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Saturday, April 19, 2008
A push poll targeting Glenn Richardson?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just got a phone call from Darrell Galloway, chairman of the Paulding County GOP, who said he spent 30 minutes on the phone Thursday night with a push-poller whose apparent target was House Speaker Glenn Richardson.
The phone number was blocked, but the woman said the firm she worked for was in Texas. Galloway (who is no relation, at least on this side of the water) said the poll was designed to appear as if it were testing reaction to a short list of Paulding County political figures who might run against Richardson in a July primary.
Except that none of the names mentioned lives in the speaker’s House district.
When asked who he would support, Galloway replied that he’d vote for Richardson. The poller then asked if his opinion would change if he knew about the speaker’s alleged relationship with a gas company lobbyist, or about his speedy divorce this winter.
The local chairman said it was pretty clear that the calls are targeting Paulding County. A handful of other residents have contacted him as well, reporting similar scripts.
After a stormy legislative session, somebody is putting some money into cutting Richardson’s legs out from under him. Democrats? They probably don’t have the cash to waste.
Let’s hear from you if you’ve received one of these calls — or if you know who might be paying the bill.
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On the dinner theater circuit: Of DOT policy and romance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Helen, Ga. — It was only appropriate that, one day after playing in Atlanta, Georgia’s most riveting political soap opera moved to the dinner theater circuit on Friday night.
The locale was the Black Bear Dinner Theater, and the occasion was the 9th Congressional District Republican Banquet. These were the people who fought tooth and nail in January to keep Mike Evans on the powerful, 13-member state transportation board, where he served as chairman.
Evans resigned on Thursday, because of a budding romance with the employee he supervised, Department of Transportation Commissioner Gena Abraham — the woman Gov. Sonny Perdue had designated to oversee reform of the massively dysfunctional, billion-dollar agency.
This evening, the north Georgia mountains became the setting for Evans’ apology — and a romantic declaration of a sort. The room was packed when the couple walked in together. Evans in a blazer and his outstanding gray-to-black wavy hair, squiring Abraham in a print dress and high heels.
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and state School Superintendent Kathy Cox filled the time between the main course and desert. But it was the DOT lovebirds who provided the conversation. Evans’ father, who lives in Helen, was in the balcony watching.
Evans took the microphone to address the crowd. You can listen to his entire, five-minute speech here.
Was there levity? Yeah, there was some humor. Said Evans:
“[Abraham has] done a lot of great things at DOT, and one of the things she’s done is have the web site revamped. You can go there to GDOTmatchmaker.com, if you’re looking for a date.”
But the former DOT board chairman began on a necessarily serious note.
For in the audience was state Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ranger), one of five House members punished for voting to return Evans to his DOT seat in January, against the wishes of Speaker Glenn Richardson.
Yet this is what makes this romantic tryst serious public business: Evans cast the tie-breaking vote that put Abraham in office, and set in motion the remaking of the DOT.
Mathematically, Abraham’s support on the DOT board now must be considered precarious. Only hours before, at the state Capitol, Gov. Sonny Perdue and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle expressed their support for Abraham, and said they would be contacting DOT board members to argue her case.
This is how Evans approached the topic:
“I owe you an apology. I’ve done that to some of you. And y’all spent a lot of effort getting me re-elected two or three months ago, and me not filling out — finishing out my term, I know is disappointing to some. And I apologize.
“I want to tell you a little bit about what’s going on. No doubt you’ve seen it on TV. And I’ve assured Tom [Graves] and other folks this: Had I known on the day I was re-elected, that I would develop more than a professional relationship with a certain person, I would not have run for re-election…
“The policy at DOT is you can’t date folks in the same chain of command. So one of us had to go. And as most of you know, I resigned my board seat and my chairmanship yesterday. And as I told somebody earlier today, one of us had to go, and I said, ‘Correct me if I’m wrong, I said it’s about a million times more important that she stay over me…’
Evans then introduced his date, who oversees more federal and state money than you or I will ever see in a hundred lifetimes.
She stood, and the crowd politely applauded. Abraham was named DOT commissioner last year — months, according to Evans, before the pair began their relationship.
Continued Evans:
“I said it when I voted for her, in 15 years of public service, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I believe that she’s the best thing that’s come through the doors at DOT. And I believe she’s the last best hope of changing that department.
“And you need to demand that that department change. Through your legislators and through your DOT board member….Because she’s trying to change something that’s been wrong for a long time. There’s a lot of power, and a lot of money in that department, and the industry that it represents. And sometimes those people don’t change very easily.”
When Evans finished, a dozen people in the audience stood. The rest applauded politely, but not enthusiastically. Also in the front row was state Rep. Carl Rogers (R-Gainesville), who earlier in the day had called for both Evans and Abraham to resign their posts. Rogers is considering a run to replace Evans on the DOT board.
Throughout all of this, the most silent figure in this involuntary opera has been Abraham. But with the governor, lieutenant governor, and transportation enthusiasts calling for her continued employment, the question was obvious.
Will you quit?
This is what Abraham said Friday night: “I’m not working tonight. But I will say this. I’m going in Monday. I’m going back to work, just as I have for the last five months.”
And, Abraham said, she intends to sound out the DOT board to figure out how much support she in fact has. They’ll be gathering Monday, too.
And as for her date getting up in front of north Georgia — the Republican portion, anyway — Abraham said: “I told him I’m really proud of you doing that. That was a courageous thing to do.”
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