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JULY 5 – COLUMNIST: Senator Buddy Carter, “Two Year vs. Four Year Terms”

By Senator Buddy Carter

July 5, 2010 - Over the past 18 years I have served in four different elected positions- city councilman, mayor, state representative and state senator. All of these offices that I have had the honor of holding have one thing in common- they all are two year terms.

During this past legislative session, two bills were introduced dealing with terms of office. One bill, HB 1509, changed the terms of school board members in the Savannah-Chatham County school system from four to two year terms while the other, HB 1254 called for a referendum for voters in Pooler to decide whether they want to change from two to four year terms for city council and mayor.

The debate between two year terms and four year terms brings out many good points. Sure, two year terms would seem to hold incumbents more accountable to the voters, but some offices require more time for policies and programs to take effect.  In my opinion, school board and city council offices are an example of this.

During the nine years I had the honor and privilege of serving as Mayor of Pooler, I ran for office five times.  I always felt that the terms for mayor and council should be four years and not two and this is why I helped sponsor HB 1254 to ask the voters of Pooler whether they wanted to extend those terms.

Since 1994, I have run for office 10 times, including the last 3 years in a row.  Campaigns are tough, requiring much time and money, a fact that tends to discourage people from running.

Two year terms can also have an impact on administrative personnel.  Administrators want and need to know who they will be answering to and what is expected from them.  Changing elected officials every two years can result in higher turnover of personnel, again leading to policies and programs having less time to take effect.

This is an especially important issue with school boards as a good and qualified school superintendent who works well with the school board members is a prerequisite for a successful program.

At the state level, representatives and senators all serve two year terms.  While there has been talk in the past of changing this and legislation has been introduced, nothing has passed. Statewide offices, such as governor, lt. governor, secretary of state, and other offices are all four year terms.

Federal offices are interesting in that congressman serve two year terms while senators serve six year terms. Our President, of course, serves a four year term and is limited to two terms. 

Term limits is another subject that has gotten some attention lately-- how many times a person can succeed themselves. In Georgia, term limits are primarily placed on chief elected officials such as governors, mayors and county commission chairs.   State representatives and senators are not limited in the number of terms they can serve and some take full advantage of this as we currently have members who have served as long as 34 consecutive years.

The longest serving legislator in our state’s history was Hugh Gillis from Soperton who retired after serving a combined 56 years in the house and senate.  However in other states, such as Florida, state representatives and senators serve two year terms but are limited to the number of terms they can serve in succession.

But term limits can be tricky- - many people believe that if we have term limits for elected officials we should also have term limits for bureaucrats, some of who become entrenched in their positions and are unresponsive to the needs of the people.  

Two year or four year terms?  Should a person be allowed to serve as long as they want and can get elected or should they be term limited?  While good points can be made for both sides of these questions, one thing is certain—we need good people serving at all levels of government no matter what the term of office.          

Senator Buddy Carter can be reached at Coverdell Legislative Office Building (C.L.O.B.) Room 302-B, Atlanta, GA, 30334.  His Capitol office number is 404-656-5109.          

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To the Editor:

By Vincent Hogan. Mayor Pro Tem of Port Wentworth. Open Letter to Area Elected Officials and the Public

I am writing to you because all of you are tied to the City of Port Wentworth in one fashion or another. A couple of you were born and raised here while others have represented us in the State House and Senate flawlessly. By now you have heard the news that the City Council voted down the Hotel/Motel penny tax that would have funded the building of "The Ely Whitney Museum" in honor of the invention of the "Cotton Gin" last Thursday night.  I was the only Councilmember that voted in favor of the 1% tourism tax.
 
This rich historical identity of our city has been put on hold long enough and the idea of getting this passed will also fade into history as well without your direct influence and immediate intervention! The reason for the failure on the vote was said to be the economy? By the hoteliers own numbers, it would have come out to an average of forty nine cents per quest and no cost to the citizens of Port Wentworth. If the economy was really the main concern then why did the city also increase the tax burden of our citizens; especially our senior citizens during this horrible economic time?  By passing a cost of living adjustment "COLA" for all city employees, that will put the tax payers on the hook for an additional fifty nine thousand dollars per year from now on...(myself and one other member voted against!)

