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Leaders in the public sector have plenty of public resources to promote their political views, accomplishments and experience. Often the public record holds much more: personal and campaign finance disclosures, expense reports, and business, tax and court filings. Here’s what they show:

John Dudley Meadows III (R-Calhoun)

District 5 (Gordon and Murray counties)

Legislative website

Voting record

Born: 1944

Overview

Meadows said he worked hard during his first five years at the Capitol to build a campaign war chest of $41,000. Once he was named Insurance chair, he didn’t have to try so hard, collecting $77,000 in the summer and fall of 2010. Another $277,000 followed once he became Rules chair in 2011.

He’s given much of that away to other Republican candidates. “I have a lot more money than I ever thought I would,” he said.

Lobbyists, who spent less than $4,500 on Meadows in 2006-09, have lavished more than $21,000 on meals, entertainment and other gifts for him since 2010.

Meadows was one of 15 insurance agents in the state Legislature who were exempted from ethics and other continuing education courses needed to retain their licenses, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in 2011. A 1992 law authorized the state insurance commissioner to approve those exemptions for lawmakers. Nevertheless, records show Meadows has completed dozens of courses since his election in 2004.

Political career

• Elected to Calhoun City Council, 1982
  
• Elected mayor of Calhoun, 1985, serving through 1998
• Ran for the Georgia Senate in 1998, losing to Bill Stephens in the Republican primary
  
• Elected, unopposed, to the Georgia House in 2004
• Re-elected without opposition in 2006, 2008 and 2010
• Re-elected in 2012 with 78 percent of the vote.
  

Committee assignments

• Rules (chair, 2011 – present)
• Game, Fish and Parks (2013 – )
• Governmental Affairs (2007 – present)
• Industry & Labor (2011 – present)
  
• Insurance (2005 -  present; chairman, 2010)
  
• Natural Resources and Environment (2007 – 2012)
  
• Retirement (2005 – present)
  
• State Planning and Community Affairs (2005 – 2006)
  

Occupation

•  Insurance agent, Starr-Mathews Agency Inc.

Business ownership interests

•  None disclosed
  

Fiduciary positions

•  co-trustee, James M. Meadows Trust
•  co-trustee, Daniel C. Meadows Trust
•  co-trustee, Esther Meadows Trust
•  co-trustee, Lacey Meadows Trust

Investment interests

• None disclosed

Real estate holdings

• Personal residence in Calhoun, valued at $205,000
  
• Meadows’ wife, Marie, owns a house and 22 acres of farmland valued at $109,000 in Gordon County
  

Campaign contributions

Donors have contributed more than $452,000 to the candidate’s campaign committee since 2004. Some 61 percent of that has come since he became House Rules chairman in 2011. The breakdown by election cycle:

• 1998: $27,182
  
• 2004: $5,885
  
• 2005-06: $42,102
  
• 2007-08: $41,030
  
• 2009-10: $99,940
  
• 2011-12: $277,305
  
• Reported cash on hand (Jan. 2013): $200,150.

Top donors since 1998

• $13,000 State Farm Insurance
  
• $10,900 BlueCross BlueShield of Georgia
• $10,900 WellCare of Georgia Inc., Medicaid and PeachCare administrator
  
• $9,000 Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia
• $8,400 United HealthCare Services Inc. (Minn.), manager of state employees’ health plan
• $8,000 American Insurance Association
• $8,000 United Health Services of Georgia, nursing homes
• $7,050 Georgia Association of HMOs (Georgia Fund for Health Care Leadership)
• $6,750 Georgia Association of Health Underwriters
• $6,650 Humana Inc., hospitals

• $6,350 Georgia Dental Association
• $6,350 Georgia Hospital Association
• $6,250 Aflac Inc.
  
• $6,250 Medical Association of Georgia
• $6,000 GEICO
• $5,500 Allstate Insurance Co.
• $5,550 Georgia Association of Realtors
• $5,500 MAG Mutual Insurance Co., medical malpractice insurance
• $5,250 Georgia Optometric Association
• $5,000 Alliant Health Plans Inc.
• $5,000 Georgia Trial Lawyers Association (Civil Justice PAC)
  

Campaign-to-campaign donations

Candidates may make political donations with campaign funds, allowing prolific fund-raisers to share their contributions with other legislators or candidates. Some advocacy groups believe such transfers should be limited to an aggregate of $10,000 per election cycle. Meadows’ committee made these political donations:

• 1998: $250
• 2004: $500
• 2005-06: $7,710
• 2007-08: $10,975
• 2009-10: $53,933
• 2011-12: $50,542

Lobbyist gifts (reported value)

Lobbyists have reported paying for meals and other gifts for Meadows valued at more than $26,000 since 2006. The big spenders: Georgia Power Co. ($1,786), Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia ($1,583), Georgia Municipal Association ($1,481), Georgia Dental Association ($1,430). BFF lobbyist: Gould Hagler of the Independent Insurance Agents ($1,583). The breakdown by year:

• 2006: $522
• 2007: $674
  
• 2008: $2,093
  
• 2009: $1,140
  
• 2010: $5,520
  
• 2011: $9,370
  
• 2012: $6,004
  
• 2013: $1,064 through March 15

Committee days & travel expenses

When the Legislature is out of session, members may collect $173 per diem, plus mileage, for committee meetings or other official business. (Per diem was $127 prior to 2007.) Lawmakers living within 50 miles of the Capitol are taxed on these payments, which were originally intended to cover out-of-town members’ food and lodging. Here’s the annual breakdown, based on the year in which the expenses were paid:

• 2005: $806 (6 days)
• 2006: $445 (3 days)
  
• 2007: $5,609 (24 days)
  
• 2008: $3,807 (16 days)
  
• 2009: $2,035 (10 days)
  
• 2010: $1,882 (8 days)
  
• 2011: $3,401 (16 days)
• 2012: $2,319 (10 days)
• 2013: $1,098 (5 days through April 25)

Updated April 25, 2013