Charles Bannister
Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman
Charles Bannister, 66, ousted longtime Gwinnett County
Commission Chairman F. Wayne Hill in November, becoming
the highest-ranking politician in the county.
Bannister, two other Republicans newly elected to the commission
and two returning members will be in charge of dealing
with the explosive growth in Gwinnett.
The commissioners already have shown they mean business.
The county and the Lake Lanier Association resolved a five-year
fight over wastewater discharge. In May, the commission
fired its MARTA representative, Mychal Walker, for violating
the board's ethics policy.
Bannister served three terms on the Lilburn City Council
in the 1970s before becoming the city's mayor. In 1984,
Bannister ran for the state House of Representatives --
and won. He stayed in the General Assembly until 1990,
when he lost his re-election bid. Bannister later returned
to the political arena and was elected in the mid-1990s
to serve in the House.
Shirley Franklin
City
of Atlanta Mayor
Three years into her first term as mayor, Shirley Franklin,
61, is edging closer to her vision of a city that's run
like a successful business.
The latest step to accomplishing that goal? The Atlanta
Committee for Progress -- a group organized by Franklin
-- released its list of objectives in December, including
the creation of 60,000 jobs, adding affordable housing,
reducing crime and increasing property values. Since
its goals were announced, the committee has begun the
steps of implementing them, including the creation of
an Atlanta brand, working with developer Ray Weeks on
the proposed Beltline transit program and more.
Franklin received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage
Award in May. The award honors public servants who choose
to do what's right at the risk of their careers. In April,
Time magazine named Atlanta's mayor one of the country's
best big-city mayors.
Franklin is a member of the Democratic National Committee
and is treasurer of the Georgia Democratic Party.
Saxby Chambliss
U.S.
Senator
Chambliss, 60 -- one of two Republican senators representing
the state -- was elected in 2002. He has long been a
staunch supporter of President George W. Bush, although
the strength of that alliance has come into question
in the face of proposed cuts at Georgia's military bases,
as well as budget cuts affecting the F/A-22 and C-130J
airplanes manufactured in Marietta and subsidies for
cotton and soybean farmers.
A national highway-funding bill approved by the Senate
included a provision authored by Georgia's senators.
The amendment would create a study of a proposed highway
that would link Augusta, Macon and Columbus to Montgomery,
Ala., and then go to Natchez, Miss. Another proposed
highway would extend from Savannah to Augusta to Knoxville,
Tenn.
Cathy Cox
Georgia Secretary of State
Cathy Cox, 46, may make Georgia history again. Elected the
first female secretary of state in 1998, Cox now is running
for governor -- but first she'll have to take on Lt. Gov. Mark
Taylor to decide the Democratic opponent to incumbent Sonny
Perdue.
Cox announced her candidacy in her hometown of Bainbridge in
April.
Cox introduced the state to electronic voting, which received
its biggest test during the 2004 presidential election. A study
by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology showed that the
state experienced the country's greatest improvement in voting
accuracy in the nation. She also introduced advance voting
in some districts to reduce waiting times at the polls.
Benjamin R. DeCosta
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Aviation General Manager
Ben DeCosta, 59, was faced with the unenviable task of telling the Atlanta City Council that the new international terminal at the airport is more than a year behind schedule -- and may cost millions more than expected.
Funding for the terminal is tied to airport bonds backed by passenger fees, with the bulk from Atlanta's Delta Air Lines Inc. But with Delta teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, airline officials are eager to renegotiate the terms of the agreement with the city. It's now expected that the terminal will not open until 2009, at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta airport continues to be the busiest passenger airport in the world under DeCosta's watch. More than 83.6 million passengers were served at the airport in 2004.
Lisa Borders
Atlanta City Council President; Cousins Properties Inc. Senior Vice President
Political newcomer Lisa Borders, 47, was elected to her
post to complete Cathy Woolard's term
Borders backs two transportation projects being discussed
for Atlanta: the Beltline and Peachtree Streetcar. And
Borders has thrown her hat into the ring for re-election
to the council presidency.
