Whether you like his politics or not, you have to give Jim Powell credit. The Democratic Public Service Commission candidate is the forgotten man in the runoff, overshadowed by the Senate race, but he’s running harder than anyone out there.

Powell has already spent more time in Athens then any other politician running statewide this year, visiting the Classic City at least a half-dozen times. He touched down at Ben Epps Airport this afternoon en route to Savannah to meet with a small group of supporters, including former mayor Gwen O’Looney and a few young environmental activists.

Holding court in the waiting lounge, Powell said he’d be an advocate for clean energy and clean ethics on the Republican-dominated PSC, the five-member elected body that oversees Georgia Power and natural-gas utilities.

“I will force the debate,” he said. “They won’t be able to keep me quiet.”

The former U.S. Department of Energy official is touting his experience and expertise. PSC members are generally known more for their political connections then their technical qualifications.

“Energy is so important, we can’t afford to have people learn on the job,” he said. His opponent, veteran politician Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, is “known as a lapdog of the utilities” on commission that’s “known for back-room deals and smoke-filled rooms,” Powell said.

That means signing off on rate increases with little though and giving Georgia Power free reign to maximize profit rather than invest in pollution-control technology, renewable fuels, energy efficiency and cleaner energy sources, he said.

Powell, on the other hand, pledged not to accept campaign donations from utilities and to push to outlaw secret meetings between utilities and commissioners.

In such an obscure down-ballot race, Powell’s fate is probably tied to the top of the ticket, a.k.a. Senate candidate Jim Martin. And Martin’s fate is tied to whether he can convince Obama voters to turn out when the president-elect isn’t on the ticket.

“Our biggest challenge is getting Democrats back to the polls,” Powell acknowledged.

To that end, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Executive Director Stephen Smith, who accompanied Powell, dropped Obama’s name a couple times. And Powell’s name is included on Martin literature that also prominently features photos of Obama.

Source: Athens Banner Herald, Written by Blake Aued, Published 11/18/2008

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Two Novembers ago, when Republican challenger Chuck Eaton came in second to Democratic incumbent Public Service Commissioner David Burgess, Eaton was the one smiling.

Eaton had enough votes to force a runoff and knew that would work in his favor. Disciplined GOP voters would turn out, even with no other race on the ballot, he said then.

They did, as now-Commissioner Chuck Eaton reminded fellow Republican Lauren McDonald early this month. Despite a huge campaign money advantage fueled by utility-tied donors, McDonald got fewer votes than Democrat Jim Powell, but enough to force a runoff.

This time, voters also have a hot Senate runoff to lure them to the polls Tuesday. It’s unclear how that will play for the downticket competition for one of the most important offices in the state.

The state PSC regulates Georgia Power, Atlanta Gas Light and smaller gas utilities. It also regulates moving and transportation companies and has limited oversight over the state’s deregulated gas and phone markets.

Among the decisions on the docket during the next commissioner’s six-year term: Whether Georgia Power can build new nuclear reactors and whether Atlanta Gas Light’s rates go up.

Commissioners run statewide, but must live in one of five geographic districts. McDonald and Powell are competing for the District 4 seat now held by Angela Speir. It covers the northern portion of the state, including Cherokee and Forsyth counties and much of Gwinnett County.

Republican McDonald, 69, of Clarkesville was a longtime Democratic legislator who then spent four years on the commission before losing his seat to Speir six years ago, when Democrats lost all over the state.

He is running on his experience as a public official and businessman.

Democrat Powell, 59, of Hiawassee, is a retired executive from the U.S. Department of Energy.

He says he’ll be a consumer advocate and an independent voice on the PSC.

Both candidates support nuclear expansion in Georgia in principle, although McDonald endorses it more.

“I just think that we’ve got to have all sources of fuel,” McDonald said in a recent Atlanta Press Club/Georgia Public Broadcasting debate.

“I don’t see how you cannot come out full force for the cleanest and safest sources of power out there, nuclear power,” he said.

Powell is open to nuclear expansion, but not to requiring ratepayers to pay for new reactors in advance. Still, “we can’t afford to take any option off the table,” he said.

Both candidates also support renewable energy and energy efficiency programs for Georgia.

Here, Powell, who specialized in both at the DOE, is the most emphatic.

“I think it’s time to move Georgia out of the dark ages and into the 21st century,” he said at the Press Club debate.

