The Public Record

The Players: Georgia State Sen. Michael Williams appeared on CNN this week and was interviewed by Victor Blackwell. One of the topics they discussed was the allegation that Donald Trump used the N-word in a taping of The Apprentice. More on Williams' viewpoint in a moment. Astute readers may remember that Williams was actually a candidate for Governor in the July republican primary and that he gained national attention for driving a "deportation bus" around the state, stopping in cities he claimed were sanctuary cities. Williams also responded to the Boy Scouts' decision to allow girls into the scouting program…

The Players: More audio of a secretly recorded conversation in May between Casey Cagle and fellow republican Clay Tippins. This portion of the recording was released by Brian Kemp's campaign. So, your players in this one are all republicans, Cagle and Kemp are running against each other in the July runoff and Tippins is a former gubernatorial candidate who lost in the May 22 primary.  The Background: The audio clip released by the Kemp campaign is part of a larger conversationrecorded by Tippins without Cagle's knowledge, so their conversation was not initially public, but has been made public. This is…

The Setting: At a senate press briefing about spending cuts, republican senators were bombarded by questions from reporters about children being separated from their parents at the border. Perdue stepped in and ended the press briefing, stating that the debt issue was a crisis and the most important issue in America today. The Quote: "I just want to make sure this few minutes that we had, didn't get hijacked about the current shiny object of the day." Background: As you're probably aware, America's immigration policies have escalated into a crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Under an immigration policy the Justice…

The Players: In a speech given to the World Health Care Conference in Washington D.C., former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price spoke candidly about the impact of repealing the individual mandate portion of the Affordable Health Care Act. He would later clarify his remarks. The Quote: Here is what Price said at the conference relating to the repeal of the individual mandate and how it affects the health care exchanges. “That may help, but it still is nibbling at the side… And there are many — and I’m one of them — who believes that that actually will…

Background: The Boy Scouts of America announced yesterday that as part of their continuing efforts to include more girls in the scouting program, they would be dropping the word "Boy," from Boy Scouts. The name of the umbrella organization will continue to be Boy Scouts of America, but the programs will be Cub Scouts, Scouts and Eagle Scouts. The Players: A decision like this from the Boy Scouts is certain to become a lightning rod for controversy, particularly among conservative groups who started breakaway groups several years ago. Enter Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Michael Williams. Williams, who recently received an endorsement…

“Because public men and women are amenable ‘at all times’ to the people, they must conduct the public’s business out in the open.”Charles L. Weltner Sr., former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court What is this?: The Public Record is a recurring feature on this website where we present recent quotes by public officials or candidates. You may not be able to attend every public meeting or candidate forum, but you still have a right to know what your representatives and those who hope to represent you have been saying. Quotes for these entries are usually chosen based on…

The Players: In an exchange between former Griffin City Commissioner Larry Johnson, who is white, and current City Commissioner Rodney McCord, who is black, Johnson used the N-word three times to describe an area near where he grew up. The rest of the city commission also has a role in this exchange as well. The Context: The city of Griffin proclaims April to be Confederate History Month each year. Johnson spoke to the commission during the public comment portion of a March 27 meeting to show his support of the proclamation and was addressing McCord, whom he had served on…

The Players: State Rep. Betty Price, of Roswell, was caught on video admitting something voters have long assumed about state politics, but didn't necessarily want to hear from a lawmaker. She was in an elevator talking to Mary Carol Harsch, the widow of John Harsch, who was killed by a distracted driver while cycling with a group of friends. Harsch's friend recorded the exchange. The Background: Price had just voted against a distracted driving bill in a committee meeting and was asked by the widow why she voted no. The bill, in case you were wondering, made it out of…

The Players: Former Georgia Congressman Jack Kingston, who lost his recent senate bid, appeared on CNN Tuesday morning and claimed that Parkland High School students who were organizing protests for gun control were being manipulated by anti-gun liberals. The Quote: This is not the first time Kingston has made this claim in recent days. In addition to his comments on CNN, he also sent out a tweet on Sunday specifically naming George Soros as the culprit behind the protest efforts. He was asked during his CNN appearance to clarify his tweet. Here is the quote from his CNN appearance: “I…

The Players: State Rep. Betty Price, while speaking at the Fulton County GOP breakfast, read a list she found on the Internet about the differences between republican women and liberal women. Unfortunately for Price, a member of the audience was recording the speech on a cell phone and that recording landed in the hands of The Laurens County Democratic Party, who promptly posted it on Facebook. Price, as you probably already know, is the wife of former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who resigned in September after it was discovered that he chartered private jets on the taxpayers' dime.…