What they said. What they meant.

“I want to say good things about a man named Carl Johnson. He was a firefighter. He worked hard and did a lot for Georgia. He was good at this job. Then he retired. But he did not stop helping Georgia. He joined the government and made decisions to help people. He cared about his community. Now he has died. People are happy that he did good work. I want to talk about how good he was.”

“I want to say good things about my friend Bill Gross. He is from Georgia like me. He is the new chairman of the Jekyll Island State Park Authority. His family has lived here for a long time. He started a successful construction company. They build houses for old people and poor people. The company gets money from the government to pay for building these houses. His company also fixes old buildings in some cities. I am happy he is doing this new job in Georgia.”

“I want to say good things about Colonel Robert Fairel. He is from Georgia like me. Now he is in charge of the Army Corps of Engineers in Savannah. He was in the army for a long time. He had some important jobs in the army. He went to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. The army gave him some medals. He is replacing Colonel Sturgeon. I am happy about some things Colonel Sturgeon did. He helped build a big building for the army. He also helped with some air force bases. I am grateful for the Army Corps of Engineers. They protect our coast. They help our military bases.”

“I want to say good things about a bar in my district. The bar is called Lone Wolf Lounge. It is in Savannah, Georgia. Some people made a list of good bars. They put Lone Wolf Lounge on the list. The bar has drinks. Some people like the drinks. The bar makes my district look good. I am happy the bar got an award. I want to say congratulations to the bar owners.”

“I want to say good things about my friend. His name is Carl Gilliard. He did many things for Savannah and Georgia. He made a foundation that gives food to people. He wrote laws. He was on TV shows. Some people gave him an award. The award is for helping people. I want to say congratulations to him. He did a lot for people in my district. I am happy he got an award.”

“I want to say good things about a restaurant. The restaurant is in my district. The restaurant is called Bread and Butter. It opened in 2017. Many people like it. The restaurant has good food and nice views. I think the restaurant is good for my district. The restaurant makes jobs. The restaurant is good for the economy. I want people to visit the restaurant. I want to say congratulations to the restaurant.”

“I want to say good things about a government employee. The employee is Susan Gardner. She works for the Georgia Ports Authority. Susan just got a promotion. Now Susan is chief information officer. Before that Susan was a vice president and director. The ports have many trucks and ships every day. The ports are important for my state's economy. I want Susan to help the ports grow. I want to say congratulations to Susan.”

“A man named Bill Dunlap has died. He was 92 years old. He did many things in his long life. Bill played basketball in college. He led his fraternity. Bill served in the Army Reserve. He got an MBA and worked for a power company. Bill was president of some clubs. He went to church. Bill is survived by his wife and family. I want to say good things about Bill. He lived in my district. I want people to remember Bill.”

“A woman named Catherine Sumner is the new district attorney. The last district attorney died. Catherine went to college and law school. She worked on some cases. Catherine led a task force and a bar association. I want to say good things about Catherine. She works in my district. I want people to remember Catherine.”

“Jim Cole worked at a university. The sports teams did well. Jim made the sports facilities better. He helped students do well in sports and school. Jim retired now. I want to say thank you to Jim. He did a good job.”

“A business is 100 years old. The business will give food to 100 children. The business will help pack and give out food. The business president and charity founder are good people. I want to say thank you to them.”

“Abby Leaventon makes jewelry. She was a finalist for a big award. That award is a very good one. Abby plans to grow her business. That makes me happy. Her business is in Savannah. That city is in my district. I want to say congratulations to Abby.”

“A man named Jack Morrissey lived a good life. He was a civil engineer and a veteran. He led some clubs. He liked sports and stayed active. He lived to 96. He died. I want to honor his memory.”

“I want to say a woman named Heather Teilhet got a big job. She will be in charge of electric power for many people in Georgia. She worked in government and power companies for a long time. I think she will do a good job.”

“A man in my district named Dick Estus died. He was 92. He put up a lot of billboards for a long time. He helped bring some businesses to our city. He was in charge of some groups. He won some awards. I think he did a lot for our city.”

“A judge named Timothy Walmsley is leaving his job. He worked for 14 years. He was in charge of a big murder trial. I think he did a good job. I want to say thank you to him.”

“A lawyer named Brad Dixon is becoming a judge. He used to be in the Army. I want to say congratulations to him.”

“I want to talk about Billy Joe Nelson. He works for the government in courts. He has had many legal jobs. He went to college to study real estate and then law. He has a wife and three kids. I'm saying good job to him.”

“I want to talk about Melissa "Sissy" Blanchard. I want to say good job to her. She went to college. She started many businesses. She sold handbags and wine. Now she sells furniture. She gives money to a college. She wants to help future students. I want to say thank you to her.”

“I want to talk about Goshen United Methodist Church. It is very old. It has been around for 275 years. It moved a long time ago. It has seen many generations and much history. The church still operates today under Reverend Chance Ward. I want to say good job and congratulations to the church. I hope it continues for a long time.”