Dear Governor Perdue,

 State Sen. John Douglas sent you a nomination for Judge Samuel D. Ozburn to fill the soon-to-be-vacant Georgia Supreme Court Justice seat.

 Judge Ozburn was appointed as Judge of the Alcovy Judicial Circuit by Governor Zell Miller in 1995. Since that time the good citizens of our judicial circuit have reelected him four times, and he has yet to face opposition.

 Judge Ozburn is known in our county as a fair and honest person who has a deep faith and a genuine concern for his fellow man. He is a past president of the Covington Kiwanis Club and the Newton County Mental Health Association. He also has served on the board of directors of the Salvation Army. Recently, he was honored to serve his peers as a past president of the Alcovy Circuit Bar Association.

 He and his wife, Rhonda, have raised two boys in our county.

  Governor, we can attest personally to his determination and integrity. This past fall on a cold, rainy day we had the opportunity to play in a golf tournament held to raise money for our local hospital. Judge Ozburn, who had not had a break in months, was relishing his moment of relaxation and wasn’t about to quit despite the rain or wind. During the entire 18-hole round, despite horrendous weather, Judge Ozburn followed the strict rules of golf and would not tolerate any inaccurate placement of the ball. Governor, it probably was our most honest day of ever playing the game, and for sure it was the wettest.

 Judge Ozburn deals with the folks that appear before him with the understanding of a man who has not spent his career behind a desk. He takes time away from duties to experience life to the fullest, and does so with a good sense of Georgia humor.

 The citizens of Newton County will miss Judge Ozburn, if you do see fit to appoint him to this position. However, we will all be able to rest easier knowing that he will be serving on the highest bench in the state. We feel that your appointee to the Georgia Supreme Court should be a person of the finest character and a person who thinks and acts like the common man upon which he brings his judgements.

 To his friends here in Newton County, Judge Ozburn is called "Sammy." We cannot think of a better selection for the high court. Our Judge Samuel "Sammy" D. Ozburn, for sure is that unique candidate.

 So without reservation, we second the nomination of Sen. John Douglass of Judge Ozburn as the next Supreme Court Associate Justice for the state of Georgia.

 Yours Truly,

The Editorial Board of The Covington News