Political Insider

By gttim

May 18, 2008 10:08 AM | Link to this

Considering how Olens has been bought and paid for by the construction industry, he should be a natural fit for the GOP and statewide office! He has let builders run Cobb County. I guess he can just raise his rate statewide.

Not too mention how he stuck his nose in the tri-state water wars only to have it pinched, when the Army Corp of Engineers decided to take a closer look at Cobb County’s water usage from Lake Alatoona, and found the county not following the rules.

By Debbie

May 18, 2008 11:09 AM | Link to this

Rumors were that Sen Shafer is looking at Insurance Commissioner or John Linder’s seat when he retires and Sen Chip Rogers is looking at Lt Governor.

As for Governor, rumors were that the following were eyeing the position besides John Oxendine: Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, Secretary of State Karen Handel, Congressman Lynn Westmoreland, and Congressman Phil Gingrey. Sam Olens would have an uphill battle…

By Terry S.

May 18, 2008 11:15 AM | Link to this

wow gttim, you sound like a bitter, bitter guy.

Olens has done a great job for us in Cobb, which is why he got reelected with 81% of the vote in 2004 and no one even ran against him in 2008.

I laughed at how you wrote that Sam Olens “stuck his nose in the tri-state water wars”. Do you also complain when people don’t lead? He TRIES, unlike most of our state leadership.

I don’t care if you vote for him or not, but at least be smart about it, Bitter man.

By Terry

May 18, 2008 11:18 AM | Link to this

wow gttim, you sound like a bitter, bitter guy.

Olens has done a great job for us in Cobb, which is why he got reelected with 81% of the vote in 2004 and no one even ran against him in 2008.

I laughed at how you wrote that Sam Olens “stuck his nose in the tri-state water wars”. Do you also complain when people don’t lead? He TRIES, unlike most of our state leadership.

I don’t care if you vote for him or not, but at least be smart about it, Bitter man.

By Jim S.

May 18, 2008 12:12 PM | Link to this

I think Olens is at least aware of the problems facing the state and could provide for a better debate in the primary and general elections than many of the other potential Republican candidates. Personally I’d love to see all of those congressmen run for Gov. instead of congress and leave all of those open seats to be contested. Run guys, run! I hope the Dems will be able to field a candidate with a chance to win and who can articulate a vision. The Perdue administration, despite Sonny being a pretty decent fellow, has been a disaster for its lack of ideas and leadership on the transportation and water issues. We’ll suffer for years due to his being ill prepared for the office.

By Matt

May 18, 2008 12:25 PM | Link to this

Terry, not to agree or disagree with gttim on this one, but I’m pretty sure the fact that he got 81% of the vote is more a reflection of the fact that he’s an incumbent Republican in Cobb County. You’ve gotta screw up pretty bad to lose in that situation.

By barneyb

May 18, 2008 12:33 PM | Link to this

I hope Olens does not run for a totally different reason. If he does, he leaves the Cobb Commission vulnerable to Bill Byrne again. That’s the worst thing that could happen to Cobb employees and residents.

By Bill Kecskes

May 18, 2008 1:17 PM | Link to this

Sen. Mitch Seabaugh for Lt. Gov. in 2010….absolutely!

By C. Cobb Sprawlsworth IV

May 18, 2008 1:24 PM | Link to this

One question: Does Sam Olens have a transportation plan? I would think as Cobb Commissioner that he would have an opportunity to do something like run light rail into Cobb County, but I have seen traffic get worse under his tenure. If, as gttim says, the developers are in his pocket, I don’t have hope for better transportation or smarter development. The Cumberland/Galleria area should be a transportation hub.

By itsme

May 18, 2008 1:48 PM | Link to this

If transportation and growth are Olens’ primary issues, I doubt that he is “aware of the problems facing the state.” Having spent time recently in Homerville, Ga., I can assure you those folks don’t care about Atlanta’s transportation and growth problems.

By SUBURBAN OVERLORD

May 18, 2008 1:58 PM | Link to this

Almost a million Republican votes were cast in Georgia’s February presidential primary. 39% of these votes were in just the north Atlanta suburbs of Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Paulding, Cherokee, Forsyth, and Hall. Few of these people are happy with the current state Republican leadership’s anti-metro Atlanta bias, opening the door for a newcomer.

Cagle lost the confidence of the state business community, who view him as a very, very poor man’s Dan Quayle. Unlike Cagle, Quayle was at least trusty and reliable. Cagle will run strong among his home constituents in the old KKK strongholds of Hall and Forsyth Counties.

