Copia digital. Madrid : Ministerio de Cultura. Subdirección General de Coordinación Bibliotecaria, 200

Peters, Andy, \u2792

Biblioteca Virtual de Prensa Histórica (Virtual Library of Historical Newspapers)

Heraldo de Zamora  : Diario de la tarde. Defensor de los intereses morales y materiales de la provincia: Año XVI Siglo II Número 4016  - 1910 septiembre 20

Furman University

Furman MagazineVolume 50Issue 4 Winter 2008 Article 231-1-2008Capitol ideas: Walstrum steps up for Georgia'stourism industryAndy Peters '92Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/furman-magazineThis Article is made available online by Journals, part of the Furman University Scholar Exchange (FUSE). It has been accepted for inclusion in FurmanMagazine by an authorized FUSE administrator. For terms of use, please refer to the FUSE Institutional Repository Guidelines. For more information,please contact scholarexchange@furman.edu.Recommended CitationPeters, Andy '92 (2008) "Capitol ideas: Walstrum steps up for Georgia's tourism industry," Furman Magazine: Vol. 50 : Iss. 4 , Article23.Available at: https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/furman-magazine/vol50/iss4/23Furman A LU M N I  N EWS CAPITOL I D EAS: WALSTRUM STEPS U P  FOR G EORGIA'S TOU R I S M  I N DUSTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . .  I n  a world that's been the domain of white men from rural Georgia for more than a century, Joy Spears Walstrum has shown that a woman can hold her own in  the game of politics - and even stand up to one of the titans of Georgia's polit ical h istory. One of Walstrum's duties as managing di rector of the Tourism Development A l l iance of Georgia is to lobby the state legislature and the governor's office on behalf of golf resorts, hotels and chambers of commerce. Even though Georgia's General Assembly meets only about three months each year, hers is a year-round job that requires travel to every corner of the state. She does everything from meeting with mayors in  the towns along the route of the Tour De Georg ia bicycle race to co-hosting a meeting of the Senate Republican Caucus at Element, a new restaurant on the main street of the south Georgia town of Lyons. The most chal lenging aspect of her job, however, is being the sole lobbyist at the State Capitol for tour­ism interests. As such, her work requ i res a diverse range of ski l ls .  Walstrum must understand complex pol icy ideas, such as a proposal to s impl ify the law that a l lows local governments to charge an excise tax on hotel rooms. She has to possess loads of personal charm, for the times when she asks a lawmaker to sponsor a b i l l .  She has  to understand how to p lay the game of politics and how to cut back-room deals. And she must walk  a fine l ine between being an information resource to lawmakers and being a nu isance. Georg ia's leg islators typically don't have their own staffs, so they rely heavily on lobbyists to provide information. Sometimes lawmakers want a brief explanation of a compl icated topic, rather than aggressive advocacy. At least one legislator thinks nobody in  Atlanta hand les that aspect of the lobbyist's role better than Walstrum.  "Whenever she ta lks to you, she' l l  always suggest someone you should talk to who's opposing her, so you can get the other side of the story. That's very unusual for a lobbyist," says Ron Stephens of Savannah, who chairs the leg islative committee that oversees the tourism industry. This wasn't the career path Walstrum had planned for herself at Furman. The 1 99 5  graduate in it ia l ly i ntended to go to law school, but eventual ly majored 42 FURMAN I WINTER 2008 i n  sociology. She cites former sociology professor Bart Dredge's "poverty tour"  of G reenvil le neigh­borhoods as helping her develop an interest in becoming an advocate. Her father's business interests also helped steer her professional life. In  1 99 1  David Spears acquired the Sky Valley ski  resort in  northeast Georg ia.  After graduating from Furman, Joy went to work for her father, handl ing the dai ly operations of the resort, inc lud ing marketing and promotions. Her entry into politics came when Walstrum and her father realized the state leg islature needed to revise the laws concerning a ski resort's l i ab i l ity for the safety of skiers. Getting Joy Walstrum works with legislators like Glenn Richardson, Speaker of the Georgia House. such a law passed would be tricky, however, because Sky Valley is the lone ski resort in  Georgia and it would mean passing a law for the benefit of only one company. Walstrum approached the longtime representative from her northeastern Georgia district, the late Ralph Twiggs, and, somewhat fearfu l ly, asked h im to sponsor a bill to change the law. Twiggs enthusiastical ly agreed, even though it meant going against the most powerful man in  the State Capitol: former House Speaker Tom Murphy. As the b i l l  made its way through the leg islative process, it  became clear that Murphy was going to draw a l ine in the sand. M u rphy withdrew the ski ing b i l l  from the agenda of a leg islative committee about f ive minutes before the committee's meeting was to begin. " Murphy said that if Sky Valley got this bi l l  passed for them, then every other tourist attraction in the state would be at h i s  door next year wanting the same treat­ment," Walstrum says. But Twiggs, who was on good terms with M u rphy, a fellow Democrat, secured a meeting between Murphy and Walstrum later that morn ing .  Walstrum was ab le to persuade Murphy to put the b i l l  back on the agenda. It later passed unan imously and eventually became law. Not long after, the state's tourism interest groups decided they wanted to inject new life into the Tourism Development Al l iance, which had become somewhat inactive over the years. In  no small part because of her success with Murphy, the groups picked Walstrum to lead their effort. Walstrum thanks Twiggs for help ing her realize that in  politics, it's important not to wear your feel ings on your sleeve. "He taught me to not take things per­sonally," she says. " B ut, he said, if it's really important and you really bel ieve in it, then stand up for it." - ANDY PETERS '92 The author is a reporter for the Fulton County (Ga.) Dai ly Report. 

