So what’s it been like for Gov. Brian Kemp to hobnob with billionaire elites in the Swiss resort town of Davos this week?
“This place is like the inside of the Georgia state Capitol on day 39 or day 40,” he told us in an interview from the World Economic Forum. “There’s a huge crowd, lots of people on the street out here. It’s not like I’m in a room actually rubbing elbows.”
That said, the governor noted he’s had a string of meetings with plenty of influential corporate leaders, including Visa CEO Al Kelly, Hyundai COO Jose Munoz and Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. He said his GOP beliefs weren’t as out of place in the Alps as you might think.
“There’s a lot of people here who want to hear an alternative story here and want to hear more of a conservative viewpoint and a governor’s viewpoint,” he said. “There’s a lot of people doing business in our state right now and others I’ve been recruiting. This is a one-stop shop.”
A one-stop shop, he said, he’s largely got to himself.
“Other than (Illinois Gov. J.B.) Pritzker, I haven’t seen another governor. I think there may be some other ones here. But I don’t see any of them out front selling their state, selling what’s been going on the last few years economically.”
Kemp’s pitch to companies looking for a place to grow their businesses is straightforward.
“We’re a stable marketplace with a great business environment, a great workforce,” he said. “And regardless of what’s happening in Washington, our economy is going to continue to be strong regardless of what happens in the world’s economy in 2023.”
In the interview, he tied that outlook to his budget blueprint, which calls for more than $2 billion in tax rebates and billions more allotted to the rainy day fund.
“We need to continue to be fiscally conservative and cautious and not grow government just because we have a lot of reserve money. It’s a great opportunity for us to help our citizens fight through whatever is coming in ‘23,” he said.
The governor said many of the corporate types he’s consulted with are in search of certainty — and share his concerns that the Federal Reserve will go “too far” with interest rates.
“But that’s not something I can control. The only way I can help people fight through that is for them to have a good-paying job. And the jobs we’re bringing to our state, just about every single one of them is paying above the average county wage.”
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SISTER CITIES? Gov. Brian Kemp was a guest on CNBC’s Squawk Box from Davos, when he said talked about the companies he’s trying to bring to Georgia — and the Georgia leaders he’s seeing in Europe.
“We’ll be meeting with some Georgia-based companies that are looking to expand Friday, in Germany,” Kemp said, “So this is a working trip for me to sell our state.”
On the CNBC set with the snowy Alpine weather in the background, Kemp also took some good-natured ribbing about the state.
“What are you doing here?” host Joe Kernan joked. “Atlanta and Davos are not, like, sister cities. Could you go any further around on the spectrum?”
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
UNDER THE GOLD DOME:
- 9:00 a.m.: The state House and Senate Appropriations committees continue to meet for budget week;
- The state House and Senate are in recess until next week.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
COLD CASES. The families of two women whose homicides remain unsolved for decades were at the state Capitol on Wednesday asking lawmakers to support a bill to create a process for loved ones to request cold cases be reopened.
The families of Rhonda Coleman and Tara Baker said they will not be at peace until they get answers about the deaths of their daughters, our colleague AJC Maya T. Prabhu reports.
Coleman was 18 and preparing to graduate from high school in Hazlehurst in 1990 when her empty car was found running by the side of the road. Her body was found three days later in the next county.
Baker was a law student at the University of Georgia in 2001 when she was found dead inside her home, which had been intentionally set on fire. She was killed the day before her 24th birthday. Neither case was ever solved.
“The irony is not lost on us that Tara was such a believer in justice and it’s justice that has escaped us — both for her and our family for over two decades,” said Virginia Baker, her mother.
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
State Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, and Senate Majority Whip Randy Robertson, R-Cataula, said they plan to file legislation to make it easier for families to request unsolved cases be reopened. It would also require local law enforcement agencies to report to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation the number of cold cases in their jurisdiction. Currently, many retired officers volunteer with the GBI to work on cold cases, but Gaines and Robertson said they plan to fund a team at the agency that could help local law enforcement with investigations.
