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Wednesday, November 15, 2006
A very, very bidnesslike approach
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lt. Gov.-elect Casey Cagle has appointed a transition committee to set policy and procedures for his office. It’s what’s traditionally called a “blue-ribbon committee,” and in this case decidedly so.
Beginning with the appointed chairman, Tom Gilliland – who once was Lt. Gov. Pierre Howard’s law partner and finance chairman – this is a group that leans very decidedly toward the traditional Georgia business establishment. The lone exception is attorney Anne Lewis, whose legal specialty – redistricting – is of obvious interest to Cagle.
Here’s the list, from Cagle’s press release:
Tom Gilliland, the committee chairman, is Executive Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel for United Community Banks, Inc, the third largest bank holding company in Georgia. He is on the board of directors for several banks and serves as Chairman of the Board of United Community Bank, North Georgia. In addition, Mr. Gilliland serves on the boards of many local civic organizations as well as the Georgia Affordable Housing Corporation, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Stone Mountain Authority, where he serves as Chairman of the Development Committee.
Philip Wilheit is the President and Managing Partner of Wilheit Packaging in Gainesville. He has been active in civic organizations across the state during his 40 year career in the packaging industry, currently serving on the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Commission for a New Georgia. Mr. Wilheit served as Chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce in 2001 and has been Chairman of the Gainesville/Hall Development Authority for the past 30 years.
Richard Tucker is Principal and Managing Partner of Arlington Capital LLC, a mezzanine lending fund. He is a past President and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and was appointed by the Governor to sit on the Board of Regents. He has been on the board of many civic organizations, including the Council for Quality Growth, the Gwinnett Foundation and the Brand Banking Company and is a former member of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the Governor’s Development Council.
Anne Lewis is a partner in the Atlanta law firm of Strickland Brockington Lewis LLP. Her practice includes general litigation as well as election-related litigation including redistricting, Voting Rights Act cases, election contests and candidate qualifying challenges. Ms. Lewis serves as a member of the Georgia State University Leadership Council, the St. Thomas More Catholic School Board of Education and is the former President of the St. Thomas More Parent Teacher Organization. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Georgia, the Atlanta Bar Association, the Republican National Lawyers Association, the Lawyers Club of Atlanta and the St. Thomas More Society.
Charles Tarbutton is Assistant Vice President of the Sandersville Railroad Company, a short-line freight railroad primarily serving the kaolin, forest products, and plastics industries in Central Georgia. Mr. Tarbutton currently serves as a Trustee and current Treasurer of Brentwood School in Sandersville and Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Sandersville United Methodist Church. He is a past Chairman of the Board of Leadership Georgia, Sandersville Technical College, and the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, and is 2008 Chair-Elect of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He was appointed by Governor Perdue to the Board of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
The blueprint of a campaign
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The race for the ’08 presidential nominations — a front-loaded affair likely to be played out in a number of innovative forums over the next year – had already begun before the glow on the touch-screen voting machines went dark last week. For an early taste of it, we’ll have former Sen. John Edwards in town Friday to promote his new book, “Home, the Blueprint of Our Lives.”
The book is described by Publisher’s Weekly as a “poignant coffeetable meditation” on the meaning of family, somewhat marred by an over-political introduction, with contributions from some 60 Americans ranging from architect Maya Lin to quarterback Joe Montana. Edwards has a 2 p.m. signing at Georgia Tech, and a 7:30 signing at the Carter Center.
Edwards will also have a digital camera for those who want a photo with the ’04 Democratic vice-presidential candidate that they can download off his website. If you think the former North Carolina senator has a shot, you might want to get that shot now. The going rate for presidential fundraisers these days is about $5,000 a photo.
