Governor surprises worker with wedding bill

Dalton native Brandi Johnson thought so much of her boss, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, she recently asked him to perform her wedding ceremony.

But in Georgia, while judges, preachers and others have the authority to conduct weddings, the state's top elected official does not. Well, not until last week, anyway.

After Miss Johnson's request, the governor's staff quietly went to work to pass House Bill 238, which gives sitting and retired governors the authority to conduct weddings.

"The governor has gotten requests several times over the years to perform weddings, but he had to turn them down," said Bert Brantley, the governor's press secretary.

Gov. Perdue, a two-term Republican, leaves office in January, and Miss Johnson has worked with him since January 2008. She now serves as executive assistant to the governor's chief of staff.

Last Thursday, Gov. Perdue invited Miss Johnson, 23, to join him in Dalton, where he was to sign a seat belt law. After signing that measure, he called a surprised Miss Johnson and her fiancé, Calhoun, Ga., native Jake Brumlow, to the signing table.

"I thought it was just a nice trip to Dalton and that I was going to get to fly with the governor," Miss Johnson said. "That really made my day alone, but I had no indication of what he was going to do."

Gov. Perdue then signed the marriage bill and had kind words for Miss Johnson, a graduate of Dalton State College and Georgia State University.

"Northwest Georgia needs to know they have sent a smart and talented young woman to Atlanta and she has represented them well," Gov. Perdue said.

Mr. Brantley said the marriage bill didn't require much work by the governor's staff. A similar bill to extend marrying authority to a handful of Georgia elected officials didn't make it through the Legislature last year, so the text largely was written already, he said.

But the measure's quick passage was an appreciative nod to the governor during his final legislative session, Mr. Brantley said.

"The bill was absolutely tied to Brandi's request, but it was a very nice gesture on the part of the Legislature in the final days of the session," he said.

Miss Johnson is planning a June 2011 wedding. She hasn't decided if she'll tie the knot in North Georgia or in the Atlanta area, but said she's honored the governor took great steps to be a part of her special day.

"Gov. Perdue, to me, is more than the man who governs our state and is more than just my boss," she said. "He is a kind man who is loyal to his family and holds his values to a standard that I wish to someday instill in my family."