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A Candid Talk With Cathy Cox
by Echo Montgomery Garrett
January 1, 2005
S
ecretary of State Cathy Cox, the most powerful woman in Georgia, recently sat down with
Editor-in-Chief Echo Montgomery Garrett to talk about how she wields that power and her decision to
run for governor in the 2006 election. At press time, she planned to announce her candidacy in
early January.
Q
How do you feel about power?
Margaret Thatcher used to say, "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell
people you are, you aren't." I'm not the type who wears power on my sleeve. I love walking into a
situation when people don't know who I am and where their natural default is to defer to the men in
the room. I enjoy watching the dynamics unfold. There's a changing landscape out there -
particularly in state politics. Certainly women are becoming a more constant presence.
Q
What is the landscape like for you?
The biggest change came after the 2002 election. I was the highest vote getter and was the
only Democrat to carry Cobb and Gwinnett counties. When members of my party saw that I blew the
numbers away, they started to take me a lot more seriously.
Q
When did you decide to run for Governor?
I've been thinking about it for a longtime. I waited and evaluated Sonny Perdue to see what
kind of job he was doing. If I had felt like he was doing a good job, I wouldn't be running. The
governor's office in Georgia is a great platform. I can do right by Georgia by serving in its high
office. That's where the power is. I want to be the type of governor who brings everyone together
to work for the good of Georgia. I don't care what party you are from. If you have good ideas,
you've got a seat at the table with me.
Q
Why do you think voters find you so appealing?
First of all, I'm different being a female. People are sick of wasteful partisan games and
find my non-partisan approach to government refreshing.
Q
What are your priorities?
The urgent priorities are to take care of our young people and our older people. We need to
invest in education and healthcare in a way that will bring long-term rewards. There is nothing
more important than raising the next generation to be self-supporting, responsible citizens. We
must give them a healthy start and a good education that will enable them to compete in the global
marketplace.
Q
What are your greatest achievements in your current office?
We're a model for voting in the 21st century. We were the first in the nation to have
electronic voting. I used the power of persuasion to get near unanimous support to adopt electronic
voting. We've revolutionized the way everybody does business with the Secretary of State's office.
In 1996, it took eight weeks for a new business to incorporate or for professionals to renew their
licenses. When I started talking eight years ago about conducting business over the Internet,
people didn't know what to think. Now through our website the whole incorporation and licensing
processes take four days or less. We've dramatically improved customer service.
Q
So you think of your constituents as consumers?
Absolutely. Why should consumers expect any less from their tax-paid government than they do
from any other business?
Q
Why did you decide to use settlement money from a security-fraud case on TV commercials
highlighting frauds and scams?
Less than 7% of the population knew that this office regulates the security industry, so
we've concentrated on investor education and shining a light on frauds and scams. Georgians'
investment losses exceed $70 million. When I started the ad campaign we were logging half a dozen
calls a month. Now we get more than 900 a month.
Q
Why do you think you'd make a good Governor?
I'm a consensus builder. I accomplish my objectives not by bulldozing other people's
opinions, but by bringing everyone together. I'm a risk taker. I take calculated risks and then I
plan, plan, plan about how to succeed when other people might not take the chance.
