perdue, sonny Gov

=<div>trump calls him working farmer but he is chem seller?</div><div>
</div><div>----</div><div><div class="story-body-supplemental" style="display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: space-between; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="story-body story-body-1" style="position: relative; flex-grow: 0; width: 705px;">WASHINGTON — In Sonny Perdue’s telling, Georgians were growing weary of the corruption and scandals in their state when he took over as governor in 2003 — a time when he gave his own version of a “drain the swamp” pledge.“My first goal as governor is to restore public trust in state government by changing the culture of state government,” Mr. Perdue <a href="http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/_{pdunn/portfolio/p_program_study/Website_access/distinguished_lectures/lectures/lectures_perdue.html"}>told a leadership conference</a> at Kennesaw State University in April 2003. “Our form of government depends on a mutual bond of trust between the people and their government. But people have become cynical about their government.”But Mr. Perdue, a Republican who is awaiting confirmation to serve as President Trump’s agriculture secretary, became a target of frequent criticism that he was failing to honor his own ethics pledge during his eight years as governor. The criticism centers on the fact that, as Mr. Trump has, he continued to own or help run his family business ventures — four farming-related companies — while serving as governor.Mr. Perdue is one of the last cabinet members awaiting Senate confirmation. No date has been set for his confirmation hearing; a holdup in the release of paperwork accompanying his nomination by the federal Office of Government Ethics has been blamed for the delay. The office must examine Mr. Perdue’s proposal to avoid conflicts of interest while running the <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/a/agriculture_department/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="More articles about the U.S. Agriculture Department." class="meta-org">U.S.D.A.</a>, as the department is known, which may include selling off some of his farming assets.<a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/us/politics/sonny-perdue-georgia.html#story-continues-1" style="position: absolute; width: 1px; height: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; clip: rect(0px 0px 0px 0px); overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none;">Continue reading the main story</a></div><div class="supplemental first" id="supplemental-1" data-between-flex-ads="true" data-pre-height="1222" data-max-items="2" data-remaining="277" data-minimum="400" data-last-item-height="477" data-flex-ad-adjacency="true" data-post-height="1222" style="display: flex; width: 360px; flex-flow: column nowrap; justify-content: flex-start;"><div class="supplemental-items" data-supplemental-order="0" data-no-ads="true" style="margin-bottom: 45px; height: 700px; display: flex; flex-flow: column nowrap; justify-content: space-between;" /><div class="supplemental-items" data-supplemental-order="1" data-no-med-rec="true" data-no-ads="true" style="margin-bottom: 45px; height: auto; max-height: 900px; display: flex; flex-flow: column nowrap; justify-content: space-around;" /></div></div><div class="story-interrupter" id="story-continues-1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><div class="story-body-supplemental" style="display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: space-between; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="story-body story-body-2" style="position: relative; flex-grow: 0; width: 705px;">Before his tenure as governor ended in 2011, 13 complaints had been filed against Mr. Perdue with the State Ethics Commission, which on two occasions ruled that the governor had violated state ethics laws. The commission took the unusual step of fining Mr. Perdue while he was governor.There were numerous other questions, including some about the role of Mr. Perdue’s personal lawyer — also a state legislator — in pushing a bill through the legislature that included a special provision that gave Mr. Perdue $100,000 in state tax relief.And, when his tenure as governor was coming to a close, Mr. Perdue met with Georgia officials who oversee the state’s ports to discuss use of a terminal for a family business, according to documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Soon after he left office, in fact, he <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110418006352/en/Governor-Sonny-Perdue-Launches-Perdue-Partners-LLC">opened a new company</a> that specialized in exporting products through Savannah.“When you are a public official you are supposed to be acting entirely on behalf of the public and not for self-gain,” said Yasha Heidari, former senior legal counsel to the State Ethics Commission. “Looking at his record, as both an attorney and a citizen of the state, I had serious concerns.”<figure id="media-100000004976282" class="media photo embedded layout-small-vertical media-100000004976282" data-media-action="modal" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemid="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/03/09/us/09perdue2/09perdue2-master180.jpg" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" aria-label="media" role="group" style="display: flex; margin: 6px 30px 45px 0px; position: relative; flex-direction: column; clear: left; max-width: none; align-items: flex-start; width: 180px; float: left;">Photo<div class="image" style="position: relative; margin-bottom: 7px; cursor: pointer; flex-shrink: 0; width: 180px;" /></figure>In a written statement, a spokeswoman for Mr. Perdue rejected that assessment, saying that the frequent criticism he faced while governor was largely politically motivated. “There hadn’t been a Republican governor in Georgia for 135 years,” the statement said. “Governor Perdue was the David who slew the Democrats’ Goliath.”</div></div></div><div> =<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/us/politics/sonny-perdue-georgia.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/us/politics/sonny-perdue-georgia.html</a><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-picks-sonny-perdue-for-agriculture-secretary/2017/01/18/">https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-picks-sonny-perdue-for-agriculture-secretary/2017/01/18/</a>http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-agriculture/2016/12/trumps-usda-landing-team-looks-like-its-klip-and-zip-217913
