Tom Bell Won't Rule Out Gubernatorial Bid

Friday, June 12, 2009

Brock Clay Weekly Report

Note: the Brock Clay Political Report will now be sent every two weeks until further notice.

Bell Won’t Rule Out Gubernatorial Bid

Tom Bell, CEO and President of Cousins Properties, has been a political heavyweight in Georgia for years, participating as an advisor to numerous top ranking officials, and serving as a voice for the business community in Georgia. Bell retires at the end of the month, and has vowed that his retirement will result in a congenial, yet total and complete, separation from Cousins Properties. Bell had previously been the object of much speculation as a potential candidate for governor in 2010. On Tuesday, the Atlanta Business Chronicle asked Bell again about his political aspirations. His response? “I’ve learned to never say never.” Stay tuned.

Barnes Finally Shows Cards, Announces Campaign for Governor

On Wednesday of last week, former Governor Roy Barnes, currently an attorney in Marietta, announced his intention to run for governor in Georgia’s 2010 elections. Barnes, from Mableton, was formerly a member of the Georgia State Senate, the Georgia House of Representatives, and served one controversial term as governor from 1998 to 2002. He was defeated by an underfunded and under estimated state senator from Bonaire, now Governor Sonny Perdue. Barnes made his announcement with a clear indication that he’d changed both his habits and outlook on life, clearly having remade himself into a far more humble, approachable senior statesman.

Recent polls indicate that with roughly half of the Democratic primary vote undecided, Barnes holds a commanding lead with 38 percent, compared to 3 percent for Attorney General Thurbert Baker, 2 percent for House Minority Leader DuBose Porter, and 2 percent for General David Poythress.

Voter ID Stands

One of the two lawsuits filed against Georgia’s voter identification law came to an end this week as the United States Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of Common Cause v. Georgia. While the United States Supreme Court typically doesn’t elaborate on refusals to issue a writ of certiorari, Governor Sonny Perdue hailed the decision as a confirmation that Georgia’s voter ID law (passed in 2006) does not impede any person’s right to vote.

State Department Asking Questions About Adelman

Jim Galloway, of the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Political Insider, reported earlier this week that Senator David Adleman (D – Decatur) was the object of some discreet questioning by “United States State Department types” this week. Adelman, who serves as the Minority Whip in the Georgia State Senate, was an early and oft supporter of President Barack Obama, actively participating in fundraising efforts and grassroots operations during the Iowa caucuses. Ostensibly, these representatives from the State Department were in town to begin the process verifying Adelman’s eligibility for an appropriate reward from the Obama administration.

In the buzz created by a potential absence in Adelman’s Senate seat, an interesting name has surfaced as a potential replacement: Jason Carter, an attorney based in Atlanta and the grandson of the former President Jimmy Carter.

Georgia Supreme Court Nominations

The final list of nominees for Georgia’s upcoming Supreme Court vacancy is available here, courtesy of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Among the more notable nominees are State Senator Bill Hamrick (R – Carrollton), Augusta attorney and for State Representative Barry Fleming, Douglas County District Attorney David McDade, U.S. Attorney David Nahmias, State Representative David Ralston (R – Blue Ridge), and former Attorney General Mike Bowers, who declined.

May Revenue Figures No Better

On Thursday of last week, Governor Sonny Perdue’s office released revenue numbers for May 2009, in which state revenues are down $211 million from May of 2008. With those numbers, Georgia’s year to date revenue collections are down 10 percent over a year ago. Due to the dismal revenue figures to date, the probability of a special session has dramatically increased, with many pundits speculating that Governor Perdue could call the legislature back into session to deal with the budget situation as early as September.

Speaker Richardson Warns of Special Session

At the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Government Affairs Council’s annual meeting in St. Simons, State House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s speech warned of the great likelihood that the legislature would need to come back for a special session this year. Speaker Richardson’s statements came as a surprise to several state senators in attendance, who said they were not expecting for the legislature to be back in session until next January.

Perdue Certifies Transit Stimulus Funds

On Friday of last week, Governor Sonny Perdue certified $39 million in stimulus spending on transit projects by completing the requisite “1511 Certification.” These funds are available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and will be spent on rural and urban transit systems around the state of Georgia. The complete list of projects can be found here. Governor Perdue also informed United States Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that he expected more projects to be certified in the coming months as GDOT and various Georgia metropolitan planning organizations amend their transportation improvement plans to include additional transit projects.

Georgia Transportation Board Vice – Chairman Larry Walker to Resign

Last week, GDOT board member Larry Walker announced that he was resigning his position on the GDOT board, citing forthcoming opportunities that would create significant conflict with his responsibilities at GDOT. Walker formerly served as the Democratic Majority Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, and is a long-time resident of Houston County and ally of Governor Sonny Perdue. Walker has been a member of the GDOT board for 30 months, and has often been a vocal critic of the friction that has taken place within GDOT during the past two years. Walker was also known to have been a supporter of formerly embattled GDOT commissioner Gena Evans, who was fired from her position at GDOT at the end of the 2009 legislative session.

