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 by	Michael Williams [2]
Personal details
Born	Gregory Robert Dolezal (1978-10-01) October 1, 1978 (age 45)
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Natalie Dolezal [3]
Children	4 [3]
Residence(s)	Cumming, Georgia, U.S.
Alma mater	North Park University
Occupation	Politician, 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

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

Primary and general elections, 2018

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]

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]

Personal life

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

References