“We need to have a long-term plan, take a hard look at how we generate electricity 20 to 30 years out.”

He said green and renewable power and efficiency programs should be much stronger than they are, and that expanding them will bring jobs.

McDonald said he supports clean coal technology, and adding biomass-burning plants to the state’s mix, as a way to increase renewable energy here.

“We can all be conservative in the way we use energy services,” he added.

“I would like to see Georgia Power have a little better green power program than they presently have,” he said. “But I don’t want mandates. I’m against mandates because they’re expensive.”

McDonald had a more than 2-to-1 campaign money advantage going into Nov. 4, raising $146,250 compared to Powell’s $61,591.

Powell’s money came from diverse sources that included unions, other Democratic politicians and big-name Democrats.

McDonald’s donors included big industry and many utility lobbyists, lawyers and consultants.

Powell criticizes McDonald for accepting money from people with interests before the PSC and says he won’t accept that money. McDonald says the donations are legal, properly reported and, given his public service background, unsurprising.

Voters aren’t likely to know who got money from whom in the sprint to Dec. 2’s runoff: State rules allow the candidates to wait until just before midnight Dec. 1 to file.

But both continued to raise and spend money.

Gov. Sonny Perdue, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson were part of a Nov. 19 McDonald fund-raiser hosted by an array of utility lawyers and lobbyists.

And Powell had a fund-raiser at Manuel’s Tavern, the Atlanta Democratic bar, this week.

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Written by Margaret Newkirk, Published 11/27/2008

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Former U.S. Department of Energy official Jim Powell has the skills that will help the state Public Service Commission and consumers.

JIM POWELL’S position as an experienced outsider is what Georgians need on the Public Service Commission.

While nothing improper has been alleged against the board, neither has it been seen as a full-throated advocate for needed innovation. The policy arguments of the five Republican board members (Mr. Powell would be the only Democrat) largely mirror the policy arguments of the utility providers when it comes to wind, solar and cellulosic ethanol.

Mr. Powell’s background as a former regional director for the U.S. Department of Energy means he is extremely familiar with issues affecting consumers, businesses and industries - but the first-time candidate owes nothing to anybody.

Mr. Powell is running to fill the seat of Angela Speir, who decided not to run for re-election. He faces former PSC member Lauren “Bubba” McDonald in a Dec. 2 runoff election. Mr. Powell out-polled Mr. McDonald in the Nov. 4 general election, but Libertarian Brandon Givens took enough votes to keep the Democrat from winning outright.

It’s noteworthy that the Democrat in this race has been endorsed by Ms. Speir, a Republican, who also worked to shake up the status quo in her tenure on the board.

The current District 4 commissioner said consumers will need Mr. Powell’s voice on the commission, especially in light of the budget cuts that scrapped the Consumer’s Utility Counsel, which argued on behalf of consumers in utility rate cases. Ms. Speir has also noted commissioners will soon hear arguments in a multibillion dollar case to decide how much consumers will pay to expand a nuclear plant near Waynesboro.

Given the new and dynamic realities of energy costs in our state and around the world, Georgia needs new ideas to help us hurdle the obstacles of the 21st century - not retreads mired in yesterday’s thinking.

On Dec. 2, voters should cast their ballots for Jim Powell for the PSC.

Source: Savannah Morning News, Published 11/24/2008

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THREE statewide elective office contests were left hanging after Nov. 4 and will be decided in the runoff set for Tuesday, Dec. 2. Early voters can start showing up tomorrow (Monday, Nov. 24) … and anyone can vote, by the way, not just those who cast ballots on Nov. 4.

A low turnout is expected, holiday seasons not being good times to catch the attention of voters, and with two to the contests involving the two major political parties it will all hinge on who can best motivate/mobilize their troops.

This may be particularly true in Floyd County as it has no runoffs involving any local office. That’s not the case in neighboring Polk, Gordon, Chattooga and Walker counties.

The greatest interest is regarding the U.S. Senate race where the incumbent, originally considered a shoo-in, found him unable to reach 50 percent even while hanging onto John McCain’s coattails.

Georgia is only one of eight states that regularly find themselves in such runoff situations because it demands a winner get 50 percent of the vote plus one. Most states allow a simple plurality (whoever gets the most votes is the winner).

WITH THIRD parties running in the bigger contests, usually Libertarians, the 50 percent gets hard to reach in a tight race. That’s what happened this time, otherwise the incumbent would already be safely back in Washington instead of now stumping the state and asking the GOP’s biggest guns to come rescue him.

