Until this year, Georgia voters had not had a direct say about who their state attorney general would be since back in World War II days. But with an open seat for the first time in more than half a century, there is much attention on the race this year.

Two Republicans will meet in Tuesday's runoff election for their party's bid for the job. Former Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens will face former state Sen. Preston Smith of Rome for the right to face Democrat Ken Hodges of Dougherty County in the fall.

Olens garnered 214,000 votes, or 39.7 percent, in the July 20 primary. Smith got 166,000 votes, or 30.8 percent, while a third candidate, Max Wood of Macon, got 29.5 percent and was eliminated.

Olens got a big boost on primary day from his home voters here in Cobb with 42,500 votes, which is no surprise, since Cobb folks are the ones who know him best. Olens had proven himself as arguably the most able and most accomplished commission chairman in the county's history, and had done so without a hint of scandal - and for that matter, thanks to his collegial leadership style, hardly any controversy.

That can't be said about his runoff opponent, though. Smith's name has been much in the news during the past week in connection with revelations about his series of extramarital affairs and in reported connection with having missed several crucial votes on the last night of the recent legislative session after he was ordered off the Senate floor because his drunken behavior with a pair of legislative interns was too much of a distraction.

Smith on his campaign website prominently boasts of his membership in the West Rome Baptist Church. But tellingly, he was passed over by the Georgia Christian Coalition, which this week gave its campaign endorsement to Olens, a long-standing member of Congregation Etz Chaim in east Cobb.

Yet Olens' accomplishments are more than reason enough to vote for him, regardless of his opponent's alleged peccadilloes. He has a doctor of law degree from Emory University and 27 years experience in private practice. He has proven himself a strong supporter of the Georgia Open Records and Open Meetings Acts. He has been a firm advocate for the controversial 287(g) program in use at the Cobb jail and a few others around the state, which authorizes checks on immigration status for those arrested and taken to jail on other charges. He doesn't think illegal aliens should be admitted to Georgia's public colleges and universities, regardless of what the Board of Regents thinks. And his proactive leadership at the helm of Cobb County during the worst drought of modern times would serve him well when it comes to fighting - and hopefully settling - the ongoing "water wars" with Alabama and Florida.

Olens would be an activist attorney general, using that office as vigorously as possible on behalf of the people of Georgia. Too often, Georgia's AGs have taken a "sit back and wait" approach to tackling problems. That's definitely not Olens' style.

Sam Olens deserves the chance to put that style and his skills to work on behalf of Georgians, and that's why he deserves your vote on Tuesday for state Attorney General.