Governor May Employ 'Perdue PAC' In
Ramped-Up Efforts To Pass Governance Bill
By Dick Pettys
InsiderAdvantage Georgia
(3/24/09) Remember that mysterious Perdue PAC that Gov. Sonny Perdue
started in 2007 with almost $800,000 in leftover campaign funds?
Remember him explaining only vaguely how he planned to use the money
“for educational purposes” and “for influencing
public policy?”
He hasn’t spent any of the money yet, but sources on the
Capitol’s second floor say he is considering employing it
now, if necessary, to get his transportation governance measure
through the Legislature.
Sources tell Insider that “all cards are on the table”
as the governor ramps up efforts to get the measure through in an
acceptable form.
The measure has passed the Senate. The bottleneck is in the House,
where some fear the measure would give the governor too much power
and the Legislature too little. Proponents counter that the measure
gives lawmakers far greater power - through control of the purse
strings - than they could ever exercise under the current system.
The measure would create a new State Transportation Authority to
set statewide policy and fund the necessary programs. The Department
of Transportation would continue to play a role, but largely as
a maintenance agency.
The concept was endorsed not only by Perdue but also by Lt. Gov.
Casey Cagle and Speaker Glenn Richardson.
The sources said that while a deployment of Perdue PAC money is
a real possibility, the campaign wouldn’t be aimed at leadership
but rather at those in the Legislature it believes are playing political
games in blocking the bill.
The money potentially could be used to launch blast e-mails, run
advertising campaigns and generate phone calls to lawmakers both
before and after the session ends.
The governor is said to be considering “all means necessary”
to get the bill passed and is said to consider this a true “legacy”
issue.
“The second floor is completely engaged,” one source
said.
|
