Roy Barnes

“Neither political party is clean when it comes to tactics that divide our people.”

“As the leaders and decision-makers of this great state, it is our responsibility to strive for perfection.”

“No one in government should ever think that the citizens they work for can't or won't scrutinize their actions.”

“There is no country on earth with a stronger tradition of protecting the public's right to know.”

“We changed the names of our technical schools to colleges, we expanded the eligibility for HOPE scholarships for technical training, and we added some formula funding.”

“Business and the state have a common interest; not an adversarial interest.”

“Traffic is only one of the side effects of growth.”

“So today I say, the outlook in Georgia has never been brighter.”

“And this week, I am proposing legislation to strengthen our Open Records laws to make public access to our public records surer, faster, and more comprehensive.”

“But the fact is, no matter how good the teacher, how small the class, how focused on quality education the school may be none of this matters if we ignore the individual needs of our students.”

“I want business to prosper and make a profit caused by business expansion and prosperity.”

“One thing I learned a long time ago as a prosecutor is that it's tough to get people to obey a law if there is not penalty for breaking it.”

“We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River to the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

“The First Amendment rejects red tape, cover-up and double-speak.”

“I am committed to making Georgia a model for open and honest government.”

“We made a good start toward preserving recreational areas like the Chattahoochee River.”

“The time has come to end social promotion in our schools.”

“In my first year as governor, we solved some of the problems that had begun to undermine the Open Records Act. We gave the act teeth by providing criminal penalties for knowing violations.”

“We will never forget those like my great-grandfather who fought at Vicksburg.”

“And one of the things I've tried to do in my first months in office is to give more Georgians - reporters and members of the general public alike - a closer look at how their government works.”