“The men and women of law enforcement want to solve these crimes,” said Robertson, a former police officer. “By not providing them with the resources that they need or not getting behind them and giving them the energy they need, we are prohibiting them from doing what they’re supposed to do.”
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Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
PLUS ONE. Former State Rep. Sam Watson (R-Moultrie) picked up a key supporter for his bid for an open state Senate seat: Gov. Brian Kemp. A special election is being held Jan. 31.
Watson is running for the Bainbridge-based district left open after Kemp tapped incumbent Dean Burke to become chief medical officer of the Department of Community Health.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The House and Senate are in recess.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
HOUSE COMMITTEES, CON’T. We told you yesterday about several committee assignments for Georgians issued by the U.S. House Republican Steering Committee.
Along with a spot on the Transportation Committee, truck company owner U.S. Rep. Mike Collins has been named to the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, as well as the House Natural Resources Committee.
Credit: Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
Credit: Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
While most of the Georgia-related committee news hasn’t made waves, the same cannot be said for the plum spots that U.S. Marjorie Taylor Greene landed after supporting Kevin McCarthy for Speaker.
The New York Times details the backlash against Greene and other GOP hardliners taking spots on high-profile panels for the new Congress. A former aide to GOP Speakers called the House Oversight Committee, which Greene will sit on, “the land of the misfit toys.”
More:
“There's very little evidence that members on the far right have moved on from Donald Trump," said (Brandon) Buck. “This will be a forum for his grievances and going down ridiculous rabbit holes and entertaining conspiracy theories."
But the implications go beyond the committee itself and reflect the state of the party, where moderate voices are few and being on the right side of Mr. Trump is still regarded as a necessity. In 2021, eight Republican senators and 139 Republican representatives voted to sustain one or both objections to the election results that made Mr. Biden president.
“It's a snapshot of where the Republican Party is," said William Kristol, a prominent Never Trump conservative, referring to the makeup of the House Oversight Committee. “It's wishful thinking to think there is a healthy Republican Party and this wacky Republican conference. They just got elected. Aren't they the most representative thing of the party that exists?"
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FUTURE FARM BILL. One of the biggest jobs Congress has ahead is reauthorizing the Farm Bill, the framework for agriculture policies in the country, including farm and food assistance programs.
Georgia’s U.S. Rep. David Scott remains the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee — and announced his priorities for the bill this week.
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
Scott said he wants the bill to include expanding rural broadband; funding and making permanent a scholarship program for 1890 Land Grant African American College and Universities; helping small family cattle farmers and ranchers; defending SNAP and other nutrition programs; and helping producers respond to climate change.
Along with David Scott, U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, is also a longtime member of the Agriculture Committee.
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HOME SWEET HOME. Weeks after his runoff victory, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock has purchased a $1.149 million row house in Washington’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Citing property records, Washingtonian reports the Democrat’s four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom house was built in 1911 and features a new kitchen, private backyard and finished basement.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
BUCKHEAD BIGWIG. The Buckhead Coalition named Eric Taneblatt as chair of the influential group of Buckhead business leaders this week.
Tanenblatt’s name should be familiar to just about anyone involved in Georgia politics. He’s been chief of staff to then-Gov. Sonny Perdue, a top adviser to the late U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell, and close with presidents and presidential campaigns, from George W. Bush to Mitt Romney. He is now global chair of public policy for Dentons.
The Buckhead Coalition was instrumental last year in working to defeat the “Buckhead City” effort to carve the wealthy neighborhood out of the City of Atlanta.
Tanenblatt said in a statement he’ll focus on the many of the same issues that got the secession movement going in the first place — public safety, zoning, city services, transportation and homelessness.
He noted the group is “very aligned” with Mayor Andre Dickens on crime, in particular.
Tanenblatt is taking over from Juanita Baranco and will head the group for the next two years.
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PERSONNEL MOVES. Lawrence Bell, a former deputy chief of staff of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, has joined the Cornerstone Government Affairs firm.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