English

Capitol ideas: Walstrum steps up for Georgia\u27s tourism industry

Furman MagazineVolume 50Issue 4 Winter 2008 Article 501-1-2008Capitol ideas: Walstrum steps up for Georgia'stourism industryAndy Peters '92Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/furman-magazineThis Article is made available online by Journals, part of the Furman University Scholar Exchange (FUSE). It has been accepted for inclusion in FurmanMagazine by an authorized FUSE administrator. For terms of use, please refer to the FUSE Institutional Repository Guidelines. For more information,please contact scholarexchange@furman.edu.Recommended CitationPeters, Andy '92 (2008) "Capitol ideas: Walstrum steps up for Georgia's tourism industry," Furman Magazine: Vol. 50 : Iss. 4 , Article50.Available at: https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/furman-magazine/vol50/iss4/50Furman A LU M N I  N EWS CAPITOL I D EAS: WALSTRUM STEPS U P  FOR G EORGIA'S TOU R I S M  I N DUSTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . .  I n  a world that's been the domain of white men from rural Georgia for more than a century, Joy Spears Walstrum has shown that a woman can hold her own in  the game of politics - and even stand up to one of the titans of Georgia's polit ical h istory. One of Walstrum's duties as managing di rector of the Tourism Development A l l iance of Georgia is to lobby the state legislature and the governor's office on behalf of golf resorts, hotels and chambers of commerce. Even though Georgia's General Assembly meets only about three months each year, hers is a year-round job that requires travel to every corner of the state. She does everything from meeting with mayors in  the towns along the route of the Tour De Georg ia bicycle race to co-hosting a meeting of the Senate Republican Caucus at Element, a new restaurant on the main street of the south Georgia town of Lyons. The most chal lenging aspect of her job, however, is being the sole lobbyist at the State Capitol for tour­ism interests. As such, her work requ i res a diverse range of ski l ls .  Walstrum must understand complex pol icy ideas, such as a proposal to s impl ify the law that a l lows local governments to charge an excise tax on hotel rooms. She has to possess loads of personal charm, for the times when she asks a lawmaker to sponsor a b i l l .  She has  to understand how to p lay the game of politics and how to cut back-room deals. And she must walk  a fine l ine between being an information resource to lawmakers and being a nu isance. Georg ia's leg islators typically don't have their own staffs, so they rely heavily on lobbyists to provide information. Sometimes lawmakers want a brief explanation of a compl icated topic, rather than aggressive advocacy. At least one legislator thinks nobody in  Atlanta hand les that aspect of the lobbyist's role better than Walstrum.  "Whenever she ta lks to you, she' l l  always suggest someone you should talk to who's opposing her, so you can get the other side of the story. That's very unusual for a lobbyist," says Ron Stephens of Savannah, who chairs the leg islative committee that oversees the tourism industry. This wasn't the career path Walstrum had planned for herself at Furman. The 1 99 5  graduate in it ia l ly i ntended to go to law school, but eventual ly majored 42 FURMAN I WINTER 2008 i n  sociology. She cites former sociology professor Bart Dredge's "poverty tour"  of G reenvil le neigh­borhoods as helping her develop an interest in becoming an advocate. Her father's business interests also helped steer her professional life. In  1 99 1  David Spears acquired the Sky Valley ski  resort in  northeast Georg ia.  After graduating from Furman, Joy went to work for her father, handl ing the dai ly operations of the resort, inc lud ing marketing and promotions. Her entry into politics came when Walstrum and her father realized the state leg islature needed to revise the laws concerning a ski resort's l i ab i l ity for the safety of skiers. Getting Joy Walstrum works with legislators like Glenn Richardson, Speaker of the Georgia House. such a law passed would be tricky, however, because Sky Valley is the lone ski resort in  Georgia and it would mean passing a law for the benefit of only one company. Walstrum approached the longtime representative from her northeastern Georgia district, the late Ralph Twiggs, and, somewhat fearfu l ly, asked h im to sponsor a bill to change the law. Twiggs enthusiastical ly agreed, even though it meant going against the most powerful man in  the State Capitol: former House Speaker Tom Murphy. As the b i l l  made its way through the leg islative process, it  became clear that Murphy was going to draw a l ine in the sand. M u rphy withdrew the ski ing b i l l  from the agenda of a leg islative committee about f ive minutes before the committee's meeting was to begin. " Murphy said that if Sky Valley got this bi l l  passed for them, then every other tourist attraction in the state would be at h i s  door next year wanting the same treat­ment," Walstrum says. But Twiggs, who was on good terms with M u rphy, a fellow Democrat, secured a meeting between Murphy and Walstrum later that morn ing .  Walstrum was ab le to persuade Murphy to put the b i l l  back on the agenda. It later passed unan imously and eventually became law. Not long after, the state's tourism interest groups decided they wanted to inject new life into the Tourism Development Al l iance, which had become somewhat inactive over the years. In  no small part because of her success with Murphy, the groups picked Walstrum to lead their effort. Walstrum thanks Twiggs for help ing her realize that in  politics, it's important not to wear your feel ings on your sleeve. "He taught me to not take things per­sonally," she says. " B ut, he said, if it's really important and you really bel ieve in it, then stand up for it." - ANDY PETERS '92 The author is a reporter for the Fulton County (Ga.) Dai ly Report. 

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Heraldo de Zamora : Diario de la tarde. Defensor de los intereses morales y materiales de la provincia: Año XVI Siglo II Número 4016 - 1910 septiembre 20

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