Georgia County Government - March 2008 - (Page 11)

GuestEditorial Our Future Depends on Statesmanship By Casey Cagle Georgia Lt. Governor Leadership – real, principled leadership – is about moving forward. It requires laying out a bold vision for our future and charting a course to get us there. lot has happened in our state in the past year. We have faced some challenges, and we clearly have had some conflicts. But while the media love to play up our feuds and our failures, they do not do as much to talk about our successes. And, despite what many people may think, we did have some success last year. First, I want to take this opportunity up front to thank Governor Sonny Perdue for his steadfast stewardship of this state. I am confident in his management and his desire to leave it better than he found it. I also want to thank Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson for his hard work on behalf of Georgia, especially for challenging each of us to analyze the tax code and to find solutions for property owners. It is a noble cause. Our successes from the past year have certainly built momentum going into this session. Now, it is up to us to maximize that momentum in a positive way. And we can only do this by choosing a path of principled leadership over political expediency. In short, our future depends on our ability to be statesmen. Being elected to public service is a huge privilege. It is not a rite of passage. Public servants are entrusted to act on the citizens’ behalf – a trust that has to be earned, not forced. Once we have earned that trust, we have an obligation not to abuse it but to guard it with integrity. And use it to influence public policy in a way that brings about positive change. Every day since I took my oath of office, I have reminded myself never to forget where I came from and to always strive to have our citizens’ best interests at heart. I did not run for lieutenant governor for the title. I ran for lieutenant governor to create a Georgia where the hopes and dreams of all Georgians can be realized. To make lives better by defining problems and presenting solutions. A The statesman is focused on the future. He seeks to avoid conf lict, rising above it to serve the greater interests of our citizens. He says, “I have a plan to make our lives better. And I want you to follow me not because of my title or my power, but because our solution moves us in the right direction.” The real statesman puts people first and ego last. I believe 2008 will be a critical time for our state. Our economy is showing signs of slowing down, threatening to tip us into recession. We are facing a water crisis and a transportation crisis. The circumstances we face this year require focus and resolve. The citizens of our state are looking for true leadership to address these important issues. So, we need to remember that our duty as public servants is to think and act bigger than ourselves. At the end of the day, Georgians want results, and they don’t care who gets the credit. They want good jobs and to be able to send their children to good schools. When they see infighting and divisiveness, it causes questioning about our motives and doubt about our ability to lead this state where it needs to go. We need to act on principles and to stop acting on politics. It is our moment in time, our opportunity to leave our state better than when we found it. And we cannot afford to let it pass us by while we play games. Leadership – real, principled leadership – is about moving forward. It requires laying out a bold vision for our future and charting a course to get us there. It would be unacceptable to allow any individual or petty issue to distract us from finding real solutions to our most pressing problems. I am NOT interested in creating new entitlements or in raising taxes. I am certainly NOT interested in playing games. CAGLE continued on page 12 MARCH 2008 www.accg.org 11 http://www.accg.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - March 2008

Georgia County Government - March 2008 Contents President's Message County Matters Guest Editorial: Our Future Depends On Statesmanship Bryan County in Step With State Coastal Plan Solid Waste Management in Georgia Hazardous Waste Management in Georgia Extension News: Georgians Growing Older, Fatter County Parade Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - March 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.