BELLE ISLE TO ALBERS: HUH?

Republican David Belle Isle, battling for second place and a spot in the inevitable run-off with fellow D-56 state senate candidates Brandon Beach, the front-runner, and John Albers, jumped on the “Albers is the George O’Leary of Georgia politics” bandwagon.

Belle Isle questioned Albers’ claim in a published bio that he “had a leadership role in dozens of civic organizations.”

“Which civic organizations? Who are they? What is his ‘leadership role’ in each one?” Belle Isle asked. “He needs to start defining his claims with evidence.”

Albers has been under fire recently from charges of embellishing his resume and allegedly exaggerating the nature of several jobs he’s claimed by area business leaders, including the former Group President of AT&T Global Services, Roswell resident Dick Anderson.

Belle Isle says he also doubts Albers’ recent claims of having over 300 campaign volunteers. “I have many more volunteers at this breakfast meeting than he has here,” Belle Isle said, pointing to a sea of “Belle Isle” supporters, sporting their candidate’s signature blue t-shirts who filled up nearly three tables at a Saturday morning Republican rally in Roswell. “So I’d like to know where they all are.” One Belle Isle backer wondered how many of Albers’ volunteers were real -- “or at least over 12 years old.”

ALBERS: STOP THE NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING

Meanwhile, Albers implored his opponents to stop the “negative campaigning” and “focus on the issues.” But in the next breath he called for tougher ethics reform and said “no more hunting trips” for officials, an obvious broadside on GDOT Board member and election opponent Beach, who was criticized for accepting a free hunting weekend from a now discredited and bankrupt business insurance crony by the media last fall. The hunting host had no business contracts, pending or otherwise, with the DOT, and nothing came of the trip.

But Beach campaign chairman Al Nash, a noted area developer, wasted no time in firing right back. “John Albers’ false and exaggerated resume and campaign claims are at issue here,” Nash said. “Questioning potentially false statements he commonly makes is not negative campaigning. It’s called truth seeking.”

WENDELL GETS IN THE ACT

House Judiciary Chairman Wendell Willard (R-Sandy Springs) has not yet made an endorsement in the race, but he did take exception to some of Belle Isle’s campaign literature. Particularly irksome to Willard was one Belle Isle flyer that ended with this statement: “We Don’t Need Any More Republicans In State Government…We Need More Conservatives.”

“Why doesn’t he be true to his campaign literature and run as an Independent if he feels that way?” Willard challenged. “If you say it, then mean it, and do it. Otherwise it’s mere offensive rhetoric.” The veteran legislator said many of his Republican state house and senate colleagues have worked tirelessly to move the state in a better, more conservative direction, while navigating through the worst state budget crisis and recession in 70 years without raising taxes.

When contacted, Belle Isle reversed course, and said he would soon take the statement off his literature because it was being misinterpreted. “I want to change the party from within, not from without,” Belle Isle said.

STRAW MEN AND STRAW POLLS

As serious journalists, the correspondents for this newspaper take little notice of “straw polls” -- as they are often silly and of little value. The genesis of this view was born out of first-hand experience. While working for the Jack Kemp for President campaign in 1988, our national campaign manager, Ed Rollins, had us go all out to win a February straw poll at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in D.C, held in early February. We worked feverishly and won. But the victory was short-lived and hollow. Kemp finished fourth in the New Hampshire primary two weeks later -- we barely beat out Delaware Gov. Pete Dupont. Fourteen days later Kemp got blown out on Super Tuesday with a combined two percent of the vote. We packed our bags and went home, campaign over. So much for our “straw poll” result. It’s so much theater.

But we’ll break precedent and report that Roswell Republican Rep. Harry Geisinger’s pari-mutuel horse racing resolution won a GOP straw poll victory at a Dunwoody Republican convention last week, by nearly three to one. So maybe at least some Republicans recognize Harry’s pending legislation for what it really is: a jobs bill, not a gambling guise.

BALLS IN THE AIR

Remember Ray Boyd, the $2 million man? Well, he wouldn’t sign the benign, toothless and mainly ceremonial Republican Party pledge so the state’s GOP lawyers wouldn’t let him qualify to run as a Republican in his quixotic gubernatorial quest.

Boyd, not to be bullied, took his bat and ball and went home, promising to run for Georgia governor as an Independent instead. He’ll need to collect about 55,000 signatures by July 13 to qualify for a November ballot position. But he’s dumped $2 million in his campaign, so that’s about $40 per petition, if he uses a paid service, so it’s certainly doable.

Boyd’s bigger challenge is what comes next.

In reading one of his campaign flyers, which he handed out at an event, he definitely believes he has “what it takes” to get it done. He claims he has the “testicular fortitude” to change the state.

Is he suggesting his opponents don’t measure up?