A New Day in Georgia Government
by Chip Rogers

State Representative for District 15.
(770) 516-0543
(770) 936-1967 (fax)
chiprogers@attbi.com

can support. The only way to get this support is to allow for citizen input. This was not the case two years ago. I suspect we will see some legislation that will allow Georgians to have a say in their state flag. There are Constitutional issues surrounding how we tackle this issue, but eventually it will be dealt with.

Water — It has been said that water will be the "Oil" of the 21st Century. This is an issue that should be non-partisan. The North Georgia Water Planning District will likely see some changes. One of the changes I will push for is better representation for Cherokee County. Hopefully we will also see meaningful legislation that rewards water conservation.

Traffic — The Governor made it a major campaign issue to push for more telecommuting. I think we will see tax benefits for those companies who offer telecommuting and flextime schedules. We might also see a plan to de-centralize some state agencies moving them to other parts of the state. This would, in theory, help move some of the traffic to other parts of Georgia.

Ethics Reform — Georgia has long been plagued by a lack of strong ethics laws for government officials. The Governor and many in the Republican Party made this a campaign issue. Governor Perdue has since reiterated that this will be one of his first pieces of major legislation. I applaud this effort to restore confidence in our elected officials and hope to support the new legislation.

The first year of a new political leadership at the State Capitol may not yield the quick results some had hoped for. I urge everyone to remember that some of the problems we face took decades to form and won't be solved quickly.

One of the major problems is simply the massive change that needs to take place just to get up and running. On my first day in office, January 13, we will elect a new Speaker of the House for the first time in three decades. The Speaker controls almost every aspect of the House from seating charts to office location to committee assignments. In years past, all of this was decided well before the start of the new session. It is likely that we will recess for two weeks following the election of the Speaker just to get the House in order. The incoming freshman class is also the largest freshman class since the early 1970s.

My new colleagues on both sides of the aisle have a new sense of purpose and we understand the historical impact of our positions in this new Georgia government. We all would like to believe a new effort of cooperation could help us address some of the critical problems we face. The Governor has made it clear that he will in fact work with both Democrats and Republicans. I for one, support his efforts.

Finally, I urge all Georgia citizens to take an active role in our state government. I need your input to be a more effective legislator. Please call me or email me with any issue. We are at a critical point of change in Georgia, and the best decisions we make today will have a long-term positive impact on our quality of life.

November 5, 2002 will certainly go down as the most historic state election in Georgia history. However, before I discuss these monumental changes, I want to give a heartfelt thanks to all the voters of Southwest Cherokee. The honor you have given me to represent you in the State House is something I do not take lightly. I will work even harder than I did during the campaign to make sure you have the best representation possible in your state government. I also want to thank my election opponent, Jerry Moore, who ran a clean race. I plan to consult Jerry and many of you on numerous issues. I certainly realize that I represent everyone in the 15th District, both Republicans and Democrats alike.

The morning of November 6, Georgians awoke to the news that the Republican Party had captured the Governor's mansion for the first time since reconstruction. We also found out that House Speaker Tom Murphy, arguably the most influential politician in Georgia history, had been defeated in his re-election campaign. Three days later, the Georgia Senate had a majority of Republicans for the first time in 135 years. It was a change like we've never seen before, but what does it mean?

It means, for the first time in our lives, Georgia will be governed by a two-party system. Regardless of whether the party in power had been Democrats or Republicans, never should one party maintain control for 13 decades. Like the free markets of commerce, politics should be the free market of ideas. And where there is competition among ideas, we usually get better government.

I expect the 2003 Session of the General Assembly will bring some long overdue changes to the way we govern this state. Below are just a few of the items I believe we will address.

Education Reform — Governor Perdue and almost all Republicans made this the cornerstone of our campaigns. We campaigned that local control is better for educating Georgia's children. I believe legislation will be introduced that will give considerable flexibility to local school systems in both funding and curriculum.

Tax Reform — The Governor has indicated he would like to eliminate the income tax on senior citizens. Almost all Republicans and many Democrats agree. The budget shortfall may slow this effort, but this topic is going to see progress in the near future. Tax reduction will receive my full support.

State Flag — Many people consider this to be the most divisive issue of the session. One thing is certain — the flag should be a symbol that an overwhelming majority of Georgians