The brother of Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, has been hired as a communications specialist by the federally funded Race to the Top education improvement program, making him the latest relative of a prominent politician to receive a Capitol job.
Jon Rogers gave up his position as chief of staff for his brother after he was offered the other job in mid-January.
The Georgia Health Care Association, which receives more than $1 billion per year in state funding, earlier hired Clint Wilder, Gov. Nathan Deal’s son-in-law, as director of program development, and Sarah Denise Ralston, niece of House Speaker David Ralston, as an intern who is registered to lobby. Also, Matt Ralston, the House speaker’s son, was given a job as an intern by the GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group.
The recent hires have not been well received by members of the Tea Party from Cherokee County, where Sen. Rogers resides.
“Personally, I’m sick to death with all this kind of business,” said Deborah Shields, a tea party organizer. “The citizens of this state must get plugged into their local governments. If we cannot trust that these people are willing to do the right thing, we citizens will simply take their jobs and do the work themselves.”
Sen. Rogers and new state School Superintendent John Barge, who recommended the hiring of Jon Rogers, share several connections. The senator has served as the honorary co-chairman of Barge’s transition committee, and he sponsored Senate Bill 38 this session, which will give the superintendent the ability to hire and fire staff at will without going through the state Board of Education.
Sen. Rogers had no input in the hiring and didn’t send a letter of recommendation or communicate with Barge about his brother’s application, said Matt Cardoza, Department of Education spokesman.
Jon Rogers, who will be paid $75,000 per year, was one of 54 applicants who went through an interview and screening process, which didn’t include the superintendent until the final step, Cardoza said. Rogers will help coordinate meetings, oversee publications and promote Georgia’s $400 million portion of $3.4 billion in federal funding set aside for education improvements.
Jon Rogers said he received no help from his brother in obtaining his new job, and insisted his previous experience qualified him for the work.
“I’ve done communications for my brother for the last two years, and I’ve been involved in public policy for the last six years,” he said.
Jon Rogers worked two years in Colorado and two in Florida for Focus Action, a national organization that helped organize voters on policy issues in 36 state legislatures. He also worked for the 2004 re-election campaign of President George Bush in Florida.
In the Senate, Jon Rogers coordinated and drafted communications and put out a weekly newsletter to constituents, and he researched information for his brother’s legislative presentations. He also dealt with weekly news conferences and interview requests, wrote news releases and spoke at meetings when Sen. Rogers was unable to attend.
“So I am well qualified for this job,” Jon Rogers said.
Asked about his brother’s new job, Sen. Rogers declined comment, other than to say, “I don’t make hiring decisions for [the department]. You need to talk to them about that.”
Sen. Rogers sponsored Senate Bill 38 because Barge was the only constitutional officer (of seven elected) in the state who does not have the power to hire and fire, he said in a Senate subcommittee hearing on Tuesday.
“You can’t manage your department if you can’t manage your employees,” Sen. Rogers said.
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