Rep. Powell Celebrates 25 Years in Legislature

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

As the 152nd Georgia General Assembly reconvenes this week, a northeast Georgia State Representative is celebrating a political milestone.

This year marks Alan Powell’s 25th year in the State House of Representatives.

Powell represents District 32, which covers Franklin County, Hart County, and part of Madison County.

He was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1990 and is now the fifth most senior member of the State House.

Powell said the biggest change he’s seen over the past 25 years is people’s attitudes towards state and local issues.

“One of the things that always troubles me is that you have too many people who are afraid to express their opinon,” he said. “I remember when the public didn’t seethe and gripe about things they didn’t like, they used to speak up. They used ask me questions. They used to lay siege to local officials they elected about why. That dictated policy. I don’t see as much of that today. “

Powell said that he has also seen a change in the attitude of younger elected officials coming into office.

He said younger elected officials do not always seem to have their constituents’ interests at heart.

“They seem to be running with specific agendas, not the people’s agenda,” Powell observed. “I see that more in the upper scale of the legislature and Congress. They’re running to settle their agendas, a private agenda, or a philosophical agenda and not the agenda that’s in the best interst of the public.”

Prior to serving in the Georgia General Assembly, Representative Powell was Chairman of the Hart County Board of Commissioners.

Presently, his legislative duties include service as a member of the Appropriations Committee and Governmental Affairs Committee, among others.

Powell has also worked during his time in office on the management of the water in the Savannah River Basin.

In 2012, Powell formed the Georgia Savannah River Caucus to address issues regarding the Corps’ management of the Savannah River Basin and its three reservoir lakes.

That Caucus has since met with its South Carolina counterpart on a regular basis and is now working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to draft a new water management plan.