Three North Georgians have been named to Georgia Trend magazine’s 100 Most Influential list, and all three men say the acknowledgment signals a shift in influence to the northern corners of the state.
State Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga; University System Regent Jim Jolly, of Dalton; and U.S. District Court Judge Charles Pannell, of Eton, all are on the list.
They share billing with Gov.-elect Nathan Deal and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, both Gainesville Republicans, along with Speaker of the House David Ralston, who hails from Blue Ridge. Ralston is named Georgian of the Year for 2011 by the magazine.
“Just by the nature of the state, you are going to end up with that list being filled with people from Atlanta,” said Jolly, chairman of the board for carpet manufacturer J&J Industries. “But certainly in recent years the political weight has shifted, and people are forced to look differently at North Georgia.”
Georgia Trend is a monthly business magazine. Based in Norcross, it has about 55,000 subscribers.
The upstate notables are on the list with big Peach State names such as Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Coca-Cola CEO John Brock and University of Georgia President Michael Adams.
Jolly was included for his work to define which college students pay out-of-state tuition, according to the magazine. He was chairman of the panel that denied children of illegal immigrants admission to some Georgia public colleges and universities if legal immigrants were qualified but not admitted first.
Mullis, who appears on the list for the third straight year, was noted for his efforts to wrangle $14.2 million to study a high-speed rail link from Atlanta to Chattanooga.
“I’m really honored for them to recognize me,” he said. “Hopefully, this opens doors for me to be able to help our part of the state grow even more.”
Pannell, who was appointed to the federal bench in 1999 by President Bill Clinton, was included for his part in a landmark civil case that will require Georgia to provide better mental health treatment.
“Every year, the list includes people like the governor and senators, but then there are people like me, who were a part of something that has an impact on the state,” he said.
Pannell also sees the shift in North Georgia’s prominence.
“If by no other reason than the population shift, North Georgia is playing a much more noticeable role in the state,” said Pannell, who commutes to Atlanta for court every day. “It’s no longer the backwater.”