She is a senior vice president with Cousins Properties,
where she handles business development, marketing, communications
and community reinvestment. Previously, Borders spent
15 years in the health-care field.
Jimmy Carter
Former U.S. President; Former Georgia Governor; The Carter Center Founder; Nobel Peace Prize Winner, 2002
Jimmy Carter, 80, has continued to serve as an informal
ambassador, focusing on human rights issues, among others.
In May, he led a delegation to Ethiopia to monitor elections.
Recently, Carter has spoken out against the use of nuclear
weapons programs ahead of the renewal of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, resigned from the Carter
Center's board of trustees in March, citing their interest
in increasing the board's role in guiding the center.
Carter signed into law in 1980 the Small Business Development Center Act. His hometown -- Plains -- called on The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center when it needed help in the early 1990s.
Jack Guynn
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President and CEO
Jack Guynn, 62, not only has his finger on the pulse
of Atlanta's economy but he was able to steer the 2004
United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta campaign past its
goal.
The United Way campaign -- with Guynn serving as chairman
-- raised $60,000 more than the $75.1 million goal set
by the United Way.
Guynn is not a voting member of the Federal Open Market
Committee. But his insights into the economy are respected.
Guynn serves on the boards of trustees for Oglethorpe and Furman universities, the Georgia Tech Foundation and the board of councilors of the Carter Center. Guynn also is a member of the board of directors of Midtown Alliance and the Community Foundation and serves on the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce's executive committee at-large.
Johnny Isakson
U.S.
Senator
It was no surprise when Johnny Isakson, 60, won the U.S.
Senate seat being vacated by Zell Miller.
The Atlanta business community -- including heavy hitters
like BellSouth Corp. Georgia President Phil Jacobs and
SunTrust Banks Inc. CEO Phillip Humann -- threw their
weight behind Isakson.
The freshman senator co-authored a provision with fellow
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss that was included in a national
highway-funding bill approved by the Senate.
In May, Isakson was named to the Senate conference committee that will reconcile the House and Senate versions of the National Highway Funding Bill.
The House-passed version calls for $284 billion over six years, while the Senate version calls for $295 billion over six years.
Isakson sits on four Senate committees: environment and public works; health, education, labor and pensions; small business and entrepreneurship; and veterans affairs.
Isakson served 17 years in the Georgia General Assembly. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for three terms before his election to the Senate.
Karen C. Handel
Fulton County Commission Chairwoman
Handel was elected in November 2003 and has since spearheaded
controversial decisions about her county.
Among the most heated issues she has grappled with has
been Sandy Springs' bid to become a city. The Fulton
County Commission took the fight for Sandy Springs' independence
to the Feds -- and lost.
Fulton County in April asked the Justice Department to
block Sandy Springs' formation as a city. Karen Handel,
42, and the other two Republicans on the commission support
the Sandy Springs referendum.
Handel has said she recognizes the changes facing Fulton County with the incorporation and the precedent it may set for other parts of the county.
George M. Israel III
Georgia Chamber of Commerce President and CEO
George Israel, 56, has had plenty to celebrate following
the 2005 session of the Georgia legislature. The Georgia
Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association
duked it out in a blitz of competing TV ads. The issue?
Tort reform in Georgia.
The Georgia General Assembly took on the issue of "civil justice reform," becoming
the latest state to propose limits on civil lawsuits
and malpractice awards. The state chamber backed Senate
Bill 3.
Israel is a native of Macon and served as that city's
mayor from 1979-1987. He currently serves on the board
of directors for YKK (USA) Inc.
Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.
MARTA General Manager
Nathaniel Ford, 44, is charged with managing the state's
largest transit system, which has faced financial challenges
in recent years.
MARTA will implement a new electronic fare system --
called Breeze -- that will replace the current system
of tokens or coins. Between the new cards and the installation
of jump-proof fare gates, MARTA expects to recoup some
of the $10 million it loses annually to stolen fares.
Officials hope the Breeze cards will be used throughout
the region. The new system will cost $190 million and
is expected to be operational by early 2006.
