JAMESAN INSIDE VIEW INTO GEORGIA’S NEWS, POLITICS & CULTURE

NOVEMBERDECEMBER2015

2015

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DEPARTMENTSPublisher’s Message 4

Floating Boats 6

FEATURESStaggering Figures Show Wall Street

“Knew” Attacks Were Comingby Matt Towery 8

A Look Back at 2015by Phil Kent 19

Interviewing U.S. Senator Johnny Isaksonby Jim Kingston 21

COLUMNSGubernatorial Candidates Waiting in the Wings

by Randy Evans 11

“True Blue” Alumna Keeps Georgia in the Blackby Gary Reese 15

2016 Gold Dome Legislative Prioritiesby Josh Belinfante 16

LaGrange a Model for Fighting Criminal Gangsby Cindy Morley 24

Closing the Higher Education Gap a Must for Georgiaby Bill Maddox 27

Check on Your Assets with a Portfolio Reviewby Mac McGrew 29

Why Former UGA Coach Ray Goff is “My Pick”by Larry Walker 31

JAMES

ON THE COVER Along with photos of the new Atlanta Bravesand Falcons stadiums under construction are pictures ofprominent 2015 Georgia newsmakers. From bottom left (by theGeorgia Tech yellow jacket) are state House Majority LeaderJohn Burns; ICE executives Jeff Sprecher and his wife KellyLoeffler (the James “Influential Georgians” of the Year); MissAmerica Betty Cantrell of Warner Robins; former DeKalbCounty CEO Burrell Ellis, jailed for corruption; U.S. SenatorJohnny Isakson, running for re-election; state Rep. Allen Peake,author of a medical cannabis oil law; DeKalb CEO Lee May,who replaced Ellis; Atlanta attorney Linda Klein, president-elect of the American Bar Association; and University ofGeorgia head football coach Mark Richt.

4 JAMES

However, some students with an independent college paper(fittingly named The Claremont Independent) published aneditorial criticizing students for reckless and unsubstantiatedcharges of “racism.” The editorial also hit the president forcowardice in not standing up to the hateful barrage. The stu-dents wrote: “We are not racist for having different opinions.We are not immoral because we don’t buy the flawed rheto-ric of a spiteful movement.”

Those words jogged memories, again, of my days atUGA when I was an active participant and, for one quarterserved as the president, of a college debating organizationcalled the Demosthenian Society. I still occasionally returnto the campus and drop in to hear feisty and informativepro-and-con exchanges among Demosthenians with strongopinions. That is what colleges and universities ought to beabout— a free marketplace of ideas.

That is also what a robust news media ought to foster—the airing of differing viewpoints so that Americans canform their own attitudes on public policy issues and thusdevelop a civic consciousness.

Our magazine and parent company, InsiderAdvantageGeorgia, especially strive to distribute “Information beforeit’s news.” Attempting to shut down the flow of informationand news because someone, somewhere lives in fear ofbeing “hurt” and in need of a “safe space” is absurd in afree republic.

In Georgia, let’s hope that our University System Boardof Regents and its chancellor Hank Huckaby remain stead-fastly committed to instilling in students (and faculty mem-bers and even coaches!) respect for freedom of speech andits accompanying diversity of opinions.

Campus radicals at the University of Missouri and else-where prattle about “marginalized students” who face“hostile” opposition and require “safe spaces” to retreatand reflect. But what they really seek is repression. Theyseek to silence their opponents by smearing them or byforcing them out of their jobs.

The tyrannical thought-control pushed by these “cry-bullies” and their adult enablers must have no place inwhat is supposed to be “the land of the free and the homeof the brave.”

P U B L I S H E R ’ S M E S S A G E

Reflect on the following statement by Brenda Smith-Lezama,the vice president of the University of Missouri’s Students’Association:

“I personally am tired of hearing that First Amendment rightsprotect students when they are creating a hostile and unsafelearning environment for myself and for other students here.”

That statement would have shocked my professors atthe University of Georgia (of both liberal and conservativebent) when, lo those many years ago, I was studying toachieve my undergraduate journalism degree. After all,how can you have freedom without our Constitution’s FirstAmendment guarantee of free speech?

The stunning declaration by the Missouri studentcame during a recent protest which led to the resignationof the school’s president and chancellor. The resignationscame after a toxic recipe was stirred together: allegationsof white racism, festering faculty versus administrationissues and— the final ingredient— black football players(backed by their coach) threatening to boycott a gameagainst another university team unless the president quit.

When the students and a few faculty members wereprotesting, some even tried to block the media (includingstudent journalists!) from trying to cover and report on theiractivities on public property. Incredible.

A couple days after these events, a headline in TheWall Street Journal caught my eye: “The Rise of CollegeCrybullies.” The accompanying column by Roger Kimballmade excellent points. Consider this:

“The truth is that American universities are among the safestand most coddled environments ever devised by man. Theidea that one should attend college to be protected fromideas one might find controversial or offensive could onlyoccur to someone who had jettisoned any hope of acquiringan education. Many commentators have been warning aboutan ‘education bubble.’ They have focused mostly on theunsustainable costs of college, but the spectacle of timidmoral self-indulgence also deserves a place on the bill ofindictment.”

Kimball also notes what happened around that sametime at Claremont College. A dean resigned after accusationshe was a “racist” because of a carelessly worded email.

Let’s foster— not stifle— a debate on issues

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6 JAMES

Georgia has been named— for the third year in arow— the No. 1 state in the nation in which to do busi-ness by Site Selection magazine, a leading economicdevelopment trade publication. “Through collaborativepublic-private sector efforts, we have created hundredsof thousands of jobs for families, invested millions in ourlocal communities and improved the overall quality oflife for our citizens,” Gov. Nathan Deal says. “Threeconsecutive first-place finishes in this ranking is a pat-tern. It says the state clearly has in place the business-attraction attributes most required by companiesexpanding and establishing new facilities,” SiteSelection Editor Mark Arend says. For Governor Dealand his economic team, their boat is…RISING

The Peach State’s 2015 high school gradua t ionra te grew 6 percentage points from the previous year to78.8 percent— an all-time high. School officials believethe hike is due to the use of new data systems identify-ing struggling students early and then intervening bygetting them help. The rate also rose, they say, becausethe state phased out the Georgia High SchoolGraduation Test— an obstacle to thousands of students.It’s gratifying that the number of those Georgia youngpeople earning diplomas, since 2011, keeps…RISING

Civil rights activist and former state Rep. TyroneBrooks , D-Atlanta, is headed to prison for a year and aday after pleading guilty to tax, wire and mail fraud.Brooks diverted for his personal use almost $1 million incontributions that a labor union and various corpora-tions had given for a literacy program supposedly for acharity he created. Brooks’ boat is rapidly…SINKING

Mariet ta will be the location for the Atlanta Unitedsoccer team’s new 32-acre headquarters complex andlighted practice fields off Franklin Road. DeKalb Countywas the original site but a crime problem and ongoing cor-ruption accusations against county government officialslikely led team owner Arthur Blank to switch locations.The team will be responsible for all construction costs, andthe total investment could be upward of $58 million. Withthis latest coup, Marietta and Cobb County are…RISING

One upside of building a shiny new football stadium?You skip to the front of the line when it comes to hostingbig name events. The latest instance of that phenomenonis Atlanta receiving the 2018 College Football Playoff

F L O A T I N G • B O A T SW H O ’S R I SI N G AN D W H O ’S SI N KI N G I N G EO R G I A BU SI N ESS AN D P O LI T I C S

Championship Game, to be played in Mercedes-BenzStadium. That gives the Dawgs plenty of time to right theship and play in front of their hometown fans to win theirfirst championship since 1980, right? Either way anotherhuge event in Atlanta sees the city’s ship…RISING

