is that a reason to not want me to be your colleague? I supported not to defund the police. I represent the westside of Atlanta and midtown where crime is rampant. None of my constituents wanted to defund the police. Now do myself and my constituents feel like there needs to be more resources for human services and social services? Absolutely, but we don't want to give law enforcement a reason to not show up at our door when we need them. And so those three votes have caused a lot of unhappy and unpleasant feelings for me within the Democratic Caucus. And they've made some hard lines. This is what they believe in. If I don't believe in this, then I need to get out of the party. And so, I can't change the Democrats’ values. And I see them continuing to be inflexible. I see them continuing to be intolerant to other ideologies. And those are things I have no control over. All I can do is continue to represent my constituents.
I'll give you a little background knowledge on something. The Democratic Caucus did polls of all Georgia voters that are Democrats. It was strategic. And the question was, do you support vouchers, or parent choice/school choice? And the majority of Democrat voters said yes. So even with that knowledge, they still don't want to support it. And it's a reason they don't wanna support it. It's because there are lobbying groups that don't want them to support it. So, it really makes no sense whatsoever.
Q. You serve on the House Education Committee. Can you talk about issues related to the school bus system?
A. So, I do know that we're pushing for some environmental changes. And so electric buses are one of the proponents that we're looking at. But my children went to public schools. When you look at the efficiency and I'm just talking as a parent, when you look at the efficiency of bus routes, there are times when there may be only two people on a bus. And in other situations, literally, there are children sitting on other children's laps, which is a problem. And so, I don't think any parent wants their child sitting on anybody's lap, period. We're in an age where that can just lead to too many other things, to be sitting on people's laps. So I think those are things we need to address: efficiency and looking at some environmental changes. Now some things that did happen on the education committee, especially we talked about this for rural Georgians. If you only have two people riding a bus, do you actually need a school bus? And so, legislation was passed that says now you do not have to use a quote-unquote school bus. You can use other forms of transportation as long as the parents know the transportation that's being used. So that's what's happening with the buses. I definitely voted for that.
The Mesha mainor files
Title: State representative (D), District 56
Age: 48
Birthplace/residence: Atlanta
Education: Bachelor of Science in health sciences from Howard University and a master's degree in physical therapy from Howard University. She is currently finishing her Ph.D. in business administration from Northcentral University.
Career: Mainor has been a physical therapist for over 20 years, primarily working in home health care.
Hobbies: Hiking, boating, research, spending time with family, and exploring new restaurants.
Family: Mainor has two children; one in middle school, and the other is headed to college.
Issac Morgan is newsletter editor for State Affairs. He can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @IssacMorgan12.
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Despite opposition, both chambers pass their proposed redistricting maps
It’s crunch time for state lawmakers tasked with meeting a Dec. 8 deadline for creating new electoral maps for the Georgia General Assembly and U.S. Congress, also known as redistricting.
Our senior investigative reporters, Tammy Joyner and Jill Jordan Sieder, were covering the special legislative session at the Capitol this week. Joyner is following the Senate proceedings, while Sieder is following the House proceedings. They will be your eyes and ears during the eight-day session, which means you will find a variety of stories and live updates on what’s happening inside and even outside of the Capitol. The special session will resume on Monday. And so will we.
We’d love to hear from you — our readers. If there’s something you would like us to report on during the special session or just have a question about what’s going on, shoot us an email at [email protected].
Here are some of the highlights of Friday’s session.
In and about the Senate
Quote(s) of the day:
“In the maps being drawn by the Republican majority, 80% of the Black voters on the map who are being redistricted come from outside these new growth areas where there are large and growing Black populations. And yet the court specifically identified disenfranchisement areas within the order. Eighty percent of Black voters are being shuffled around. This is like the Republicans’ mother scolded them and said, ‘Clean your room.’ And instead of doing that, they hung up a couple of shirts and left all of the dirty underwear all over the floor.”
— Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, said of the proposed map change
“It hurts my feelings. I get defensive because I feel like I’m essentially being called a racist for supporting a map that is compliant with racial numbers the judge wants.”
— Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, who gave an eloquent history of redistricting in Georgia
Biggest thing that happened today:
The Congressional map proposed by the state Senate for the U.S. House was quietly released Friday afternoon to little fanfare after both chambers’ sessions had adjourned. Next week’s session will clearly focus on that map.
