ATLANTA --- Much of what state government does is decided by hundreds of political appointees serving on dozens of boards, most at the pleasure of the governor. So, having representation on them can be important to cities -- especially communities without members in the legislative leadership.

The General Assembly might pass the legislation and the governor might sign them into law, but it's the boards of agencies and commissions that determine the laws' details. A board that doesn't favor a law can water down the rules to make the law meaningless. Or the rules can be more restrictive than intended.

For example, take the State Board of Education. Every year, the legislature considers more bills about education than any topic, except taxation. The Education Board has 156 standing rules and usually has two or three amendments in every monthly agenda.

Governors get to appoint so many people to boards and commissions that they have a staffer devoted to researching and recommending appointees. Nominees might come from the boards, legislators, campaign supporters and the governor's own circle of acquaintances.

It's little surprise that Gov. Sonny Perdue has appointed more people -- on a per capita basis -- from Macon and Warner Robins than from anywhere else, because he lives just outside those cities in Bonaire. He knows more people and has trusted them longer.

Just the sheer number of appointees from a given area demonstrates the community's stature. But there are other benefits to a governor appointing many local people to various boards.

In some cases, it's as simple as a board member inviting the rest of the board for a meeting or tour of local facilities. That can raise the whole board's familiarity with a community's needs.

In other cases, it can mean a solid advocate for the community's preferences. When the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame was on the brink of dissolution, the question arose of who should get the statues of inducted golfers, such as Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Augusta wanted to keep them to serve as tourist attractions, but there were no members of the board from Augusta, despite that being the site of the Hall of Fame. So, the board opted to create a foundation and keep them out of the city's hands.