Brock Clay Weekly Report, April 11

Friday, April 10, 2009

Brock Clay Weekly Update

Revenue Collections Governor Sonny Perdue released Georgia’s March revenue figures on Wednesday, and the news wasn’t good. Revenue collections were down by 14.5% over last year, a decrease in $167.1 million. Individual income taxes were down 18.8% and sales taxes were down by 5.9%. Many continue to speculate that falling revenue numbers may force a special session to make further cuts to an already bare bones state budget.

MARTA In the face of mounting pressures to the contrary, Governor Sonny Perdue announced on Wednesday that he was unready to call legislators back into a special session just to fix MARTA’s financial challenges. Governor Perdue expressed a strong concern over the potential cuts in service, and several representatives from his staff met with MARTA’s leadership on Tuesday. However, he continued to reiterate his intention to explore every possible option available before calling a special session.

Earlier this legislative session, Senator Doug Stoner (D – Smyrna), introduced legislation that would have eliminated requirements in state law that MARTA spend at least half of it’s revenue on capital related projects. That rule has left MARTA’s operational budget under a great deal of stress, with $65 million in the bank unable to be used to relieve the pressure. Ultimately, that legislation got caught up in end – of – session politics and was not passed. As a result, MARTA’s leadership is looking at drastic cuts in services, potentially eliminating a full day of service, most likely on Fridays.

On Monday, leadership from MARTA held a press conference, asking the Governor to call a special session to relieve the restrictions on MARTA’s budget.

Lockheed Last week, Senator Johnny Isakson (R – GA) was fuming. Not over the state legislative session, but over the Pentagon’s announcement that they were discontinuing the F – 22 Raptor program, potentially as early as 12 – 15 months from now. Isakson stated “It is unacceptable that this administration wants to eliminate up to 2,000 jobs in Marietta and potentially 95,000 nationwide while unemployment is still rising.” He vowed to fight the decision, and many Washington insiders point to his ability to reach across the aisle and work with both parties as a reason that if anyone could save the F – 22 operation in Marietta, he could.

Campaign Update

2010 Georgia Governor Currently, the Republican party has four declared candidates for Governor: Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, Secretary of State Karen Handel, Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, and State Representative Austin Scott (R – Tifton). Handel will be a strong contender with her North Fulton constituency making up a large portion of Republican primary votes, Handel and Cagle are battling to be the choice of fiscal conservatives with their actions to try and cut the size of government and eliminate wasteful spending, Oxendine has a high name ID from his current position and he received more votes in 2006 than any other Republican candidate, and Scott is the lone candidate from outside metro-Atlanta. His representation of the Tifton area provides him a solid base to reach out to South Georgia voters.

On the Democratic side, General David Poythress, House Minority Leader Dubose Porter (D – Dublin), and Attorney General Thurbert Baker have announced their intentions to run for Governor. Porter has a strong presence in middle Georgia and South Georgia. He has represented the Laurens County area for decades and is the owner of multiple newspapers in surrounding counties. Baker is one of only two African-American constitutional officers, he is seen as popular among the law enforcement community for his "tough on crime" stances, and many categorize him as a conservative Democrat. Poythress has previously served as Secretary of State, Labor Commissioner, and the Adjunct General overseeing the Georgia Army and Air National Guard. Yet to make a decision is the much speculated upon former Democratic Governor Roy Barnes, an influential Marietta attorney that was defeated 7 years ago by then State Senator Sonny Perdue. One can rest assured, though, that if former Governor Barnes enters the race, it will become a whole new ballgame.

Mayor of Atlanta Seated City Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Mary Norwood continues to lead a pack of 14 candidates in fundraising. She reported raising more than $200,000 between February and March. It should be noted that State Senator Kasim Reed was unable to raise money for that period.

Legislator of the Week

This is the first edition of a new weekly feature in the Brock Clay Weekly Update. Each week, we want to give you the opportunity to learn things about our state legislators that can’t be learned from the white book or an online bio.

Doug Stoner was elected as a Democrat to represent Georgia’s 6th Senate District in 2004 after spending a term in the Georgia House. Doug is a graduate of Campbell High School and Kennesaw State University. During his service as a legislator, he has received the Georgia Association of EMS Star of Life Legislative Award, Georgia Association of Educators Legislator of the Year, and Georgia Conservation Voters Environmental Leadership Award. He currently serves on the Ethics, State Institutions and Properties, Regulated Industries and Utilities, Urban Affairs, Retirement, and Transportation Committees in the State Senate. Senator Stoner considers his greatest legislative accomplishment to be the passage of Senate Bill 6 (2006), which allows Georgia’s local governments to access the FBI’s National Crime Information System and run national background checks on those who would be supervising children, the elderly, or the disabled. This was a privilege previously not enjoyed by Georgia’s local governments.

Senator Stoner served as the chairman of the Cobb Transit Board from 1999 – 2002, and currently serves as the Senate Transportation Subcommittee on Intermodal, Rail, and Transit. He also sits on the joint legislative MARTOC committee. He serves on the Cobb Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution has written that “Senator Stoner understands the connections among the environmental, education, and economic issues improving Georgian’s quality of life.”

Senator Stoner’s full time job is working as the Senior Business Development Manager for PBS&J. In his spare time, Senator Stoner loves to travel and spend time with his wife and two daughters, considering it a bonus when he gets to do both at the same time. He loves the Beatles, and his favorite movies include Casablanca and Citizen Kane. When asked what was his biggest pet peeve about serving in the General Assembly, Senator Stoner responded “Early morning caucus meetings.” His favorite quote comes from James Madison: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”

...and, in other news...

This week, officials in President Barack Obama’s administration confirmed that the President does intend to take on the immigration battle as soon as possible, working towards a system to document and legalize those currently in the country.

A Rasmussen poll released this week showed that just 53% of Americans say capitalism is better than socialism.

Today in History: the U.S. patent system was established; Union forces began their bombardment of Ft. Pulaski along Georgia’s Tybee River; the Titanic began her maiden voyage; Allied troops liberated the Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp; and Jackie Robinson became the first black player in major league baseball as he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Have a great weekend,

SM

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