Cover Story: Four who might be governor

It's somewhat comforting

that the four 40-something incumbents we endorse in this section have performed well in their current offices.

So many public officials are so lousy that competence is a welcome departure. Each — save perhaps, Taylor — now faces an overmatched opponent. All are favored heavily for re-election to their statewide offices.

So get to know the faces of Cathy Cox, John Oxendine, Taylor and Michael Thurmond. You're likely to see a lot more of them on TV ads in 2008 as they run for even higher office.

Lieutenant governor: Taylor tailors self to fit the job


Both Mark Taylor and Steve Stancil have proven themselves capable politicians. And both carry political baggage.

So the lieutenant governor's race boils down to a question of belief, as in: Do you believe Taylor, the Democratic incumbent, is pointing Georgia in the right direction, or do you believe Stancil would be a better navigator?

More pointedly, do you believe in education reform, the new flag and dealing aggressively with regional issues like transportation, water and land use? If so, you'll agree with us and opt for Taylor.

Don't let Stancil's countryfied manner and deep drawl confuse you. He's a sharp guy, and he was a respected and reasonable state representative.

The Cherokee County Republican offers an intriguing plan to encourage inner city development by reducing property taxes for those who rehabilitate their property. He favors growing Georgia businesses instead of handing out sweetheart deals to nab out-of-state corporations. He suggests an outside performance audit of the state's operations, an idea whose time clearly has come after 130 years of Democratic control has made Georgia a place prone to petty scandals.

What troubles us is that, much like GOP gubernatorial candidate Sonny Perdue, Stancil spends a lot of time tearing down ideas without offering many real solutions.

We wonder whether Stancil, a pro-Northern Arc real estate appraiser, has the guts to manage the state's out-of-control growth. And, when it comes to ethics reform, he doesn't help himself by failing to practice what he preaches: Stancil proposes strengthening the state's financial disclosures to include financial information on a candidate's relatives and clients; but instead of taking the lead on that issue, he himself has disclosed only the bare minimum under the law.

We have some reservations about Taylor. Our primary ethical concern can be stated in two words: Charles Walker. Walker, the Senate majority leader, has tarnished the Senate chamber, which the lieutenant governor oversees, with ethical lapses and shady business dealings. And Taylor, wary to lose the support of his most powerful ally, has shown no inclination to rein in Walker.

Beyond the dangers of one-party hegemony, the One Georgia Authority, which Taylor oversees, seems to us a pork-laden project designed to funnel tobacco settlement money to South Georgia rather than to the entire state's health needs.

But Taylor has an excellent command of the issues and enough experience in the Senate to know how to run things. He's built his campaign around such key concerns as education and public safety. He wisely promotes his role in the creation of the HOPE Scholarship program — he was Gov. Zell Miller's Senate floor leader — and in passing tough laws against violent felons, including a DNA database.

Now, he wants to crack down on truancy and pass a law that would make child endangerment a felony in Georgia. In truth, many of Taylor's top priorities echo Republican positions, and he has close ties to the well-heeled campaign contributors whose interests don't always coincide with those of ordinary Georgians.

But the lieutenant governor also is a smart, ambitious Democrat with aspirations for higher office. That means he has to satisfy some key Democratic constituencies, which means he must pay attention to justice issues, education and the environment. So when Taylor says he's interested in directing One Georgia money toward medical coverage for the million or so citizens who don't have health insurance, we're inclined to believe him.

Taylor's quick temper is well-known, and he admits to getting "frustrated by the redundant questioning" from Senate Republicans during his first year presiding over the chamber. He has moderated and matured since then, and deserves a chance to finish the jobs he and Barnes have started.

br>?Secretary of State: Punch (or press) a ballot for Cox


Georgia, meet the pro-chad candidate.Republican Richard Bailey is running for secretary of state as a proponent of the punch-card voting machine — father of the hanging chad and the pregnant chad that became infamous during Florida's presidential election recount. Talk about an issue that will get out the vote ... for your opponent.

Fact is, Secretary of State Cathy Cox's political future depends on her leadership in Georgia's very promising election reforms. Cox is shepherding computerized, touch-screen machines into the state's voting booths in time for the Nov. 5 election. It may be the most important election reform Georgia's seen since eliminating the poll tax. For perhaps the first time ever, the state might set a national standard for good democracy.

Bailey simply doesn't match up. He has a hard time articulating any of Cox's sins, let alone solutions to them. Instead, he heaps on criticisms that just don't compute. Case in point: He predicts the voting machines will lead to a breakdown in the vote-counting process similar to what happened last month in Florida's gubernatorial primary. The problem is that — unlike the Jeb Bush administration in Florida — Cox engineered a uniform, statewide transition to the new machines; required the contractor to train some 6,000 poll workers; and is devoting $4.5 million to educating citizens about the touch-screen voting booths.

Cox's thorough approach is typical of her workmanlike governing style, which is just the right match for a highly administrative office. In addition to elections, the secretary of state oversees more than 60 professional licensing boards and the corporate filings office. A former state representative from Southwest Georgia, she's led with quiet panache, even finding ways to save money by, for example, moving the boards to Macon.