The vacancy created by Walker’s resignation will be filled by a special caucus of legislators from Georgia’s 8th Congressional district.

Notes from Department of Community Affairs Board Meeting

Celebrating his sixth year, Commissioner Mike Beatty joined Chairman Cliff Sheppard during an informative Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Board of Directors meeting. Presentations were made to the Board on several key issues.

DCA's staff discussed proposed changes to the Job Tax Credit regulations resulting from HB 438, as well as their role in the recent efforts to work with NCR and their announcement to locate their operations in Duluth, Peachtree City and Columbus.

The Directors also received a summary of DCA's activity related to the federal economic stimulus and recover funds. This includes $19 million in homeless assistance focused on transitional homeless families rather than chronically homeless individuals; $54 million in gap funding and a tax credit exchange program providing almost 85 cents on-the-dollar to be returned back to the fund for Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects; $10 million for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and addition funding for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (Round II) and Americorps.

DCA is also engaged in a major effort to promote recycling to support environmentally friendly waste policy and the multiple billion dollar recycling industry in Georgia, which includes a significant impact on carpet manufacturers. The campaign is billed with a logo intended to provoke questions and response by stating "I don't recycle." For more information, go to their Web site at www.whatareyoukiddingme.com.

A report was made of the progress of consolidation of the 16 Regional Development Commissions to 12 Regional Commissions as prescribed in 2008 HB 1216 which becomes effective on July 1.

The meeting was concluded with the elections of new officers, with the new positions also becoming effective on the first day of the new fiscal year, July 1. Billy Croker of Polk County will assume the role as Chairman of the Board, former State Senator Nathan Dean will become Vice Chairman, and Walker County Commissioner Bebe Haskell will move into the position of Secretary.

Know Your Lawmakers

State Representative Austin Scott , a Republican from Tifton, currently serves as the Chairman of the House Government Affairs Committee, and has represented Georgia’s House District 153 for 14 years. The-39 year-old Tifton native is also the owner of a small business, The Southern Group, LLC. Scott considers one of his most prolific legislative efforts to be the effort to change the Georgia flag. He also was heavily involved in the effort to overhaul Georgia’s certificate of need laws, as well as the incorporation of numerous cities such as Sandy Springs, Milton, and Johns Creek. Rep. Scott was recognized by Georgia Trend as one of Georgia’s Top 40 under 40 and was awarded the Outstanding Legislative Leadership Certificate by the American Cancer Society in 2003 and 2004.

In his spare time, Austin enjoys hunting and fishing. He prefers to work late in order to clear his mind before heading out to the woods or to the lake. His favorite movie is Tombstone, his favorite football team is the Georgia Bulldogs, and he loves Lynyrd Skynyrd. His political hero is Teddy Roosevelt, and he believes government would be a lot more successful if people sacrificed their egos and stopped caring so much about who gets the credit.

Rep. Scott is currently one of five Republicans running for the Republican nomination for Governor in 2010.

In Other News

Al Byrd, a Carroll County native now living in Atlanta, received the shock of his life this week when he received a voicemail from his neighbor informing him that his house was being demolished by a destruction crew. Turns out the demolition crew had simply been given the wrong GPS coordinates by the real estate management group. The correct house was 150 yards up the street.

In 2010 and 2011, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will play the Kansas Jayhawks in NCAA Division I football. The teams have not faced each other since the Orange Bowl in 1948.

Georgia Gwinnett College has been granted permission from the Georgia Board of Regents to expand their degree offerings to include English, History and Mathematics. The change must now be approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which will discuss the matter later this month.

Today in History

June 12, 1429: Joan of Arc leads the French army to victory in their conquest for the city of Jargeau.

June 12, 1775: British General Thomas Gage declares martial law in Massachussetts and declared that patriots Samuel Adams and John Hancock would be hanged, if captured.

June 12, 1776: The Virginia Declaration of Rights is adopted.

June 12, 1940: 13,000 British and French troops surrender to General Irwin Rommell at St. Valery en Caux.

June 12, 1942: Future essayist Ann Frank receives a diary for her birthday.

June 12, 1967: The United States Supreme Court declares all laws barring interracial marriage to be unconstitutional in Loving v. Virginia.

June 12, 1987: United States President Ronald Reagan publicly challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate.

June 12, 1994: Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman are murdered outside her home in Los Angeles.

June 12, 2009: All full power television stations switch from analog signal to digital signal for all over-the-air broadcasting.

Have a great weekend,

SM

There are no simple solutions to working with the public or government. At Brock Clay, we integrate our services across lobbying, grassroots and public relations in order to create comprehensive solutions to complex problems. Whether we need to set up a town hall meeting, start a letter-writing campaign, work the halls of the Capitol or create a press release, we will find the right way to meet the challenge. As Harry Truman said, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”