ATLANTA – This year’s class of LEAD Athens participants had plenty of questions Thursday for state officials about medical marijuana, farm subsidies, legalized gambling and a host of other topics.
It’s part of the process, and most of the parade of speakers invited questions. Some even took informal polls.
The group of 30 young adults enrolled in the program of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce is spending the year learning about all sides of community issues in hopes that when they graduate, they’ll be prepared to pitch in with solutions as civic leaders. The daylong visit to the Capitol is an annual field trip to broaden their perspective and led by Carol Williams, a local real estate agent who learned her way around the Gold Dome as a member of the State Board of Education.
Many communities bring similar leadership classes to Atlanta while the General Assembly is in session, but the Athens group has an edge because many state bigwigs hail from the Classic City. That list includes Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens, Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, University System Chancellor Hank Huckaby, House Appropriations Chairman Terry England and Senate Majority Leader Bill Cowsert. All happen to be Republicans.
Black, for instance, explained how he is boosting niche farmers who sell to local restaurants through the Georgia Grown program.
“There’s no better place than Athens for local food,” he said. “It’s big everywhere, but especially in Athens.”
Cowsert talked about a list of Senate Republican priorities released to the media moments before he spoke. It includes protecting against terrorism, reducing the number of standardized tests in public schools and safeguarding religious preferences.
When asked about bills to expand legalized gambling for casinos and for horse racing, he asked for a show of hands in support of it. Most went up.
“I don’t have any sense of where these bills will go,” he said. “It’s going to be hotly debated.”
He noted that similar polls he’s taken from other recent groups he’s addressed have ranged from majority opposed to mixed.
“It’s all over the map,” he said.
Getting to hear from the state officials was informative said class member Robert Hiss, assistant manager of Athens-Clarke County.
“There are so many people in our LEAD Athens class from so many walks of life that there has been someone here of interest to everyone,” he said.
His personal interest?
“I enjoyed hearing from (Cowsert). Being majority leader, that’s an awful lot of power and influence for our city to have,” Hiss said.
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