2006 Georgia Legislature: Power Players and Their Game Plans

The Atlanta Journal Constitution: January 8th, 2006

Lobbyists

Bruce Bowers & Lewis Massey: Massey is a former secretary of state and Democratic wunderkind; Bowers is the son of former longtime Attorney General Michael Bowers and served on Gov. Sonny Perdue's transition team. They now represent major interests, including Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the cable TV industry, MBNA and some of the groups planning to put toll roads on interstates and state roads. In addition, they've got a pretty big "in" --- the governor's chief of staff is one of the founders of their lobbying firm.

Dan Lee, Chuck McMullen, John Clayton: Lee is a former Senate floor leader for Perdue, while McMullen and Clayton were Republican and Democratic aides. Like the Bowers-Massey group, they've quickly become leaders in the new Republican-dominated world at the Capitol, representing beer companies, a firm that runs private prisons in Georgia, Motorola and United HealthCare, which provides health care to state employees and teachers. As in the case of the Bowers-Massey team, this group has had success dealing with the Republican leadership.

Pete Robinson, Robb Willis: This team from the powerful Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group has been among the lobby leaders for years, led by Robinson, a one-time member of the Senate Democratic leadership. Their client list reads like a who's who of corporate muscle, including AETNA, AFLAC, BellSouth, Cigna Health Care, Citigroup, GE, General Motors, the Home Builders Association, Merck pharmaceuticals, Microsoft, Southern Company Gas, Synovus Financial Corp., Coca-Cola and Verizon Wireless. Robinson and Willis generally keep a low profile, but their clients are big campaign contributors and play a major role in business-consumer and tax legislation.

Skin Edge and GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group: This group has one of the longest client lists at the Capitol. Edge has been a regular in the 3rd-floor halls since he left the General Assembly as Senate Republican leader in the mid-1990s. Clients include American Express, the American Forest and Paper Association, Cash America International, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones, the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Hospital Association, the Georgia Supreme Court, T-Mobile, Home Depot and Turner Broadcasting. Edge, Trip Martin and the rest of the team are very active and, because they have such a diverse client list, are all over the Capitol during the session. Lindsay Thomas, Tom Boller, Jay Morgan, Rusty Sewell: Thomas is a former congressman and president of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce who joined AGL Resources as senior vice president for governmental relations in 2002. Boller, Morgan and Sewell are veteran lobbyists with long client lists and years of success in lobbying the Legislature, Republican or Democratic. This year, they will be four of the at least nine lobbyists registered to represent AGL Resources, one of the energy companies that will have to fend off calls to re-regulate the natural gas industry.

Lawmakers Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah): Johnson is one of the shrewdest and most powerful players at the Capitol despite his reserved demeanor. An architect by profession, he has spent years building the foundation of the state GOP. First elected to the Senate in 1994, Johnson has been a strong supporter of Gov. Sonny Perdue. This year, the Republican Senate leader said he will push for immigration reform, tougher sentences on sexual predators and controls on eminent domain. Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor: The Democrat from Albany has to put his campaign for governor on hold during the legislative session, but he will use his position as Senate president to keep close tabs on the GOP. Last year, Taylor worked with other Democrats to introduce bills to help veterans and track Internet predators. In 2004, the lieutenant governor was an outspoken critic of the governor's efforts to trim the HOPE scholarship, and he fought midyear college tuition increases. Expect him to keep up a strong presence in the Senate this year as well as he looks toward the Democratic primary in the summer. Senate Majority Leader Tommie Williams (R-Lyons): This year, Williams moves up to the No. 2 post in the Senate, replacing Bill Stephens. A savvy politician who chaired the Senate Transportation Committee last year, Williams will be charged in 2006 with holding the Senate GOP caucus together. This South Georgian speaks Hebrew, Italian and Spanish, has served as a missionary in China, Israel and Belize, and is a deacon at First Baptist Church of Vidalia. Senate Minority Leader Robert Brown (D-Macon): Brown emerged as a sharp critic of the GOP last year when he became the Senate's leading Democrat, but previously he had built a reputation as a moderate since entering the Legislature in 1991. An African-American businessman, he was a senior campaign adviser to U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall, a conservative Democrat who won re-election in 2004 with the help of an endorsement by former Gov. Zell Miller. Brown came out strongly against the voter ID bill last year and criticized both the GOP leadership in the General Assembly and Gov. Sonny Perdue. Sen. Don Balfour (R-Snellville): Balfour holds one of the most powerful positions at the state Senate: As chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, he can influence which bills make it to the Senate floor for a final vote. Outside the Capitol, he is a Waffle House executive who works in a restaurant every year on Christmas Day so an employee can have the day off. A native of New Jersey, Balfour is one of Georgia's longest-serving Republican state lawmakers, first elected in 1992. House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram): He was at the center of change last year when Republicans took over the House and picked him as the first GOP speaker in more than 130 years. He ruffled some feathers with his appointment of the "hawks," House members, whom he empowered to cast votes on any committee, and he showed a thin skin when challenged by Democrats on everything from the new rules to the controversial voter ID law. He has already quashed talk of two major bills this year on replacing school property taxes with a 3-percent increase in the state sales tax and on tying state spending to population growth and other factors. He wants a smooth session that GOP incumbents can boast about when all 180 House members stand for re-election later in the year.

House Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta): He took a back seat to Majority Leader Jerry Keen last year, even though Burkhalter is officially second in command. Some say he likes working behind the scenes. Last year, he was a champion of financially strapped Delta Air Lines. This year, he's gearing up to be a player in any move to try to reduce home heating costs for Georgians.

House Majority Leader Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons Island): A former leader of the Georgia Christian Coalition, Keen is rumored to want to run for higher office in the future. He was championing the idea of raising the state sales tax by 3 percent and eliminating local property taxes for school, but Richardson has delayed consideration of both. Instead, he plans to push legislation to clamp down on the most serious sex offenders, requiring some of them to wear monitors for life.

Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs): Richardson considers Ehrhart one of his closest allies, and last year put him in charge of one of the most powerful committees, Rules. Ehrhart was a no-nonsense chairman in his first year leading the Rules Committee, and Democrats claimed some of the rule changes he enacted were designed to stymie debate. He has become a player in GOP political strategizing at the national level. He's a single father of two and chaired a commission that is developing guidelines for judges to set child support payments under a new system in which both parents' income is considered.

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 took on the role as lead critic of the new GOP leadership in the House last year and is expected to continue this year. He has to make sure what he says doesn't sound like sour grapes or partisan whining if he hopes to help his party regain control of the House, state Senate and governor's office in this year's elections.

Others to watch: Sen. Casey Cagle (R-Gainesville) and former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed, both of whom are running for lieutenant governor. Cagle, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, will look to raise his profile for the primary. Reed, while not a legislator, is likely to have plenty to say about the General Assembly's actions this year as he seeks to keep pace with Cagle . . . . Secretary of State Cathy Cox, a former Democratic House member, will be active in the background as she positions herself to run against Taylor and Perdue for governor.