This newspaper’s earlier endorsement was for the Democratic challenger but given the Nov. 4 results it cannot stand. This nation needs two viable political parties, not to assure gridlock but rather the ensure there are options for the electorate. As matters stand one party will now dominate Washington utterly — White House, Senate, House. It becomes imperative that “the loyal opposition” survives.

That means Republican Saxby Chambliss should now be returned to be a counterweight — if one is needed.

While the GOP makes much of retaining the incumbent to block the Democrats from getting near the 60 votes required to shut off filibusters, that’s the wrong argument. Filibusters aren’t a good thing to begin with and should probably be banned. They keep work from getting done and seek to foil the underlying operational principle of our form of government: Majority rule (with respect for listening to the other side, of course, which it is worth noting the Republican majority in the Georgia House does not believe in).

FEW SEEM to know it but the 60-vote rule is just that — a rule determined by the Senate itself. It is not a law, not a constitutional requirement. Even now the Democrats, with the help of a few friendly Republicans (and there are several such) could probably vote to toss it into the trashcan of history even without Chambliss’ assistance. They haven’t in the past for the very simple reason that they recognize the day may come when Democrats themselves need it (and history shows they have needed it, and used it, quite as much).

The right argument in favor of Chambliss is that all the current talk about what will happen next involves striving to have a bipartisan governmental approach. Chambliss is in part dealing with defections of past support precisely because he has recently been taking that approach, working across the aisle to offer compromise solutions, even though not successful. He understands what is now needed and, indeed, was ahead of his time. The core naysayers of his party, now the ones really left wandering the political desert, don’t much like that.

ALSO IN a runoff is the District 4 seat on the Public Service Commission (Floyd County is in District 4 though the selection is made on a statewide basis). The current vote leader, and far and away best candidate, is this paper’s original choice, Democrat Jim Powell.

His Republican opponent is a well-known politician who changes both his name on the ballot and his party affiliation to try to catch whatever wind is blowing. This time he thought the wind would be at his back and instead it’s in his face.

Powell actually knows this complicated energy stuff, having retired in 2007 after more than 20 years as a senior official in the U.S. Department of Energy. He’s an expert on developing alternative energy sources while not advocating shutting down or abandoning the existing ones. That’s exactly what this post needs right now.

The last of the three statewide races is a nonpartisan one for an open seat on the Georgia Court of Appeals. There were seven candidates originally and this paper’s choice, the one with highest qualification rating by the state bar, didn’t make it to the final two. That’s OK, as the attorney who would have been our second choice did.

That’s Sara Doyle, the vote leader to this point and a partner in an Atlanta law firm. She has the wide range of case-handling experience that this post demands and specializes in representing private educational institutions in all areas, including academic, student, resident, faculty and employee affairs.

She sums up her own case this way: “I have found that the best judges live up to the highest standards of integrity and compassion. They are the guardians of justice who guarantee equal treatment for all, punish those who harm our families, and provide justice for those wronged.”

STARTING tomorrow, and through Dec. 2, voters should make an effort to cast ballots so it is their choices who are elected and not simply those of party organizations. The parties expect most of you not to show — how’s about fooling them?

It is plain that Saxby Chambliss, Jim Powell and Sara Doyle are the best selections that can be made.

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ATLANTA - Jim Powell, Democratic nominee and first-place candidate for Georgia Public Service Commission, District 4, has received the endorsement of former President Jimmy Carter for the Dec. 2 General Election runoff.

“I am impressed with Jim Powell’s knowledge of the issues that will be addressed by the Georgia Public Service Commission in the coming years,” President Carter said. “His vision of energy policy for our state reflects the forward-thinking approach we need, both in the near future and in the long term.

“With Jim Powell, the people of Georgia have a unique opportunity to elect a Public Service Commissioner with solid professional experience for this important position. I support Jim Powell in the December 2 runoff election.”

President Carter made the endorsement following a meeting with the candidate Thursday afternoon at the Carter Center.

“I am most honored to have the support of this great Georgian and American, President Jimmy Carter,” Powell said. “During his term in the White House, President Carter foresaw the importance of managing our energy resources and established the U.S. Department of Energy. He understands what is at stake in this election, and I am humbled that he would endorse my candidacy.”

