Greg Dolezal

Greg Dolezal
Dolezal at a debate in 2018
Member of the Georgia State Senate from the 27th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 14, 2019[1]
Preceded byMichael Williams[2]
Personal details
Born
Gregory Robert Dolezal

(1978-10-01) October 1, 1978 (age 46)
Political partyRepublican
SpouseNatalie Dolezal[3]
Children4[3]
Residence(s)Cumming, Georgia, U.S.
Alma materNorth Park University
OccupationPolitician, entrepreneur, business owner[4]

Gregory Robert Dolezal (born October 1, 1978) is an American politician who is currently serving as the Georgia State Senator for the 27th district in Cumming, Georgia.[5][2]

Life and career

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Dolezal grew up in Joliet, Illinois.[6] He graduated from North Park University in 2001 with degrees in business administration and communication studies;[7] he had planned to attend law school but instead moved to Atlanta, where he worked at North Point Community Church and began doing video production work for Louie Giglio's Passion Conferences.[7] He also worked for eleven years as tour manager for Christian musician Chris Tomlin.[6][3]

Previously, Dolezal served as a member of the Forsyth County Planning Commission, Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, Impact Fee Committee, and Transportation Plan Steering Committee.[2][3] After writing an open letter accusing then Commissioner Brian Tam, whom Dolezal would run against in the 2018 primary, of "releasing false and misleading information," the commission voted deny a motion to extend Dolezal's term on the Planning Commission.[8][9]

Dolezal initially announced his candidacy for state senate on June 5, 2017.[10] The next year, he defeated Democratic challenger Steve Smith in the 2018 elections by a wide margin.[2] He is a conservative and favors funding for building new schools, is against tax increases, and wants to expand county roads.[2]

In February 2019, Georgia Senate majority whip Steve Gooch named Dolezal as deputy whip; Dolezal stated he was "humbled by the trust that Senator Gooch has placed in me."[11] Dolezal also is Vice Chair of the Science and Technology Committee and a member of the Education and Youth Committee, the Health and Human Services Committee, the Government Oversight Committee, and the Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee.[11][4]

In December 2020, Dolezal signed a petition supporting the right of the Georgia General Assembly to overrule the outcome of democratic elections within the state.[12]

In January 2024, Dolezal co-sponsored S.B. 390, which would withhold government funding for any libraries in Georgia affiliated with the American Library Association;[13] the bill states that the organization "has used the librarian certification process to promote its ideology",[14] and was drafted following the election of ALA president Emily Drabinski and a social media post in which she called herself a "Marxist lesbian".[15]

Dolezal is a founder and partner at Forsyth County-based technology company Renewed Vision,[2] which was founded in 2000[16] and makes live production software called ProPresenter[6] used by megachurches, the International Olympic Committee, Chick-fil-A,[17] and Mercedes-Benz.[7] He is also an owner and board member of Catalyst Nutraceuticals[3] and a founder of Passion City Church.[3]

Elections

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Primary and general elections, 2018

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In 2018, Dolezal faced two opponents in the Republican primary elections for Georgia State Senate district 27; the other challengers were Bill Fielder and Brian Tam. On May 22, Dolezal won the primary with 59% of the vote.[18]

Primary election results for Georgia State Senate district 27, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Greg Dolezal 14,770 59.04
Republican Bill Fielder 4,071 16.27
Republican Brian Tam 6,177 24.69
Total votes 25,018 100.00

In the general election in November, Dolezal was challenged by Democratic candidate Steve Smith for Michael Williams' seat, but Dolezal ultimately defeated Smith with over 70% of ballots cast.[19]

General election results for Georgia State Senate district 27, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Greg Dolezal 66,054 72.64
Democratic Steve Smith 24,883 27.36
Total votes 90,937 100.00
Republican hold

Personal life

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Greg Dolezal lives in Forsyth County with his wife and four children.[20]

References

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  1. ^ Sharpe, Joshua; Bluestein, Greg (December 21, 2018). "Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate indicted for fraud". Springfield News-Sun. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Popp, Alexander (November 7, 2018). "Greg Dolezal handily defeats challenger for District 27 seat in state Senate". Forsyth County News. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Meet Greg". Conservative Greg Dolezal. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Georgia State Senator Greg Dolezal". Georgia State Senate. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  5. ^ Whitmire, Kelly (January 22, 2019). "What Greg Dolezal remembers most about his first week in the state Senate". Forsyth County News. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Friedman, Stan (July 27, 2012). "2012 London Olympics Venues Use University Graduate's Software Company". North Park University. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Friedman, Stan (July 19, 2018). "NPU Grad Oversees 'Massive Massive' Technological Feat at CHIC". Knoxville: Covenant Companion. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  8. ^ "Dolezal removed from Planning commission after exposing Commissioner". Sharon Springs Alliance. November 12, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  9. ^ Sturgeon, Kathleen (November 18, 2015). "BOC denies planning commission member request". Forsyth Herald. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  10. ^ "Greg Dolezal announces campaign for District 27". northfulton.com. June 13, 2017. Archived from the original on January 3, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Fletcher, Elisabeth (February 14, 2019). "Sen. Greg Dolezal Appointed as Deputy Whip". Georgia Senate Press Office. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  12. ^ Journal-Constitution, Greg Bluestein-The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionJames Salzer- The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionMark Niesse- The Atlanta. "In Georgia, 'concerted' GOP pushback blocks Trump attempts to overturn election". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  13. ^ "SB 390". Georgia General Assembly. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  14. ^ Tagami, Ty (January 25, 2024). "Georgia GOP senators target American Library Association with new bill". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  15. ^ "Top librarian calls 'Marxist lesbian' tweet backlash 'regrettable'". NBC News. August 7, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  16. ^ "About Renewed Vision". Renewed Vision. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  17. ^ Harper, Leigh (October 5, 2017). "2017 Culture Shapers: The Tech Mastermind, Greg Dolezal". Connect Faith. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  18. ^ "Georgia Election Results, General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election, May 22, 2018". Georgia Secretary of State. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  19. ^ "Georgia Election Results, General Election, November 6, 2018". Georgia Secretary of State. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  20. ^ Barker, John (January 15, 2019). "Cumming's Sen. Greg Dolezal Sworn Into Office". Patch. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
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