Much of the criticism falling down on Gov. Nathan Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed can be traced to the optics of a Tuesday luncheon celebrating Reed's award as Georgian of the Year by Georgia Trend magazine.

Just as the snow was hitting metro Atlanta.

The magazine cover was the work of Steve Penley, a Macon artist whose work is largely concentrated in the political world – often Republican. But Penley's posted the following message on his Facebook page for those criticizing the both the Democratic mayor of Atlanta and the state's Republican governor:

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Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)