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Thursday, July 10, 2008
Conversations after a funeral
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friends gathered in Marietta late this morning for the funeral of Renate Shipp, wife of 51 years to political columnist Bill Shipp.
The eulogy was offered by George Berry, who once ran Atlanta’s airport and what was then called the state Department of Industry and Trade. Berry recounted the couple’s first meeting on a bridge in Heidelberg, West Germany in 1955 — she was a picket-waving student demonstrator, and he was an MP sent to shut the protest down.
The service was elegant, but the gathering of guests outside the funeral home took a somewhat awkward turn when former Gov. Roy Barnes ran into Dick Williams — host of WAGA’s “The Georgia Gang,” publisher of the Dunwoody Crier, and fervent advocate of a new city of Dunwoody. A vote on the issue comes up Tuesday.
Williams has been critical of DeKalb County’s hiring of Barnes to explore the possibility of a lawsuit that would block the incorporation of Dunwoody.
The former governor opened the conversation, which remained jocular throughout, by pointing out that a late, great Republican named Paul Coverdell often decried the vast number of governments that Georgians choose to afflict themselves with — 159 counties and 535 cities is the current count.
Williams responded by marveling over the governor’s $533.33-an-hour retainer, paid for by DeKalb County. What’s the 33 cents for? the TV host asked.
The governor replied that his usual rate is $710 an hour. The odd number, Barnes said, is the result of a government discount he offers — which would be 25 percent, according to the calculator on this computer.
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Lesson No. 9 from ‘How to Run for Governor:” Become a radio talk show host, even if it’s just for a day
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle will be subbing for Martha Zoller on WDUN (550AM) this Friday, in a “special broadcast” from the ever-expanding shores of Lake Lanier.
The topic will be the drought and — most probably — those darned people at the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Guests lined up for the broadcast include U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, and — wonder of wonders —House Speaker Glenn Richardson.
Apparently, Richardson promised not to kick sand in the lieutenant governor’s face.
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John Lewis: ‘Come walk in my shoes’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. Rep. John Lewis has cut loose a 60-second radio ad in the final days of his Democratic primary battle.
Technically, it’s an ad. It sounds much like a mini-sermon — and from the tone and content appears aimed at African-American voters on the southern side of his 5th District rather than the Buckhead end. (A staffer has confirmed that the ad is airing primarily on black radio in metro Atlanta.)
This ad is very much a forceful attempt by Lewis to show average voters that he identifies with them.
Listen to it here. Says Lewis:
“Come walk in my shoes and see how we’ll change America. But there’s still a lot of work to be done. We must end the war and bring our young men and young women home. Health care is a right, not a privilege.
“We need clean, convenient mass transit. We must lose our love affair with the automobile I go to the grocery story, I see what we have to pay, it is too much. I go to the gas station, I see what we have to pay, it is too much.
“I brought hundreds of millions of dollars to the 5th District, and we need more….”
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Audio: The Dunwoody fight and the message from Albert Chambers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s no secret that the fight over a city of Dunwoody has resulted in a furious intra-Republican feud between state Reps. Fran Millar — an advocate of incorporation — and Jill Chambers, an opponent.
This week, Chambers’ husband Albert, left a phone message on the answering machine of state Sen. Dan Weber, a Millar ally. Listen to it here.
Said Albert Chambers:
“You people will pay, regardless of what I have to do. You will have no idea — you will not be a happy man when I am done. I will do everything I can do, everything in my power, to make sure the state Legislature — everybody in the House of Representatives and Senate — knows what went on with defacing my family and doing what y’all did to make the city of Dunwoody come true. You’ve messed with the wrong guy. I hate you people….
“Y’all have made me very, very, very angry. And I am not responsible for what happens. But it will all be legal. Everything will be legal,” he promised.
Millar and Weber view the message as a threat — and on Wednesday attempted to bring it to the attention of DeKalb County police.
DeKalb police officials told the legislators they should take their complaint to the district attorney’s office instead — the department wanted no part of what it sees as a political fight. The lawmakers are expected to try again today.
But click on that link above and judge for yourself.
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