After all, I have spent the better part of my adult life insisting that government be open... that government be accessible... and that government be held accountable to people who voted us into office.
Roy Barnes

And one of the things I've tried to do in my first months in office is to give more Georgians - reporters and members of the general public alike - a closer look at how their government works.
Roy Barnes

And this week, I am proposing legislation to strengthen our Open Records laws to make public access to our public records surer, faster, and more comprehensive.
Roy Barnes

As the leaders and decision-makers of this great state, it is our responsibility to strive for perfection.
Roy Barnes

As the population of Georgia increased dramatically, so did development.
Roy Barnes

Business and the state have a common interest; not an adversarial interest.
Roy Barnes

But the fact is, no matter how good the teacher, how small the class, how focused on quality education the school may be none of this matters if we ignore the individual needs of our students.
Roy Barnes

By creating a Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, we will give local governments a framework for working together on an issue that affects our whole state.
Roy Barnes

Enhancing revenues will help us improve education and solve our infrastructure problems.
Roy Barnes

Georgia is in an enviable position today, but we can't rest on our laurels.
Roy Barnes

I am committed to making Georgia a model for open and honest government.
Roy Barnes

I want business to prosper and make a profit caused by business expansion and prosperity.
Roy Barnes

In my first year as governor, we solved some of the problems that had begun to undermine the Open Records Act. We gave the act teeth by providing criminal penalties for knowing violations.
Roy Barnes

Neither political party is clean when it comes to tactics that divide our people.
Roy Barnes

No one in government should ever think that the citizens they work for can't or won't scrutinize their actions.
Roy Barnes

One thing I learned a long time ago as a prosecutor is that it's tough to get people to obey a law if there is not penalty for breaking it.
Roy Barnes

Repeating a grade needs to be the last resort, not an automatic response to a child who is struggling to learn.
Roy Barnes

So today I say, the outlook in Georgia has never been brighter.
Roy Barnes

The First Amendment rejects red tape, cover-up and double-speak.
Roy Barnes

The time has come to end social promotion in our schools.
Roy Barnes