The Atlanta Business Chronicle put together a list of the 25 highest-paid staffers in the General Assembly. House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle are on there, but they don't crack the top 10.
Here's the top five. Check out the Business Chronicle for the rest.
1. Gordon Rivers, head of the IT office, $129,780
2. Martha Wigton, director, $127,437
3. Wayne Allen, legislative counsel, $125,000
4. David Bundrick, deputy legislative counsel, $124,279
5. David Cook, secretary of the Senate, $118,000
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Former Rep. Jack Kingston did an official video exit interview that just posted to YouTube. He has some interesting advice for someone interested in running for office -- get a real job first.
Some other nuggets:
On presidential relationships with Congress, Kingston said senators still matter to the White House because they have approval over nominees. The House, not so much.
"The relationships have deteriorated a lot more. President Clinton, for example, used to invite members over to watch a movie on occasion. If President Obama does that, I've never heard of it. President Clinton would invite me to almost anything that was happening at the White House if there was a Georgian coming. President Obama, we don't have any kind of relationship like that. And I've even spoken to Democrat members who, same thing, very very frustrating."
On "Best parts of the job," Kingston talks about seeing the result of things he enacted -- Tybee beach restoration -- and things he got rid of -- a bucket of ice delivered each day to each congressional office, a relic of pre-refridgerator days.
On Edward Snowden:
"He put our national security at risk and did all kinds of bad things that have not gone pubblic that probably never will go public. I can tell you unequivocally the guy is an absolute traitor. I think he should be hanged. But the information that I have. The information that's classified that I base that judgment on isn't going to come out, and so if you just heard that you would say, 'Kingston's being hard on this guy.'"
On earmarks: "Without earmarks, people are less involved in the passage of these [appropriations] bills, and therefore you get a lot more people going, 'Eh, I'm going to vote no. I could vote either way.' And that could be Democrats or Republicans."
On the role of lobbyists: "Everybody seems to have one way or another to influence legislation." And that's not a bad thing, he says. Kingston also put weight on "people grabbing me in the Piggly Wiggly."
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on Monday, but not everywhere. The key paragraphs from the New York Times:
It was unclear how many of the judges were acting out of overt defiance and how many were simply weighing how to navigate a freshly jumbled legal landscape after Chief Justice Roy S. Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court on Sunday ordered the judges not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
"We've got Alabama's chief justice issuing an order, and we've got an order out from a federal judge," said Judge Greg Norris of Monroe County, who is also president of the Alabama Probate Judges Association. "It's just a very difficult situation."
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We could be in for some John Boehner-related fireworks: U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, will hold his first town hall meeting Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Bartow County Courthouse.
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Former Rep. Paul Broun has resurfaced on the tea party circuit. He will appear at Taylor Farm Pavillion in Cartersville on Thursday at 7 p.m. to speak to a group called "The Coalition to Restore & Preserve the Constitution."
The main topic is an Article V Convention of the States, but Broun will also discuss "will share his plan for how Americans can work together to restore Constitutional Principles." Broun told us that this would be his next phase back in December.
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President Barack Obama is set to ask Congress for the authorization to strike the Islamic State, a good six months after the campaign began. It's going to be a tricky vote on Capitol Hill. The Wall Street Journal has an early outline of the request:
Lawmakers and congressional aides said talks with the White House have focused on an authorization that would run for three years, allow for an end to the 2002 authorization of the Iraq war, and attempt to address the politically thorny issue of when and how U.S. ground troops can be used.
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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has hired longtime Newt Gingrich aide Rick Tyler to be part of his pre-presidential campaign team. Tyler was part of the Gingrich staff walkout in mid-2011 (remember the Greek cruise?) then came back to help run the Sheldon Adelson-backed Super PAC that helped buoy Gingrich into 2012.
Cruz's operation has a few Georgia ties. Strategist Jeff Roe was Jack Kingston's general consultant in last year's Senate race. Maria Zack, a consultant based in Cumming, started a pro-Cruz Super PAC.
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Our pals at Channel 2 Action News have quite the story on the man who ran against state Sen. Josh McKoon, R-Columbus, last year, and is accused of a mountain of swindles:
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