Former Gov. Sonny Perdue made sure the Johns Creek Chamber Young Professionals took home one message: You can make a difference in your community no matter how old you are.

“What we would tell our interns is you can make a difference today,” he said. “Wherever you decide to put your energy, your passion, your effort, you can make a difference today.”

At the Young Professional’s monthly breakfast meeting Sept. 27 Perdue talked about his personal story, American politics and what involved citizens can do in their community.

Perdue emphasized the key to good local government is having local leaders concerned about the community.

“Can I give you a secret? Politicians are followers,” he said. “You’re going to get the level of political acumen that good local leadership insists upon.”

Moving out from local government, Perdue said there are a few problems with the federal government, mentioning Congress several times. He said party polarization has made it hard for Congress to move forward with their responsibilities and compromise is not always a bad thing. He said there are two things in politics: convictions you will not go against and preferences that you can compromise on if needed.

“My responsibility as a candidate is to describe those convictions to you, those lines I will not cross,” he said. “Otherwise 80 percent of things in political life are preferences – maybe 90 [percent]. I need to bend to the districts and to the people where they are.”

He also said he felt political service should be a season in someone’s life, not a career.

“I took Thomas Jefferson literally. Do you know what Jefferson said?” he asked. “Come out for a time, serve and go back and do what you were doing. And frankly I’m loving the private sector. It’s better than I remember after eight years of being put away.”