Meanwhile, after more than four hours of debate, the Senate passed Senate Bill 1 EX by a vote of 32-23. The bill is the proposed revised district map, which drew lots of opposition from voting rights groups and Democrats who say the map still dilutes Black voting power and violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
Lots of partisan volleying back and forth. Democrats accused the Senate Committee on Reapportionment and Redistricting of not allowing enough time for people to speak about the map. Republicans held firm that the map meets U.S. District Judge Steve Jones’ order.
After the Senate map’s passage, the Senate Redistricting Committee met briefly to hear public comment on House Bill 1 EX — the House’s proposed district map, which also passed the House on Friday. No action was taken.
Interesting observation inside the Capitol:
A group of children, babies in strollers and their parents with South Cobb Homeschool filed through the Capitol.
Happening while lawmakers are in session:
A group of health care professionals greeted lawmakers and visitors as they entered the Capitol with signs urging safe storage of firearms. They handed out information that noted 4.6 million children live in homes with at least one loaded, unlocked firearm. They mentioned HB 161, hoping that bill will see some movement when the Legislature reconvenes on Jan. 8.
What’s for lunch?
There was no official break for lunch. Some senators worked through lunch, grabbing snacks from the nearby mini cafe off the side of the chamber.
— Tammy Joyner
In and about the House
Quote(s) of the day:
“This map is an undemocratic, un-American, blatant exercise of partisan gerrymandering that harms the freedom of Georgians to elect their candidates of choice … Unfortunately it seems that we are repeating the mistakes of our dark past under Republican control of the Georgia Legislature.”
— Minority Whip Sam Park, D-Lawrenceville, on the proposed state House map
“I had to take a test to vote … I understand why voting matters … and as an attorney, I understand that when a judge tells you to do something in an order, you comply. He said to create five majority-Black districts — not opportunity districts or coalition districts or crossover districts. Chairman [Rob] Leverett’s map complies with everything the judge required.”
— Rep. Soo Hong, R-Lawrenceville, Gov. Kemp’s floor leader
Biggest thing that happened today:
The state House voted 101 to 78 along party lines to pass the proposed House electoral map crafted by Republican leadership, over the intense objections of Democrats, who said the map violates the Voting Rights Act by breaking up two minority opportunity districts and unnecessarily eliminating or vastly changing Democratic districts.
Minority Leader James Beverly, D-Macon, said the GOP maps “failed to remedy the wrong directed toward our African-American electorate that was disenfranchised” by the maps enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2021. He was also frustrated by the earlier decision of House redistricting committee chair Rob Leverett, R-Elberton, to bar a Democratic amendment that would have presented an alternate map for the committee to consider. The amended plan would have decoupled six incumbent Democrats and two incumbent Republicans who were paired in the same districts in the GOP plan.
Leverett said he could not find a way to comply with the court order to create five majority-Black districts without creating some incumbent pairings, noting, “we did not inflict political casualty solely on the opposing party — we took some damage ourselves.”
Interesting observation inside the Capitol:
Facility staff put the finishing touches on holiday decorations inside the Capitol, including putting the star on the giant Christmas tree in the rotunda, which will be decorated with much fanfare on Monday.
Happening while lawmakers are in session:
The Christmas decorating wasn’t limited to inside the corridors of the Statehouse. Facility staff were also sprucing up the outside with Christmas cheer, too.
What’s for lunch?
Some House members enjoyed pizza, and this intrepid reporter had what is certain to be her first — and last — Hot Pocket.
— Jill Jordan Sieder
In case you missed it, here’s what you need to know about the special legislative session.
Subscribe to State Affairs so you will have unlimited access to all of our stories.
We’d love to hear from you. If there’s something you would like us to report on during the special session or just have a question about what’s going on, shoot us an email at [email protected].
On the ground: Day 2 of the Georgia special legislative session
It’s crunch time for state lawmakers tasked with meeting a Dec. 8 deadline for creating new electoral maps for the Georgia General Assembly and U.S. Congress, also known as redistricting.
Our senior investigative reporters, Tammy Joyner and Jill Jordan Sieder, are at the state Capitol for the special legislative session. Joyner is following the Senate proceedings, while Sieder is following the House proceedings. They will be your eyes and ears during the eight-day session, which means you will find a variety of stories and live updates on what’s happening inside and even outside of the Capitol.
