This week’s Courier Herald column: It was January of 1975. Wheel of Fortune made its television premier. The Atlanta Falcons used the first pick of the NFL draft to add Steve Bartkowski from UCLA to their roster. And down at the Georgia capitol, 27-year-old Calvin Smyre of Columbus was sworn in for the first time
There will be a lot of institutional knowledge leaving the capitol this evening when the gavels bang Sine Die. None of them have served longer than Representative Calvin Smyre of Columbus. First elected in 1974, he’s served as a member of the majority and minority parties. He’s humble, but wields quiet power when needed and
Last week’s Courier Herald column: If you look around at any business, you’ll likely notice they’re short staffed. Georgia’s unemployment rate is at an all-time low, and help wanted signs are everywhere. Wages for entry level jobs are going up. While the official “minimum wage” hasn’t changed in over a decade, market forces remain at
Last week’s Courier Herald column: As the calendar turns to the second week of January, Georgia’s eyes begin to look to Atlanta. Some are looking for leadership in problem solving, some are looking for campaign fodder, and some are emulating NASCAR fans just hoping for a big crash. The annual meeting of the Georgia General
This week’s Courier Herald column: This is the week we “Spring Forward”. That’s both a public service announcement, as well as your warning that the semi-annual kerfuffle over time changes is about to inundate your social media feeds. Despite virtually every adult understanding that there are still only 24 hours in a day, and that
This week’s Courier Herald column: Candidates, partisan activists, and media members alike put too much focus on the differences between the political extremes rather than practical action steps necessary to actually solve problems. On one end of the spectrum you have those who want to get every government entity “small enough so they can get
We got a press release from the Georgia House press office regarding election results from today’s House Republican Caucus meeting. The Caucus re-elected its officers in key leadership positions and nominated Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) and Speaker Pro-Tempore Jan Jones (R-Milton) to their respective positions. You may remember that Rep. David Clark (R-Buford) was
State Representative David Clark (R-Buford) made an announcement on Facebook this afternoon stating that he would challenge incumbent Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) should he win re-election on November 3rd. You can read the announcement in its entirety: Representative Clark points to his resolution to remove Speaker Ralston from the chair during the 2019 legislative
This week’s Courier Herald column: With early voting locations open across Georgia and absentee ballots already being cast by mail, voters are discovering there’s a lot more going on than the race for President. Georgia has two U.S. Senate seats, two seats for the Public Service Commission, and all seats for Congress, State House, and
Editor’s Note: The following editorial was written by State Rep. Wes Cantrell (R-Woodstock). “Georgia schools have become a breeding ground for this pandemic.” This quote was attributed to my legislative colleagues by CBS Channel 46 News. When I contacted these colleagues about this outrageous quote, one of them invited me to join him in a
