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Articles by Sam Olens
Antisemitic attacks in D.C., and Boulder, Colo., demand Americans speak out
Eighty years after World War II, America is unfortunately facing rampant antisemitism, along with other hate crimes affecting Muslim, Asian, Hispanic and African Americans. “Never again” is now. Kristallnacht, the banning of books, revisionist history and open hostility toward Jews have found new energy here and abroad. Following the tragedy of Oct. 7, 2023 — when innocent civilians were raped, maimed and killed while other civilians taken as hostages — we are witnessing the worst of modern society.
'Simply a Fantastic Human Being': David Hankerson Dead at 77
David Hankerson, the trailblazing former Cobb County manager who was the first African American to hold the position, died Thursday morning following years of illness due to cancer. He was 77. Recruited from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as development control director in 1984 under former Chairman Earl Smith’s administration, Hankerson was named county manager in 1993 by then-Chairman Bill Byrne. He would outlast three county chairs: Byrne, Sam Olens and Tim Lee.
My heartfelt wish list for the new year
My heartfelt wish list for the new year Let’s listen to each other, fortify our communities, be a kind, better nation. As the New Year’s Eve Peach Drop ushers in 2023, “let’s be accountable to ourselves and others. One’s faith, race, ethnicity or other differences should not be used to promote or support hate speech.” AJC FILE PREVIOUS IMAGE 0/0 NEXT IMAGE OPINION Political parties no longer move toward the center following primary elections.
For nation’s sake, enough is enough
Accountability is the common theme. Whether you are an attorney providing ineffective assistance of counsel in a criminal case, a doctor more interested in riches than in upholding the Hippocratic oath, or a sworn officer who wants to be both the prosecutor and judge, our citizenry is demanding true justice for all Americans. It was my high honor to assist and represent public safety officials during my years in public service.
Opinion: For sake of the American Way, enough is enough
2021 is notable for many events to include life-saving medical advances to treat COVID-19. The two most long-term implications may be the insurrection of January 6 and efforts to demand, not just strive, for equal justice under the law. Accountability is the common theme.
Opinion: Time for Ga., nation to rediscover ties that bind
As Charles Dickens wrote so eloquently, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” On Wednesday, Georgia started the day recognizing the elections of the state’s first Black and the first Jewish United States senators. As active members of state Republican politics, we wish them well and hope they will seek to represent our state and country’s best ideals.
Why smart governance must come before smart cities
INDUSTRY INSIGHT Why smart governance must come before smart cities By Sam Olens, Crawford Schneider Mar 19, 2020 The minds of entrepreneurs, technologists and new-wave urbanists are consumed with the future of smart cities. However, too often, visions of smart cities are disassociated from the citizens themselves.
New bill aims to bring clarity to state’s fuzzy sunshine law
By Sam Olens , Jay Powell NONE — “Open government is essential to a free, open, and democratic society.” That’s a direct quote from HB 397, a bill that updates Georgia’s sunshine laws to make them more open and effective and easier for non-lawyers to understand. Georgia’s Open Records and Open Meetings Acts are strong laws with many valuable components, but they have not been substantially updated in well over a decade.
Opinion: Silence is acquiescence, consent for hate
As a candidate for state office several years ago, I attended my fair share of political and civic gatherings. One morning I walked into a senior center in northeast Georgia where I was greeted by a gentleman who inquired where I was from. When I told him I had been born in Miami, and he replied he hoped I was not Jewish as “they were the worst kind.” I mustered enough strength to keep my composure and declined to acknowledge his anti-Semitic remark.
'Cybersecurity' and 'privacy' aren't the same thing
Absent a national regulatory framework, cybersecurity and consumer privacy issues and their associated threats will continue to grow at an accelerating pace.
'Cybersecurity' and 'Privacy' Aren't the Same Thing
Sam Olens, Dentons, Atlanta. (Photo: John Disney/ALM) Vernon Keenan, former director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, recently referenced law enforcement’s challenge accommodating rapid technological advancements. Absent a national regulatory framework, cybersecurity and consumer privacy issues and their associated threats will continue to grow at an accelerating pace. The terms “cybersecurity” and “privacy” are often used as if they were interchangeable. They are not.
Viewpoint: State attorneys general matter. Here's why.
At times in our history, the federal government has been seen as a change agent. This isn't one of those times. With an anti-Big Government White House invested in deregulating and dismantling the administrative state, Congress in a near-permanent state of partisan gridlock and a Supreme Court guided by an originalist view of the role of government, state legislatures and state government agencies have stepped in to fill the legislative and regulatory void.
Sam Olens makes his peace with LGBT students of KSU | Political Insider
We have seen Sam Olens, the Cobb County commission chairman, Olens the Atlanta Regional Commission chairman, and Olens the very Republican attorney general. Metro Atlanta is now a witness to what happens when a politician is freed from the litmus tests of a GOP primary. “I enjoy my new apolitical life,” Olens said Wednesday.
Sam Olens makes his peace with LGBT students of KSU | Political Insider blog
We have seen Sam Olens, the Cobb County commission chairman, Olens the Atlanta Regional Commission chairman, and Olens the very Republican attorney general. Metro Atlanta is now a witness to what happens when a politician is freed from the litmus tests of a GOP primary. “I enjoy my new apolitical life,” Olens said Wednesday.
Breaking: Georgia’s next attorney general is Chris Carr
Gov. Nathan Deal on Wednesday tapped one of his top deputies, Chris Carr, to become the state’s next Attorney General. And the list of powerful figures who lined up behind Carr was meant to send a blunt message to ward off any potential challengers in 2018. Carr, the state’s economic development commissioner, will take office on Nov. 1 as head of the state’s Law Department, administering a staff of more than 300 staff tasked with enforcing state laws and investigating public corruption.
With Sam Olens headed for Kennesaw State, look out for falling dominoes
The appointment of Attorney General Sam Olens as the next president of Kennesaw State University is now as close to a gimme putt as a gubernatorial endorsement can make it. With Nathan Deal’s seal of approval, the Board of Regents – whose members are all appointed by the governor — will take up the matter next week. Olens’ selection would put an end to his 17-year GOP electoral career, slamming the lid on all speculation of a 2018 run for governor.
Sam Olens-to-Kennesaw State rumors gain substance
The worst-kept secret in Georgia politics appears to becoming true. Attorney General Sam Olens will interview on Tuesday with the Board of Regents to become the next president of Kennesaw State University. The AJC’s Eric Stirgus has the news: “There has been speculation about this for some time, and up until now, I have remained silent on the matter.
Where Georgia is ahead of the curve: The privatization of political rallies | Political Insider blog
In August 2014, citizen-journalist Nydia Tisdale was at a pumpkin-farm gathering of the Republican general election ticket in north Georgia, a public event on private property. Gov. Nathan Deal was in the audience. Tisdale was close by, her video camera pointed at the stage and state Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens, a man with a reputation for impolitic statements that play well on YouTube.
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