Powell has also been endorsed by, among others, incumbent Public Service Commissioner Angela Speir, Libertarian Party nominee Brandon Givens, former Republican candidate Pam Davidson, and four of the state’s major daily newspapers: the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Savannah Morning News. the Rome News-Tribune and the Waycross Journal-Herald.

In the General Election on Nov. 4, Powell was the top vote-getter with 1,732,175 votes or 47.9 percent. On July 15, Powell received 85 percent of the statewide primary vote to earn the Democratic nomination.

Powell, a first-time candidate for office, retired in February 2007 after 35 years of public service. He served as a Senior Executive with the U. S. Department of Energy, managing a number of initiatives and a budget of over $300 million, and as the Southeast Regional Director, based in Georgia. Jim and Karen, his wife of 37 years, live in Hiawassee. They have two adult sons and two adorable granddaughters.

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HIAWASSEE, Ga. -   Jim Powell, Democratic nominee and first-place candidate for Georgia Public Service Commission, District 4, has received the endorsement of Libertarian Party nominee Brandon Givens in the Dec. 2 General Election runoff.

“After speaking with Mr. Jim Powell I’ve discovered that he too has the vision for a new system that would allow for both a free market in energy and a growth in green technology,” Givens said in a news release. “Mr. Powell also shares my strong opposition to ex parte communications, the behind-closed-doors dealings between PSC members and the industries they are charged with regulating. He will stand up for transparency in government. I strongly encourage all voters, Libertarian and fiscally conservative to vote for Jim Powell.”

Givens received 177,777 votes, or 4.9 percent, in the General Election, the strongest showing of any third-place finisher in Georgia’s statewide partisan elections on Nov. 4.

“I congratulate Brandon Givens on the strong race that he ran and bringing attention to many of the important issues in this campaign,” Powell said. “I am honored to have his support in the runoff election.”

Powell has also been endorsed by incumbent Public Service Commissioner Angela Speir, former Republican candidate Pam Davidson, and four of the state’s major daily newspapers: the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Savannah Morning News. the Rome News-Tribune and the Waycross Journal-Herald.

On Nov. 4, Powell was the top vote-getter with 1,732,175 votes or 47.9 percent. On July 15, Powell received 85 percent of the statewide primary vote to earn the Democratic nomination.

Powell, a first-time candidate for office, retired in February 2007 after 35 years of public service.  He served as a Senior Executive with the U. S. Department of Energy, managing a number of initiatives and a budget of over $300 million, and as the Southeast Regional Director, based in Georgia.  Jim and Karen, his wife of 37 years, live in Hiawassee. They have two adult sons and two adorable granddaughters.

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Georgia corporations boast many friends in state government — friends who have ensured the state’s consumer protection laws are among the weakest in the country and who have put the profits of business over the wallets of everyday Georgians.

Business and industry don’t need any more friends in high places. It’s Georgia consumers who need a pal or two.

That’s why voters ought to elect Democrat Jim Powell as the District 4 Public Service commissioner in the Dec. 2 runoff election, for which early voting starts this week. Powell will best represent consumer’s interest as one of the five PSC commissioners who determine how much money residents pay for heat and electricity and how much major utilities like Georgia Power can earn.

Many voters don’t realize that the PSC is a real job that has real impact on their lives. Commissioners earn $116,452 a year and run statewide. Their decisions directly affect the budgets of every Georgian, a reality all the more important at a time when many households are struggling to pay their bills.

On background and experience, Powell is the far better candidate. He’s a retired U.S. Department of Energy executive. His deep knowledge of energy issues will be vital since one of the PSC decisions that may come up during his tenure will be whether to approve multibillion-dollar investments by Georgia Power and others for nuclear plants.

While Powell earned more votes in the general election, he didn’t win the requisite majority, so he’s now in a showdown with Lauren “Bubba” McDonald. Six years ago, voters kicked McDonald off the PSC because he seldom met a rate increase he didn’t like.

Last time he served on the PSC, McDonald was a Democrat. But that was before he was defeated by an unknown Republican reformer named Angela Speir. Speir decided not to seek re-election, so now McDonald’s back and running as a Republican this time.

No matter what letter follows his name, McDonald is a bad choice to represent Georgia consumers. Even Speir, a longtime Republican, has endorsed Powell because of her concern that McDonald is in the pocket of the utility companies.

