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DEL.ICIO.USPerdue’s chief of staff gone, but not out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
John Watson, a longtime Republican activist and Gov. Sonny Perdue’s chief of staff for three years, announced Wednesday he’s leaving to “pursue opportunities in the private sector.”
Don’t look for him to disappear.
Consistent rumblings say he’s the governor’s choice to become the next chairman of the state Republican party, the position held since 2003 by Alec Poitevint.
That could depend on actions next month by the state GOP’s ruling hierarchy, which we hear is to consider rule changes that would give Perdue — and Republican governors who follow him — a bigger say in who runs the state GOP.
Right now, selection of the party chairman is a grass-roots affair.
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By Republican voter
November 24, 2006 2:00 PM | Link to this
So, now Watson gets replaced by a Democrat lobbiest for the power companies/hospital interests…good going Gov.
By Bruce
November 25, 2006 3:09 PM | Link to this
November 25, 2006 The Editors: Today I received a large, expensive political brochure in the mail supporting a candidate in the run-off election to the Georgia Public Service Commission on December 5th. The partisan appeal by “The Republican Team” falsely implies that the voter should associate Democrat David Burgess with increases in natural gas prices paid by Georgians. Interestingly, David Burgess seems to be the only Democrat member of the PSC and has been in the minority in decision making votes since he took office. The Commission website http://www.psc.state.ga.us/index.asp offers that Burgess serves as the only former PSC member with staff experience – seventeen years, including serving as Director of Rates and Tariffs during the period preceding 1999 when Georgia’s rates were alleged by the Republican think piece to have been better than today. “He has effectively resolved various electric, gas and telecommunications issues during his tenure at the commission,” according to the PSC website. While the advertisement emphasizes that the incumbent is a Democrat AND an Afro-American (the only minority representative on the PSC), it fails to supply any information about the Republican candidate’s experience, associations, connections or views on issues or priorities facing Georgians and the Public Service Commission. WHY? I urge you to join me on December 5th (or by taking advantage of the convenient Absentee Ballot form provided by the Republican Party) by repudiating the falsely misleading and manipulative effort of the senders of this brochure by voting for Mr. Burgess. Thank you. Sincerely,
Bruce Gruber
By GC
November 28, 2006 8:23 AM | Link to this
In addition to Watson, Perdue has some other decisions to make. The State Constitution grants the Governor relevance but will Perdue have it for the next four years? He was recently re-elected under a cloud of revelations pertaining to his use of the Governor’s office for personal enrichment and conflicts of interests. Inorder to be effective Perdue has to make a fundamental decision, and if he hasn’t made it by now, it may be too late. He has to decide whether he’s going to be forthright and straigthforward with the citizens of Georgia about the revelations pertaining to his land purchases in Georgia and Florida, as well as his $100,000.00 tax break. And he has to decide whether the cloud of these matters is going to be his whole legacy, good or bad, or whether he wants to get them behind him so he can get some things done during the next four years he has been granted.
Equally important is the fact that the Republican Party’s continuing silence about the Perdue revelations the lessens its moral governing authority. In the interest of pushing its ideals of a more moral society, at the very least the Republican Party should be pushing for an inquiry into the Perdue revelations. Where is the condemnation? Where is the outrage?