Sunday, January 8, 2006
The Atlanta Journal Constitution
2006 Georgia Legislature: Power Players and
Their Game Plans
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.
