About The Lee County ledger. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1978-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 2019)
Submitted Photo LCPS Kindergarten December Model Students Front row: Hudson Flournoy, Skyler Gilbert, Sayler Page, David Edmondson. Middle row: Than Lam, Autumn Smothers, Amarie Clark, Bentley Hall. Back 1: Grade Tabb, Kathryn Thaggard, TJ Bowser. Back 2: Timothy Lovern, Kaitlyn Bradshaw. Not pictured are Samuel Floyd and Gemma Daniels. Submitted Photo LCPS First Grade December Model Students Front row: Keaton Moss, Russ Dowdy, Nyla Fluellen, Parker Minett. Middle row: Livie Grace Kelley, Cohen Kinnett, Arnov Paudel, Grayson Getek. Back row: Walker Evans, Carla Malone, Ava Mays, Joseph Edwards. Submitted Photo LCPS Second Grade December Model Students Front row: Levi Kelley, Yash Patel, Haley Williams, Faith Wilson. Middle: Kalli Lindsey, Kaden Cox, Lexi McCrary, Harlee Sheffield. Back row: Levi Lynam, Pedro Utrero. Not pictured: Londyn Williams. The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, January 9, 2019, Page 7A Make Civility and Civics a Winning Combo in 2019 Special to the Ledger By Benita M. Dodd A good man passed away on January 2nd. Bob Hanner, 73, had served 38 years in the Georgia General As sembly, transitioning from South Georgia Democrat to South Georgia Republican be fore leaving the Legisla ture in 2013. Most people have forgotten why he left. A census-based reappor tionment, coupled with a declining Southwest Georgia population, meant Hanner, repre sentative from the 148th District (Parrott), and Gerald Greene, who had served the 149th District (Cuthbert) for 30 years, would have to face each other in the newly drawn 151st House District. “We talked about it - knew it was com ing - and I told Bob I wouldn’t run if he decided to,” Greene told The Albany Herald in 2012. “Of course, Bob being the person he is, he said he wouldn’t run if I decided to. That’s kind of the secret we’ve kept between us for a while now.” “Everyone in this posi tion comes to that time in their life, when they know the time is right (to step down),” Greene said. “Bob came to me and said, ‘It’s time to enjoy my grandchildren, time to enjoy my life.’” In the same article, Georgia State Rep. Ed Rynders called Hanner “a master of old-school politics,” telling the newspaper, “He never offended anyone; he had an even-tempered ap proach to difficult situa tions and difficult votes. Simply put, Rep. Hanner was always a gentleman. The respect he got was genuine; everyone likes Bob.” In the early 2000s, Georgia was working on a statewide compre hensive water plan. By 2002, Georgia’s farmers and metro Atlanta were dealing with three years of drought; ironically, in the week Hanner died, Atlanta’s annual rainfall was reported at 70-plus inches, the second wet test since record-keep ing began in 1878. Hanner, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, was appointed by Gov. Roy Barnes as co-chair of the Joint Compre hensive Water Study Committee. Then a Democrat, he discussed the proposals with the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. “He was the epitome of a Southern political person,” recalls Rogers Wade, then president of the Foundation. “He understood the need to represent his rural constituents while safeguarding the entire state.” It was the proverbial splitting of the baby when the committee unveiled the plan to al locate water for agri culture, environment, industry and residential use. “Some folks like some things; some folks don’t. You don’t get ev erything you want,” was Hanner’s sage response. Hanner embraced a standard of statesman ship for Georgia. He was honorable in his ef forts to collaborate with allies and opponents. He understood compro mise. He was always courteous and civil. He graciously accepted change as he humbly, quietly stepped down for the sake of progress. He was a public servant to the end, and a gentle man at all times. Hanner’s style of bipartisan collegiality has all but disappeared in Washington and is growing rare under the Gold Dome. Times and temperaments have changed in Georgia, as was demonstrated in the hard-fought, massively funded, nationalized, drawn-out elections of 2018. Bruised pride and battered egos will take a while to heal in Georgia. The question is, do Georgia’s elected officials have the ability and willingness to cease hostilities and embrace civility, collegiality and a united sense of pur pose in the new session? Georgia’s population is growing and demo graphics are changing; the state can’t wait any longer for Washing ton’s vitriol to dissipate. Enhancing Georgians’ academic achievement, transportation, eco nomic opportunity and health and well-being across the state must originate in the state. It can happen only if elected officials and policymakers on both sides of the aisle under stand, like Bob Hanner did, that they have to set aside grandstanding and play on the state team. Benita M. Dodd is vice president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an in dependent, nonprofit think tank that pro poses market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. South Georgia’s Only Full Service Concrete Provider Concrete • Sand Gravel • Septic Tanks Call Bryan Bridged 229-759-6300 cell 229-006-9991 dBSSBEI leeredimix@gmail. com This Week’s Super Buys! Family Pack GROUND BEEF *2.49 HAMBURGER HELPER 4/*5 216 Walnut Ave. US 19 N. Leesburg 759-6286 Will You Be Able To Hear Her Say “I Do”? Don’t miss those once in a lifetime moments. Let Ralph Jackson help you hear every little word! Ralph Jackson? Experience • Service • Trust, Honesty, Integrity • Pricing OPEN M0N.-THURS. 8:30am-4:30pm; FRI. 8:30am-3:00pm 15 Ralph Jackson Hearing Aid Services, Inc. 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