When she arrived at the PSC, Speir was taken aback by the chummy relations that McDonald had maintained with the utilities he was supposed to regulate. Alarmed, Speir called for an end to the chumminess, pushing for stronger ethics policies and a ban on the behind-closed-doors lobbying. On the commission, Speir was a courageous and often minority voice for the consumers and utility ratepayers in the state.

As you might imagine, the utility companies don’t want another reformer whose No. 1 priority is consumers, which is why they are working covertly to stop Powell from winning. They want their old friend and reliable vote, McDonald.

And utility interests are willing to pay to make it happen.

Eighty percent of the $52,725 in campaign money McDonald amassed between late April and the July primary came from people and political action committees tied to the utilities the PSC regulates. He collected another $35,000 in the first three months of the general election, of which $16,000, or 46 percent, came from those with utility ties. Powell has not received utility-related contributions and says he won’t accept them.

“If you look at Bubba McDonald’s [financial] disclosure, it reads like a Who’s Who list of utility lobbyists and lawyers,” says Speir. “If Georgia consumers want to have a voice that is not beholden to the utilities, then I firmly believe that Jim Powell is the best candidate.”

Don’t let the utility companies tilt the PSC in their favor any more than it already is. Few political contests offer the stark contrast of this one. If Georgia consumers want their voices heard in debates about whether to raise utility bills, their choice has to be Jim Powell.

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Written by Maureen Downey, Published 11/17/2008

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Jim Powell for PSC Commissioner, as opposed to Bubba “Lauren” McDonald is important for Georgia consumers. I can well remember Bubba’s history at the PSC and it was always pro corporation. Jim Powell will fight for Georiga’s consumers.

Powell for PSC is made all the more important because the Consumers Utility Counsel is being eliminated. The CUC was the lawyers representing Georgia consumers in electric and gas cases. While the Georgia budget is in trouble, consumer representation in electric and gas cases shouldn’t be eliminated. Given the economy, Georgia consumers need the CUC all the more, especially if Bubba is elected. I want Governor Perdue to do something to save our representation at the PSC. Georgia Power and Atlanta Gas and Light have lawyers fighting for them. I hope those concerned about gas and electric prices, especially AARP members, will contact Governor Perdue 404.656.1776 and our legislators and ask them to save the CUC! Then go vote for Jim Powell for PSC Commissioner. If there is any question, just look up Bubba’s history at the PSC.

I think Governor Perdue will do the right thing if he knows how concerned we are about our electric and gas prices. There have been many stories recently about how electric and has customers are being overcharged by the Georgia corporations from ‘billing errors’ and how disconnections are increasing in record numbers. Georgia needs consumer attorneys looking out for us at the PSC now more than ever. I can’t afford to lose my lawyers at the PSC and I can’t afford six years of Bubba.

Source: Charlene Deutsch

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GEORGIANS WHO care about rising costs for electricity and natural gas should pay attention to two races for seats on the state’s Public Service Commission.

The five-member PSC is charged with regulating the state’s utilities. While candidates for each seat must live in specific districts of Georgia, they run statewide. So the districts mean little from a voter’s standpoint.

Here are our recommendations:

District 1: H. Doug Everett.

Mr. Everett, a 70-year-old Republican incumbent, is a retired city official and lawmaker from Albany. During his six years on the PSC, he has balanced the needs of consumers with the need for utilities to make a buck and invest in ways to meet future demands of a growing state.

To his credit, he voted last year to support open government and end private, backroom discussions with utilities and their lobbyists.

District 4: Jim Powell.

Mr. Powell, a 59-year-old Democrat, is a retired regional director for the U.S. Department of Energy and is extremely familiar with issues affecting consumers, businesses and industries. It’s noteworthy that he’s endorsed by the Republican who’s sitting in this seat, Angela Speir, who decided not to run for re-election this year.

Unfortunately, Mr. Powell has been dogged by another Republican, Secretary of State Karen Handel, who has questioned his residency and has been fighting a losing battle in the courts to have the Democrat disqualified. Her crusade shouldn’t deter voters from making Mr. Powell their pick.

Source: Savannah Morning News, Published 10/30/2008

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ALBANY — This is truly a campaign that’s been years in the making. Stretching back to 2006 when the first presidential challengers tossed their symbolic hats into the ring, the process of finding a new cammander in chief — and a number of national, state and local officials as well — has been a long, drawn-out process.But the hundreds of millions of dollars spent, the grassroots campaign treks, the neighborhood canvasing, the competing yard signs, the often bitter rhetoric — all parts of the process that is election day in America, circa 2008 — boil down to Tuesday. That’s when the part of the nation that hasn’t already taken advantage of early voting opportunities goes to the polls.

