Rein in those lobbyists — after you have their cash

Fund-raising wasn’t the only reason Karen Handel resigned her job as secretary of state.
It’s hard to run as an outsider against your fellow Republicans if you still have an office in the state Capitol.

In a speech to more than 300 women at the top of the Perimeter, Handel decried the atmosphere “sex, lies and lobbyists” that surrounds the Legislature each winter.

My AJC colleague Aaron Gould Sheinin has the details here.

Signaling that the speech was the beginning of a theme, Handel quickly sent out this personal Twitter message, which picked up some Democratic phrasing:

Discussed the culture of corruption under the gold dome today. Went over very well.

You’ll remember that, when his ex-wife revealed that House Speaker Glenn Richardson indeed had an affair with a lobbyist, Handel was the first and only GOP candidate for governor to call for his resignation.

Handel also gave this quote to WXIA-TV, which may get more scrutiny as the campaign progresses, about the masculine culture that dominates the Capitol:

“To be told in my first days of being secretary of state, that the best way to get my legislation through in the Legislature was to make sure I had a young hottie as my legislative person, was rather disturbing.”

It’s clear that, if you’re a lobbyist – male or female – you’ll have a target on your back when lawmakers assemble on Monday. Some sort of ethics legislation is a certainty.

But first, to add to the humiliation, all lobbyists must be drained of whatever cash they have. As alluded to above, the ban on fund-raising by lawmakers and other state officials goes into effect as soon as the session begins.

One well-connected contact counted up 24 cash events scheduled for the first four days of this week, to benefit 42 lawmakers and caucuses. The beneficiaries can be found below:

Jan. 4:

4:30-6 p.m.: WENDELL WILLARD @ 5 Seasons Brewery.

Jan. 5:

1 to 3 p.m.: MITCH SEABAUGH & RENEE UNTERMAN @ Six Feet Under (Memorial Drive location).

3 – 4:30 p.m.: LARRY O’NEAL & RON STEPHENS @ 191 Club.

3 -5 p.m.: JIM BUTTERWORTH, CHIP PEARSON, PRESTON SMITH, JOHN WILES @ Six Feet Under (Memorial Drive location).

4:30- 6 p.m.: JACK HILL, BURKE DAY, JON BURNS, ANN PURCELL @ 191 Club.

5:30-7 p.m.: TIM BEARDEN @ Neighbors Pub.

5:30 p.m.: HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS @ Rep. Kathy Ashe’s home.

Jan. 6:

3 -4:30 p.m.: DON THOMAS, BILL HAMRICK, BUDDY CARTER @ 191 Club.

3 – 5 p.m.: TOM KNOX @ The Commerce Club.

3 – 5 p.m.: DAVID CASAS, BROOKS COLEMAN, HOWARD MAXWELL, DONNA SHELDON- Six Feet Under (11th Street location).

4 -5:30 p.m.: BILL COWSERT, JOHN CROSBY, JOHNNY GRANT & DAN WEBER @ Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center.

5 -7 p.m.: EARL EHRHART @ The Georgian Club.

5 – 7 p.m.: EDWARD LINDSEY @ Capital Grille.

5:30- 7:30 p.m.: GEORGIA SENATE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS @ 191 Club
ROBERT BROWN, TIM GOLDEN, GLORIA BUTLER, DOUG STONER, LESTER JACKSON, VALENCIA SEAY, NAN ORROCK, EMANUEL JONES.

5:30- 7:30 p.m.: MARGARET KAISER @ Vesuvius Restaurant.

5:30-7 p.m.: TOMMIE WILLIAMS & CHIP ROGERS @ GA Tech Hotel & Conference Center.

6 – 8 p.m.: JEFF MULLIS @ Architectural Accents.

Jan. 7:

3 -4:30 p.m.: GREG MORRIS @ Troutman Sanders.

3 -4:30 p.m.: JAY ROBERTS & ALLEN PEAKE @ 191 Club.

4:30-6 p.m.: BEN HARBIN @ 191 Club.

4:30-6 p.m.: JAN JONES @ JOIA Restaurant & Lounge.

5 – 8 p.m.: CLAY COX @ McKenna Long & Aldridge.

5:30 – 7 p.m.: CASEY CAGLE @ Ansley Golf Club.

6 -8 p.m.: DAVID RALSTON @ 1202 West Peachtree St. 49th Floor.

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