Back in 2001 I coordinated a subcontract managed directly by staff in Governor Roy Barnes(D)Office. The lessons I was taught in the process on access and influence were disheartening, even disturbing, and I walked away from a very lucrative position for those and other reasons.
Back in 1965 Sonny Purdue and I were both non scholarship members of the University of Georgia freshman football team. We had to vacate the athletic dorm when the non football athletes arrived on campus and four guys ended up sharing two rooms and a bathroom at Paine Hall. Most afternoons in the fall Sonny and I would walk over together to the practice fields and limp back afterward.
Though we hadn't stayed in touch, when Sonny announced his candidacy for Governor, I contacted him to wish him well and to advise him of specific activities within his opponent's administration that I felt could be campaign issues. We had a nice conversation catching up a little. Then as a way of transitioning to why I had called, I mentioned that I was a life long Democrat. Before I could get out the "but", he had hung up on me and I've never heard from him since. Wouldn't it be unique if Georgia elected a governor who put our citizens above money, power and party. Until there is some evidence of that possiblity maybe we should maintain Georgia's recent history of one term governors.