Ladies and Gentlemen the time is now for us to pass this historic venture and I need all of you to use your influence to convince the Mayor to put this back on the agenda and for him to convince his confidants to "Vote Yes!" when the city council if/will revote on it at the July City Council meeting!
 
The rich historical benefits to our city are enormous and will put our city on a national map, and we will be a grade school history travel destination, second only to Washington D.C.!

Please unite with me and use your friendship and/or political influence to make sure this happens on a local level and then use your political power to get it, done and re activate it on the state level!
 
Thank you for your help in advance!
 
Vincent Hogan: City of Port Wentworth, Mayor Pro tempore

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NCPA Endorses Gerry Purcell for Georgia Insurance Commissioner

JUNE 21, 2010 - The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA)announced Monday its endorsement of Gerry Purcell's candidacy for Georgia Insurance Commissioner. Purcell is one of nine Republicans on the July 20 ballot for the statewide election. Savannah has a local candidate, John Mamalakis.

A nationally recognized, leading expert in health care transparency, Purcell has been instrumental in helping local employers and state governments save millions of dollars, especially in pharmacy costs, according to John Sherrer, PD, NCPA executive committee member. Sherrer is also a pharmacy owner in Marietta.  

"NCPA is strongly endorsing Gerry Purcell to be the next Georgia Insurance Commissioner. He is in a crowded Republican field that holds its primary on July 20. Gerry has a stellar track record of bringing greater transparency to health care at the local and national levels, which makes him ideally suited to this elected office in Georgia.  

"He understands the importance of free market solutions and the need to resist forces that can unnecessarily prevent patients from being able to choose the physician or pharmacist of their choice. Over the years he has worked tirelessly with NCPA, an association of approximately 23,000 independent community pharmacy owners across America and more than 700 in Georgia, to shine a spotlight on the questionable business practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).  

"Gerry is a leading voice for PBM industry reform, and as a small business owner he understands the challenges faced by small businesses like local community pharmacies and other health care providers. Gerry also recognizes the value of keeping health care dollars and jobs in Georgia, not sending them off to out-of-state mail order facilities. He is ideally suited to bring about effective leadership and common-sense changes that will benefit Georgians whether they are from urban or rural parts of the state.

"By pushing for fairness on behalf of patients, plan sponsors and pharmacies, Gerry has saved millions of dollars that otherwise would have been lost. The good people of Georgia will get a champion devoted to strengthening the bond between health care providers and patients by creating greater efficiency, more choice and privacy. Gerry Purcell is clearly the best choice for Georgia Insurance Commissioner."

NCPA represents America's community pharmacists, including the owners of more than 22,700 independent community pharmacies, pharmacy franchises, and chains. Together they represent an $88 billion health-care marketplace, employ over 65,000 pharmacists, and dispense over 40% of all retail prescriptions.

A number of Savannah business leaders have endorsed local insurance agent and insurance administrator John Mamalakis, 62, of Savannah.  Mamalakis has over 35 years experience in insurance sales and administration in both commercial and personal lines of insurance with HRH of Savannah, Jones, Hill & Mercer and Corish & Company firms over the years.

He is also a trustee of the Armstong Atlantic State University Foundation.

Here are the candidates on the July 20 ballot in both the Republican and Democratic primary.

Commissioner Of Insurance

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By Lou Phelps

June 14, 2010 - Ask the average man on the street what the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) does, not to mention who is running for the Commission on the July 20 primary ballot, and you get a lot of blank stares.

Candidate Jeff May, a three-term Republican State Rep from Monroe, GA., was in Savannah last week, meeting with the press and campaigning for an open seat that is now in play because long-time PSC member Bobby Baker announced in late April that he was not going to seek re-election. Baker had served eighteen years on the PSC, the body that oversees all utility rates and consumer issues related to utility companies.

With the dramatic changes in U.S. energy policy potentially ahead, particularly in light of the Gulf oil spill disaster, who sits on the PSC is more important than normal. And, Baker was considered an advocate for consumers, as well as a long-time adversary of the Georgia Power Company.

