Jim Galloway’s Sunday column in the AJC profiles Republican Public Service Commission candidate Tim Echols of Winterville and his efforts to make conservation a conservative value.

Echols is different — in the way he has placed environmentalism and consumer protection at the center of his campaign, and the way he explains himself.

Take solar energy, for instance.

“For conservatives, it’s all about saving money. For conservative business people, it’s all about being able to make a profit. And I embrace both of those,” Echols said. “But I believe — especially with solar here in Georgia — there is a profit-making potential for entrepreneurs and individuals. And there are energy savings available to the average consumer.”

Via Peach Pundit, three ethics complaints have been filed against Winterville resident and Public Service Commission candidate Tim Echols. Two of them have to do with home-schooled Christian children who participated in Echols’ TeenPact nonprofit improperly campaigning for former gubernatorial candidate John Oxendine.

Echols has denied he did anything improper by arranging for TeenPact participants to volunteer on campaigns.

In other PSC news, state Rep. Jeff May, who was defeated in the primary, endorsed state Sen. John Douglas over Echols, who had previously said May would support him.

Former Gov. Roy Barnes took a break from swimming in gold coins today to release 25 years worth of income tax returns; oddly, at the same time Democratic opponent Thurbert Baker was holding a press conference to announce his jobs plan.

Barnes reported $5.1 million in income to the IRS in 2009 and $27.5 million since 1984. He paid $7.7 million in taxes and gave $2.7 million to charity. The returns are online here.

“Today, I am disclosing all of my financial information for the past 25 years,” Barnes said in a statement. “This 1,500 page report is online and available to friends, opponents, voters, and the press. I expect my fellow candidates to do the same and release at least ten years of tax returns. Georgians deserve nothing less.”

And campaign staffers everywhere are recoiling in horror as their plans for the weekend evaporate.

Tim Echols, a Winterville resident and conservative activist, will be taking over Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine’s gubernatorial campaign.

Echols is a former aide to Rep. Paul Broun who resigned last year to start a consulting firm with the goal of recruiting more minorities into evangelical Christian politics. He had considered running for the state Senate seat Ralph Hudgens is leaving to run for insurance commissioner, but decided against it. He also runs TeenPact, an organization that trains young Christians in the ways of government, but is taking a leave of absence to become Oxendine’s campaign manager.

Echols called me from Braselton this afternoon with the news. We didn’t have much time to talk, but we made plans to meet Monday, so I’ll have more details then.

Blake.aued@onlineathens.com

Conservative Christian activist Tim Echols has changed his mind about running for state Senate.

Echols had planned to run for the north-of-Athens seat Ralph Hudgens is leaving to run for state insurance commissioner, but said he doesn’t think he can effectively serve his constituents with seven children at home commuting from Winterville to Atlanta during the session. He still wants to run for office someday, he said, but not for six or eight years.

Speaking of Hudgens, he was at a Clarke County GOP meeting Monday and said Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine has convinced him he is absolutely, positively running for governor – something many observers have doubted, given Oxendine’s history of entering, then dropping out of races for higher office.

Blake.aued@onlineathens.com

Less than 24 hours after state Sen. Ralph Hudgens, R-Hull, said he’s running for insurance commissioner, we already have one taker for his seat.

Tim Echols, a conservative activist who lives in Winterville, is interested in running in the 47th, he said. The district includes eastern Clarke, Oglethorpe, Madison, part of Elbert, part of Jackson and Barrow counties.