Candidate takes lie detector to make a point

Alan Mauldin The Moultrie Observer

MOULTRIE — Attorney and former campaign consultant Gary Horlacher thinks Georgians have had it with business as usual.

Before declaring as a Democratic candidate for secretary of state, Horlacher took a polygraph test in which he said he has been faithful to his wife of 31 years, never used illegal drugs or illegally used prescription medications, never engaged in unethical activities in private- or public-sector work, or filed false income tax forms.

He said he took this action to make a point and set a standard.

“This is truly the first step in restoring the (sense) of trust with the people,” he said. “Ethics is one of the top priorities (in) fixing the secretary of state office, which is in need of reform in each of its divisions.”

Horlacher said that lawmakers have gutted ethics in the state by firing Teddy Lee as executive secretary of the State Ethics Commission of Georgia, and later removing from the commission the oversight of legislative misconduct and conflicts of interest. The public has realized the impact of those actions, he said.

In visiting the state’s 159 counties, Horlacher said he has seen residents angry at politics as usual.

“You see Georgians across this state, they want change,” he said. “They want answers, period. What has happened to our political structure is it has been hijacked by what I call Machiavelli merchants. It is a sadly broken system.”

Horlacher pointed to his experience in private and public life as qualifications for office. Those include the past 10 years at Alston & Bird law firm where he is a member of the Legislative and Public Policy Practice Group, assistant commissioner of the Georgia Department of Labor, and manager of public relations for Oglethorpe Power and Georgia Electric Membership Corp.

“I do know the nuts and bolts and am determined to get that office fixed,” he said.

Although Georgia has been a reliably Republican state in recent years, Horlacher said that this year voters seem to be more willing to look at the person and not political affiliation.

If elected, he said that his focus would be doing the job.

“This office particularly is one that from day one you take off that party hat,” he said. “If you’re going to protect the integrity of our laws and give advice to counties, you better do it in a  nonpartisan way. This isn’t about tilting it back to Democrats. This is about removing that hat and getting it back to a totally nonpartisan way.”

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