Fresh Loaf

Gov. Sonny Perdue has tapped Allen Barnes, a partner at King & Spalding, to head the state Environmental Protection Division. Director Carol Couch resigned last week to take a job at the University of Georgia.

From the Atlanta Business Chronicle:

Before joining Atlanta-based King & Spalding, Barnes served as chief of staff for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region Four, which has jurisdiction over eight Southeastern states, including Georgia. Prior to that, he taught natural resource policy and law as an associate professor at Mississippi State University. [...]

Barnes’ professional career also includes stints as a prosecutor in the Florida State Attorney’s office and as a special assistant U.S attorney handling criminal, tort and environmental litigation.

But Georgia Public Broadcasting’s John Sepulvado says some environmentalists aren’t happy with Perdue’s choice.

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WABE’s Jim Burress reports the names of two people the Obama administration might name to become the next  U.S. Attorney for Georgia’s Northern District. (Check out his report to see who they are.)

David Nahmias, the previous U.S. Attorney, recently resigned after Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed him to the Georgia Supreme Court.

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U.S. Fire Administrator Kelvin Cochran

Still drunk with confirmation power, the U.S. Senate today gave the OK for Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran to be named the new U.S. Fire Administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Cochran’s duties at the federal agency will include overseeing and executing national strategies to prevent fires and improve emergency response.

A 28-year fire service veteran, Cochran said in a statement that the opportunity to work with President Barack Obama’s administration is an “honor.”

Mayor Shirley Franklin commended Cochran’s service to the city. “While we will miss him, we are proud that President Obama selected him for US Fire Administrator and are certain he will continue his public service with distinction,” she said in a statement.

Franklin says she’ll review a committee’s recommendations for an interim fire chief.

(Photo by Jeff Riley)

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President Barack Obama has named U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his nomination to replace retiring Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court.

From the New York Times:

Judge Sotomayor, 54, who has served for more than a decade on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals based in New York City, would become the nation’s 111th justice, replacing David H. Souter, who is retiring after 19 years on the bench. Although Justice Souter was appointed by the first President George Bush, he became a mainstay of the liberal faction on the court and so his replacement by Judge Sotomayor likely would not shift the overall balance of power.

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President Barack Obama stunned the nation today as he showed his affinity for “celebrity culture” — Dr. Sanjay Gupta, anyone? — and named well-known New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman to head the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Reached for comment at a nanotechnology conference in Hong Kong, Friedman said he did not understand the question, denied the appointment, and asked why our publication is named “Creative Loafing.” We called him a liar, said he was wrong about the Earth being flat, and told him his moustache was well developed.

No, really, but Obama did name a new CDC director today. He’s New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden! His department came up with the awesome (really) idea to distribute subway-themed condoms. He sounds like a hellraiser and we welcome him to our city!

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The Associated Press reports:

CHICAGO — President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday named New York City housing commissioner Shaun Donovan to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, turning to a former Clinton administration aide with a national reputation for developing affordable housing.

Donovan’s appointment was something of a surprise. Most speculation has centered around Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz or Bronx borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr.

Atlanta Housing Authority CEO Renee Glover was rumored to be on a shortlist for the cabinet position.

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Gov. Sonny Perdue today recommended Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority Executive Director Chris Clark head the state Department of Natural Resources when current boss Noel Holcomb retires next April.

The department’s board has the final say, however, as it appoints the commissioner.

From the governor’s office:

By making his recommendation to the Board now, Governor Perdue hopes to set the stage for a smooth transition given the state’s current budget challenges and the complexity of the programs and issues statutorily assigned to DNR and the Environmental Protection Division.

“While Commissioner Holcomb will continue to serve as DNR Commissioner until his effective retirement date, I expect Chris, Noel and Dr. Carol Couch will work closely together as DNR and EPD continue to manage our response to the ongoing drought, implement the Statewide Water Plan, find appropriate spending reductions and protect and preserve our state’s natural resources,” Governor Perdue said.

This will be the first time in the history of DNR that the department’s commissioner was not promoted from within the organization.

Clark’s bio from the governor’s office follows after the jump.

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Not Mike Evans. But it kind of looks like him.

Gov. Sonny Perdue has appointed Mike Evans, the former State Transportation Board chief who resigned after he and Commissioner Gena Abraham revealed the two were in a relationship, to the Department of Community Affairs Board.

After resigning from the DOT board, Evans was rumored to run for the Public Service Commission’s Northern District or try to return to the General Assembly. (Evans served eight years in the state House of Representatives.) He and Abraham recently married and she took his last name.

The Department of Community Affairs serves as an advocate for local governments, operates a large number of state and federal grants, and helps communities with planning, housing and building. (They’re also to thank for all those nifty Georgia History markers you see around the state.) Evans will serve as an “at large” representative.

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