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For too long, the people who keep Baldwin, Jones, and Macon-Bibb running have been told to settle for less.We’ve been told that skyrocketing power bills are inevitable, that $15 per hour is enough, and that our young people leaving home to find a future is just the way things are.Ross Sheppard&nbsp;is running for State Representative because he refuses to accept that. He knows that an affordable, livable Middle Georgia isn't a dream—it’s a choice that can be achieved through good public policy, and Georgia needs more leaders who fight for the many, not the monopolies.

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Housing Stability &amp; Access

Addressing the Rising Cost of Living

Investing in Our Future

Access to Healthcare

<h3>From Imagination to Reality</h3>Ross isn't just fighting for a seat in Atlanta; he's fighting for a platform to amplify the voices of people who not only dream of a better future for all of us, but demand it.

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<h3>Experience that matters.</h3><img src="https://run.imgix.net/43873157-7dd6-4433-9cef-bc9c80e477b8/52963b5e-2858-4087-8ab6-3a8e5fef7c91/52963b5e-2858-4087-8ab6-3a8e5fef7c91.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=16&amp;sat=0&amp;high=-16&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=15&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C2316%2C3088&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="Working at the State Capitol 2025" align="right" alignwidth="32" tiltdirection="right" variant="framed">Working at the State Capitol 2025I have 5 years of experience under the Gold Dome, having worked as a legislative aid in college for State Rep. Rusty Kidd and later as a lobbyist. This combined experience taught me how the sausage is made and fostered relationships that are crucial to getting things done in Atlanta. Two small examples: as legislative staff, I was involved in the creation of the Central State Hospital Local Redevelopment Authority. As a lobbyist, I was a member of the 2025 pro-bono team representing the Georgia Innocence Project, which achieved passage of a long-fought-for automatic compensation process for the wrongfully convicted in Georgia.Philanthropically, I've always worked hard to give back to my communities that have given me so much. As a scholarship recipient myself at GCSU, as soon as I was financially able to do so, I seeded a scholarship endowment at Georgia College for first generation college students from Baldwin County (2018). I've also held fundraising leadership roles for United Way (2023) and Make-A-Wish Foundation (2024), and formerly served on several boards including: Georgia College Alumni Association, Milledgeville’s Old Capital Heritage Center, and the Flannery O’Connor Andalusia Foundation.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/43873157-7dd6-4433-9cef-bc9c80e477b8/ec4977cb-de65-43a7-a2ed-79efd5bee2f3/ec4977cb-de65-43a7-a2ed-79efd5bee2f3.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=115%2C69%2C3800%2C2943&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="HOBY Youth Leadership 2023" align="left" alignwidth="42" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">HOBY Youth Leadership 2023A real source of joy and inspiration for me has been working with Georgia's young people as a volunteer with Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership GA (HOBY) since 2009. HOBY is a transformational weekend program empowering GA high school sophomores to become leaders through seminars, workshops, and programs focused on leadership, service, and innovation, helping them discover their potential for positive impact through self-awareness, communication, and community action. The Georgia seminar is often hosted in Milledgeville.In 2021, I was honored to be named the Humanitarian of the Year for GCSU's College of Business and named to Georgia Trend Magazine's list of 40 Under 40 in 2022.

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Ross Sheppard

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<h2>Why I'm Running</h2><img src="https://run.imgix.net/43873157-7dd6-4433-9cef-bc9c80e477b8/bd661c0b-0689-41a7-8db5-71f9e404f2f9/bd661c0b-0689-41a7-8db5-71f9e404f2f9.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=-17&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=6&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C4032%2C3024&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="Ross's home (current renovation project) on Allen Memorial Dr in Milledgeville" align="left" alignwidth="47" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">Ross's home (current renovation project) on Allen Memorial Dr in Milledgeville<h3>People deserve effective representation.</h3><h4>I have the skills to deliver results.</h4>You deserve a representative who shows up to where you are, takes note of what you need, and puts you above politics every single time.Georgians are facing serious challenges in all areas of life, meanwhile our government continues to become more and more dysfunctional. It's time for new leadership.I'm a proud resident of the Southside of Milledgeville, a neighborhood that has suffered from underinvestment and disinvestment for too long. When I look around, though, what I see is potential. Potential for people and potential for places.Government is a tool for helping communities and people meet their potential. I know this from firsthand experience, having taken advantage of many government programs myself. I paid for college with a combination of Pell Grant, HOPE Scholarship, and federal student loans. Buying my first house was only possible because of an $8,000 first-time-homebuyer tax credit in 2009. Restoring a decaying old building to open a business was only possible through state and federal historic preservation tax credits. The list goes on.I don't have all the answers or ideas, but the place to start is by asking people what they need to succeed in life and then looking how we can leverage the state's resources to make it happen. If you didn't know, GA currently has a $15 billion budget surplus. I know that there is no shortage of vision or ideas for solutions to the challenges that face our communities, and the answers lie out there with you, with all of us.My favorite challenge is anything that someone says isn't possible. I want to put that tenacity to work for the benefit of my neighbors and everyone is District 149.

This is Ross's personal cell phone number.It's that simple. Elected officials should be accessible, especially at the level of State House Representative. Feel free to give me a call or send a text message.You're also welcome to reach out through the form on this page or send an email to ross@rossforga.com.

