Rookie Dunwoody Lawmaker Loads Up on Legislative Staff

(Image: Georgia General Assembly)

ATLANTA GA -- Newly elected state Rep. Taylor Bennett -- whose district includes portions of Brookhaven, Chamblee, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs -- has hired four staffers and four legislative interns for his first-ever General Assembly session.

According to the Dunwoody Crier, that staffing is almost unprecedented under the Gold Dome, particularly for a rookie legislator whose party is in the minority.

The General Assembly convenes next week for its 2016 session, and Bennett, who won a special election to the seat this past fall, is also up for re-election this year.

The Crier compared Bennett’s staff to other longtime local legislators, including state Sen. Fran Millar and state Rep. Tom Taylor. Millar has never had an aide and Taylor has an unpaid chief of staff.

DeKalb State Court Judge Mike Jacobs, who held the seat before Bennett, used unpaid law students who were looking for experience as assistants.

Bennett has already drawn one challenger, Meagan Hanson.