Capitol losing more than a century of institutional knowledge | www.myajc.com

For more than 20 years, through Democratic and Republican rule, over the tenure of five different leaders, the Georgia House of Representatives has had one true constant: the calming voice and lovely manner of Clerk Robby Rivers.

That rock of the House packed up his spectacles and called it a career Wednesday, taking with him a deep knowledge of the law, the rules of the House and an ability to never meet a stranger.

Rivers’ departure is only one piece of a brain drain at the Capitol this year. His counterpart in the Senate, Secretary Bob Ewing, retired June 1. His second-in-command, Jeffrey Foley, will retire Oct. 1 as deputy secretary of the senate.

Moreover, the long-time head of the Legislature’s fiscal office, Robyn Underwood, will retire at the end of the year. So will Travis Hutchins, the General Assembly’s veteran facilities manager, who knows every nook, cranny and creak of the historic Capitol building.

Between them, those five employees have a combined service of more than a century. Their departures will leave a major gap in how things work — and work smoothly — behind the legislative scenes.

“You are talking about individuals who know this institution better than most,” said Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who himself has put in almost 20 years here. “And I think the biggest concern is that you’re losing so much talent and the talent is not just simply in the job but it’s in the understanding of the institution and the institutional knowledge that comes along with it.”

It’s a loss, said House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, “that will be felt by many in this building.”

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