While Bailey, a business consultant, complains that Cox is partisan, the secretary has proven anything but. For example, she's pushing to add Georgia to the 27 states that allow early voting a weekend or two before the election. The practice, which makes it easier for suburban commuters to get to the polls, would improve democracy at the state level. But it's drawn suspicion from leaders in both parties and has yet to make it through the Legislature. Still, Cox should be commended for damning the partisan torpedoes and moving full speed ahead with a non-partisan idea.

She is by far the more qualified candidate. Her political challenge lies not in defeating Bailey but — if those voting machines work — in figuring out her next career move.

br>?Insurance Commissioner: Oxendine has earned a third chance


There are reasonsto turn Republican John Oxendine out of the insurance commissioner's office. But none are strong enough to warrant endorsing his opponent, Lois Cohen.

In deciding to go with the incumbent, we weighed Oxendine's history of childish behavior (for example, he literally got his emergency light taken away after abusing the privilege of serving as state fire marshal). And we considered his gratuitous (and certainly costly) legal battle against the right of insurance providers to offer domestic partner benefits.

More troubling are Oxendine's campaign disclosures. They overflow with donations from insurance industry executives.

But there are two big arguments for keeping Oxendine.

The first is that Cohen isn't the right replacement. It concerns us that she has her own close ties to at least one insurance company. Her most recent job was with Miramar Securities in Columbus, a subsidiary of an investment firm founded by former Aflac executive Salvador Diaz-Verson. Cohen also is tight with the current brass at Columbus-based Aflac — tight enough to refer to Aflac Chairman Daniel Amos and chief counsel Joey Loudermilk as her good friends "Danny and Joey." Add that to her complete lack of experience in the insurance field and the fact that she's never held public office.

The other reason to back Oxendine is that he seems to have learned something after eight years as a public official. While he embroiled himself during his first term in petty scandal after petty scandal, he seems to have settled into his job since then. Oxendine acknowledges that he had some growing up to do.

More importantly, he's held the line on most rate increases, and in some cases, has cracked down on companies that abused consumers. As of late May, his office had levied failure-to-comply fines against nine HMOs in 2002, bringing the fine total since 1999 to $2.3 million. He's also kept a running tally on complaints against the state's HMOs, so consumers can see which companies are doing the best job of satisfying their customers.

While the state continues to lag in offering innovative solutions to such big problems as the skyrocketing number of people without health insurance, Georgians continue to enjoy relatively low rates for auto, health and homeowners' insurance. Now, Oxendine says his sights are set on "paycheck lenders" who victimize poor people by lending them money at outrageous interest rates.

Oxendine is a flawed candidate. If he proves himself a closer ally of constituents than of campaign contributors, however, his third term could lay the groundwork for higher office.

br>?Labor Commissioner: Georgians lucky to have Thurmond


It's the rare public official who deserves not only re-election — but merits a standing ovation from voters.

Incumbent Democrat Michael Thurmond is just such a guy. The architect of the Georgia welfare reform program and a former state representative from Athens, Thurmond is smart, ethical, charismatic and effective. If that's not enough, he has a great sense of humor.

His opponent, Republican Richard McGee, is a disgruntled ex-employee of the Labor Department, who either intentionally spreads untruths about Thurmond or is too lazy to do his homework.

At the heart of McGee's disparagements is an assertion that Thurmond has "turned the Labor Department into a welfare department" that allows abuse and fraud in unemployment claims. Aside from the fact that this amounts to codeword race baiting, it just isn't true. Thurmond's office recently won acclaim from the U.S. Labor Department — in a GOP administration — for being the national leader in the prevention of overpayment and fraud. The federal agency reported that overpayment of claims in Georgia was a meager 2.1 percent — compared to a national average of 8.2 percent.

McGee also argues that Thurmond is anti-business. The truth? He's reduced unemployment taxes by $1.2 billion, while increasing Georgia's woefully low benefits.

And McGee claims Thurmond hasn't expanded the high-school oriented Jobs for Georgia Grads program from its original 17 schools. Truth: Thurmond has more than doubled the number of locations to 37.

Among McGee's other deceits: He accuses Thurmond of centralizing the department in Atlanta (another thinly veiled appeal to racism). Truth: Any centralizing took place before Thurmond was elected four years ago.

Thurmond lives and breathes labor issues. He has been highly innovative in transforming "unemployment offices" into "job centers" located throughout the state. For the 577,000 Georgians who need the department's services each year, the agency's customer-oriented approach is a welcome relief compared to the dehumanizing policies of the past. He's also built new partnerships with technical schools designed to improve the skills of Georgia's workforce.

An occasional grumble about Thurmond is that his eye is set on higher office. First off, he's far too savvy not to recognize that the best way to run for governor is to become known as the nation's best labor commissioner. More important, his record so far indicates that voters would be lucky if they got the chance to promote him to higher office.

The only good thing about the GOP candidate is that the contest gives Georgians a refresher course on Thurmond's outstanding performance. He abundantly deserves a second term.??