U.S. Sena tor Johnny Isakson is among the leadersin Washington fighting against the EPA’s “Clean WaterRule,” a power grab from the federal government whichwould let the EPA control nearly all bodies of water inthe country, from the smallest streams to the lakes wedraw our water from. Isakson and like-minded electedofficials have raised the issue in courts across thenation, and should a North Dakota federal court deem itillegal, it will go before the Supreme Court sometimenext year. For Isakson and other representatives fightinggovernmental overreach, the ship is…RISING

The Univers ity System Board of Regents approvedthe first college merger involving a historically black col-lege. Albany State University, a four-year black college, isto be consolidated with Darton State College, wheremore students are white. Federal law stipulates that his-torically black institutions, even if losing money or stu-dents, cannot be shuttered. If two schools are consolidat-ed, the result must still be majority black. This will be theseventh merger in recent years designed to save moneyand enhance student performance, so the Regents' boatis definitely…RISING

As fall starts to get chilly, the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration’s models indicate thatGeorgia is in for a colder than average winter thisyear. Snowstorms like the ones seen in recent yearsare a distinct possibility as well. The strong chance ofa cold and icy winter sees any warm-bloodedSoutherner’s ship…Drifting

SB 63, passed during the 2015 legislative session,allowed breweries to offer varying price levels for tours,essentially enabling them to sell their beer directly to con-sumers. While not a perfect solution, the bill was univer-sally praised by local breweries seeking to deregulatetheir industry and get on even footing with neighboringstates. In October the Department of Revenue announcedthat it would be enforcing a stricter pricing model whichwouldn’t allow for breweries to offer different, moreexpensive beers at higher price level “tours.” A head-scratching decision that moves the state away from theconservative principles that its elected officials profess tostand by and one that sees their ship…SINKING

Georgia Power is helping to make Georgia a national leader in solar generation. And if the clouds do roll in, we have the diverse fuel

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8 JAMES

range bomber production from Lockheed Martin, NorthrupGrumman would still have year-to-date returns at least equalto those of Lockheed.

If there is any doubt of the fear that exists among nationswho in the past relied on the U.S. for stable and assertive lead-ership, one need only examine the rise of Israeli-based ElbitSystems (on the New York Stock Exchange). While Elbit sellsits drones and other systems to Israel, its growth has primari-ly come from sales to other nations. Their shares are up bymore than 40 percent this year alone.

None of this is coincidence. In effect, the analysts andinvestors on Wall Street who follow the defense sector and keeptrack of major contracts and sales have inadvertently been sig-naling the likelihood that we might once again be fighting bothconventional and unconventional battles in the near future. Ineffect, they have put their money on that likelihood.

And it is not just ISIS or theinstability resulting from the U.S.government’s benign neglect fol-lowing the Arab Spring that has ledto this obvious new arms racearound the world. The phenome-nally naive recent agreementbetween the U.S. and Iran has sig-naled a need for vulnerablenations, most obviously Israel, tomake long-term plans to preparefor what they consider a once-unthinkable nuclear attack.

In essence, the tone-deaf nature of current U.S. foreign pol-icy, which continues to assert that global warming is the greatestthreat to security, has forced the rest of the world to take mattersinto their own hands. Is it any wonder that on the Monday fol-lowing the bloody attack on Paris, as President Obama contin-ued to defend his belief that ISIS is contained and the bloodyassault on France is “a setback,” that shares of Lockheed Martin,Northrop Grumman and Elbit Systems skyrocketed?

My February 2015 column headline declared, “DefenseStocks Tell All We Need to Know About Unstable World.” Whatdoes it tell us about the future that those stocks just keep on ris-ing? If one follows the money, the future looks dangerous.

N o , this is not a conspiracy theory. But for critics ofPresident Obama’s weak response to the tragedy in Paris or ofhis overall foreign policy, here is some concrete evidence thattheir criticism is valid and shared by other nations.

In February 2015, I wrote a column suggesting that despitethe president’s belief “that troops have returned home and thatpromises to end wars abroad have been kept, the reality is thatthe rest of the world is busy arming itself . . . preparing for anyhostile circumstances from any number of newly emergingthreats . . . the world seems very much in a state of war.”

My evidence was the growing list of contracts among U.S.-based and international defense contractors with nations acrossthe globe. France is not alone in believing they are at war. Alook at the stock market and the growth in the price of sharesfor defense-related companies continues to provide proof thatother nations have taken the post-Arab Spring era far more seri-ously than has the U.S.

Money is usually the trail onefollows to get the real storybehind most major internationalissues and conflicts. Yes, increas-ingly those conflicts are beingdriven by extreme ideology. Butin the end there must be fundsavailable either to fuel those con-flicts or to quell them.

That leads to the phenomenalbut often-ignored performance ofnumerous defense contractors. Atfirst glance, firms such as Lockheed Martin and NorthropGrumman appear to have recovered in 2013 right along withthe market as a whole. But a closer examination finds morethan a modest recovery for these two companies; it finds thatcontracts with vulnerable and frightened nations werealready well underway, for orders of military hardware,drones and related products and services. That growth con-tinued into this year, even as both the Dow and the S&P werebasically flat.

Shares in Lockheed Martin are up more than 19 percentthis year alone. Northrup Grumman gained extra ground bywinning a much-prized and lucrative contract with the U.S.,and is up by more than 26 percent. But one could argue thateven without that contract, which basically shifts future long-

M AT T T O W E RYM T O W E RY @ I N S I D E R A DVA N TA G E . C O M

Matt Towery is a nationally syndicated columnist, pollster, author andattorney. He is the author of the new book Newsvesting: Use Newsand Opinion to Grow Your Personal Wealth.

St a g g e r i n g Fi g u r e s Sh o wWa l l St r e e t “Kn e w ”At t a c k s W e r e C o m i n gEditors Note: The following is Matt Towery’s national column which ran just days after the attack on Paris in November.Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich noted that in Towery’s new book Newsvesting, he is amazingly accurate at teachingothers how to find news that impacts the financial world long before it comes to pass. The following is a great example.

11

ith Governor Nathan Deal term limited, there willbe no incumbent governor on the 2018 General

Election ballot. So, who are the leading potential 2018 guber-natorial candidates for the Democrats and Republicans andwho are they supporting in the 2016 presidential election?

In one way, it will be much like the 2016 election wherePresident Barack Obama is term limited— with the resultingeffect of drawing a plethora of candidates filling the debatestages and generating all kinds of interest. Yet, in one impor-tant way, it is different.

Quite commonly in presidential elections, one party or theother has a candidate whose turn has come. Unfortunately,these candidates do not do very well when their turn comes.Senator Bob Dole in 1996, Senator John McCain in 2008,Senator Hillary Clinton in 2008, and Governor MittRomney in 2012 all lost after “waiting their turn” at achance for the presidency.

In this year’s presidential election, many saythe same thing about former Secretary of StateClinton— it is her turn to be the Democraticnominee for president— likely to the sameresult. No such candidate exists on theRepublican side. The closest to a“waited histurn” candidate is former Florida Gov. JebBush, who remains stuck near the bottom of thepack as many express serious doubts about hisability to even make next year’s stretch run.

But, in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, noone appears to fit the bill for a “next in line” candidate tobecome the next governor. On the other hand, theDemocratic and Republican stables appear to be full of notjust candidates, but— more importantly— strong con-tenders for Georgia’s highest office.

Oddly enough, most of them shy away from talk aboutGeorgia gubernatorial runs in the future, and especially in2018. But their actions betray their words with schedulespacked with public events and frequent visits with someof Georgia’s most influential political leaders. This is atrend even more pronounced for among Democrats thanthe Republicans.

