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Seeking influence, Ga. governments hire lobbyists
by RAY HENRY,Associated Press
Jan 19, 2013 | 912 views | 1 1 comments | 1 1 recommendations | email to a friend | print
ATLANTA (AP) — When residents want to influence state policy, they can call their Georgia lawmaker. When their local governments want influence, they hire a lobbyist.

Despite having elected lawmakers, some Georgia communities have turned to lobbyists to represent their interests at the Statehouse.

Small towns in north Georgia hired a former state lawmaker to seek money for local improvements like sidewalks and biking trails. Savannah has long had a lobbyist to fight for local funding and block moves that city authorities view as harmful.

Fulton County officials recently decided to act as their own lobbyists, rather than paying others to do it. Cobb County officials are debating whether they need a lobbyist, while their colleagues in DeKalb County are considering which one to hire.

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SKIPPY48
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January 19, 2013
My very recent experiences have shown me that the first sentence of this article is questionable. It hasn't done me any good to call, write, or email a congressman in Georgia. I have proof that all you receive is a "canned" generic response. These politicians are NOT interested in what you think or what concerns you. This goes for all political parties. The fact that local governments have to hire lobbyists to even be noticed or heard proves that the politicians don't care about you unless there is some gain for them by listening to a lobbyist. I sure hope that these local governments plan to raise the money by themselves to hire these lobbyists by holding bake sales, etc., and not taxing the citizens more. Yea, right!!!
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