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DEL.ICIO.USThe near-disaster that Sonny Perdue kept to himself
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue revealed Thursday that state government was close to suffering major computers crashes, threatening lots of important data, during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
Perdue told reporters, including my AJC colleague Cameron McWhirter, that he “wasn’t fully transparent with all of you” at the time because the danger was “fairly frightening.” He said the threat was one of the main reasons he put two computer outsourcing contracts out to bid last year.
On Thursday, The governor held a press conference in his Capitol office to announce he was awarding an eight-year, $873 million contract to IBM and a five-year, $346 million contract to AT&T.
Patrick Moore, who heads the Georgia Technology Authority, said the new contracts will save the state millions in part because the state will reduce the number of state computer servers from about 2,700 now to about 1,600.
Ninety-two GTA workers will lose their jobs. The two companies were sole bidders for the contracts. Perdue had scrapped a similar deal in 2003 when only one company bid. This time, Perdue said, the state had done more homework about what he needed so he felt better about awarding these contracts.
“We weren’t going to be a patsy consumer,” he said.
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Comments
By Gomer Pyle
November 20, 2008 7:13 PM | Link to this
we need men like Sonny to make the tough calls while ya’ll change-makers can march around in parades and celebrate breathing, we need Sonny to hold that Wall
By Helen Crane
November 20, 2008 8:05 PM | Link to this
folks look at the state ethics website at who the lobbyists for IBM. I can’t believe anyone would believe that story. Sonny is famous for taking gifts from vendor lobbyists. Look at the new car, look at Jekyll Island fiasco (Republican donations for trying to sell off cheap beach front property which happens to be a state park) Hoping around the globe during legislative session paid for by lobbyists. WE NEED A LAW REQUIRING THAT PUBLIC OFFICERS CLAIM THE GIFTS THEY RECIEVE. Sonny makes Alaska’s Senator look like small stuff. Do we not have a decent investigative reporter in this state! Ask him to prove things weren’t working- give me a break!
By Reader with aThird Eye
November 21, 2008 2:28 PM | Link to this
Gomer and Helen
Sonny is up to his tricks again Remember the Oaky Woods? Well ride down GA HWy 96 and look at what happen. Sonny helped get it sold to his buddies for another sub divison. Just for giggles go to the GDOT website and look at the GA HWY 96 widening project. Then look at the maps for the project and see who owns the land…hmm the last names are all Purdue. And Gomer most of Houston thinks he’s forgot about us. Most Georgian’s need to wake up and stop putting the faith behind silver spoon feed Republicans who could care less about poeple like me and Gomer