Sunday, January 9, 2005
The Atlanta Journal Constitution

2005 Georgia Legislature: The Key Players

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.


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