Jim Tysinger: A Retrospective

Jim Tysinger was a Republican in Georgia at a time when the GOP was an inconsequential force in Peach State politics.

But that didn't affect the longtime legislator's ability to get things done for his constituents and work with a Democratic majority that had been in power since right after the Civil War.

Tysinger, who passed away Tuesday morning after a bout of pneumonia, represented Brookhaven and other parts of north DeKalb from 1968-98 in the state Senate.

Prior to that, he was a member of the city of North Atlanta's final city council, which went out of business in 1965. Portions of that old city are now included in the new city of Brookhaven.

Tysinger was famous for his regular meetings with constituents, and reaching across the aisle to work with the entrenched Democratic majority.

I attended several of his famous Saturday morning breakfasts, which are still held each weekend today.

During a time when our political leaders tout bipartisanship and collaboration but practice divisiveness and contention, we could use more leaders like the late Jim Tysinger.