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By Maria Saporta

Georgia might be a red state, but Democrats aren’t going away — at least if former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin has her way.

Franklin is launching her own political blog: “Blogging While Blue” along with the help of her former communications director Beverly Isom and Cabral Franklin, a political advisor and researcher who also happens to be the former mayor’s son.

“As mayor I heard from scores of residents and leaders of every political perspective on nearly every current issue,” Shirley Franklin stated in an email. “Many engaged me in regular debate on their favorite issues in community meetings, emails and blogging. By joining Beverly and Cabral, we hope to encourage those from baby boomers to gen xers to engage with us in informed debates

By Maria Saporta

For the first time in several years, national economist Allen Sinai is thrilled to be able to share an uplifting view of the economy.

Sinai was the keynote breakfast speaker at Wednesday’s Capital Connection, a networking conference put on by the Atlanta chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth at the Cobb Galleria.

“We are on the right side of the business cycle,” Sinai told the audience of about 350 people. “The message to you is a positive one. It will get brighter in terms of business opportunities.”

Sinai said this is the “best part of the business cycle,” when a recovery is just beginning to take off. He predicted that for

By Maria Saporta

Former Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond is joining the law firm of Butler, Wooten & Fryhofer, a nationally-known trial law firm that has taken on major corporations.

Thurmond, who lost his race as the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in November, said he had been talking to one of the firm’s founding partners, Jim Butler, about possibly joining the firm if his Senate bid did not succeed.

“I would have had to be a complete dunce not to know that it was a long shot campaign,” Thurmond said in an interview Monday. “I had to have a Plan B, and this was a perfect fit.”

In his role with the firm, Thurmond’s practice

By Maria Saporta

At the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s First Monday breakfast today, CCH Small Firm Services (SFS) announced that it will consolidate its national operations — adding 200 jobs in Kennesaw in the next 18 months, giving it a total of 600 employees.

SFS is a division of Wolter Kluwer, a global financial and information services enterprise based in Amsterdam. CCH is based in Chicago, and SFS now is based in Kennesaw.

The company will be moving employees from its offices in Fort Pierce, Florida this spring and it will move workers from its offices in Caribou, Maine in the spring of 2012.

By Maria Saporta

It is essential for metro Atlanta to pass the regional transportation funding bill in August, 2012, according to Georgia Rep. Mike Jacobs, who is the new chair of the legislature’s MARTA Oversight Committee (MARTOC).

“It’s a critical time for transportation in the state,” Jacobs told people attending the Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable Friday morning. “It’s a good bill, and it’s a workable bill.”

Jacobs was asked, however, how he reconciles his views on passing a regional penny sales tax with his MARTOC role, when the funding bill prohibits any of the new revenue being

By Maria Saporta

One of the highlights of last year was discovering public art along the Atlanta BeltLine corridor. The works by local artists were up several months, and they provided an element of unexpected surprise for the urban pioneers who venture on walks along the transformational corridor.

The temporary public art exposition was so successful that BeltLine leaders are launching another “Art on the BeltLine” exhibit for this fall.

Atlanta BeltLine Inc. has just announced that it has issued a Request for Proposals from artists who would like to participate in the 2011 version of the Art on the BeltLine

By Maria Saporta

In a luncheon talk to the Association County Commissioners of Georgia Tuesday, Gov. Nathan Deal told county leaders that he would make it easier for them to receive state loans for transportation projects.

The Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank, an arm of the State Road and Tollway Authority, has been available to counties that want to improve their roadways.

But the bank has had a rather onerous requirement for local participation before counties can access those funds. The state has set aside $33.1 million for this program.

“Not one single loan has been approved,” Deal told the commissioners before

By Maria Saporta

It was David Ralston’s day in the sun.

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston was honored Thursday as Georgia Trend’s Georgian of the Year, receiving accolades and a standing ovation from many of the people attending the 100 Most Influential Georgians lunch.

But it was Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed who showered the most praise for Ralston.

“David Ralston has brought dignity back to the Georgia General Assembly,” Reed said, adding that he was pleased “civility” was becoming a political focus. “The speaker was already there. He is a conscientious,

By Maria Saporta

In three separate events this week with Gov. Nathan Deal, it was refreshing to see the new governor at play.

Monday evening, Deal attended the United Way of Georgia reception. Tuesday morning, he was at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs & Issues Breakfast. And on Wednesday, it was the annual meeting of the Buckhead Coalition.

At each of those events, it was clear that Deal actually enjoys being around people and does his best to make them feel comfortable. Both of those traits set him apart from his predecessor, the former Gov. Sonny Perdue.

The United Way event was particularly