And that’s when the nation will find out if the John McCain-Sarah Palin ticket triumphs over the Barack Obama-Joe Biden tandem. And Georgians will find out if Saxby Chambliss is able to withstand the challenge of Jim Martin. And Dougherty Countians will determine who they want to fill the shoes of late Commissioner Art Searles.

Just more than 17,000 of Dougherty County’s 52,417 registered voters had cast valid ballots by 10 a.m. Friday, and when the 5 o’clock hour rolled around, a line of voters stretched out the door of the Flint Rivercenter voting site and spilled onto the sidewalk. Officials say when the early votes are tabulated Monday, they expect more than a third of the county’s voters to have cast their ballot.

County elections Supervisor Carolyn Hatcher said she expects a better-than-90 percent turnout in the county.

Among the first-time voters who have been a part of the huge early turnout are busloads of students from Turner Job Corps and from Dougherty High School. The Dougherty students were part of Career Coordinator Brenda Blackshear’s “From School to Poll” voter drive.

“With such a monumental election in our nation’s history, I thought it was an excellent time for our students to exercise their civic responsibility,” said Blackshear, who with colleague Lisa Love coordinated a voter registration drive that culminated with the bus trip to the polls. “We took our students through the entire process.

“The key to the whole program is that we never coerced them about who to vote for. We encouraged them to look at all the candidates’ platforms — national, state and local — and decide for themselves. They were very excited about the process.”

As it did in the July 15 primary, the heavily Democratic electorate in the county is expected to throw a lot of support behind Obama in his bid to become the country’s first president of African-American descent. That could help candidates like Martin and Public Service Commission candidate Jim Powell, who are drawing heavy statewide Republican opposition from Chambliss and Lauren McDonald, respectively.

“That’s why areas with a large Democratic base like Albany are so important in this race,” said Powell, whose campaign was hindered by a court fight to stay on the ballot. Secretary of State Karen Handel’s decision to disqualify Powell days before the primary was finally settled Thursday when the Georgia Supreme Court overturned Handel’s ruling.

“Energy issues are so important right now, and I’m counting on voters — Democrats and Republicans — to recognize that they don’t need another career politician on the commission,” Powell added. “I’ll bring 36 years of energy experience to the PSC.”

Martin offered Powell a ringing endorsement when the two appeared together during a campaign stop in Albany Friday when he said, “The intelligence level of the PSC will improve 100 percent when Jim is elected.”

Martin, once considered a longshot at best to compete against Republican Chambliss, is now in a dead heat in most polls. He said Friday the voters were responding to his message.

“Georgians just feel that they deserve better,” he said. “They’ve been through eight years of economic misuse that has continued to this day. They’ve seen the Bush administration and Saxby Chambliss spend 700 billion of their dollars in an ill-conceived bailout plan that’s, essentially, banks buying banks.

“That’s a perfect indication of what’s so wrong about the last eight years.”

Local restaurateur B.J. Fletcher said economic problems are everyone’s concern as the election nears.

“We have a situation in Albany where everyone’s talking about the possibility of losing 1,300 jobs if Cooper Tire shuts down,” Fletcher, the manager of Old Times Country Buffet in Albany, said. “But there are 455 registered restaurants in Albany, and if each one of them is forced to cut back five employees because of this economy, that’s almost 2,300 jobs.

“We’ve got to look out for our businesses.”

Southwest Georgians will also have an opportunity Tuesday to decide if heavily favored Democratic incumbent Rep. Sanford Bishop will return to Washington from the 2nd Congressional District or if they want Republican newcomer Lee Ferrell to replace him.

Ferrell, a retired U.S. Air Force staff sergeant, said he’s counting on veterans and their families to support him in his uphill quest to unseat Bishop.

“I don’t have the money to conduct polls like a lot of these candidates,” Ferrell said, “but I feel like I have a good chance to pull off the upset. I think the U.S. government, and my opponent, have seriously underestimated the number of families who’ve had relatives die of Agent Orange exposure.