We’d love to hear from you — our readers. If there’s something you would like us to report on during the special session or just have a question about what’s going on, shoot us an email at [email protected].
Here are some of the highlights of Thursday’s session.
Quote(s) of the day:
“Don’t take life for granted.”
— Sen. Rick Williams receives a standing ovation from his peers after conveying his ordeal getting medical help in his rural community following a Nov. 3 heart attack.
“Do the right thing here, people, it’s not that hard.”
— Community organizer Michelle Sanchez
Biggest thing that happened today:
After some heated exchange, the Senate Reapportionment & Redistricting Committee approved its proposed map, rejecting the Democrats’ plan. The 7-5 vote fell along racial and party lines, with the committee’s five Black members voting in favor of the Democratic-drawn map. Sen. Gloria Butler, who presented the Democratic plan to the committee, expressed concern about the way the process was handled regarding the two maps. The map now goes to the Senate floor.
“Yesterday [when the Republican plan was presented], the committee didn’t ask questions. Today, the committee members got to ask questions. All of the public did not get an opportunity to express themselves but they did yesterday. So in my view, that’s two processes. We need to be consistent,” said Butler.
Interesting observation inside the Capitol:
Senators arrived for the afternoon session to find two books wrapped in a bow at their chamber desk. One book was photos of the lawmakers during the 2023 session. The other book was “Unlimited” by Benny Tate. The books are an early holiday gift from Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, president of the Senate. Tate is senior pastor of Rock Springs Church in Milner, where Jones attends services.
Happening while lawmakers are in session:
Unlike Wednesday’s opening session when community activists, school children and other visitors swelled the hallways of the Capitol, Thursday’s special legislative session was rather low-key.
What’s for lunch?
Senators had a catered lunch of chicken and steak fajitas from On the Border.
— Tammy Joyner
Quote(s) of the day:
“The truth of the matter is that we have delivered a map that we’re sure complies with the judge’s order. Y’all have not. There is a remedy. If we were to look at the area south and west of Atlanta, there’s one representative that you’re trying to save, but that one representative that you save is going to cost us all in the end. If you accept our map, then one representative may be eliminated. That’s the will of the voters. If you don’t accept our map and the judge has to do a special master, then every last one of us, 180 of us, are in jeopardy. Y’all have some big decisions to make.”
— House Minority Leader James Beverly
Biggest thing that happened today:
In the House Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee meeting, Republican members rejected an alternate House district plan proposed by Democrats and the committee voted 9 – 5 along partisan lines to approve the Republican chair’s plan already submitted.
House Minority Leader James Beverly, D-Macon, and civil rights attorney Bryan Sells presented the Democrats’ proposed plan. Sells said it cures a problem in the Republicans’ plan, which “unravels or dismantles two protected coalition districts” with majority minority voters, which he said would likely cause a federal judge to find the plan in violation of the Voting Rights Act.
Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, who has served in the Legislature for 25 years, told the redistricting committee she was shocked to learn her House District 82 in Dekalb County has been redrawn in a way that tears apart a growing coalition district of diverse minority communities. She called the changes a “glaring violation” of voting rights law that Judge Jones is likely to take issue with, and offered to help GOP lawmakers to remedy the plan.
Interesting observation inside the Capitol:
During their morning session House members watched a 120-second time-lapse video of the renovation work performed inside the Capitol over the summer and fall, which included painting virtually all the walls, columns and balconies in the building. After watching the blur of scaffolding, ladders and workers transform several spaces, members applauded all of the workers responsible for the transformation.
Happening while lawmakers are in session:
There was nothing of note happening outside the Capitol today.
What’s for lunch?
Members of the House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee enjoyed Jersey Mike subs today, including roast beef, turkey, Italian and club sandwiches.
— Jill Jordan Sieder
Our stories explaining what’s behind the special legislative session:
- What is a special session of the Georgia Legislature, and why is it happening?
- Legislators schedule special assembly to address redistricting, but will they make headway?
- Say what? Terms you may hear during the special session
Subscribe to State Affairs so you will have unlimited access to all of our stories.
