After decades of shunning the public spotlight, Joel Cowan appears headed for a meaningful role in the administration of Georgia's new governor, Roy Barnes.

When Cowan agreed to be Peachtree City's first mayor in order for the new city to be incorporated 40 years ago next January, he was in politics for the first and virtually only time in his life. He considers his talents for drawing people together and getting things done more effective behind the scenes where he has stayed for most of his life.

In 1983, however, Cowan's childhood friend Joe Frank Harris became governor and made Cowan his chief of staff, an essentially honorary but publicly recognized appointment. His most significant responsibility was chairmanship of the Growth Strategies Commission, which promoted regional solutions to problems caused by Georgia's wildfire development.

When Roy Barnes was a state senator and floor leader for Harris, he too served on the commission, and introduced key legislation relating to it.

Several weeks ago, now-governor-elect Barnes tapped Cowan to co-chair a new task force on metro air quality issues. Former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, who also served on the old commission, will share leadership of the new.

"[Barnes] made the announcement in the paper saying he had concerns for air quality, and if elected planned to work in this area," Cowan said last Thursday. "He knows quite a bit about it, has done the research on air quality issues. He does not start off as a novice."

Cowan said that during the campaign, he had tried to get all the candidates "to actively address the issue of air quality and to pledge that they would work in this area. Barnes did and Lewis Massey did, but no one else did."

Cowan deflected questions about his specific role or the exact nature of the commission and its assigned task, redirecting discussion to the governor-elect. "We're meeting tomorrow on the subject," he said. "He (Barnes) needs to have the option of choosing someone else to head up the commission. I can work in the background that's not a problem."

Cowan found it ironic that voters rejected Amendment 1 on Nov. 3 largely because of the real estate industry's opposition. The amendment would have created a property transfer tax to fund the purchase and preservation of Georgia's natural and historical amenities.

"Industries are already saying we'd better stay away from Atlanta because of air pollution and traffic congestion," he said. "Just recently an executive search consultant told me that people at high level jobs won't move to Atlanta because of that."

Cowan is on the Board of Directors for The Georgia Conservancy and is known in the business community for his ardor for sustainable development. He is optimistic about the state's new leadership.

"The stars are all lined up to deal with a very great problem," he said. "Barnes is seriously concerned about all quality of life issues, with clean air standing at the center. He seems to want to go through a proper process to arrive at any solution.