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THE 2007 GEORGIA LEGISLATURE: A user's guide: Know your Gold Dome players

Copyright 2007 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
January 7, 2007 Sunday
Main Editiony

Gov. Sonny Perdue: A lame duck after winning his second term, he's still the one who sets the agenda and the spending priorities. Has governed largely on the premise that government should provide basic services such as education, but should also avoid becoming a nanny to its citizens. Those principles could be tested this year if lawmakers pass legislation allowing Sunday beer and wine sales because Perdue is a religious conservative who is not a drinker. With a rout of Democratic Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor in last fall's election, he remains the face of the Republican majority and the party's strongest draw.

Lawmakers
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle of Gainesville: The new main man in the Senate and the first Republican to run the chamber. A deliberate conservative who tends to think things through thoroughly before saying anything or acting. Unlike Perdue, he has a good relationship with the media and is considered a likely candidate for governor in 2010 or 2014. As a member of the Senate, was a pro-development, pro-business lawmaker, but one who was not strictly a "yes man" for Perdue. Was among the Republicans' most vocal critics in 2003 when Perdue called for tax increases to fill a budget shortfall.

Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah): One of the shrewdest and most powerful players at the Capitol. Like Cagle, has a good relationship with the media and is among the most quoted officials at the statehouse because of his ability to turn a smart phrase. 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 Perdue.

Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth): A former state Republican Party leader who ran GOP political campaigns in the 1990s, Shafer is a relatively new power-player, thanks in part to the election of Cagle. Was early backer of Cagle and, like the new lieutenant governor, opposed Perdue on the tax increase in 2003. Prefers to work behind the scenes and generally avoids the media spotlight. Served as chief deputy to Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine and married the commissioner's ex-wife.

Senate Majority Leader Tommie Williams (R-Lyons): A savvy politician who chaired the Senate Transportation Committee before becoming majority leader in 2006, Williams is charged with holding the Senate GOP caucus together. This South Georgia pine-straw millionaire speaks Hebrew, Italian and Spanish, has served as a missionary in China, Israel and Belize, and is a deacon at the First Baptist Church of Vidalia.

Senate Minority Leader Robert Brown (D-Macon): A 16-year lawmaker who has emerged as a sharp critic of the GOP since becoming the Senate's leading Democrat two years ago. Previously had built a reputation as a moderate.

Brown 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 from former Gov. Zell Miller (Marshall also won re-election last year).

House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram): Runs the House with an iron fist the way Democrat House Speaker Tom Murphy used to enforce control in the chamber. Publicly supportive of Perdue and served as his floor leader at one time. Privately, he's had issues with the governor and has sought to assert the chamber's independence. Like the governor, he doesn't hide his emotions. When he's upset with a member, or the media, they know it. A big fund-raiser for Republicans, Richardson would like to be the party's gubernatorial nominee in 2010.

House Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta): Second-in-command in the House, he is on good terms with Richardson even though the two competed in 2004 to be the state's first Republican speaker. A leader in the probusiness, fiscally conservative wing of the party, Burkhalter is a champion of metro Atlanta companies and made a name for himself pushing legislation to help financially strapped Delta Air Lines. Like Johnson in the Senate, has a good ear for politics and does a good job conveying the party's position to the media.

House Majority Leader Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons Island): A former leader of the Georgia Christian Coalition, Keen is rumored to be contemplating a run for higher office in the future. He has championed eliminating "onerous taxes," including property taxes and the state income tax. Pushed legislation last year to crack down on the most serious sex offenders. Can speak fiscal conservative and social conservative policy equally well, making him a good pick to express the leadership's views. If Richardson doesn't run for governor in 2010, Keen might.

Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs): One of Richardson's closest allies, Ehrhart runs the powerful Rules Committee, which decides what legislation gets debated. He is a no-nonsense chairman who doesn't put up with a lot of debate. He also is a single father of two who chaired a commission that is developing guidelines setting child support payments. Pushed for a new system that considers the incomes of both parents. Like Richardson, Ehrhart can be volatile. He shouted at two Republican senators on the last night of the session in March 2006, vowing to stall their future legislation because the chamber hadn't taken up a bill he wanted passed.

House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin): An attorney and newspaper editor who came into the Legislature challenging the old-guard Democrats. Over time, he became part of the House leadership. He took on the role as lead critic of the new GOP leadership in the House in 2005. A good spokesman for the party. Also one of the few rural white male Democrats in a House Democratic caucus in which black, urban legislators are now the majority. Makes a solid, veteran team with House Minority Caucus Chairman Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus), an African-American banker.

Lobbyists
Bruce Bowers and 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. The team now represents major interests, including the cable TV industry, Motorola, MBNA, Bank of America and some of the groups planning to put toll roads on interstates and state roads. Represents several companies with state contracts, or ones interested in getting state contracts. Smart, experienced and well-connected to the Perdue administration and Republicans in general.

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 includes 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.

Raymon White: A free-spending Republican who is close to members of the House leadership, White has built a large client base in recent years that includes the city of Atlanta, the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association, Phillip Morris, Time Warner Telecom of Georgia and Zoo Atlanta. Spent nearly $12,000 on meals and drinks for key lawmakers during the first seven months of 2006, including $1,472 for one night with the House Rules Committee, chaired by Ehrhart, and $650 for a lunch with House committee chairmen and leaders.

Skin Edge, Trip Martin and GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group: This group has one of the longest client lists at the Capitol and hustles for a diverse group of interests. Edge has been a regular in the third-floor halls since he left the General Assembly as Senate Republican leader in the mid-1990s. Martin's been around even longer. Clients include American Express, Cash America International, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Diageo distillers, the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Pest Control, the Georgia Propane Gas Association, Georgia-Pacific Corp., Publix, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Georgia Supreme Court, T-Mobile and Turner Broadcasting.

Tom Boller, Rusty Sewell: Boller and Sewell are veteran lobbyists with long client lists and years of success in lobbying the Legislature --- Republican or Democratic. Their clients include AGL Resources, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, BP, Colonial Pipeline, Hertz Corp., Siemens and the State Bar of Georgia.

Jay Morgan: A Republican activist before it was cool to be Republican in Georgia, Morgan ran Johnny Isakson's unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign in 1990. Started lobbying when Democrats were in charge, and has continued to have success now that the GOP runs things. Among his clients are AGL Resources, BellSouth, Georgia Motor Trucking Association, Gold Kist and Procter & Gamble.