2005 Georgia Legislature: The Key Players

The Atlanta Journal Constitution: January 9th, 2005

Politicians

Senate President Pro-tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah): Johnson leads the Republican majority in the Senate and is one of the most powerful figures in state government. An architect back home, Johnson was first elected to the Senate in 1994 and as minority leader guided Republicans through tough years of Democratic rule before taking the Senate's top legislative job in 2003. He's a strong supporter of Gov. Sonny Perdue and backed Perdue's tax increase proposal in 2003 when many Republicans did not.

Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor: As president of the Senate, Taylor cannot cast a vote in the chamber. But he can act as a powerful voice for his fellow Democrats, who are now the minority party in both the House and the Senate. Taylor often tries to use his influence to see that certain bills either live or die. Last year, Taylor was an outspoken critic of the governor's efforts to trim the HOPE scholarship and he fought mid-year college tuition increases. He is raising money to run against Perdue in 2006.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Stephens (R-Canton): The No. 2 player in the Senate and the GOP's official spokesman has plenty of media and public relations experience. He was press secretary to Gov. Zell Miller and, like Johnson, is a Perdue loyalist. He's also married to Shannon Walshe Stephens, a news reporter with Atlanta's WSB-TV.

Senate Rules Committee Chairman Don Balfour (R-Snellville): A New Jersey native, Balfour is one of the longest-serving of the Republicans, first elected in 1992. The Waffle House executive serves as chairman of the Republican caucus and as Rules Committee chairman, an extremely powerful position because he decides which bills go to the Senate floor.

House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Dallas): He's making history as the first Republican speaker of the House in more than 130 years. He's tight with the governor, who has needed a Republican-controlled House to help get his legislative agenda passed. He'll be formally elected to the post on Monday, and even his critics say he earned it. Richardson essentially put his business and personal life on hold in 2004 to help campaign for Republican House candidates.

Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta): Some members were encouraging him to run for speaker early last fall. But he opted to seek the job of speaker pro tem, second in command, rather than challenge Glenn Richardson. The suburbanite is well liked in the House by members of both parties. He was first elected to the House in 1992.

House Majority Leader Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons Island): His roots are as a former Christian Coalition leader, but Keen is now focused on building public confidence in the new Republican leadership. He's more of a workhorse than a showhorse, and has had a major role in the behind-the-scenes strategizing that Republicans did for the election and for their first legislative session in charge.

House Rules Committee Chairman Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs): Speaker Richardson considers Ehrhart one of his closest friends and allies, and is expected to put him in charge of one of the most powerful committees in the House. Richardson wants to make the committee an even stronger gatekeeper of legislation. Ehrhart, a single father of two, is viewed as a no-nonsense guy and regularly challenged the leadership when Democrats were in charge. He has been in the House since 1988.

House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin): An attorney and newspaper editor who came into the Legislature challenging the old-guard Democrats and over time became part of the House leadership. He was second-in-command when Democrats ruled the House last year and will be their leader when they assume minority status Monday. He will play a major role in Democrats' efforts to regain a majority.

Lobbyists

Rusty Paul: A former Fulton County state senator and Republican Party leader, Paul is a natural salesman who has been building up his lobbying business since the GOP takeover in 2002. He recently landed the job of lobbying for the politically potent state nursing home association. Nursing homes get about $1 billion a year in government funding, but the organization that represents them ran into problems dealing with the Perdue administration. Paul has close ties to the governor, after serving as an adviser during his transition.

Lewis Massey & Bruce Bowers: Massey is a former secretary of state and Democrat wunderkind; Bowers is son of former longtime Attorney General Michael Bowers --- a Republican gubernatorial candidate in 1998 --- and someone who worked on Perdue's transition staff. The pair are now business partners who represent big-time clients such as Blue Cross-Blue Shield, the cable TV and poultry industries, Georgians for Better Transportation and MBNA. They also have a rather big in --- one of the founders of their firm is John Watson, the governor's chief of staff.