The transit system cut 300 union workers in 2004 and
faces contract negations with its union drivers, mechanics
and street-level workers in 2005. The current union contract
expires June 30. Approximately 3,000 MARTA employees
are union.
The Georgia General Assembly passed legislation in March banning panhandling inside MARTA transit stations -- a frequent complaint of passengers. But the legislature tabled a bill that would allow MARTA to use 55 percent of its sales tax money to pay some employees, fuel bills and other operating costs. MARTA has an $18 million deficit.
Beverly L. Hall
Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent
Beverly Hall, 57, has worked to improve the standing
of her school system in the six years since she became
superintendent.
Test scores are climbing, particularly among lower elementary
grades. Hall has said she expects all of the schools
in the system to meet or exceed their targets by the
2007-2008 school year. The 89 schools in the district
continue to focus on Hall's reform initiatives, which
include four goals: improving student performance in
reading/ English/language arts; improving student performance
in math; increasing student enrollment in high-level
courses and increasing student attendance.
Hall unveiled a new effort, APS 2007, in May during her
annual State of the Schools in Atlanta speech. Schools
are challenged to meet 70 percent of their academic targets
each year.
Hall's contract with the school board was extended three years by an 8-0 vote of the Atlanta school board in December.
Eric Johnson
Georgia Senate President Pro Tempore
State Sen. Eric Johnson, 51, introduced legislation signed
by Gov. Sonny Perdue that aims to reduce frivolous lawsuits
and lower health-care costs.
Johnson's name is attached to nearly 100 pieces of proposed
legislation from the most recent legislative session.
Senate bills include those that would affect real estate
appraisers, a charter for the city of Sandy Springs and
changing provisions for eminent domain.
Johnson was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1992 and the Senate in 1994, representing coastal Georgia's 1st Senate District. He served as minority leader for two terms and became the first Republican president pro tem of the Senate in 130 years.
Johnson is a member of the Rules Committee and serves as secretary of the Appropriations Committee.
Vernon
Jones
DeKalb County CEO
Vernon Jones, 44, has hinted at requiring that affordable
housing be included in projects brought before the DeKalb
County Commission.
And county officials have proposed placing impact fees
on new construction.
He also has pushed for more green space and recently
lent a hand kicking off the $1.6 million renovation of
Dresden Park, near DeKalb Peachtree Airport.
During Jones' nearly four years in office, he has been dogged by reports of abuses of power, as well as physical abuse.
A grand jury was convened to examine some of the allegations against Jones.
Jones is the only county CEO in the state, governing Georgia's second-most-populous county.
Charles 'Chick' Krautler
Atlanta Regional Commission Director
Charles "Chick" Krautler, 58, and the Atlanta Regional
Commission (ARC) continue to campaign for solutions to
the traffic woes that plague metro Atlanta.
In March, the ARC -- along with the State Road and Tollway
Authority, and the boards of the state Department of
Transportation and the Georgia Regional Transportation
Authority -- agreed to the creation of the Congestion
Mitigation Task Force. The purpose of the group is to
determine a ranking for transportation projects, with
an emphasis on projects that relieve congestion. The
ARC has said it hopes the task force does not discount
transit alternatives.
Each of the four organizations will appoint two members
to the task force.
The ARC released a 25-year regional transportation plan that has met with regional and federal approval, although implementing it would cost $53 billion.
John Lewis
U.S. Representative, 5th Congressional District
U.S. Rep. John Lewis, 65, has focused his energies during
the 109th Congress on loan-forgiveness programs for Head
Start teachers, amending the Social Security Act and
introducing tax subsidies to encourage small employers
to offer affordable health insurance.
Lewis also has lobbied for federal funds to help build
the Beltline, a rail project that would connect many
Atlanta neighborhoods.
Well-known for his role in the civil rights movement,
Lewis was elected to the Atlanta City Council in 1981.
He was elected to Congress in 1986 and has represented
Georgia's 5th Congressional District since then.
