Statement from Rep. Jim Cole Concerning the Secretary of State’s Position

“Governor Perdue has been a great friend and mentor for years now, and I have the utmost respect for him. While it was a great honor to be considered for the position of Secretary of State, after much prayer and reflection with my wife and family, I have decided to respectfully withdraw my name from consideration.

For the last six months, my wife Gaylyn and I have been planning to transition out of public service. Over the last several months, I have been exploring many different opportunities at Mercer University that would afford me more time with my young children and at the same time provide exciting career opportunities. We had planned to announce after the legislative session that I would not seek re-election in order to take one of these opportunities at Mercer.

The vacancy of the Secretary of State’s office and the Governor’s consideration of me for this position has been an unexpected whirlwind. At first, it seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime. Yet, as the emotions of the moment settled down over the weekend, Gaylyn and I thought through this issue carefully and knew that it would be best for our family to continue with our original plan.

This has not been an easy decision. I am profoundly grateful to the Governor for his confidence in me and the opportunities he has given me.

Serving middle Georgia in the House has been a tremendous honor. The future will hold many things, and I hope to return to public life when my most important priority – my children – are well on their way to success in life.

Jim Cole

Rep. Jim Cole
Administrative Floor Leader
Georgia House of Representatives
P.O. Box 787
Forsyth, GA 31029

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Governor Appoints Brian Kemp Secretary of State

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue today announced that he is appointing former State Senator Brian Kemp as Secretary of State. Kemp, who served in the state senate from 2002 to 2006, is a current candidate for Secretary of State. He will serve out the remainder of the current term through the end of 2010. He will also continue his campaign this year and run for the full four-year term which begins in 2011.

“I have known Brian for several years, and he has shown a strong dedication and commitment to public service,” said Governor Perdue. “His leadership abilities and integrity will be a great asset to Georgia and the Secretary of State’s office.”

“I greatly appreciate the Governor’s confidence and am honored to serve the people of Georgia in this vital office,” Kemp said. “I will continue the honorable tradition of leadership demonstrated by Karen Handel, Cathy Cox, Lewis Massey , and others before them. I am eager to get started and deliver for the people of Georgia .”

Former Secretary of State Karen Handel stepped down last week to focus full time on her gubernatorial bid.

Kemp is a small business owner, specializing in real estate investments and property management, and serves on the board of St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens . In the state senate, Kemp served as Chair of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, Vice-chair of the Higher Education Committee, Secretary of the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, and on the Appropriations Committee.

Kemp is married to the former Marty Argo. They have three daughters and live in Athens where they are active members of the Emmanuel Episcopal Church. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia.

This entry was posted by Bill Simon, on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 6:21 pm and is filed under Georgia Races and You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.