No one could seriously project a 2018 Democratic guberna-torial nomination field without mentioning 2014 DemocraticSenatorial nominee Michelle Nunn and 2014 Democraticgubernatorial nominee Jason Carter. Although both werehandily defeated by the GOP 2014 juggernaut, no one dis-counts the strength and backing of the campaigns they built.

In interviews, both Nunn and Carter make short shrift ofpotential statewide runs in 2018. But, true to their respectivepedigrees as the daughter of former Sen. Sam Nunn and

grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, both continue tokeep a pace indicative of an future candidate.

It could be possible that either or both decide not to run.Do not bet on it. The platforms and networks each has builtwould give them the kind of head start needed to compete ina still-red state.

Then there is Atlanta’s popular Mayor Kasim Reed.Working with Governor Deal, Reed has emerged as a thought-ful, steady leader focused on making Atlanta an increasinglybetter place to live. With little fanfare, his steady leadershiphas reshaped Atlanta from a fragmented metropolitan com-munity of interests into a popular destination for businesses,tourists, and people relocating from other places.

Of course, there are also a host of state legislators, includ-ing House Minority Leader Stacy Abrams, waiting in the

wings for the opportunity to lead. Add to that formerCongressman John Barrow and an assortment of

county commissioners and successful busi-nessmen, and one thing will become clear.There will be no shortage of competitiveDemocratic candidates in the 2018 elections.

On the Republican side, candidateshave been far less timid about their aspira-

tions. Virtually every Republican can namethree big candidates off the top of their head:

Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle; Secretary ofState Brian Kemp; and Attorney General Sam Olens.

Former Congressman Jack Kingston has also stepped for-ward with his recent appointment as the Finance Chairman forthe Georgia Republican Party, thereby keeping his brand alive.

Beyond these, some successful businessmen and women,in true Senator David Perdue fashion, are giving a statewidebid for governor a hard look. Add to that list a few commis-sioners in some of Georgia’s largest counties and currentCongressman Lynn Westmoreland, who could possibly throwhis hat in the race, and we should have a real mix. It is remi-niscent of the flock of candidates that started this year’s 2016GOP Presidential nomination process.

Some of these will undoubtedly go off to serve in the fed-eral government depending on which party’s presidentialnominee wins in 2016. Should Clinton win, watch for Reed toget the inside track on some plum positions. And if aRepublican wins, it would surprise no one to see Olens moveto Washington, D.C. Even so, there will be plenty of candi-dates left in the running as 2017 rolls around.

Randy Evans is an attorney with Dentons in Atlanta.

R A N DY E VA N SR E VA N S @ M C K E N N A L O N G . C O M

W

12 JAMES

tlanta’s Commerce Club was the venue onthe evening of September 29th for theInsiderAdvantage/James Magazine “2015Influential Georgians” reception sponsored

by the Atlanta law firm Hall Booth and Smith. Over 80attendees— ranging from various state and local elect-ed officials to prominent business, judicial and politicalleaders– were welcomed by InsiderAdvantage/Jamesfounder and chairman Matt Towery, Hall Booth SmithManaging Partner John Hall and IA CEO Phil Kent.

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who praised the role of the11-year-old internet news agency and magazine ininfluencing public policy, joined Kent in presentingthe “2015 Influential Georgians Award” to the hus-band-and-wife team of Jeffrey Sprecher and KellyLoeffler of Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). CEOSprecher acquired a failing Atlanta business 13 yearsago and swiftly emerged as a business dynamo oper-ating various exchanges and products when ICEacquired the New York Stock Exchange in 2013.Loeffler, the ICE vice president of corporate communi-

cations, marketing and investor relations, is the co-owner and co-chairman of the Atlanta Dream, the firstfemale-owned professional sports team in Atlanta.Both are also involved as board members of variousGeorgia civic and philanthropic organizations.

Also honored with InsiderAdvantage/Jamesawards are three “2015 Lawmakers of the Year”—state House of Representatives Speaker Pro Tem JanJones of Alpharetta, state Senate Majority Leader BillCowsert of Athens and former state House MajorityLeader (and now judge) Larry O’Neal of Bonaire.

Attendees included other top legislators, promi-nent business people, members of the state SupremeCourt and Court of Appeals, various judges andlawyers, Republican and Democrat activists, andPublic Service Commission members. Also in atten-dance were high-powered lobbyists of governmentaffairs firms, as well as university presidents, mem-bers of the Board of Regents, members of the AtlantaCity Council and former Atlanta Mayor and BuckheadCoalition legend Sam Massell.

JAMES’MOST INFLUENTIAL2 0 1 5

A(l to r) Phil Kent, John Hall with the

2015 Georgians of the Year— Kelly Loefflerand Jeffrey Sprecher— and Matt Towery

(l to r) John Hall with the 2015 Legislatorsof the Year— Larry O’Neal, Bill Cowsert

and Jan Jones— and Matt Towery

13

Regent Dean Alford powwowswith State Sen. Bill Cowsert

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle praises the role ofInsiderAdvantage and James magazine

Attorney Meagan Hanson, candidate forstate House District 80, worked the crowd

Fulton County Superior Court Judge CraigSchwall and Cobb County District Attorney

Vic Reynolds holding court together

The Intercontinental Exchange team:Jeff Sprecher, Anna Ford, Mika Kiwana

and Kelly Loeffler

Former Cobb County GOPChair Joe Dendy talking politics

InsiderAdvantage/James founderMatt Towery welcomes attendees

Fulton County Development AuthorityChairman Bob Shaw made an appearance

Brian Robinson, former Gov. Deal aide,reflecting on his new consulting career

GOP State Sen. Steve Gooch (r) comparesnotes with Democrat Tharon Johnson

James advertising director Patti Peachposes with Jeff Sprecher

Special thanks tothe

hall booth smithfirm

for sponsoringour reception

15

t takes a certain personality to enjoy creating abudget— especially when your budgetexceeds $22 billion and has to survive the

scrutiny of analysts and lawmakers whose spendingideas might conflict with your own.

For Teresa MacCartney, chief financial officer anddirector of the Office of Planning and Budget for thestate of Georgia, the budget-buildingprocess is one she’s come to love. Infact, her years of hands-on learningat Georgia Southern University ignit-ed her passion for it.

MacCartney is a “Double Eagle”graduate of Georgia Southern whereshe earned both her undergraduateand graduate degrees. She says herdecision to stay for both degreeswas based on the incredible oppor-tunity she received as an intern andlater a graduate assistant with theOffice of the Provost under VirginiaSamiratedu, assistant provost andacademic fiscal affairs officer at theuniversity.

“It was definitely the influence ofworking on campus...especiallywhen I shifted to my graduate program and startedworking with Virginia Samiratedu,” she said. “Ienjoyed working on individual budgets within the col-leges— especially during year-end when you get tomove that funding between initiatives. I think that’swhat got me started down the path of really enjoyingthe budget side of things.”

The process of seeing a budget through to its adop-tion is much more complex in her current role, but noless rewarding. To start the process, MacCartney firstworks with the governor to outline his priorities, thenconsults with lawmakers as the bill goes through bothhouses of the General Assembly. At each step, she triesto ensure that the governor’s priorities remain in the

I budget while listening to feedback and keeping track ofchanges made by the legislature.

It’s a process that demands flexibility and stamina,but MacCartney understands it is about more thanjust numbers.

“Sitting in this office, you get a better under-standing of the big picture and how everything fits

together,” she said. “You also getan understanding of the fact thatyou make decisions at the end ofthe day, and those decisions trulyhave an impact on the citizens inthe state.”

In the governor’s office,MacCartney is one of severalGeorgia Southern alumni making adifference in the state. She worksregularly with Chris Riley, the gov-ernor’s Chief of Staff; KatieChilders, the governor’s DeputyChief of Staff for Policy; LoniceBarrett, the governor’s SpecialCounsel, and several staffers in theoffice who know what it means tobe “True Blue.”

