Career or Community: Michael Hettig on the Choice North Georgia Families Should Not Have to Make

Michael Hettig is running for Georgia State Senate District 32, a district that stretches across western Cherokee County and north central Cobb County, covering communities including Canton, Holly Springs, Woodstock, Kennesaw, and Marietta. A Woodstock resident who moved here with his wife to build a life in this community, Hettig is running because he sees the window closing on what made North Georgia worth moving to. As North Georgia CAN evaluates candidates in our six county territory, we asked Hettig where he stands.

Healthcare and Education, With Concrete First Steps

Hettig’s top priorities come with specific legislative actions attached to each one.

On healthcare, he wants to repeal Georgia’s 2019 six week abortion ban and codify reproductive protections into state law. He frames the issue as one of individual liberty and bodily autonomy rather than a debate about abortion itself, and he is careful about the distinction between pro-abortion and pro-choice. If you personally oppose abortion, he says, he is fighting just as hard for your right to make that choice for yourself. “In my first 90 days, I will file legislation to repeal the restrictive 2019 six week abortion ban and codify reproductive freedom into state law,” he said. Alongside that, he is calling for full Medicaid expansion to bring federal tax dollars back to Georgia hospitals.

On education, he is targeting something that has been untouched for four decades. “The Quality Basic Education formula hasn’t been updated since 1985,” he said. His first move would be requesting a fiscal note from the Office of Planning and Budget and establishing a commission of experts to recalculate the formula from scratch. “We cannot properly fund our classrooms or responsibly debate voucher programs until we use modern math to determine the true cost of a 21st century education,” he said.

The Cost of Living Trap Nobody in the Capitol Is Naming

He speaks from personal experience. “My wife and I moved to Woodstock as newlyweds to build a life here,” he said. “But I see the window closing, not even for the next generation, but within the next couple of years.”

He has no patience for slow responses. “This problem started in Atlanta and reached Woodstock in record time,” he said. “I have no patience for more handwringing while our families are squeezed.”

His solution involves using state incentives to bring high-paying jobs closer to where people live, and passing laws that protect the path to affordable homeownership. “We shouldn’t have to choose between a career and a community,” he said.

Why This Matters for This District

SD 32 is exactly the district Hettig is describing: a community of people who came here because it felt like a place to plant roots, and who are now watching costs rise faster than wages while the commute to opportunity grows longer. A state senator who arrives with a 40 year overdue education formula update, a Medicaid expansion push, and a concrete plan to tackle the jobs housing mismatch is a candidate this district should know about.

Learn more about his campaign at www.hettigforsenate.com.