Karen Handel ran Fulton County as Commission Chair. That carries baggage among the rural elites. She is the antithesis of Governor Sonny: grounded, emotionally balanced, and a good listener. She will run strong in north Fulton and north DeKalb.

Sam Olens is an intelligent, Emory-educated attorney that is not an in-bred from the state Republican leadership. He would shake up state government. He will be viewed as a threat to the middle and south Georgia Crackers eager to continue raping evil metro Atlanta for tax money to widen roads to nowhere and building fancy horse barns. Olens will run very strong in Cobb, Paulding, and Cherokee. This is probably enough to get him into a run-off with someone if he decides to run.

By Disgusted

May 18, 2008 2:30 PM | Link to this

I frankly a fed up and disgusted by everyone mentioned to date as an alternative when Sen. Isakson decided not to run. I personally know each one of the people mentioned in this blog. Sam Olens, Casey Cagle, John Oxendine,Bobb Barr etc. They have all had power for sometime and I don’t see the state or region better for it. On Sam Olens, if he was so interested in moving transportation forward he should have thought longer and harded about his support recently of Gena Abraham. She was working behind the scenes at the Capitol to help kill the transportation funding bill. This bunch is all dysfunctional. I do not know the answer but I know they are not it. Out of almost 9 million people in this sate, there has to be better, more qualified choices.

By concerned Georgian

May 18, 2008 2:34 PM | Link to this

Olens for Governor — hooray. I am a lifelong democrat who was extremely disappointed when Isakson took his name out of the hat. Olens is the next best thing. Those familiar with how well things operate in Cobb know that “Sam is the man”. He is routinely the smartest guy in the room, yet quite humble. And anyone who thinks he is a pushover based upon his collaborative focus, does not know this community/political leader….he is tenacious; willing to take a punch & can throw one, but only when it is legitimate. He is ethical, straightforward, brilliant. Yes, Sam Olens for Governor….go get ‘em Sam.

By concerned Georgian

May 18, 2008 2:34 PM | Link to this

Olens for Governor — hooray. I am a lifelong democrat who was extremely disappointed when Isakson took his name out of the hat. Olens is the next best thing. Those familiar with how well things operate in Cobb know that “Sam is the man”. He is routinely the smartest guy in the room, yet quite humble. And anyone who thinks he is a pushover based upon his collaborative focus, does not know this community/political leader….he is tenacious; willing to take a punch & can throw one, but only when it is legitimate. He is ethical, straightforward, brilliant. Yes, Sam Olens for Governor….go get ‘em Sam.

By WillM

May 18, 2008 2:47 PM | Link to this

If, as itsme says: “Having spent time recently in Homerville, Ga., I can assure you those folks don’t care about Atlanta’s transportation and growth problems” maybe that’s an even more ominous sign not only for those in metro Atlanta but those in Homerville, Ga. as well.

By Wow

May 18, 2008 3:52 PM | Link to this

Sam does have one small legal problem that he has been able to keep from the media and most others. However a run for governor would soon reveal that problem. Got to hate those skeltons don’t you Sam.

By CLAX

May 18, 2008 4:10 PM | Link to this

Olens shows extremely poor judgment in many areas, including those he chooses to support. Not only did Olens support Gena Abraham who not only had an affair with her both at DOT, but worked to severely cripple the transportation funding bill.

Olens also chaired Ralph Reed’s Lt. Governor campaign even after Reed was tied into Jack Abramoff’s diabolical back-stabbing and double-dealing shenanigans. Olens’ tone deafness about matters of ethics is unbelievably shocking and one has to question his suitability to serve in any office, in Cobb, much less, state-wide.

By Telling Like it Is.

May 18, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this

wow: apparently you hate spellchecker, too. It’s “skeletons”, you in-bred conspiracy hound, not “skeltons”.

Be an honest big boy: tell us what it is, don’t just throw out junk like that. THAT is exactly why so many of us want to see Sam Olens run for Governor. THAT kind of dirty behavior is what Cagle and Richardson, et al, have been doing.

Go Sam.

By Go Sam!

May 19, 2008 12:23 AM | Link to this

I work in gov’t, and have known a whole lot of elected officials in my life. Olens may be the smartest one I’ve ever met. He manages Cobb like a good, ethical corporate CEO (if they are any like that left), and without and discernable ego and hubris.

