James Magazine May-June 2020 - Magazine - Page 5
PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE
Musing about lawyers, politics, sippin’ local . . . and more.
hat was Georgia’s founder James Oglethorpe—
who this magazine is named after— thinking?
As the only British colony governed by Oglethorpe
and a board of trustees, it was also the only one to ban
lawyers. As far as I can ascertain from my research,
this edict fell apart after 20 years when some politician
wanting to make a name for himself found some aspiring lawyer who probably sued, and then the colony realized it needed a lawyer to defend its anti-lawyer law.
Indeed, the world of politics all too often intersects
with the law. That is why we annually devote a large
portion of our May-June issue to a chronicle of the
Peach State’s latter-day legal movers-and-shakers. It
is our way to inform readers about Georgia’s “Most
Influential Politically-Connected Attorneys.” And on
page 11 in my prologue I explain how James came up
with those named. (By the way, since there’s obviously
not enough space to write about every state Supreme
Court justice, state Court of Appeals judge and district
attorney, we list them in charts.) Ultimately, we hope
our listing— a one-of-a-kind in Georgia— serves as an
informative “snapshot in time.”
The General Assembly, legislation that affects us
all and the elected lawmakers who serve in that body
are also a recurring theme with James, so that’s why
we enlisted former legislator and attorney Larry Walker
to write what we feel is a moving essay on the recent
deaths and legacy of three well-respected solons.
As for a prominent Georgian who moves easily in
both the political and business world, we re-connected
with a great example who we feature in the “CEO Spotlight”: businessman Virgil Williams. Find out why staff
writer Baker Owens says the story of Williams’ career
“is really the story of Georgia and metro Atlanta over
the last 50 years.”
Switching gears, we weigh in on aspects of the
coronavirus and its devastating health and economic
impact. In this context, we present a special report
from a great political crystal ball gazer— the University
of Georgia’s Professor Chuck Bullock— regarding the
virus and its effect on voter participation in our elections. Furthermore, a must-read is staff writer Cindy
Morley’s article on how Georgia’s severely damaged
but vital hospitality/convention industry is readying
to bounce back. A thought-provoking article, too, is
Dana’s Rickman’s take on how Georgia must deal
with the statewide school closures and a disruption in
education. A cogent question is posed: “How are we
preparing for recovery?”
Finally, regular readers know that James occasionally reports on a Georgia city, county or region. This
time, yours truly focuses on where Georgia’s second
most-populous county— Gwinnett— was 20 years ago
and where its heading now.
Quite a diverse array of features and articles for
this issue.
READERS’ TOP PICKS FOR
WINERIES, DISTILLERIES & BREWERIES
On the lighter side, we conducted— partnering
with the Georgia Restaurant Association, Atlanta Wine
and Beer Festivals, Georgia Distillers Association and
the Hospitality Business Network Foundation— a fun
online Sippin’ Local poll of our readers’ favorite Georgia
wineries, distilleries and breweries. And we were gratified to receive thousands of votes!
The top 10 vote getters in each category are listed— and the winners in each category are featured by
Atlanta’s well-known food expert Skye Estroff. Now we
know where to visit!
PHIL KENT CEO & PUBLISHER
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JAMES
M AY/JUNE 2020