MacCartney hopes to make adifference at Georgia Southern as well, currently serv-ing on the presidential search committee. She says theuniversity has grown quite a bit since she attended,but it feels as much like home as it did then, and shewants to keep it that way.

“I think Georgia Southern will continue to grow,and I think you’re going to see some great things com-ing out of the institution long-term,” she said. “I thinkthe world of the university and look forward to seeinghow it continues to grow.”

Gary Reese is a staff writer for James.

“true blue” alumnaKeeps Georgia in the Black

Teresa MacCartney

by Gary Reese

16 JAMES

Healthcare, too, will likely take up a significant amount of leg-islative time. The Georgia Hospital Association and GeorgiaChamber of Commerce have teamed to examine ways to insuremore Georgians, even if through Medicaid. These advocatesclaim that some form of reform, whether in the form of a limitedwaiver or expanding Medicaid per Obamacare, are necessary tosustain Georgia’s hospitals. The advocates certainly have theirwork cut out for them: The governor has expressed sincere andlegitimate concerns about the cost of such expansion; the GeneralAssembly must approve any Medicaid expansion, and only oneRepublican legislator has expressed interest in the concept.

While healthcare providers and their allies will be askingthe General Assembly for more revenue, some will also be ask-ing it to reduce regulations on expansion of healthcare services.Physicians, hospitals, and specialty hospitals are very likely tore-engage the debate surrounding Georgia’s Certificate of Need(CON) program. In a nutshell, CON regulation requires hospitalsand physicians to obtain the state’s permission before buildingmany types of healthcare facilities and before offering particulartypes of clinical services.

A former judge on the Court of Appeals once likened CONto the planned economies of the Soviet Union, but he acknowl-edged that it was the law of Georgia. Legislative opponents fur-ther argue that the time for CON has come and gone, as insur-ance payments have moved from fee-for-service to prior author-ization and health maintenance organizations. Even the Obamaadministration’s Federal Trade Commission has opined thatCON laws are anti-competitive, and it has urged states (eventhose governed by Republicans) to reexamine the law. CON’sstaunchest defenders claim it is necessary to allow hospitals tofinance their charity and indigent care commitments (thoughmost Georgia hospitals have tax-exempt charitable status pre-cisely for this reason). They warn that, because hospitals haveto take all comers regardless of their ability to pay, free marketarguments are misplaced in the world of healthcare regulation.

The last time the General Assembly visited CON reformwas in 2008. But, House Judiciary Chairman Wendell Willard isas strong an advocate for reform as any, and with the SandySprings Republican pushing the issue, it will likely gain sometraction and cause a debate on the merits of regulations thatmany states have abandoned entirely.

These represent just some of the issues that the GeneralAssembly will consider. Others include comprehensive taxreform and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Given theincentive for legislators to meet and split town, those seekingsignificant legislation would do well to heed the words of thelate football broadcaster Larry Munson and recognize that “theclock is the enemy.”

Josh Belinfante practices litigation and regulatory law at Robbins RossAlloy Belinfante & Littlefield in Atlanta.

Most predict that the 2016 legislative session will be a relativelyshort one. Qualifying for elective office ends on March 11, and theprimary election is 74 days later on May 24. Despite legislators’need to want to get in and get out, at least two areas of legisla-tion— casinos and healthcare— promise to bring real debates tothe Gold Dome.

On casinos, one would have to be living under a rock for thepast six months to be unaware that casinos are (a) looking toopen in Georgia, and (b) promising their arrival will benefit theHOPE Scholarship program. Pending legislation would allow onecasino with a minimum investment of $1 billion, and up to fiveother casinos with a minimum investment of $200 million. Itlinks casino revenue directly to college education and the HOPEScholarship program by offering to dedicate 12% of casino rev-enue and 15 year license fees of $25 million or $10 million to theHOPE Scholarship program. In the wake of Gov. Nathan Deal’sstatement that the revenue tax did not sufficiently supplementthe Lottery, casino interests have already indicated that they arewilling to raise the number. Proponents also argue that the leg-islation would create significant jobs in the resort-like facilities.

To be sure, the legislative road is a long one for the casinocrowd. No government entity may impose casinos on anyone.First, two-thirds of each chamber of the General Assembly, anda majority of voting Georgians, must approve a constitutionalamendment to repeal the current prohibition on gambling.Second, the Legislature must enact enabling legislation, andthat bill must survive the Governor’s veto pen. Third, residentsof cities or counties seeking to host a casino resort mustapprove a casino within their borders by another referendum.Thus, in addition to the votes of our elected officials, Georgianshave two opportunities— at the state and local level— toapprove or reject the idea of casinos in Georgia. Any vote couldfail, and proponents of the facilities must win every time.

Thus far, organized opposition seems lacking and oppo-nents’ arguments have been against gambling generally. Someargue that it will create societal costs based on gambling addic-tions and irresponsible play. Others suggest that the jobs casi-nos create will be low income, service sector ones such as wait-ers and waitresses, clerks, and housekeepers. These opponentsalso claim that the areas surrounding the casino would turn intoa “ghost town,” as persons would choose the casino over anynearby restaurant, mall, or other outlet. The General Assemblywill surely be weighing these arguments as looks to consider atleast the constitutional amendment this year.

J O S H B E L I N FA N T EJ B E L I N FA N T E @ R O B B I N S F I R M . C O M

A t l a n t a R a l e i g h

GEORGIABank of America Plaza | 600 Peachtree Street, NE | Suite 5200Atlanta, GA 30308-2216Tel: 404.879.6500 | Toll Free: 888.879.6578 | Fax: 404.962.6919

ContactsPete Robinson, ChairmanRob Willis, Principal

Solutions for Business& Government

Tax Policy

JANUARY & FEBRUARYThe Republican-controlled General Assembly passed a$22 billion state budget that spends $1 billion more thanthe year before. It ratified a gas tax hike to fund trans-portation and infrastructure projects, along with a narrow-ly-drawn medical cannabis oil bill to assist those afflictedwith various diseases. It passed a bill forbidding smokingin cars where children are passengers, but legislatorsbogged down over a divisive debate over “religious liber-ty” legislation. Lawmakers also failed to pass EducationSavings Accounts that would allow parents to decide ifthey want to use tax dollars to send their child to privateschool or use the money for other educational services.

marchJames names the married “power couple” of Jeff Sprecherand Kelly Loeffler as the “Influential Georgians of 2015.”Their Georgia-based company Intercontinental Exchangepurchased the New York Stock Exchange, and thesehard-working “captains of capital-ism” are generous contributors to awide range of charitable organiza-tions. James also salutes as its“Lawmakers of the Year” HouseSpeaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, SenateMajority Leader Bill Cowsert andHouse Majority Leader Larry O’Neal.

The General Assembly concluded with passage of a billexpanding the state Court of Appeals from 12 to 15 judges(initially appointed by the governor but subject to election).

aprilMcKenna Long & Aldridge, one of the state’s leading lawfirms (coupled with a top government affairs operation)announces that it will merge with Dentons, currently theworld’s largest firm. The merger adds a wide array of topgovernment affairs names to an already impressive cast—among them former Vermont governor and Democrat

presidential candidate Howard Dean and Georgia’s formerspeaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and GOPpresidential candidate Newt Gingrich.

mayRep. John Burns is elected majority leader by the stateHouse GOP caucus, replacing Larry O’Neill who wasappointed to a judgeship.

Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hillaccidentally shoots a female friendin Gwinnett County and is laterindicted on a misdemeanor recklessconduct charge.

juneGeorgia Lottery CEO Debbie Alford announced thatmore dollars for education were raised than in any previ-ous year. About $980.5 million from the fiscal year end-ing June 30 went to pre-kindergarten and HOPE scholar-ships for college students.

julyPresident Obama nominates DeKalb State Court JudgeDax Lopez to a Georgia federal judgeship, subject to con-firmation by the U.S. Senate. Several sheriffs and promi-nent state lawmakers register opposition, citing Lopez’slongtime board of directors mem-bership over a pro-illegal immigrantlobbying/advocacy organization.

Ex-DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis goes toprison after being convicted ofextorting a county contractor forcampaign money and lying to agrand jury.

19

COWSERT

BURNS

LOPEZ

years of controversy— by renamingRegents University to be AugustaUniversity. Those especially doing ahappy dance included perhaps themost persistent advocates of put-ting “Augusta” back into the uni-versity’s name: Augusta ChroniclePublisher Billy Morris and JamesHull, the Regent from the home of the famed Mastersgolf tournament.

Atlanta-based Southern Company announced a mergerwith AGL Resources, a move that creates the secondlargest electric and gas utility company by customerbase, with over 9 million customers.

september & OctoberJames announces its popular annual ratings of lobbyistsand lobbying firms. Georgia Link scores highest in the“Top Large Firms” category and McGuire Woods is No.1for “Top Law Firms.” Recognized for their individualaccomplishments” in the “Top Lobbyists forAssociations Category" are 20 prominent lobbyists, withMarshall Guest, Dave Pratt, Kevin Perry, ElizabethChandler and Ethan James toppingthe list. Voted the “Top FemaleLobbyist” is Callie Michael.

Among those listed in the “RisingStars” category are Nick DeJong,Lindsay Strickland, Rob Fortson,Stuart Wilkinson, Elizabeth Whartonand Lavi Luca.

novemberCityhood for the Tucker area isoverwhelmingly approved inNovember 3 balloting. Voters, how-ever, rejected by a narrow margincityhood for LaVista Hills. Both arelocated in DeKalb County.

november& DecemberAfter what was a close win overrival Georgia Tech, the University ofGeorgia announced on November 29that it would be terminating long-time head football coach Mark Richt.Despite varying degrees of successover his 15 year tenure, Richt foundhimself on the hot seat as his teamscontinued to perform below expecta-tions in recent years. While perhapsa majority of fans seem to think itwas the right move, an uncertainfuture sees UGA football drifting.

MICHAEL

MORRIS

july & augustJames lists its annual Georgia college and university rank-ings: (1) Georgia Institute of Technology; (2) University ofGeorgia; (3) Emory University; (4) Mercer University/Georgia State University (tied); (5) Clark AtlantaUniversity; (6) Georgia College & State University; (7) Kennesaw State University; (8) Georgia SouthernUniversity/Georgia Regents University (tied); (9) YoungHarris College; (10) Covenant College/Agnes ScottCollege (tied).

The top regional college (again thisyear) is Covenant College, a four-yearChristian liberal arts institutionlocated in Lookout Mountain.

augustProminent Atlanta lawyer Linda Klein, the managingshareholder in Baker Donelson’s Georgia offices, is namedby the American Bar Association as its president-elect.She becomes ABA president in August 2016.

septemberBetty Cantrell of Warner Robins, a student of vocal per-formance at Mercer University, hadher title upgraded from MissGeorgia to Miss America. She is thefirst Georgian to be crowned MissAmerica since 1968.

The University System Board ofRegents shifted gears— after three CANTRELL

21

You have served in the U.S. House ofRepresentatives and the U.S. Senate. During that time, what isyour signature piece of legislation?

Sen. Johnny Isakson It is hard to say which one. I would sayprobably the Pension Protection Act of 2006. It saved the pen-sions of almost all the aviation industry as well as a lot of otheremployees in the state of Georgia. That was probably the mostsignificant. The most meaningful is the Kate Puzey VolunteerPeace Corps Act, which I passed in memory of a Georgian whowas murdered in the Peace Corps in Benin, Africa.

What has been the biggest difference in 2015, nowthat the GOP controls the US Senate?

Isakson The main difference is that, a year ago, I was a memberof the Veterans Affairs Committee and the Ethics Committeeand today I am the chairman. When you are in the majority thathas consequences. I am very fortunate to be the chair of twocommittees. It gives you the opportunity to do a lot of things.One of the unique differences of the Senate and the House isthat if you are in the minority in the Senate you can still get a lotdone; that is not necessarily true in the House. In the Senate, Iwas as successful in the years we were not in the majority as Ithink the years we have been in the majority. It takes the abilityto build a coalition to do anything because of the cloture voteand the filibuster. So if you can’t get 60 people to agree to shutoff debate, you can never get to a final vote, and no party has 60votes so you have to be able to bring people to your side.

You have spent most of your adult life fighting togrow the Georgia Republican Party. Now that it controls all con-stitutional offices, both Senate seats and both state legislativechambers, what is the key to maintaining the party’s success asthe state’s demographics change?

Isakson First of all, don’t take for granted the fact that you arein the majority and try to remember the days you were in theminority, so you don’t lose your focus. When I was elected to theGeorgia House, I was the 19th Republican. There were 161democrats. Custer had better odds. I was young and idealistic,which is the only reason I stayed long enough to see what couldhappen when you put your shoulder to the grindstone and workhard. But don’t take for granted being in power because poweris something given by the people— not by the politicians— andyou lose it as fast as you gain it. The main thing for us to do asRepublicans is not to do what the Democrats did— they took itfor granted and they lost.

How did your time as minority leader of the stateHouse prepare you for the job you have today?

Isakson When you are out numbered 9 to 1, you have to work alot harder than when you have the 9 in your favor and you areagainst the 1. I learned how to make compromises and learnedhow to win over people who had the authority above me andother power. That is good practice for when you are in charge orin the minority. The fact that I had to work so hard to be effec-tive in the ’70s and ’80s when we were in a significant minorityhelped me when we got into the majority to both appreciatewhat I had and then to understand how to use it. Once we gotinto the majority, those people I worked with in the minorityremembered how I had treated them and, if you treated themwell, they would help you out.

You are a veteran politician. In a profession whereyour experience counts against you, how do you combat the“outsider” rhetoric as you approach your re-election next year?

Isakson Well, Jim, you are from Chatham County. Everybody inthat area knows how important the dredging of the port downthere is. Without experienced politicians like (veteran formercongressman) Jack Kingston and Johnny Isakson, the port doesnot get deepened. That is not to be egotistical, but the reality isthat some of these projects take time and it is better to haveexperienced people involved.

You are a co-sponsor, and have been for years, ofthe Fair Tax plan. Every year this bill is introduced and goesnowhere. What would it actually take for a serious taxreform plan? Why wasn’t this passed during the Bushadministration?

Isakson One of the problems with tax reform is that it ishard, and a lot of people in public life don’t like to do hardthings. But, we are getting to a point where people arestarting to require it, because our economy is starting tosuffer because of our tax code. Now corporations are start-ing to look at their stockholders and say, “Hey, is it really inour best interest to stay in America without tax reform orshould we go now and move to Ireland, or Great Britain, orIndia, or wherever the tax code is more favorable and treatscorporations better?” We are one of only three countries inthe world that doesn’t have a territorial tax system and weare paying a tremendous price for that. So I think becauseof that, we are on the cusp of comprehensive tax reform,probably in 2017. So I think the fair tax, or the consumptiontax, or a form of the fair tax will definitely be part of thatdebate. We have elevated the fair tax from something thatwas in a book promoted by Neal Boortz and John Linder.That was a good book and a good concept, but it grew to asituation where more and more people are asking, “Whydon’t we have a consumption tax? Why don’t we rewardhard work and not punish it by having a progressiveincome tax?” So the chance to do this is going to be in 2017and I hope we are able to.

