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DEL.ICIO.USThe transportation push-back begins
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last Thursday, minutes after Gov. Sonny Perdue, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson unveiled a plan to reorganize the way Georgia makes road and rail policy, the rebellion started.
A series of three elections for membership on the state board that governs the Department of Transportation — which Perdue would like to see gutted — were held in the state Senate chamber.
Two of the races were uncontested were of no account. But in the 12th District race, state Rep. Bobby Parham (D-Milledgeville) — after several elimination rounds — beat Charles Tarbutton.
Tarbutton is not only close to Perdue, assistant vice president of the Sandersville Railroad Co., and former chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He’s the chairman of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s campaign for governor.
Parham, a 34-year veteran of the House, is also dead-set against Perdue’s plan to gut the state DOT board by creating a State Transportation Authority to supercede it.
“He wants to take us back to the days of Talmadge,” Parham said — meaning the father Gene of the 1930s, not the son Herman of the 1950s. “He fired a bunch of the deans, and then started the same process in the Department of Transportation, saying they weren’t doing the roads where they needed to be done.”
Parham, a retired pharmacist, said he decided on the spur of the moment to enter the race, telling his wife only a few minutes before.
“I saw the candidates. And I saw some of them were lock, stock and barrel — they were supported heavily by the governor. I decided to run on that day. Democrats pieced it all together and pulled in a good amount of Republicans,” Parham said.
Parham, 67, was nominated by state Rep. Butch Parrish, a Swainsboro Democrat turned Republican who is vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
The interesting thing about the contest — which extended over several rounds of elimination votes — is that Richardson, the House speaker, was informed of the pending Democratic victory.
“The speaker knew about it,” Parham said. “It’s my understanding that [Tarbutton] went to talk to the speaker about putting the pressure on some of the Republicans that I had locked down. And he refused to get involved. Which I was proud of him for that.”
“It was an exhilarating feeling for not only me but all the Democrats,” Parham said, “Because according to Dubose [Porter, House minority leader], this was kind of a first after the big Republican revolution we had in this state.”
Parham’s election is significant on two levels. First, according to Porter, it creates a 7-6 split on the 13-member DOT board, giving the upper hand to those who favor legislative control of the body over those who think the governor ought to dominate.
“Bobby Parham brings a lot of historical perspective. He knows why the DOT was made an independent agency. He knows about the corruption of the past,” Porter said this morning.
Parham also concedes his election should worry DOT Commissioner Gena Evans, who is appointed by the board. “It doesn’t make her job any easier. She’s been in there for the governor,” he said.
Parham won’t take his seat on the DOT board until the Legislature goes home — and this is another reason why his election could be important. Parham, a rural white Democrat, is likely to become the rallying point for those against Perdue’s reorganization of the state’s transportation agencies.
“I plan to stay there to fight those bills as hard as I can. When sine die comes, I’m going to resign the next day,” Parham said. He’d then be eligible to take his seat on the DOT board.
“But it takes the governor to swear me in. And he’s gonna damn sure put it off a while,” Parham surmised.
In the meantime, the campaign to pass S.B. 200 and a House companion bill has already begun. Here is the bill summary, list of talking points, and FAQs being tossed about.
Comments
By jon
February 24, 2009 1:04 PM | Link to this
Thank God there is someone standing up for the DOT. Sonny Purdue is the Govenor who stripped the DOT of 1% of the funding mandated from the gas tax, he’s the Govenor who took 64 million from the DOT to fund his “gas tax break for Georgians” last year; He’s the Govenor who initiated the “FAST FORWARD” program that has flopped and is the source for the shortfall his puppettess touted when named Commissioner. I voted Republican when he first ran for Govenor, but I can assure you, the days of the Republican Snobs in Georgia will soon be over. There isn’t a State Employee, especially in the DOT, that will vote for them. It is disgusting to see the Govenor praise the Board one month and then label it “dysfuntional” the next. Greed is a powerful inticement when power is in your hands. I certainly hope he doesn’t get his way and the taxpayers of this State will remember the many blunders made by Sonny and his party.
By jon
February 24, 2009 1:09 PM | Link to this
Thank God there is someone standing up for the DOT. Sonny Purdue is the Govenor who stripped the DOT of 1% of the funding mandated from the gas tax, he’s the Govenor who took 64 million from the DOT to fund his “gas tax break for Georgians” last year; He’s the Govenor who initiated the “FAST FORWARD” program that has flopped and is the source for the shortfall his puppettess touted when named Commissioner. I voted Republican when he first ran for Govenor, but I can assure you, the days of the Republican Snobs in Georgia will soon be over. There isn’t a State Employee, especially in the DOT, that will vote for them. It is disgusting to see the Govenor praise the Board one month and then label it “dysfuntional” the next. Greed is a powerful inticement when power is in your hands. I certainly hope he doesn’t get his way and the taxpayers of this State will remember the many blunders made by Sonny and his party.