Neither May nor any of the other candidates have any level of name recognition across the state, meaning the race is still wide open. And alphabetically, May will be the last name on the ballot. But his campaign is being guided by Dave Simons of the political consulting firm Simons & Associates, who believes that May is the frontrunner.

May is a small business owner -- very small -- operating a small computer networking and repair company in Monroe, Computronics, a business that he launched when he was in his early 20’s in 1993. His wife is a public school teacher.

He’s walking away from a safe seat in the Georgia House serving Walker County, a seat where he had no opponents in his re-election bid in 2008, and raised only about $25,000 in total as there was virtually no campaign. His lack of fundraising history makes analysis of who has contributed to his campaigns difficult. And he had no announced opponents from either party for November 2010.

But, being a State Rep pays only $17,000 a year, and requires extensive time away from home, says May. The seat on the PSC pays $117,000 a year and includes a car, a significant financial improvement for his family, which May acknowledges was a consideration in seeking the seat which is a six-year term of office.

He also believes that he is the most qualified candidate of the four Republicans in the July 20 primary, due to his years in the Georgia General Assembly, serving as the Chairman of the Energy Subcommittee of Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications Committee

May faces Tim Echols, a political advisor to Gubernatorial candidate John Oxendine,
B. Joseph “Joey” Brush and John Douglas, a retired military officer, in the Republican primary

He also comes with heavy Republican credentials, as the current Vice Chairman of the Majority House Republican Caucus in the Georgia General Assembly, and a long time close ally of Glenn Richardson.

As to his positions, he supports offshore drilling. Despite the environment and financial tragedy that continues to unfold in the Gulf, May stated last week that he is in support of exploring offshore oil exploration along Georgia’s Coast. “We don’t know what’s out there, Even if don’t use it, we should at least know what’s out there…there are a lot of royalty monies and it would create jobs for Georgians,” he states.

“If there is oil that is accessible and environmentally sound, I support drilling. We live in the greatest country in the world, and we are the most technologically advanced, and I think we can solve the deep water drilling issues,” he believes.

His platform includes support for affordable energy, investment in energy infrastructure, expansion of nuclear power and LNG facilities, and maintaining Georgia's position as having rates among the lowest in the country, and opposition to federal policies “pushed by Washington liberals that raise rates for Georgia consumers,” he adds.

According to May, the PSC is mandated by law to strike a balance between the desire of ratepayers to keep utility rates low and the interests of utility shareholders to earn a fair return on their investment. The PSC can impact utility bills by making sure basic service rates are justified and fuel costs are kept as low as possible. The vast majority of a gas or electric utility bill is consumption, which is driven by use and the cost of the fuel itself.

While fuel costs are not directly controlled by the PSC, the Commission can influence long-term costs through its responsibility over energy planning, he explains.

When asked about his views on the potential for wind energy, May said that his understanding is that it is not viable for Georgia, but admits that he has more to learn about the alternative energy source.

He believes that Georgia needs to expand its reliance on nuclear energy “to greater than 20 percent of our energy mix. We need to support more natural gas exploration and expand Georgia's LNG facilities to allow for more production and importation. Last, we can increase our use of renewable energy by investing in research that will deliver the best way to use our vast timber resources in biomass generation, a practice that will grow industry and jobs.”

He also believes “that global warming is junk science at best,” he said last week, repeating his belief that “the carbon tax proposed could cost Georgia families some $3,000 a year in higher utility bills, goods and services without having any clear impact on climate change.” When asked to explain how he arrived at that price tag, as much as three times greater than the annual utility bills of the average Georgia household, he said that the number is coming from “national reports.”

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently considering classifying coal generation residuals as Hazardous. Changing the designation of coal ash from non-hazardous will significantly increase disposal costs for Georgia ratepayers. As your next Public Service Commissioner, I will urge the EPA to enhance protection in surface impoundments without forcing disposal into expensive hazardous landfills,” he added.

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SBJ Staff Report

The House of Representatives passed an amendment to the America COMPETES Act last week that was introduced by Congressman John Barrow (GA-12). His amendment will increase education in the field of manufacturing.