I am sure you have a lot of friends running forpresident in 2016, so you probably will not be endorsinganyone. Do you have a short list, or are their any candidatesyou have eliminated from your short list?

Isakson No, I learned a long time ago in public life thatwhen you are going to be on the ballot at the same time asthe president of the United States about the dumbest thingin the world to do is to pick the wrong horse early—because you are going to have to ride him until the end. SoI am trying to help everybody that is running come toGeorgia and meet the people of Georgia. But I am going tobe supportive of whomever the people of Georgia are goingto nominate— not who I may think one way or another.

Do you think Hillary Clinton purposely misleadthe public about Benghazi? How important will this be asshe wraps up the Democratic nomination and campaignsnext November?

Isakson Well, you know, anybody who has been aroundWashington for the past 30 years recognizes the Clintons. Imean you talk about having teflon— they talked aboutReagan having teflon— if Reagan had teflon, they haveteflon double. They have been able to weather a lot ofstorms, they are 100 percent name ID, and probably 100percent positive and negative as far as how people feelabout them. So, to beat them you should have a coordinat-ed candidate om real issues that address what you want to

22 JAMES

accomplish and get people to focus on you. Otherwise, theyfocus on the Clintons. The Clintons will have a betterchance because of their history. So, politically speaking, theClintons are a real threat— but a threat that could be beatenas there is a longevity of people knowing them. We just haveto have the best candidate that we can put up in our partyso we can fight them without our hands tied behind ourback. If we have a bad primary, we could nominate thewrong person. We need to have a team that can take theClintons on and win, understanding how powerful theClinton family is.

Looking ahead, Republicans have to play a lot ofdefense during the next campaign cycle in order to maintainthe Senate majority. What is the key to winning the re-elec-tions in these competitive states, some of which Obama car-ried in 2012, and for keeping Mitch McConnell as the majori-ty leader?

Isakson That is a terrific question, because that is what thenext year is all about. We have 54 Republican votes in theSenate. there are two seats where Republicans are eitherretiring or vacating their seats— Florida and Indiana. And wehave six states that literally could go either way. They arepurple states— New Hampshire being one, Wisconsin beinganother, Illinois being another, Pennsylvania being another,Ohio being another, and Missouri being another. So there areeight seats that are the key to maintaining the majority. Andquite frankly there are two things only that are they key tomaking that difference...

One, if we nominate a good presidential candidate thatwe do not have to apologize for or defend because they don’tdo things right, we will have a good chance to keep the seatsthat we need to keep the majority. Second, remembering thatall politics is local and that Republicans have to get used tothe fact that there are differences in our country. There aretoo many people that think Republicans have to be a mono-lithic, homogeneous party. If you do that, that might soundgreat but you are never going to have the majority in the

United States Senate. You have tohave people from border states, NewEngland states, Western states, andSouthern states, and have a mix ofthem. So the first thing is nominatethe best ticket that you can, rallyaround that ticket and support it, anddo not lose the election on parochialregional issues that, in the scheme ofthings, don’t really matter. The biggergood is more important than the indi-vidual good every time.

President Obama has nomi-nated DeKalb County State CourtJudge Dax Lopez to be a federal judge,a lifetime appointment. Aside from thefact that Lopez was a longtime directorand speaker for a pro-illegal immigrantlobbying/advocacy group, why shouldthe Republican-controlled Senate con-

firm any more Obama judicial picks with just a year to gobefore the next presidential election? After all, the Democratsstopped consideration of Bush judicial nominees a yearbefore his term ended.

Isakson The confirmation of judges is a judicial practicefirst. That nomination went to the Senate JudiciaryCommittee, I have not had any notice from them that theyare finished with vetting the nominee. Once that takes placethere will be an open public hearing before the JudiciaryCommittee. After that takes place, if that is looked uponfavorably, then it goes to the floor of the Senate. Quite frankly,we are running out of time. You know the president is in hislast 13 months of his presidency and it is harder and harderto get confirmations through the Senate. No party wants theparty in power going out to have too much of a say-so in thejudiciary at the end, because if a Republican is elected thenthat is an appointment that they would have had next year.That’s all to say that I would never prejudge what theJudiciary Committee is going to do. But I would say that theclock is not in favor of judicial nominations making it furthersimply because of the politics of it.

Would you like to weigh in on the current situa-tion with the University of Georgia football program?

Isakson I have a world of respect for Mark Richt. He is oneof the finest people I have ever met. He is a coach that is agreat recruiter because he is a great man, but there is obvi-ously a lot of concern now given what has happened thisseason. (UGA President) Jere Morehead has a tough job andso does Mark Richt. Whatever happens, I hope we win thelast 4 games, because people forget about what happenedthe 3 games before and we can get back to building a newteam next year.

Jim Kingston is a staff writer for James.

23

aGrange Police Chief Louis Dekmar is wagingwar on street gangs and the violent crimes thatterrorize residents of this west Georgia city.“This isn’t something that is going to go away

by itself,” he says. “Gang activity that goes unchecked isalways going to grow. We can’t hide our heads in the sandand wish it away.”

And you can bet Chief Dekmar isn’t running awayfrom the crisis that he says is sweeping Georgia and thenation. He’s seen it move from the large urban areas of thestate, into the smaller rural towns like LaGrange, and nowhe’s taking aim and waging his own battle. He’s initiateda gang unit in his department, isworking with District AttorneyPete Skandalakis to prosecutegang members and is even partic-ipating in a pilot program with theProsecuting Attorney Council ofGeorgia to stop the threat of gangsin the town of 30,000 residents.

The efforts are paying off. Intwo years, he’s seen a 50 percentreduction in the number of gang-related shootings in LaGrange.

“We began to recognize aproblem about three years ago,”said Dekmar. “We’ve had gangs inLaGrange for at least 15 years, butthese were more neighborhood-affiliated, local gangs. But in the last three years, we havenoticed a huge increase in the number of nationally affili-ated gangs here. And they brought with them the violencethat we used to see mostly in the urban areas. We knewsomething had to be done.”

Dekmar estimates there are between 300 and 500 activegang members in LaGrange today. Some are more heavilyinvolved in violent gang activity. Others are just associatedwith the gangs. Either way, he says, it’s a problem that hasto be stopped.

Dekmar said his department began seeing an influx ofnational gang members in 2012, and an increase in violentcrimes. That year, he said LaGrange Police identified 16

gang-related shootings and nine gang related robberies.In 2013, the number of gang-related shootings rose to 31,including an incident in which six people were shot in acity park.

One way to fight back, Dekmar said, was to begin issu-ing warrants under the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism andPrevention Act— which he says, provides additionalenhancement in prosecuting cases involving known gangmembers. Dekmar also designated one officer to focus sole-ly on gang-related cases, and worked with Skandalakis tocreate a multi-jurisdictional gang unit to identify gangmembers in LaGrange, Troup County, Carrollton, Coweta

County, Meriwether County, andeven eastern Alabama.

“Gang members know no juris-dictional boundaries,” he notes.

With the resources in place, thewar against street gangs began inLaGrange. And the results began toshow in the numbers. In 2014, thenumber of gang-related shootingsdropped over 50 percent to 15,although gang related robberiesrose that year from 2 to 15. Thisyear, Dekmar says there have been17 gang related shootings and 12gang related robberies.

“We feel like the efforts arestarting to pay off,” said Dekmar.

The department has also been able to secure funding foradditional overtime pay to keep more officers on the streets,and funding has been put in place to add an additional ganginvestigator and a gang data analyst.

LaGrange is also participating in a state-wide pilot pro-gram through the Georgia Prosecutors Council. “We aremaking this a priority,” he said.

According to Chuck Spahos, Executive Director forPAC, the pilot program will allow law enforcement to beginbuilding a statewide data base on gangs and gang mem-bers. “The funding expands a project that started in Atlantaand Fulton County,” said Spahos. “It will allow us to trackand maintain data, and provides us the ability share dataacross jurisdictional boundaries. We have to use data andtechnology to keep up with gang activity and movement.”