“I’ve done everything I can during this campaign to meet and help out as many veterans as I can. I know their issues. Meanwhile, Mr. Bishop and Mr. (Kenneth) Cutts have been double-teaming me at every turn. They can write me off, but I’m a 100 percent disabled veteran giving veterans 110 percent.”

The area’s state representatives — Republican Ed Rynders in District 152 and Democrats Winfred Dukes (150) and Carol Fullerton (151) — have no opposition on the ballot, but the Rev. Rance Pettibone has qualified as a write-in candidate in an effort to thwart Fullerton.

Voters must click on the “write-in” box on the ballot and type in Pettibone’s name to vote for him. Incorrectly spelled votes will not count.

The 151 winner will replace Freddie Powell Sims, who left for a successful run at the District 12 state Senate seat that will be vacated by long-time Albany Sen. Michael Meyer von Bremen. Meyer von Bremen is one of seven challengers (all others hailing from metro Atlanta) for a seat on the state Court of Appeals.

In Dougherty County, voters in District 5 will choose between educator/minister Henry Brown, transportation consultant Gloria Gaines and contractor Harry James in a special primary called to replace Searles. None has held elected office, although all three have run campaigns before.

“I think voters are connecting with the things I’m promoting,” Brown said last week. “The issues that I’ve concentrated on are reducing crime, jobs and environmental issues. Those are the things that impact the voters in District 5 directly.”

Gaines, meanwhile, picked up some key endorsements last week. Searles’ brother, Thomas, is backing Gaines, as is 2nd Mt. Olive Baptist Church pastor Theodus Drake Jr.

“I have examined the backgroundss of each candidate carefully and concluded that Gloria’s credentials are best suited for the needs of the district my brother represented and that I live in,” Thomas Searles said.

Municipal Court Judge Willie Weaver, who is opposing Magistrate Court Judge Denise Marshall in a quest to claim a Dougherty Superior Court judgeship, said he’s covered the entire county in his quest to make contact with all registered voters. Throughout the campaign, he has touted his experience as a huge factor in his favor.

“My opponent has never tried a jury trial,” Weaver said. “The people in the county know that, and they know me because I’ve made the effort to interact with the community. I feel very positive because my campaign has done all the walking, the advertising, the mass mailing, held up the signs … We’ve done the things we need to do.

“My opponent has gotten the endorsement of a lame-duck district attorney (Ken Hodges, who has entered private law practice) who is trying to keep his hand in local government. But he’s not the same person he was before; I think the voters in the county know who really is concerned about their best interest.”

In what has been the most contentious campaign of the election cycle, District 1 Dougherty County Board of Education representative David Maschke, a Republican, has waged an often bitter battle against current at-large Democratic board member Richard Anson, who was appointed by the state Democratic Party to run in the place of Judith Corbett, who decided not to oppose Maschke after the primaries.

The two have sparred in the media about issues such as travel expenses, job qualifications and attendance of School Board meetings and have squared off in a number of heated debates at various forums.

“I’m extremely satisfied with the receptiveness of the voters to our message,” Anson said. “I regret that this campaign became so contentious, but my biggest regret is that my wife (Nancy) was put through the mud over inaccurate information by my opponent. My wife, who started the JROTC programs in the Dougherty School System that have brought in more than $2 million in federal funding, worked in the system two years before I was elected to the board.

“My opponent has tried to make it sound like I did something unethical by voting to approve her contract, but I never voted for her individually but as a part of a large group of employees. There have been so many deceptive statements made (by Maschke) during this campaign, and I wish that the talk would have been about issues like vouchers, merit pay, school uniforms and prayer in school … not always about money.”

Maschke, meanwhile, said his final appeal is that voters look at his record and compare it to Anson’s. Maschke has served on the School Board for eight years, Anson 12.

“I feel that I’ve put forth a lot of effort to get my message out there during this campaign, and I’m hopeful it got through,” Maschke said. “My hope is that voters will consider my past performance and support me. I hate that this campaign kicked off on a bad note to start with and a lot of the issues were overlooked.

“But I’m willing to do what it takes to be a part of this Board because it’s worth it. The school system is going to set the tone for the future of Dougherty County. It has a huge impact on the number and the quality of the students who enter the local work force. And the school system has a huge economic impact on the county, in the number of employees and in the amount of money that’s spent in the community.”

Polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m. and will remain open until 7 p.m.

Source: The Albany Herald, Written by Carlton Fletcher; Published 11/2/2008

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