WAGA's Dale Russell reported tonight that taxpayers footed the $92,000 bill to pave the single-lane gravel road leading to Gov. Nathan Deal's personal residence in Demorest after the head of the Georgia State Patrol cited security concerns. From Russell's report:
He says he wanted to pave the road to help move equipment during a possible emergency. He admits in his 21 years with the State Patrol he's never seen this done before.
The report quotes government watchdog William Perry saying the deal smacks of cronyism because it "makes the governor's property more valuable because now there's a paved road getting to it, not a gravel road."
McDonough told Russell that the road paving was part of a still-unfinished security "contingency" plan to ensure access to the home in wintry weather. He said he asked Habersham County to pave the road in December, a month after Deal's re-election win, and that the bill was paid by a state Department of Transportation grant.
The house, off Log Cabin Road in Habersham County, is Deal's primary residence and he often opts to spend his weekends there rather than the Governor's Mansion in Buckhead. Deal has unsuccessfully tried since 2011 to sell another house he owns, which sits on a five-acre campus near Gainesville.
Deal spokeswoman Jen Talaber declined to comment on what she said were matters of executive security and safety protocol.
You can read the full AJC story on the road paving project by clicking here.
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