Yeah, the Ralph Reed stuff is a negative, but when it comes to transportation, he gets it that the time is now to fix things, and that rail and transit has to be an option. He runs a huge county, and unlike Shirley Franklin, his staff isn’t going to make million dollar budget errors, and unlike Vernon Jones, he isn’t going to be in the papers every other week for some scandal.

And unlike Sonny, Olens is a serious man for a serious job. He would be a fantastic guvna, as long as he chooses his friends wisely (and dumps Ralph Reed like a bad habit).

By Bill

May 19, 2008 7:50 AM | Link to this

I was part of a conference call last week discussing candidates and Senator Cecil Staton’s name was mentioned as a potential candidate for Lt. Gov.

His business experience and work on trauma for the state were viewed very positively by our business roundtable.

I hope Staton stays on the list of candiates for ‘10.

By The Snark

May 19, 2008 12:08 PM | Link to this

A Republican with intellegent, well-thought out positions on the issues who doesn’t stoop to fear-mongering, bumpersticker slogans, race-baiting, and political discourse on the level of “I wear a flag lapel pin and you don’t”? Hell yeah, Olens would make a teriffic Governor.

That is, if he could make it through the Republican primary.

By Anonymous

May 19, 2008 4:04 PM | Link to this

Sam as governor would be a plus. He is a very experienced person, in this industry, and he is also a very good Georgian, and family man. He would help Georgia very much, by improving transportation, and other key issues, or topics, that need improvement. Overall, he would be a very wise choice for the governor job, and he would make the entire state of Georgia, prosper, and thrive throughout the years that he would be governor, and also for the future.

He would try to make Georgia better off than how it was.

He will also help make the economy better, and the relationships with the neighbouring states much stronger. In addition to all that I have mentioned above, he would also help solve the water problem, and help the State of Georgia have more water, and water supplies.

Sam Olens for 2010!!!! Sam You Are Our Man for Georgia’s Governor!!! Keep Up the GREAT Work!!!!!!!!!!!

By Anonymous

May 19, 2008 4:05 PM | Link to this

Sam as governor would be a plus. He is a very experienced person, in this industry, and he is also a very good Georgian, and family man. He would help Georgia very much, by improving transportation, and other key issues, or topics, that need improvement. Overall, he would be a very wise choice for the governor job, and he would make the entire state of Georgia, prosper, and thrive throughout the years that he would be governor, and also for the future.

He would try to make Georgia better off than how it was.

He will also help make the economy better, and the relationships with the neighbouring states much stronger. In addition to all that I have mentioned above, he would also help solve the water problem, and help the State of Georgia have more water, and water supplies.

Sam Olens for 2010!!!! Sam You Are Our Man for Georgia’s Governor!!! Keep Up the GREAT Work!!!!!!!!!!!

By Anonymous

May 19, 2008 4:05 PM | Link to this

Sam as governor would be a plus. He is a very experienced person, in this industry, and he is also a very good Georgian, and family man. He would help Georgia very much, by improving transportation, and other key issues, or topics, that need improvement. Overall, he would be a very wise choice for the governor job, and he would make the entire state of Georgia, prosper, and thrive throughout the years that he would be governor, and also for the future.

He would try to make Georgia better off than how it was.

He will also help make the economy better, and the relationships with the neighbouring states much stronger. In addition to all that I have mentioned above, he would also help solve the water problem, and help the State of Georgia have more water, and water supplies.

Sam Olens for 2010!!!! Sam You Are Our Man for Georgia’s Governor!!! Keep Up the GREAT Work!!!!!!!!!!!

By Eleanor

May 19, 2008 6:46 PM | Link to this

I’ve known Sam off and on since long before he entered politics. He is one of the more sensible, practical, rhetoric free, problem solving public officials we have. While I had never thought of him in terms of a potential Governor, I think that would be great.

By wow

May 20, 2008 9:41 AM | Link to this

TO: Telling Like it Is. The next time you venture off the reservation to correct a person’s use of the english language check your own first. Make sure you you have a subject in your sentences next time and not simply make a typo like I did. P.S. check the Court Records for his problem.

By Dave3200

March 23, 2009 7:10 PM | Link to this

Sam would make a great Governor if he would admit his shortcomings in Transit and Transportation system concepts. If he can’t do that, then I will run against him. David

By Dave3200

March 23, 2009 7:14 PM | Link to this

Sam would make a great Governor if he would admit his shortcomings in Transit and Transportation system concepts. If he can’t do that, then I will run against him. David