Gov. Nathan Deal’s choice to run the Georgia Lottery has no experience running a lottery, but she does have one important qualification: Deal knows and trusts her.

And so Debbie Dlugolenski Alford, formerly the governor’s budget director, last week became the new president of the lottery. Her appointment is emblematic of Deal’s approach to key state appointments; that is, why search the nation if you have a good person close at hand?

Deal’s spokesman says the governor prefers “to find talent in Georgia, to promote from within, to build a sense of teamwork and loyalty.” Deal’s critics, however, say he’s not finding the best people for critically important state jobs because he’s not looking for them.

Subscribers have full access to this article, either in Sunday’s paper or on our tablet app.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Former Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman talks to her daughter, Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, after she testified before the U.S. House Select Committee at its fourth hearing on its Jan. 6 investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Credit: TNS

Featured

Fans celebrate in the stands after Cape Verde defeated Eswatini in a World Cup qualifying soccer match at Estádio Nacional in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, to clinch their qualification for the 2026 World Cup. (Cristiano Barbosa/AP)

Credit: AP