Jim Lientz
State of Georgia Chief Operating Officer
The state's first-ever chief operating officer, Jim Lientz,
61, manages the people aspect of state government, including
staff development and developing career paths. All of
the state's department heads report to him.
Lientz stepped into the role in 2003. Previously, he
worked for Bank of America, retiring as president of
its mid-South division in 2000.
Lientz is a trustee and an executive committee member
of the Georgia Tech Foundation, and a trustee of Rhodes
College, The Lovett School and the Georgia Research Alliance.
He serves as chairman
of the board of advisors of The Carter Center and is a board member of The
Commerce Club. Lientz is a director of Georgia Power Co., Georgia Banking Co.
and NDC Health.
Harold Linnenkohl
Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner
Harold Linnenkohl, 56, deals with the same traffic hassles
and congestion as other drivers in the metro area. The
Hiram resident, however, has a little more power to do
something about it.
Linnenkohl oversees about 5,800 employees and has a budget
of more than $2 billion. The DOT is tasked with managing
transportation infra- structure -- primarily state routes
and portions of the federal interstate.
Projects in the works include a $40 million widening
of Georgia 400 in north Fulton and south Forsyth counties,
a $13.3 million boulevard that runs alongside some of
downtown Atlanta's most significant tourist attractions
and improvements to the Interstate 75/Ga. 54 interchange
in Clayton County.
The DOT also will be working with developer Wayne Mason and others on the Beltline project, a transit corridor that will connect many of Atlanta's neighborhoods.
Craig Lesser
Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner
Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed Craig Lesser, 54, commissioner
of the Georgia Department of Economic Development in
July 2004.
Lesser is responsible for recruiting new businesses and
expanding existing ones; growing the tourism, international
trade and entertainment industries; and supporting the
growth of small businesses and entrepreneurs.
He already has undertaken a reorganization of his department,
which has included several personnel changes and the
creation of a marketing division and a global commerce
division.
He is co-chairman of Hemisphere Inc., which is working to win the Free Trade Area of the Americas' secretariat.
Before his appointment, Lesser was a partner with Griswold Lesser LLC, which provides counsel on public affairs issues to companies including Atlanta Gas Light Resources, BellSouth Corp. and Williams Environmental Services.
Zell
Miller
Former U.S. Senator
Zell Miller, 73, left the U.S. Senate in 2004 but not
without generating a little more controversy.
In September, Miller -- a Democrat -- delivered a fiery
speech at the Republican National Convention, criticizing
his party for being "motivated more by partisan politics
than by national security."
Miller was appointed in July 2000 to fill the Senate
seat left empty by the death of Paul Coverdell, then
won the special election in November of that year to
finish out the term.
His political tenure extends back to 1961, when Miller was elected to the Georgia Senate. He was the state's lieutenant governor from 1975-1991 and elected governor twice (1991-1999).
Sam Olens
Cobb County Board of Commissioners Chairman
Although still a relative newcomer to metro Atlanta politics,
Sam Olens, 47, has made a name for himself in less than
three years of public service.
Olens was elected chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission
in December -- only the second ARC chairman from Cobb
County. Olens hopes the agency will gain strength as
a regional organization able to influence state policy
to the benefit of the area.
Gov. Sonny Perdue tapped Olens to serve as chairman of
the Congestion Mitigation Task Force, which is charged
with developing strategies and goals to reduce congestion
in a cost-effective manner.
Perdue previously appointed Olens to represent the 6th Congressional District on Georgia's Community Affairs Board. He also is vice chairman of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District and is a member of the board of directors of the Quality Growth Coalition.
Olens was re-elected to a four-year term as commission chairman that began in January.
Sunny
K. Park
The
White House Initiative on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders
Commissioner; Asian-American Commission for a New Georgia.
Sunny
K. Park, 63, founded the Good Neighboring Campaign, which aims
to improve the image of Asian-Americans. Park is president of
the Korea America Friendship Society of Atlanta and founded
The Korean-American School of Atlanta.
Park
is CEO of General Building Maintenance Inc., Hepatech Cleanroom
Service Inc., and president of Global Sun Investments Inc.
Gov.
