Lilburn Man to Run For Vacated Georgia House Seat

On Saturday Dewey McClain of Lilburn officially tossed his hat in the ring to run for the Georgia House of Representatives seat (District 100) recently vacated by Brian Thomas.

McClain made the announcement that he would seek the seat at a breakfast hosted by the Gwinnett County Democratic Party at Boulevard Diner in Peachtree Corners.

"The time is right, right now to stand up," said McClain of his decision to run. "The race has started - and I do expect to win. We have to work together," he told a group of over 75 supporters at the breakfast. "If the community goes, we all go."

McClain said some of the biggest challenges in District 100 that he would like to address are infrastructure issues, transportation issues and securing good-paying jobs. "I do believe in public transportation," he said. "People making $8.00 an hour need to have reliable and affordable transportation to get to work.

McClain, a Gwinnett County resident for 35 years, was the ideal choice, said Sen. Curt Thompson who was on hand to introduce the new candidate.

McClain, a former Atlanta Falcons linebacker who retired from the City of Atlanta after 22 years, is the current president of the Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council AFL-CIO. He is married to his high school sweetheart Linda Evans, and is the father of two adult daughters. This is the first time he has run for public office.

"Dewey has a lot roots here, he's stayed involved in the community," said Thompson. "He will be able from Day 1 to function effectively as a State Representative.

"All of us will need to get behind him - we're going to have to defend this seat against the Republicans."

McClain's football career included five years with the Atlanta Falcons. He signed with the National Football League (NFL) as a free agent in 1976 and he spent two years in the United States Football League (USFL). He is a founding member and past president of the National Football League Players Association Metro Atlanta Chapter.