Georgia lawmakers push for repeal of law determining where medical facilities are built
A study committee of Georgia senators took a decisive step Tuesday toward ending a longstanding and contentious law that regulates how and where new medical facilities are located in the state.
The committee’s decision centers on the 44-year-old Certificate of Need law. It was created to control health care costs and cut down on duplication of services and unnecessary expansions. It determines when, where and if hospitals need to be built. Opponents have said the law prevents competition and enables big hospitals to have a monopoly, often shutting out small and private medical outlets.
On Tuesday, the Senate Study Committee on Certificate of Need Reform effectively said the law needs to be repealed. The committee approved, in a 6-2 vote, nine recommendations.
“Based upon the testimony, research presented, and information received, the Study Committee on Certificate of Need Reform has found that the problem Georgia’s CON law was intended to combat no longer exists,” the report said.
However, the head of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals said Tuesday that repealing the law would be a bad idea.
“It would have a devastating financial impact on hospitals and the quality and access to health care,” Monty Veazey, the alliance’s chief executive, told State Affairs.
Veazey said he has not seen the recommendations yet but his organization has sent its own set of recommendations to the senate and house study committees.
“We believe that the certificate of need really does need some modernization and we look forward to working with the committee to work through those recommendations and see if we can reach a compromise position during the upcoming legislative session,” Veazey said. “We still want to see what the House committee recommends before moving forward.”
Here’s what the senate study committee recommends, according to a draft:
- Repeal CON requirements for obstetrics services, neonatal intensive care, birth centers and all services related to maternal and neonatal care across Georgia.
- End requirements for hospital-based CON on Jan. 1, 2025.
- Reform CON laws to eliminate CON review for new and expanded inpatient psychiatric services and beds that serve Medicaid patients and the uninsured.
- Repeal all cost expenditure triggers for CON.
- All medical and surgery specialties should be considered a single specialty, including cardiology and general surgery.
- Multi-specialty centers should be allowed, particularly in rural areas.
- Remove CON for hospital bed expansion.
- Revise freestanding emergency department requirements such that they must be within 35 miles of an affiliated hospital.
- Remove CON for research centers.
The committee will present its recommendations to the Georgia General Assembly when it reconvenes in January.
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Proposed redrawn Senate maps create two new Black districts, threaten two Democrats
ATLANTA — The first step in the 2023 electoral redistricting process occurred Monday when Sen. Shelly Echols, R-Gainesville, chair of the Senate Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, released a draft proposal of new Senate district maps.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ordered Georgia to redraw its state House, Senate and congressional district maps, adopted in 2021 by a majority-Republican-led Legislature, after finding they violated the Votings Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters. The Georgia General Assembly is charged with submitting new maps to comply with Jones’ order by Dec. 8, and will be meeting in an eight-day special legislative session to do so, starting on Wednesday.
The proposed Senate maps would create two Black-majority voting districts while eliminating two white majority districts in metro Atlanta now represented by Democrats. The districts of state Sen. Elena Parent, chair of the Senate Democratic caucus, and Democratic Sen. Jason Esteves, a freshman, would become majority-Black if the redrawn maps make it through the redistricting process, a change that could invite considerably more primary challenges.
The proposed maps do not significantly alter the district lines for Sen. Valencia Seay, D-Riverdale, and Sen. Marty Harbin, R-Tyrone, whose districts Jones ruled did not comply with the Voting Rights Act. It will be up to Jones to decide if the new maps pass muster.
As it stands, the proposed Senate map will leave Republicans with a 33-23 advantage in the Senate.
On Wednesday legislators will plunge into their redistricting work during a special session at the Capitol. In addition to the state Senate maps, lawmakers must also redraw electoral maps to create Black majorities in one additional congressional district in west-metro Atlanta, and in five additional state House districts in Atlanta and the Macon-Bibb County area.
The proposed Senate maps (and all proposed maps to be submitted by legislators) are available on the Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office’s website. Written comments can be submitted (and viewed) by the public through the portal available on the Georgia General Assembly website. Most of the reapportionment and redistricting committee’s hearings are open to the public; the daily legislative schedule is available here.
“The committee encourages public participation and values the input of the community in this vital democratic process,” Echols said in a statement released on Monday.
RELATED: Legislators will be slicing up voting districts soon after you carve your Thanksgiving turkey
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