All 236 state lawmakers return to the Capitol next week for the 2008 session, but whether they do much of anything depends largely on the sometimes testy relationship between two men: Gov. Sonny Perdue and House Speaker Glenn Richardson.

The two hot-tempered leaders will set the tone for a session that promises debate on some of the biggest issues facing Georgians.

Ben Gray/Staff (ENLARGE)

Gov. Sonny Perdue, from left, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) greet each other at the Speaker's podium in Jan. 2007 just before the Governor's State of the State speech.

From rising taxes and clogged roadways to financially troubled Grady Memorial Hospital and a water crisis that threatens to hamstring the state's future, Perdue and Richardson, along with the more conciliatory Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, will set the agenda and decide what legislation goes forward.

With Perdue and Richardson in the forefront, little will come easy.

"Most of the time when he or I have our disagreements, we have them in private," Richardson said. "If it gets public, I'll talk about it. I don't run from it. My job is not to go along to get along. It's not in my nature either."

While Richardson agreed to an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Perdue did not. However, late Friday, he released a statement on his relationship with Richardson.

"The governor is elected by all citizens and responsible for the delivery of services to 9.5 million Georgians. The speaker of the House is elected in a district, chosen by his fellow 179 representatives, and charged with ensuring their blended wishes are represented," he said. "If either of these individuals tries to assume the role to which he is not elected – problems arise.

"Public service is not about personalities. Citizens are best served when all egos are subrogated. In other words, it's not about us."

House members say they are hopeful the 2008 session will be smoother than 2007, which ended in name-calling animosity that continued for months.

"If they don't work it out, it's going to be a mess," predicted Rep. Chuck Sims (R-Ambrose). "They need to keep their difference out of it and try to work together, because that's what's best for the state. I think they are trying to do that."

Richardson (R-Hiram) was once Perdue's House floor leader, pushing the governor's legislation even when he didn't necessarily agree with it. But last session's decision by Perdue to veto a tax rebate pushed by Richardson led to a historic fight between the House and the governor's office, and neither leader has forgotten.

In the interim, Richardson has tried to assert leadership on such issues as skyrocketing property taxes and the water shortage.

While the speaker has been complimentary about the governor in recent weeks, there are signs the fire that raged last April hasn't been extinguished.

The session will almost certainly begin with a rare attempt to override some of Perdue's vetoes of legislation passed during the 2007 session. Such an override would aim, in part, to show the governor's power is not without limits and that the House is an independent power.

"I think the House believes we made our positions clear and [the executive] branch ignored the intentions of the other," Richardson said. "We're elected to do our job just as the executive branch is elected to do its job. The [state] constitution gives us the last vote. The governor does not get the last vote; the General Assembly gets the last vote."

The Senate would have to go along with the override for it to succeed, and that's an iffy proposition.

Things are so dicey that when state officials tried to organize a fly-around with Perdue, Cagle and Richardson this week, they were unsure if they'd be able to get together on an agenda.

Richardson, who has praised Perdue for his fiscal leadership, said he and the governor frequently agree on issues, legislation and public policy. Just not all the time.

"We are grown men with our own opinions. That we can't have disagreements ignores reality," Richardson said.

The Senate hasn't agreed with everything Perdue has done, but, in general, members have been conciliatory toward the governor. At least part of that is due to the chamber's leader, Cagle.

"I didn't run for lieutenant governor for the title. I ran because I wanted to make a difference," Cagle said. "I am not caught up in ego. It allows me to be focused on navigating whatever the waters consist of."

Cagle is diplomatic when talking about the Perdue-Richardson relationship.

"They've been known to sometimes say what they think," he said with a smile. "I have great respect for the governor, I like Glenn a lot. You have different personalities, and sometimes those personalities clash."

Those differences don't surprise Rusty Paul, a former state senator and Republican Party chairman who now lobbies at the Capitol.

"There is a certain amount of institutional rivalry that exists, no matter who is in charge," Paul said. "That is complicated by the fact that both the speaker and the governor are known for having fiery personalities."

Paul noted, for instance, that after the governor puts together a proposed state budget, the House gets a crack at rewriting it, frequently cutting some of what the governor wants.

They also have different styles, Paul said. Perdue sees himself as a chief executive and can be very conservative and deliberate. Richardson sees a problem and moves quickly to try to a solution.

Still, Paul said, they are alike in many ways.

"They are truly passionate individuals who wear their feelings on their sleeves," he said. "When you have strong egos and emotion combined with strong personalities, it's going to create sparks.

"I think it is going to be a session where you see a lot of sparks fly."