706.816.3675

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About

Ross Sheppard for Georgia State House District 149 Democrat 

Ross Sheppard for Georgia State House

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Housing is too expensive, and there is a shortage of supply. There is no reason anyone in our state should not have access to an affordable, safe, stable place to live. Our district is prime for trying out some creative solutions including reforming zoning for higher density, streamlining permitting, easing building codes for more efficient construction, expanding tax credits, encouraging accessory dwelling units, repurposing existing buildings, funding housing trusts, and cracking down on predatory investing, to name a few. As a realtor of 17 years, I am personally passionate about this, and I have the knowledge and experience to contribute to making some real progress.

Housing

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The issues we face as a community and as a state aren’t caused by any one group or individual. We all live together in the same community, and I am committed to building bridges between our many different identity groups. We all have so much more in common than we don't, and every Georgian deserves the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, with dignity. That is why I’m focused on tackling the present issues of District 149 and committed to standing up for equality for all Georgians regardless of identity, and especially when being attacked based on identity.

Dignity for All

In 1971, the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution calling for legislation to permit abortion in cases of rape, incest, clear fetal deformity, or potential harm to the mother's health. I believe this is still where the overwhelming majority of Americans stand on this issue. It is an individual's decision, to be made in consultation with their doctors and their families, not a one-size-fits-all solution from the state. Bodily autonomy is a fundamental right. I will fight for the freedom and privacy of individuals to make their own healthcare decisions, without government interference.

Reproductive Rights

No one should have to choose between getting treatment and going into debt — but too many Georgians lie awake at night worrying about how to pay a hospital bill. Across the state, hospitals are closing, rural care is disappearing, and our leaders have still failed to expand Medicaid. Everyone deserves to see a doctor and have access to the medication they need. Period.Twelve percent of Georgians are uninsured, and Georgia’s health care crisis is about to get much worse. Deep federal cuts already in motion will cause nearly half a million more Georgians to lose health coverage by 2034 and will reduce funding flowing into Georgia’s health care delivery system by more than $55 billion.

As a realtor, I've spent 17 years selling the vision of this vibrant community to homebuyers and investors. As a member of the Milledgeville-Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, I'm connected within the business community and ready to help expand it. I have the skills and experience to be an ambassador for Baldwin, Jones, and Macon-Bibb to help local leaders show what our communities can offer as more major projects look for the right place to locate in Georgia.

Economic Development

Costs are out of control. I’ll fight for meaningful property and income tax relief that puts money back in the pockets of working families—not just the wealthy few. We must reduce red tape for small businesses so they can grow, hire, and innovate. At the same time, we need to raise the minimum wage and ensure that all Georgians have clear, achievable pathways to economic progress.

Cost of Living

The quality of your kids' education shouldn't depend on where you live. Georgia's education funding formula is antiquated (1985) and disproportionately impacts rural and low-income students. We are one of the few states whose funding formula doesn't include a poverty weight, and research shows that it costs more to educate kids living in poverty. I’m committed to fully funding our public schools — starting with better pay and real support for our teachers, and ensuring schools have the structural resources they need to thrive. This includes feeding any child that needs to be fed. Children can't concentrate or learn if they're hungry. The financial and societal cost of failing our young people (who literally have no means to provide for themselves) drags us all down and is the root of so many other issues.

Supporting Schools

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I stand firmly with working class people. I will fight to protect the right to organize, support unions, and ensure fair wages and safe working conditions across every industry. I’ll always advocate for domestic job creation that puts Georgia workers first — not outsourcing or corporate shortcuts. Our economy should reward hard work, not exploit it. This is top versus bottom, not left versus right. Working people create value in an economy and deserve access to their fair share of it.

Pro-Labor

Georgia has one of the fastest growing economies in the country, and it's essential that middle Georgia benefits from that growth. We must make it easier for businesses to choose Bibb, Jones, and Baldwin by better connecting our communities through more robust personal and public transportation networks and improving connectivity to the digital economy with reliable high speed internet everywhere. People need to be able to get to work and play—faster, easier, safer. It's good for quality of life, and it's good for the economy. Additionally, I believe that Georgia needs to invest in passenger rail lines. This one might sound like a pipe dream, but we can't build what we can't imagine. At a minimum, from Atlanta to Valdosta and from Columbus to Savannah—all connecting through Macon. A more expansive network would be even better. Easy access to Atlanta by rail would transform our rural economy and reduce one thing everyone hates: traffic.

Transportation and Infrastructure

Every Georgian, whether you live in an apartment or a gated community, deserves to feel safe in your neighborhood. That means we must take real action to end gun violence, support law enforcement with the training and resources they need, and build real trust between law enforcement and the people they serve. I believe in community policing — when officers know the communities they patrol and are trained to de-escalate, prevent violence, and respond with care, everyone is safer. We must also ensure our public safety systems are free from racial profiling, discrimination, and the kind of xenophobic fear-mongering pushed by those who seek to divide us and distract us. Dividing our communities by race, status, or background doesn’t make anyone safer, it makes us all more vulnerable. Public safety means investing in people, not fear. Safer streets come from strong community relationships, effective local policing, and a deep commitment to protecting every resident, no matter where they live or where they’re from.

Public Safety

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Grappling with the AI is one of the biggest issues of our time. We face a wide range of ethical, safety, security, and socioeconomic concerns. These challenges involve technical complexities, a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape, and profound societal consequences, from individual well-being to environmental impacts of data centers. We need to be having conversations to get in front of these issues before it's too late, and you need leaders who are equipped to deal with this and protect your interest from big tech. I believe this is especially important for our young people's future.

state house District 149

Ross Sheppard

Imagine a Middle Georgia Where We All Can Thrive

Our priorities

From Imagination to Reality

Housing Stability & Access

Addressing the Rising Cost of Living

Investing in Our Future

Access to Healthcare

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