24 JAMES

25

Dekmar said he sees a numberof social issues at the root of thegrowing gang problem. “We’vehad an increase in the number ofout-of-wedlock births, an increasein the state’s drop-out rate, and adecline in family support sys-tems,” he said. “Many teens arelooking for support systems, andunfortunately they are finding it inattention they receive from gangmembers.”

As the number of gangs grow,the age of the gang members keeps dropping. Dekmar says,while the average age of the gang members is the late teensto early 20’s, he starting to see active members recruit stu-dents in middle school.

With that, comes another problem— children who arenot old enough to make good judgement calls are gettinginvolved in violent acts of crime. And as a result, more andmore innocent people are getting hurt.

Like Spahos, Dekmar praises Georgia lawmakers forimplementing The Georgia Street Gang Terrorism andPrevention Act. He hopes to see more departments across thestate start using this more when making arrests involving

gang members. “I think moredepartments would use it withmore training,” he said. “It’s one ofthe best in the country, but ittakes training to maneuver anduse it correctly.”

Dekmar says his departmenthas worked to create opportuni-ties to help gang members get outof the gangs. “We have had somesuccess stories by providingresources to help them.” he said.

The LaGrange chief says hesees the situation as an excellent opportunity for PAC for theState Attorney General’s office to create a gang prosecutingunit similar to one they had 20 years for drug prosecution.

“They have to be identified, or you will have an orderissue when they are prosecuted and incarcerated,” he said.“We have to know who is gang affiliated and what gangsthey belong to.”

By the way, according to an October 20 report from thestate Department of Corrections, Georgia currently has 17,972validated street gang members incarcerated or paroled.

Cindy Morley is a staff writer for James

galottery.com

It’s elementary, actually. See, every time you play the Lottery, you’re helping our kids get one step closer to their dreams. For over 20 years the Georgia Lottery has contributed more than $16.7 billion to education. On top of that, more than1.7 million HOPE scholars have gone to college and more than 1.4 million four-year-olds have attended a Lottery-funded Pre-K Program. Add those numbersup and, well, let’s just say that’s a hair-raising number of happy kids.

TAKE A GENIUSTO KNOW THAT WHEN YOU PLAY,

IT DOESN’TGEORGIA’S KIDS WIN.

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IT DOESN’T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTISTTO HELP KIDS WITH THEIR EDUCATION.

E D U C AT I O N

C l o s i n g t h e H i g h e r Ed u c a t i o n G a pa M u s t f o r G e o r g i a by Bill Maddox

Georgia is facing a workforce issue. It is estimated that by2020, 60 percent of jobs will require some post-secondary train-ing beyond high school. Where are we today, less than fiveyears away? A little more than 42 percent of our workforce hasattained this level. So it’s very clear: there is work to be done.

State leaders and organizations of higher education aretaking steps now to ensure Georgia has a college-level trainedworkforce to meet the ever increasing demands. Gov. NathanDeal has set a goal of adding 250,000 new post-secondarygraduates to the Georgia workforce by 2025 as part of theComplete College Georgia plan. That initiative partners theUniversity System of Georgia and the Technical CollegeSystem of Georgia in an effort to address this critical need inwhat is called Georgia’s Higher Education Completion Plan.

According to the Complete College Georgia website, “Thetwo Systems emphasize the consequences of inaction, identifywhat must be done, and outline a collaborative process to guidethe work of their respective 60 institutions of higher educationto rapidly increase the proportion of young adults with a certifi-cate or degree, while maintaining a commitment to quality.Three areas of primary focus include: partnerships and account-ability, performance, and college readiness and access.”

That is a good news story. There is now a collaborativeeffort to ensure more students are entering the higher educa-tion pipeline then individualizing instruction which keepsmore students on the path of attaining post-secondary cre-dentials. This preparation even begins in high school with theMove On When Ready program. This legislative act wassigned into law as a dual enrollment opportunity for studentsto attend a post-secondary institution full-time during theirjunior and/or senior year of high school.

Students who participate in MOWR will receive highschool credit and college credit simultaneously while attend-ing college classes on the college campus, full-time. Approvedcollege on-line courses may also be taken that meet highschool graduation requirements. This provides high schoolstudents the opportunity to “jump start” their post-secondarycareers and increases the odds of successful completion.

There are also ongoing efforts aimed at locating studentswho were once enrolled in post-secondary institutions but, forwhatever reason, did not successfully complete requirementsalong the way to a bachelors or associates degree or a certifi-cate. Encouraging these students to come back, and thenworking closely with them, can ensure success and increaseour higher education attainment numbers.

“Closing the Higher Education Attainment Gap” was thetopic of a recent Georgia Partnership for Excellence inEducation Critical Issues Forum (video report) that brought

leaders of the University System of Georgia and the TechnicalCollege System of Georgia together to look at the topic anddiscuss what they are doing about it. The theme that ranthrough the meeting was “collective impact.”

Chancellor Hank Huckaby of the University System setthe stage by explaining “higher education must provide stu-dents with skills needed to be successful in the workforce.”He added, “Collaboration between the University System ofGeorgia, Technical College System of Georgia, and theAlliance of Education Agency Heads demonstrates collectivestrength by working together to provide higher educationopportunities throughout the state.”

Huckaby emphasized the team effort being exhibitedtoday by colleges and universities is increasing chances ofsuccess in meeting 2025 projections.

Joining Huckaby was Gretchen Corbin, Commissioner ofthe Technical College System of Georgia, who told the audienceher organization’s objective is to “put customers— students,local businesses and communities— first.” Corbin explained,“When the goals of these customers align, the system is suc-cessful; technical colleges output qualified, confident graduateswho are able to utilize their skill set in the workforce.”

She added, “Matching these goals involves looking atindustries with worker populations aging for retirement aswell as industries that are new to Georgia. It involves remov-ing the stigma from jobs like plumbing that can yield a highwage and lead to small business management opportunities.

“It involves developing apprenticeships. Companies workwith students to develop skills while in school that will directlytransfer to their work after graduation. By building strategicpartnerships with Georgia businesses, our students transitionsmoothly from technical colleges to the workforce and oftencontinue their education at a 4-year institution,” she explained.

Three higher education representatives - Dr. Gail Thaxton,Athens Technical College president, Dr. Cheryl Dozier,Savannah State University president, and Dr. Kyle Marrero,president of the University of West Georgia – joined Corbin ina panel discussion on what they and their institutions aredoing to not only enroll students but nurture them towardgraduation with an emphasis on producing quality graduates.Their success stories are being repeated across the state.

Because of these coordinated and concentrated efforts,the future is bright for a trained and ready Georgia workforcethat will meet ever increasing needs.

Bill Maddox is the communications director for the Georgia Partnershipfor Excellence in Education. Laura Burbach, a senior majoring in publicpolicy at Georgia Tech, contributed to this article.

29

s the year winds down and the start of a new oneapproaches, now is a good time to review youroverall financial portfolio as it relates to the cur-

rent market climate and ongoing interest rates situation. Since 2009, the S&P 500 (including dividends) has been

up almost every year. Some years have produced greaterreturns than others; and at this point, 2015 ispositioned for positive end-of-yearresults as well. The current stockmarket appears to be fairly valued.This is a result of the FederalReserve supplying ample liquidityas the U.S. came out of the GreatRecession of 2007-09. SinceOctober 2014, the Fed has beenwinding down quantitative easing,and an interest rate hike seemslikely at the December meeting.

With the help of a trusted advi-sor, act now and assess your overallasset allocation. Interest rates areexpected to rise and volatility is expected to continue.With this in mind, you should be selective of the assets inyour portfolio and aim for a well-diversified portfolio.