Sonny Perdue appointed Park to the Georgia Ports Authority in
July 2004.
Park
was a 2004 presidential elector.
Richard Pennington
Atlanta Police Chief
Since taking over at the Atlanta Police Department in 2002, Richard Pennington has worked to apply the same success he experienced in New Orleans to Georgia's capital city.
That work has begun to pay off. In March, the department received its first-ever national accreditation.
Pennington reorganized the department at the beginning of the year to fill some vacancies on his staff but also to bring new faces to different police zones in an effort to further reduce crime rates. During the nearly three years of Pennington's tenure, the police department has grown by more than 200 officers -- but remains about 300 short of the 2,000-employee goal.
In April, the city launched the second phase of a tracking and rescue program for use with Alzheimer's patients.
Sonny Perdue
State of Georgia Governor
Citing concerns about violating personal freedoms, Gov. Sonny Perdue initially hinted that he might veto the bill authorizing a statewide smoking ban. But in the end, the governor did sign the bill -- in support of the nonsmoking majority's right to be protected from secondhand smoke. He also approved a $40 surcharge to health insurance premiums for all state employees who smoke.
Health-care issues have been a focus of the governor in the past year, who also has plugged the new Together Rx Access program, which offers discounted prices on commonly prescribed medicines. The private plan was launched in May.
Perdue, 58, also signed a law mandating a 24-hour wait before a woman can obtain an abortion. The law is the biggest change to Georgia's abortion regulations since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973.
The Republican governor is backed by a General Assembly with a Republican majority, which seems to be in sync with Perdue's political conservatism. And Perdue has had a hand in choosing the next justice on the Georgia Supreme Court, Harold Melton, who replaces the retired Chief Justice Norman Fletcher.
Glenn Richardson
Georgia House of Representatives Speaker of the House
Republicans have come a long way since Glenn Richardson, 44, was elected in 1996. At that time, he was the first Republican elected since Reconstruction to represent Paulding County in the Georgia House of Representatives.
The party secured control of the Georgia House in November -- again, a first since Reconstruction. Richardson again made history by being elected the first Republican speaker in more than 130 years.
Richardson's opponents have criticized him since taking over as speaker in January, claiming that he has curtailed debates in the House. His backers say that Richardson is keeping business apace in the House.
Richardson was a member of Georgia State University's first law school class. Richardson is also the Paulding County attorney. Since 1987, he has been a partner at Vinson, Talley, Richardson & Cable P.A.
Mark Taylor
Georgia
Lieutenant Governor
The state's top elected Democrat is making a run for governor. Taylor, 48, is considered one of the top candidates from the party -- the other being Secretary of State Cathy Cox.
In the past year, Taylor has fought for passage of a cybercrime bill that aims to protect children from Internet predators.
A native of Albany, Taylor became lieutenant governor in 1998. Prior to that, he served 11 years in the state Senate and was floor leader for then-Gov. Zell Miller.
Taylor serves as vice chairman of the OneGeorgia Authority, which manages a $1 billion state investment in the 71 poorest counties in Georgia.
Sam Zamarripa
Georgia State Senator, D-Atlanta
In
February, Sen. Sam Zamarripa introduced legislation that
would divide Fulton County -- literally.
The proposal would create Milton and Atlanta counties by the north-south division of Fulton County and was designed to coincide with the pending cityhood of Sandy Springs.
Milton County would begin at the northern boundary of Atlanta and include all municipalities and areas in the north of what now is Fulton County. The new Atlanta County would incorporate the remaining municipalities and area in the southern portion of Fulton. Before it can happen, though, the bill requires voting on a statewide constitutional amendment, which would not happen until November 2006, at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the State Ethics Commission fined Zamarippa $3,000 in June 2004 for exceeding campaign donation limits.
Zamarripa, 52, was elected to the General Assembly in 2002, one of three Hispanic politicians elected that year. He is secretary of the Senate's Economic Development Committee. He also serves on the advisory board of Hemisphere Inc., which promotes the Free Trade Area of the Americas, and is the founder of the Georgia China Alliance.