By George I Know
February 24, 2009 4:57 PM | Link to this
I agree with you Jon. I am also a DOT employee and I certainly don’t think Sonny and his goons need to take total control of the DOT funds. I’m concerned about what would become of our jobs if this happens. And thank GOD also there is another voice on the board that would like to see our beloved Gena booted to the curb. How anyone can have respect for her after all the bad press she has brought to the DOT is beyond me. The rest of us would be fired on the spot if we were caught doing the things she’s done. Yes, we need new leadership, but we need it in the form of a commissioner that will be respected by the employees, the legislature, and the public; not greedy Sonny and his goons. He says there will be 11 members on his new board, but we all know if those 11 members don’t vote the way the BIG 3 tell them to vote they will be replaced, so in escence 3 people will be in total control of the funds instead of the current 13.
By Finally
February 24, 2009 6:23 PM | Link to this
I am a Georgia tax payer and a DOT employee and Thank GOD there is somebody that can see thru the B.S.. That is is a pure power grab by our wonderful governor who looked like a fool in front of Obama. Might as well put your head down on the desk Sonny if your looked so tired and go to sleep. Your 21 million dollar loan about due?
But I agree totally with the other posters, DOT needs new leadership and it doesn’t need Gena. She has caused more problems with DOT and caused more headaches in the last 20 years than any DOT commisioner ever has. One thing I loved was her speech DOT in 2005-2006 had plenty of money then it mysteriously went away. Mysteruiously was Sonny Purdues Fast Forward progra DRAINED DOT. If he would have left it alone, we would have been fine. Also moving to the new building and making it like the Taj mahal. I would love for them to do a audit on how much money they spent on that new building remodeling it. Especially the 21 people she hired at 100K a year. And what do they do? How much money has Gena wasted???
I am glad Mr. Parham see’s thru the republican BS and the person wrote above about one person not voting republican at the DOT, Nada I think the whole place would vote Democrat right about now.
You cannot blame the DOT, the problem has been the governor all along, and the past governors, that have had a 3 cent gas tax since 79 it should be about 30 cents from inflation. Georgia doesn’t need a billion to fix the roads and transportation, its needs BILLIONS. There has been a reason always for the cheap gas in GA, we have never been taxed enough to take care of transportation. If Georgia or Atlanta ever wants to be like New York, Boston or Los Angeles they need to pony up some cash and quit complaining about the congestion.
Sorry to heck with health and education, till you fix transportation, the other two get fixed. Transportation, brings more money here, jobs, etc….. Which means more taxes for Education and Health. You Fix transportation first and Sonnys plan is not going to do it. Sonny and Secretary of Transportation Gena Evans will put toll booths across Georgia. I would rather pay for it in gas then a toll booth every where. If the republicans get their way its coming. If you drive thru Florida ask yourself if you want your highways to be like that?
By ATL
February 24, 2009 9:52 PM | Link to this
Anyone that opposes Gena Evans is okay with Atlanta. She should stop trying to screw the Beltline and get out of the way.
By amused
February 24, 2009 11:16 PM | Link to this
Has anyonoe heard about the “wonderful” introduction Mike Evans gave his lovely bride Monday night at the Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce? Mike and Gena are truly trailer trash. He raved about his great love for her, she was more important than him, they didn’t mean to fall in love, etc. then, the hightlight of the speech!! yep, this is true! I was there. He said quote,”we know the jokes that have been made about us, that we should have been laying asphalt instead of laying each other,” end quote. Need I say more about the state of transportation in GA?
By Just the Facts
February 25, 2009 12:49 AM | Link to this
We all keep reading how the changes that Governor Perdue wants to implement is going to adversely effect the DOT. The only persons saying this are directly or indirectly employeed by the State. The facts are the easily noticed and somewhat hilarous. The department uses funds for Employees, employee vehicles, gasoline, oil, maintenance of vehicles, benefits. Each Department Head spends between 15 to 25 hours of their 60 hour work week on Employee related counseling, payroll approval, timesheet verifications, task assignments, and employee corrective performances. Why would anyone with a WALLET want to pay DOT Employees for a task that can be completed by an outside source without the internal expeditures. Ride by any construction project and you will see GDOT employees in vans, trucks and cars, some will be working, others will be asleep. Some GDOT employees look very unprofessional and have little or no formal education but are managing million dollar projects. As of today there are many many Project Managers, Area Engineers and Maintenance Engineers who do not have a Clue in what a real Engineer’s Job really requires. On the other hand the GDOT does have MANY MANY Employees who would fit nicely into other companies who could do the work. But those employees are the ones who come to work everyday, work their 8 or 10 or 12 hours each day, they work past 5:00 , they are employees who give the Tax Payers of Georgia a great value for the money they are paid and the retirement package afforded them. Those employees who KNOW how to work will have no problem working for many of the companies they now OBSERVE on the construction sites. The problems we see in the GDOT is a direct reflection of no one COMPETING with the GDOT for building a better Transportation system. It is time for the GDOT to get out of the way for Progress and Allow Professionals to do the work with a CONTROLLED BUDGET.