Here are three items when considering a diversifiedportfolio:

STOCKSHeading into a potentially more volatile 2016, stock selec-tion will become even more important. However, it’s notenough to look at just the stocks you own; you also needto look at the sectors in which you’ve invested. Typically,investors tend to hang on to stocks that are underper-forming for too long. Be willing to sell and look to stocksin more sectors like financial, healthcare and technologythat are generally outperforming the markets. Additionalpositioning can be done with strong U.S. large cap stocksthat have some dividend component along with exposurein both Europe and Japan. These regions’ aggressiveefforts of keeping interest rates low, providing liquidityand effectively keeping their currencies weak against theU.S. dollar have helped their equity markets as they comeout of recession.

FIXED INCOMEIf you own a bond mutual fund, you should know whatyou own. Rates have been fairly low for an extended peri-od of time. But with the Fed poised to raise rates, now is

CHECK ON YOUR ASSETSWITH A PORTFOLIO REVIEW

the time to review your fixed-income portfolio. A strategicresponse to managing your bond portfolio is critical; and itis important to be positioned for the possibility of a rising-rate environment. If you own bonds with fixed coupon-scheck their maturities; short maturities can help you takeadvantage of rising rates). A short-term bond fund couldwork as well. Also consider floating rate notes or fixed-to-float securities. These are securities that have a fixed

coupon for a stated period of time thatthen can be converted to a floating-

rate coupon. Such securities may bethe best way to hedge your portfolioif rates do begin to rise.

TAX EXEMPT BONDSThe Barclays Municipal Bond Index

has posted a year-to-date totalreturn of 2.17 percent. Highercredit quality local obligationbonds and mid-range qualityessential— service revenue bondsare some of the investments that

could benefit as interest rates rise.As an investor you’ll need to take a good look at your

portfolio’s asset allocation in order to make sure that it iswell-diversified. Consider other asset classes to comple-ment a typical stock and bond portfolio. If nothing else,reducing the volatility in your portfolio may help as youhead into the New Year.

M A C M c G R E WMAC.MCGREW@MORGANSTANLEY.COM

A

Interest in municipal bonds is generally exempt from federal income tax.However, some bonds may be subject to the alternative minimum tax(AMT). Typically, state tax-exemption applies if securities are issuedwithin one’s state of residence and, local tax-exemption typically appliesif securities are issued within one’s city of residence.

Bonds are affected by a number of risks, including fluctuations in interestrates, credit risk and prepayment risk. In general, as prevailing interestrates rise, fixed income securities prices will fall. Bonds face credit risk ifa decline in an issuer’s credit rating, or creditworthiness, causes a bond’sprice to decline. Finally, bonds can be subject to prepayment risk. Wheninterest rates fall, an issuer may choose to borrow money at a lower inter-est rate, while paying off its previously issued bonds. As a consequence,underlying bonds will lose the interest payments from the investmentand will be forced to reinvest in a market where prevailing interest ratesare lower than when the initial investment was made. NOTE: High yieldbonds are subject to additional risks such as increased risk of default andgreater volatility because of the lower credit quality of the issues.

Mac McGrew is a wealth advisor with The Harrison McGrewGroup of Morgan Stanley in Atlanta.

130+ companies started based on UGA research

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525+ products on the market

BLUEBERRY VARIETIES

ENHANCED VACCINE PRODUCTION

PEANUT VARIETiES TARGETED CANCER DRUGS

UGA licensing and startup operations have come together to streamline the path from discovery to economic development.

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his quarterback graduated from Moultrie High School in1973. After having been recruited by many colleges—

including Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Auburn (all ofwhom met his requirement that he “wanted to stay in theSouth”)— this man chose UGA. It was a good day when theUniversity of Georgia signed this All-State and High SchoolAll-American player.

Let’s see how Ray Goff did at Georgia where he letteredin ’74, ’75 and ’76. He scored five touchdowns, three runningand two passing, in a winning effort against Florida in 1976.(Now, isn’t this timely information?)

Ray was the captain of Georgia’s team in ’76. He was All-SEC in ’76. And, he was the SEC Player of the Year in ’76. Totop it off, he was seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Ray is in the Georgia-Florida Hall ofFame, (a player who scored five touchdownsin this game should be). And Ray is also inthe Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Let me repeat: It was a good day whenGeorgia signed Ray in 1973.

At the very young age of 33, whenVince Dooley stepped down as head footballcoach, Ray was named the head coach athis alma mater. Ray had a winning record,46 wins, 34 losses and 1 tie— but not a ster-ling record by UGA standards. My opinion:There were reasons for this that had noth-ing to do with Ray’s recruiting and coach-ing ability.

Georgia was still dealing with the “JanKemp affair” which, as the UGA faithfulknow, had to do with academic impropri-eties involving football players. Georgia,during the seven-year Goff tenure, could notsign athletes that the other Southeastern Conference schoolscould and did. In the super competitive SEC this was dead-ly. Nonetheless, Ray’s teams defeated Georgia Tech five outof the seven years he coached and, led by Garrison Hearst,UGA defeated Ohio State in the 1993 Citrus Bowl.

Impressive as all of this is, frankly, it’s not why Ray Goffis “my pick." Let me explain.

Chuck Byrd, my law partner at the time, and I represent-ed him when he was fired by Georgia in 1995. That’s when Ireally started getting to know him. That’s really when Ibegan to learn what a fine person it was for whom I wasworking. But, before I have my say, let me quote a few peo-ple who, like me, know Ray very well:

• Jim Minter, former sports writer for the Atlanta Journal and latereditor of the Atlanta Journal Constitution: “When my newspapercolleague Lewis Grizzard was critically ill in Emory UniversityHospital he missed the G-Day game in Athens. He called thehead coach to ask about it. Instead of answering over the tele-phone, Ray Goff got in his car, drove 60-plus miles to Atlanta, andspent two hours visiting Lewis in his hospital room. That was myfirst inkling of who Ray Goff really is. Since that time, I’ve heardand known about Ray’s countless visits to his former players andcoaches in times of sickness, financial trouble or just bad luck.Ray Goff is a big man with an even bigger heart. And, as myfriend and his friend Lewis Grizzard would certainly say, he is “aGreat Georgian, a Great American and a damn good Dawg.”

• Dickie Clark, roommate of Ray’s where theyboth played football at UGA and active with Rayin the Fellowship of Christian Athletes: “He hasa heart as big as an ocean. He is a loyal anddependable friend. I’ve seen him help many for-mer players with whom he played and coached.”

• Dink NeSmith, a long-time friend of RayGoff’s: “As a member of the athletic board, Iwas in the room when Ray was offered thehead coaching job. We were in Jacksonville forthe Gator Bowl. He had to borrow socks for theinterview. I was most impressed that he neverasked about pay. He just said ‘I love theUniversity of Georgia, and would be honoredtocoach the Bulldogs!’ By the way, his startingsalary was $90,000 a year.”

• Larry Walker, Ray’s friend: “I never dealt withanyone I thought was a finer person than Ray

Goff. He’s not perfect, but he treats others— rich, poor, black,white, the powerful and the meek, like you are supposed to treatyour fellow-man. If you don’t like Ray Goff, you just really don’tknow him.”

If you do know him, I believe that you will join me in saying“Ray Goff is my pick” not as a football coach, which is a job he’dnow never accept, but as a great and fine human being. Andmany thousands of Georgians would say, “Yes!”This article was previously published in The Macon Telegraph. It is used here withthe permission of that newspaper.

Larry Walker is a practicing attorney in Perry. He served 32 years inthe Georgia General Assembly and serves on the University SystemBoard of Regents.

L A R RY WA L K E RLWA L K E R @ W H G M L AW. C O M

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