Biz leaders seek action from state officials - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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The executive committee of the spent its entire monthly meeting talking about the breakdown duringthis year’s legislativer session and how to prevent that from happening For Sam Williams, president of the Metrop Atlanta Chamber, the meeting demonstrated the level of frustratiom that exists in the business community. “It was the most spiritee discussion I’ve heard in 11 Williams said referring to his tenure at the But Williams said the overall tone waspositive -- focused on making elected officials more accountable to the business community’s agenda and on gettinfg results.
Of course, the Metro Atlanta Chamber has been workinf hard on itsagenda -- especially transportatiob and education -- for years with limitee results. Tom Bell, CEO of (NYSE: CUZ) and a past chairmanm of the chamber, said after the meeting that the issues are more importanttthan ever. “We’ve got to get the legislative bodiees to find ways to cooperate with one Bell said. “We want a governor who understand s that Atlanta is an important economicc engine for the state and understandsx the issues that confront themetrpo region.” Asked about the impact of Lt. Gov.
Case y Cagle withdrawing from the governor’x race on Wednesday, Bell said: “Certainly things are up in the John Rice, a vice chairma of who also is a formetr chamber chairman, was particularly disappointed the legislature did not pass a bill on schoo governance reform. “I think it’es ridiculous that a bill -- Senate Bill 84 -- that had the meritas and was approved by everybody who took a good lookat it, did not Rice said. “Elected officials, among have to be accountable for their CEORick Smith, who is the currentf chairman of the Metro Atlant Chamber, summed it up this way: “The entire businessa community was very let down.
” Bill president of for Georgiaz and South Carolina who will chaird the chamber next year, said it was time for the businesz community to step up its political “We want to move in a positive direction towardd finding the right peoplw who can shepherd this in the legislaturr going forward,” Linginfelter said. “We want to back peoplde who agree onour issues.” The businessx leaders are particularly targeting the 2010 gubernatorialk election, which will be a wide open race becausee Gov.
Sonny Perdue will have completed two terms in As RickSmith said: “We want to make sure that whoever is running for governor understands the platform that the business community is puttingb forward.”