“This is something we need to be competitive,” said Barrow.  “If we’re going to be a country that makes things, rather than one that just consumes what other countries make, then we’re going to need to know as much as we can about advances in manufacturing technology.  This program will educate students in manufacturing technology.  That’s good for the students getting the training, it’s good for the manufacturers that hire them, and it’s good for our economy,” according to Barrow.

The America COMPETES Act establishes a committee within the National Science and Technology Council to coordinate and plan federal activities in manufacturing research and development.  That committee is charged with developing a strategic plan to guide federal manufacturing research and development activities.  Congressman Barrow’s amendment would require that the committee include manufacturing education in that strategic plan.

Speaking in support of the amendment, Barrow said, “I’ve recently spent a lot of time visiting businesses in my district, many of which are large manufacturers.  I have been struck that, even as our economy becomes more sophisticated, we still rely a great deal on our manufacturing base. That base is threatened by competition from abroad and by financial crisis at home.  What has sustained us through the hard times like these has always has been American innovation…”

Barrow’s amendment requires that the U.S. include manufacturing education in the long-term strategic plan for manufacturing R&D. 

In Savannah, many of the area's manufactureres are members of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, which has a manufacturer's council to help support and promote manufacturing in the area. According to several area presidents, the legislation is a step in the right direction.

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Day 37 (Tuesday, April 20, 2010): With only four days remaining in this year’s session, we get down to business today by passing the amended FY 2010 budget that runs through June 30 of this year. The historic drop in state revenue is evident here as the FY 2010 budget has been reduced to 2004 and 2005 levels as revenues have fallen $1.6 billion since the original 2010 budget was passed last April. Totaling $17.7 billion, the average agency has been cut 18 percent while vital services such as Medicaid and Education have been cut only 9 percent.

Also passing today is HB 1405, the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians Act, which is aimed at identifying and recommending major initiatives to reform and improve the state’s tax system. The controversial bill will create the Special Joint Commission on Georgia Revenue Structure (SJC), which will take the council’s findings and recommendations and create legislation. HB 651, which requires the Georgia Department of Education to provide schools with a list of all registered sex offenders in the state, and HB 1016, which changes the definition of identity fraud to apply to businesses as well as individuals, also pass.

We take up a number of agree-disagrees today. These are bills that have passed the senate but have been changed before they pass the house. If a bill is changed in any way after it leaves the senate then it has to go back to the senate where the author of the bill can either agree with the changes or disagree with the changes. If the author agrees with the changes, the bill is then sent to the governor to be signed, but if the author disagrees with the changes, a conference committee of three senators and three representatives is assigned to work out the differences.

Day 38 (Wednesday, April 21, 2010): With 47 bills on the calendar today we hunker down for a very busy day. Although all bills are important, today we have the FY 2011 budget, transportation funding and the ethics bill – three of the most important bills of the entire session. As I have written before, our only constitutional requirement as a legislative body is to pass a balanced budget and today we do that by passing the FY 2011 budget that will cover us from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011. Although our budget cuts state spending by $2.6 billion and most state agencies are reduced by more than 20 percent, we are able to maintain essential services like 4-H programs, education, Medicaid and funding for grassroots arts programs.

Today is a historic day as we finally pass a transportation funding bill that is the culmination of years of debate, compromise and hard work. HB 277, “The Transportation Investment Act of 2010,” divides the state into 12 regions with each region having a roundtable of local elected officials who will work with the Department of Transportation’s planning director to develop a list of needed projects for that particular region. The list would then be put before the voters of the region who will decide on whether to impose a one percent sales tax to fund the projects of their choice.

The “Ethics in Government Act,” SB 17, also passes creating the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission and giving them the authority to oversee interactions between lobbyists and legislators. Along with tightening reporting requirements and increasing fines for violators, the bill also includes regulations that require local officials to file campaign disclosure reports. As we work from 10 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. today we also pass HB 788, the Dog and Cat Euthanasia Bill that will prohibit the use of gas chambers to euthanize cats and dogs and allows for intracardial injections only after the cat or dog is unconscious.

Senator Buddy Carter can be reached at Coverdell Legislative Office Building (C.L.O.B.) Room 302-B, Atlanta, GA, 30334. His Capitol office number is 404-656-5109.

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