Roswell civic leader John Albers declared today he will seek the Republican nomination for State Senate District 56. The seat is being vacated by the retirement of Senator Dan Moody.

“For the past 4 terms we have been blessed with Senator Dan Moody representing the 56th district with honor and integrity. With Senator Moody’s pending retirement in 2010, there are big shoes to fill and it is with a humble heart and passion for service that I am announcing my candidacy”, said Albers.

“Senator Moody has been very gracious with his time meeting and counseling me through this process”,said Albers.

Albers is an active community leader and family man. The father of two boys, John has been active in the Boy Scouts and coaching youth sports. He is a fourth generation firefighter volunteering in Alpharetta and also serves as the Chairman of the Public Safety Foundation.

A successful small business owner and corporate executive, John has turned his passion for serving others into leadership roles in dozens of community, civic and faith based organizations.

He and his wife of over 16 years, Kari, have two terrific sons Will & Ryan, ages 13 and 6. The Albers are active members of Roswell United Methodist Church.

Said Albers, “My faith and conservative principles inspire my drive to serve others and lead by example. I want to take that same work ethic to the State Senate to serve every person in our community.”

“Elected officials work for their constituents, not personal interests, so I encourage the voters to send me an email or call. In the coming months, voters across our district will be hearing a lot more from me and my plan for traffic relief, lower taxes, and better support for our schools in the coming months. I hope my proven record of service and conservative vision for our future will earn the vote and support of the people of this Senate District.” Albers launched a campaign website for more information at www.votealbers.com.

I promised the volunteers a full version of this image. Please see it here: Rep. Tom Price and Volunteers

Well I went to my first political rally in many many years today and despite a few rain showers in Dacula, the event was very nice. Attendees were able to meet a handful of statewide candidates including some for the big office under the Gold Dome. 

 

I got there a little after 12 and was in the food line when the speeches started so I had a front row view for Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, Ray McBerry and Rep. Melvin Everson, R-Snellville.  Oxendine, Scott and McBerry are running for Governor and Everson is running for Labor Commissioner. Other statewide candidates were there but I got busy eating and mingling and missed most of their speeches. I left around 2:15 p.m. and I don’t know if Sec. of State Karen Handel, Sen. Eric Johnson, R-Savannah or U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal showed up, the rest of the candidates for Governor.

 

I was able to snap a few pictures so look below. I look forward to attending more of these local rallies so I can get to know the candidates, the staff, the consultants and ultimately the kingmakers…

I found this in the AJC today. 

 

Sen. John Wiles, R-Kennesaw, will hold a town hall meeting Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at the North Cobb Senior Center in Acworth. Wiles will give an update on legislation passed during the latest legislative session and listen to concerns from residents. 

 

I can’t make it, so if anyone goes, send me an update…

On Friday, I finally received a notecard from the Voter Registration Office – more than two months after I moved.  It revealed my Georgia legislators – Rep. Harry Geisinger, R-Roswell and Sen. Dan Moody, R-Alpharetta. 

 

Time to say hello.

What happens to legislators when they leave office? Do they leave politics forever? I’m just wondering what happened to some of the Cobb legislators I used to cover as a reporter. Maybe some of you can help me find them or point me in the right direction. If they still want to have a voice, they can certainly use 120Politics to vent. All they have to do is contact me.

So where are the following:

Former Sen. Robert Lamutt
Former Sen. Charlie Tanksley
Former Rep. Frank Bradford
Former Rep. Randy Sauder
Former Rep. Mitchell Kaye
Former Rep. George Grindley Jr.

I’ll publish press releases, interview candidates, draft my opinions about issues, but what I really want is to talk to the kingmakers. You know who I’m talking about. The campaign consultants. The seasoned veterans that put on the big show. The ones who live off of campaign adrenaline. The money men. The gadflies. Those are the characters I want to hear from. 

The kingmakers are the ones who pull reporters aside and give them the real story, before and after the interview with the candiates. The kingmakers I knew were the ones in the back of the crowded room, with subtle smirks on their faces. I’ve been out of the game for a few years. I need to understand how it’s played in a digital, wireless world. 

So pass a few names, emails, Twitter addresses or Facebook profiles to me. I’d like to see who the players are.

I’ve chosen the WordPress theme to use and slowly started to tweak things here at the 120Politics.com blog. 

Just an idea of what I’m going to be talking about in coming months and years…

Georgia House and Senate news and campaigns for seats in Cobb, Cherokee, Fulton, Gwinnett, Douglas and Paulding – and any others that seem interesting or relevant. I’ll be discussing statewide and federal elections in regards to north metro candidates or local reactions to those campaigns. 

Twitter will be part of my social media to spread the news, so please follow me at https://twitter.com/120politics.

Also, check out the About 120Politics page here to learn more.