The prospect of landing the second headquarters that Amazon plans to open got lots of people thinking about a lot of different things.
A $5 billion investment and 50,000 jobs will do that.
For Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, it was a time to think about the end.
“We’re working on some things that are pretty big swan songs,” the term-limited Reed said. “This is my fourth quarter, and I’m going to play like it’s the fourth quarter.”
For Secretary of State Brian Kemp, a Republican candidate for governor, it was a time to think about weighing the interests of business and social conservatives, and their clashes over major "religious liberty" bills in the General Assembly. Some of Georgia's largest corporate leaders have opposed such legislation, which some see as supporting discrimination against the LGBTQ community. Amazon would likely fall in with those other corporations, having expressed a desire for a location with a diverse population.
In an op-ed in The Atlanta Business Chronicle, Kemp wrote:
“By coupling a robust incentive package that benefits hardworking Georgians with a proven track record of pro-business government, Georgia can lure Amazon (and their 50,000 advertised jobs) without having to compromise her values or sell-out to the special interests.”
Access to transit appears to be the most obvious hurdle in Georgia's quest, and that has caused some to worry in MARTA-less Cobb and Gwinnett counties.
They were wondering whether, in the all-out effort Gov. Nathan Deal has pledged to wage in pursuit of HQ2, they would be left out.
The Marietta Daily Journal reported that Deal met this week with Cobb County leaders, who were seeking a big-picture answer to Atlanta’s traffic problems.
Cobb Chamber Chairman Gary Bottoms, the Daily Journal reported, pressed for “an overarching transportation committee that pulls together all the individual county committees to offer solutions to metro Atlanta’s traffic congestion.”
According to Bottoms, the Daily Journal reported, Deal likes that idea and instructed state Sen. Lindsey Tippins, R-Marietta, to pursue it in talks with legislative leaders. He could find an ally in state Rep. Scott Holcomb, a Democrat from DeKalb County.
“A public commitment for the state to fund transit would help our chances,” Holcomb said. “Transit is one of the keys to competitiveness and a criteria for HQ2. It’s time.”
- The Price of flying: As secretaries of health and human services go, Politico points out that Tom Price is in a class of his own, and it's definitely not business or coach.
The former U.S. representative from Roswell, the website reports, "in a sharp departure from his predecessors," has shunned commercial flights, opting for private jets at an extra cost of tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayers' money.
Naturally, Price has offered some words in the past that provide some relevance now. Jamie Dupree of News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB supplied a tweet from 2009 in which Price wrote, "Congress doesn't need private jets."
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement — relayed by Dupree — in Price’s defense that included this paragraph:
“Secretary Price is currently managing public health and human services recovery and preparation efforts for three major hurricanes. Secretary Price leads a $1.2 trillion agency – the largest agency in government. The travel department continues to check every possible source for travel needs, including commercial, but commercial travel is not always feasible.”
- In defense of Georgia: There was something for Georgia — kind words, at least — in the massive annual defense bill the U.S. Senate passed this past week. Lawmakers used the legislation to tell the Pentagon that it cannot retire the fleet of 16 JSTARS, surveillance aircraft that fly exclusively out of Robins Air Force Base. The same goes for the A-10 Thunderbolt, a fleet of which is located at Moody Air Force Base near Valdosta.
The House and Senate still need to reconcile their versions of the bill before President Donald Trump can plant his signature on it.
- Abrams adds energy to campaign: Democrat Stacey Abrams is proposing a plan she says would create between 25,000 and 40,000 new higher-wage energy jobs in all 159 of Georgia's counties as part of her campaign for governor.
The former state House minority leader’s proposal calls for more training in Georgia’s higher education system for advanced energy workers and would prioritize incentives for students who seek energy jobs. It would expand the number of apprenticeships in the industry and pump new investments to retrain workers for a range of energy jobs from coding to construction.
A key part of the plan would be creation of a “Georgia Green Bank” that would offer incentives for investment in the industry through a low-interest loan program. The program calls for an initial $40 million annual investment, which Abrams’ campaign said would spur at least $200 million more in private capital.
It’s modeled after a program that Connecticut lawmakers created in 2011. That program is funded through a surcharge on residential and commercial electric bills, federal grants, private capital and other sources. But Abrams’ plan shuns the idea of a surcharge, instead calling for financing the program through budget appropriations.
- 'Mini-Trump' pushes harder: State Sen. Michael Williams of Cumming, a big fan of Trump and a candidate in the GOP race for governor, has continued to push for dismissal of a Cherokee County high school teacher who attempted to require two students to turn inside out their Trump T-shirts. The school system did discipline the teacher, but Williams wants it to go a step further. He had planned to hold a protest at River Ridge High School in Woodstock but had to shift the location because the school system was on its fall break.
Williams also gained some attention — and the nickname of "Mini-Trump" — in a profile this week on the website Ozy. One quote from Williams, however, makes you wonder whether the candidate should be compared to the flamboyant president. "My personality isn't really one that blends well with being a politician," Williams said. "I'm kind of a reserved accountant."
- Candidates, endorsements, etc.:
— Ryan Gravel, who came up with the vision for the Beltline, is endorsing Cathy Woolard in the Atlanta mayor's race because of her efforts to make the scheme of trails and parks circling the city into a reality during her time as the City Council's president. Without Woolard, Gravel said, the Beltline "wasn't possible."
— Former state lawmaker Doug McKillip has used his Facebook page to endorse Houston Gaines, a recent student body president at the University of Georgia, for an Athens-based seat in the state House. Regina Quick is leaving the seat after Gov. Nathan Deal named her a judge. McKillip, a Democrat who then switched to the GOP, had been considered a contender for the seat, which he held until Quick defeated him 2012. Democrat Deborah Gonzalez, an attorney and former administrator, is also running in the election.
— State Rep. Bruce Broadrick of Dalton is resigning after spending five years in the Legislature. Broadrick, 65, told The Chattanooga Times Free Press that he was leaving for health reasons. The Dalton Daily Citizen reported earlier that Broadrick had suffered a stroke several years ago. The Secretary of State Office has set Nov. 7 special elections to fill Broadrick's seat and that of Kiesha Waites, a Democrat from Atlanta who is leaving the House to run for chairwoman of the Fulton County Commission.
The week in Georgia politics
Here’s a look at some of the political and government stories that The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s staff broke online during the past week. To see more of them, go to http://www.myAJC.com.
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