It’s going to be a busy January for Georgia politicians. Gov. Nathan Deal’s second-term inauguration comes on the same day that lawmakers reconvene for another legislative session.
The governor’s inaugural committee on Monday unveiled its schedule to celebrate the start of the Republican’s next term in office, a series of four events over three days in early January meant to emphasize his decades in public service as he heads into his final stint in public office.
The events kick off on Jan. 10 with a statewide volunteer day — called “With A Servant’s Heart” — that was launched as part of his 2011 inauguration.
Two days later, as lawmakers reconvene in Atlanta to begin their annual 40-day session, the governor and his family will gather at Mount Paran Church for a prayer service. The inauguration will be held later that afternoon at Liberty Plaza, the new park under construction across the street from the Capitol.
The plaza project faces a pressing deadline to be finished in time for the celebration, but the Georgia Building Authority's director pledges it will be done even if he has to pour the concrete himself.
Perhaps the biggest bash of all, the 2015 Inaugural Gala, will be held the evening of Jan. 15. The details and ticket prices haven't been set yet, but they'll be added later to Deal's inauguration website. This would be Deal's first inaugural gala, as the 2011 party was canceled amid bruising winter weather.
That’s just the start of a packed January political calendar. The governor is also expected to outline his budget plans and roll out more specifics of his second-term agenda in his annual State of the State address shortly after his inauguration.
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