February is Leadership month in Georgia.

On Wednesday, February 20, the 2008 class of Leadership Dawson travelled to the state capitol.  The group visited briefly with Lt. Governor Casey Cagle as he was preparing to enter the Senate Chambers and convene the morning session.

The group met Governor Perdue, Senator Pearson and Representative Ralston for a formal picture taking ceremony.  The class then observed the House of Representatives from the gallery before breaking for lunch.

After lunch the class was able to tour the capitol building on their own. Some visited the Senate Gallery and others visited the museum. The last meeting of the day was a briefing by Senator Pearson on the key issues being addressed by both chambers.  

Doris Cook, chairperson of the Leadership Committee stated, “Many of the class members had not had the opportunity to meet their state delegation in person. It was a great day for Leadership Dawson to learn first hand about state government.” 

Leadership Committee members Clark Beusse with the University of Georgia Extension for Dawson County and Linda Williams, with the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce, also accompanied the group to Atlanta.  Williams stated, “We all learned that the schedules of our legislators are very full. We stressed to the class that the Senator’s and Representative’s appointments and commitments change constantly and therefore our agenda for the day was very flexible.” 

James Hunt of Sojourn Tours was the professional driver for the day. A grant from the Rural Development Council funded the excursion. 

Leadership Dawson 2008 began with classes in early January. The class meets every other week, and will graduate in April.  For more information about Leadership Dawson, contact Linda  Williams at the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce. 706-265-6278.