WILL THE COBB SCHOOL BOARD carry out Chairman Dr. John Abraham's recommendation from last month to censure or reprimand maverick board member Alison Bartlett when it meets Wednesday? Or have the board's intramural politics pushed the desire for revenge into the back seat?

Despite his threat, the board's meeting agenda for Wednesday contains no reference to such a reprimand. Will Abraham carry through on his threat to hang Bartlett out to dry? Or will his latest claim be just another empty promise - like his pledge to bid out the Brock Clay contract and like his pledge to vote for a later school start date?

As you may recall, Bartlett had raised questions about the integrity of a school survey that asked Cobb employees which school calendar they would prefer for the coming academic year. Bartlett said teachers at five schools told her their principals had encouraged them to vote for the balanced calendar in a survey that was not anonymous. In response to her allegations, Superintendent Fred Sanderson hired a former Cobb principal to investigate the charges.

The former principal, Dr. Linda Bernknopf, reported that she found no proof of coercion, in part because Bartlett would not reveal the names of those who claimed they had been coerced. Bartlett later conceded that her comments had not been worded as carefully as they could have been, but stressed that she in no way had impugned the integrity of any of the principals.

After hearing a report from Bernknopf at the Dec. 10 board meeting, Abraham and other board members sharply criticized Bartlett, as did several school principals in what some later described as an orchestrated, high-fiving "pep rally" ginned up for the superintendent. (Don't forget that all Cobb principals are recommended for their jobs directly by Sanderson.) Many observers wondered how such a big crowd of ranking educators could have been pulled together on such short notice at such a busy time of year - especially considering that the report's contents were supposedly a secret until just prior to the meeting.

Abraham said he would recommend Bartlett be censured for violating policy, which says concerns and allegations such as those Bartlett made should be brought directly to Sanderson and not publicly announced during a meeting. Bartlett, however, wasn't going to reveal her sources, particularly to Sanderson, whom she doesn't trust.

"Dr. Abraham recommended that a resolution of censure or reprimand be presented for consideration at the next Board Meeting in January 2010," state the minutes.

But could it be that Wednesday's election of the board chairman and vice chairman for 2010 has trumped the earlier plans for retribution against Bartlett? The leading candidates are current Vice Chairwoman Lynnda Crowder-Eagle and Dr. John Crooks. But late reports on Monday from board insiders suggest that Crowder-Eagle now says the board should "forget it and move on" rather than punish Bartlett. And Crooks also is said to think the board should "move on." Have board members relented on their earlier plans in exchange for secret pledges of support?

Stay tuned.

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IF DOLLARS COULD VOTE, Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens would be in great shape as he gears up for this year's run for the GOP nomination as state attorney general. Olens has raised more than the other candidates for the post and far more than his only other Republican opponent, according to just-filed campaign finance disclosure forms.

Olens raised $447,566 in 2009, and has $306,289 cash on hand. His opponent, Max Wood of Macon, raised $65,285 and has $49,255 cash on hand.

On the Democratic side, state Rep. Rob Teilhet of Smyrna has raised $351,596 in his quest for the AG nomination and has $249,733 on hand. His opponent, Ken Hodges of Albany, has raised $351,307 and has $271,016 on hand.

The similarity in the totals for Teilhet and Hodges prompted one local wag to remark Monday that it appears that the state's trial lawyers - most of whom are Democrats - have hedged their bets by giving equally to each Democrat.

GEORGIA TREND MAGAZINE'S just-released annual list of the 100 Most Influential Georgians includes eight Cobb residents and a handful of local notables.

Those who made the 2010 power list were former Gov. Roy Barnes, 61, a Marietta attorney who is running to reclaim his previous title with a focus on education and transportation; 65-year-old U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-east Cobb), who has been involved in politics since 1974 after opening Northside Realty in Cobb in 1967 and growing it into a thriving enterprise; Cobb County Board of Commissioners Chairman Sam Olens, 52, who is running as a Republican for state attorney general; Kennesaw State University President Dr. Dan Papp, 62, of Marietta, who oversees one of the fastest growing schools in the state; Joseph A. Parker, 63, of Marietta, who is the president and CEO of Georgia Hospital Association; 63-year-old Marietta cardiologist Dr. Greg Simone, president and CEO of WellStar Health System, which has 11,500 employees and is embarking on an $800 million expansion plan; Marietta resident Kessel Stelling Jr., 52, president and CEO of Bank of North Georgia, who also serves on the University System of Georgia Board of Regents; and 60-year-old Marietta resident Ken Stewart, commissioner for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, which created about 17,000 jobs in Georgia in fiscal year 2009.

Making the 2010 Georgia Trend "Notables" list were: U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta); state Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs), who chairs the powerful House Rules Committee; author and TV personality Alton Brown of Marietta; new Atlanta Regional Commission Chairman Tad Leithead of east Cobb; and Otis A. Brumby Jr., publisher of the Marietta Daily Journal and Neighbor Newspapers.

Also in its January issue, Georgia Trend added Acworth journalist Bill Shipp, 76, into its Most Influential Georgians Hall of Fame.

Georgia Trend is published by longtime Mariettan and former MDJer Neely Young.

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Don Beaver, who has served as Cobb Chamber of Commerce's chief operating officer for 11 years, was named the chamber's new president and CEO on Monday at the board of directors first meeting of 2010.

Beaver, who is expected to retire at the end of the year, will serve as CEO until a successor is hired. Incoming Chamber Chairman Rob Garcia, executive vice president of Bank of North Georgia, said the chamber will hire an executive search firm to find the next CEO, but said there is no timetable and the decision will not be rushed.

Beaver, a retired United States Marine Corps pilot, succeeds chamber head Bill Cooper, who announced in September he would retire after filling the position since 1991.

The chamber's board of directors also Monday elected longtime Wachovia banker Tony Britton as first vice chairman, placing him in line to become chairman in 2012. WellStar CEO Dr. Greg Simone moved up to chairman-elect and will follow Garcia as chairman in 2011.

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THIS N' THAT: District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott plans to open his office to residents one Saturday per month and the kickoff will be Jan. 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. No appointments are necessary and residents are invited to stop by and share their thoughts and ideas on a first-come, first-serve basis. His office is on the third floor of Building A, 100 Cherokee St., Marietta. For more details, call (770) 528-3316 or e-mail bob.ott@cobbcounty.org. ... Cobb Master Gardeners will host a series of new programs covering plant-related subjects on the second Friday of each month at the Central Library, 266 Roswell St., Marietta. Participants should bring their own lunches and enjoy a presentation from noon to 1 p.m. The first is Friday, Jan. 15, and will feature Electra Keil sharing a system for growing seeds in your home using recycled containers. Other lunch-and-learns are planned for Feb. 12, March 12, April 9, May 14 and June 11. ...

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FAMILY THERAPIST David Glick will be guest speaker at the North Cobb Civitan Club meeting at noon Wednesday. Meetings are held at the Pinetree Country Club, 3400 McCollum Pkwy, NW, Kennesaw. For more information call Louise Crapps at (770) 971-1833.

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IT WAS A SAD DAY at the MDJ offices on Monday after word arrived of this weekend's unexpected passing of longtime company courier Phil Albert, 48, while vacationing in Indiana.

The always smiling Albert, who began his career with the newspaper chain as a reporter and later sports editor for the Fayette Neighbor, spent the latter half of his 20-year career here shuttling between the chain's 8 far-flung metro Atlanta offices each day.

Services for Albert, a Marietta resident, will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Sandy Springs Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.