TRUMP’S USDA LANDING TEAM LOOKS LIKE IT’S ‘KLIP’ AND ZIP: USDA, the federal department that most directly serves rural America — one of the key voting blocs that propelled President-elect Donald Trump to victory — has had little contact with his landing team — the transition team’s crack crew responsible for collaborating with agency staff to ensure a smooth handoff from the Obama administration, reports Pro Ag’s Helena Bottemiller Evich. Inauguration Day is little more than a month out and yet it’s questionable whether the Trump transition has even fielded a landing team — as in a group of transition officials working together — at the federal government’s sixth-largest department, which has more than 100,000 employees.As of Monday, one Trump transition volunteer, Brian Klippenstein, began showing up at USDA. Klippenstein, known to many as “Klip,” is executive director of Protect the Harvest, a group that advocates for safeguarding animal agriculture and was founded by oil executive Forrest Lucas (who was considered for Interior secretary early in the transition’s search process).</div><div>
<div>http://www.ecowatch.com/perdue-usda-trump-2201425989.html</div><div>
</div><div>By Jonathan KaplanPresident-elect <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">Donald Trump</a> has tapped Sonny Perdue, a long-time agribusiness leader, Democrat-turned-Republican state legislator, two-time governor of Georgia to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Faced with a warming planet, increasing water scarcity, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/bumble-bee-endangered-species-2188665139.html" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">collapsing bee populations</a> and other environmental challenges, the USDA needs a leader who will promote planet-friendly farming practices more than ever. Sonny Perdue is not an obvious champion for sustainable <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/farming" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">farming</a> and he has made some troubling statements about <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">climate change</a>, but we look forward to learning more about his values and commitment.With his hands at the controls of the USDA, Perdue would influence how food is grown, inspected, labeled and sold. The agency's 100,000 plus employees also manage a network of programs aimed at preventing hunger in the U.S.; buy much of the food served up to millions of public school children; manage food aid to nations abroad; try to anticipate, prevent and eradicate the arrival of invasive species and crop pests; promote rural development and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">renewable energy</a>; and manage our national forests. The USDA also regulates food labels and claims, like USDA Organic, which have played a powerful role in growing the good food movement.For those of us focused on the environment, the billions spent each year by USDA to promote more environmentally friendly farming practices is a particular priority. The USDA has significant discretion in how these funds are spent and can choose to promote farming practices that work in harmony with the natural environment (e.g. using beneficial insects to control crop pests) or practices that effectively subsidize conventional industrial agriculture. Perdue would also likely be influential in establishing the next 5-year U.S. farm policy or Farm Bill, which helps shapes the nation's agriculture.An internet search finds little track record by Perdue on these issues. However, he recently penned a disturbing <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/article/377495/" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">opinion piece</a> in which he lambasts "liberals" for exaggerating the climate relevance of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/extreme-weather" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">extreme weather events</a>. He writes "It's become a running joke among the public and liberals have lost all credibility when it comes to climate science because their arguments have become so ridiculous and so obviously disconnected from reality."Looking further back, however, we do find a few instances where Perdue has expressed interest in environmental stewardship:<ul style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px;"><li>As the Governor of Georgia, he announced a <a href="http://sonnyperdue.georgia.gov/00/press/detail/0,2668,78006749_90413728_91434832,00.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">conservation easement tax credit</a> on Earth Day in 2006 aimed at conserving open space and farmland from sprawl.</li></ul><ul style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px;"><li>In 2007 he encouraged water conservation, saying "Our state is blessed with a wealth of natural resources, but the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drought" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">drought</a> has shown us that they are not unlimited. The stewardship of energy, land and water resources is vital to the lives of our state's citizens. Most importantly, conservation is the right thing to do, in times of scarcity or abundance."</li></ul><ul style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px;"><li>He convened a "Governor's Energy Policy Council" in 2005 that issued a <a href="https://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/about/conplan/energyplans/ga.pdf" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">report</a> recognizing the importance of climate change and recommending state action to address it.</li></ul>His current agribusiness venture, Perdue Partners, sells a long <a href="http://perduepartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/PerduePartnersExportProducts-4-Revised.pdf" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">list</a> of conventional agricultural products, but there are a few <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/organic" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">organic</a> products included; non-GMO conventional soybeans are also available "grown on contract."To be clear, these are quite thin as environmental credentials. But compared to other cabinet nominees and to President-elect Trump himself, perhaps Perdue seems less hostile to the environment.Under the Obama Administration, the USDA <a href="https://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=climate-smart.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">pledged</a> to reduce agricultural global warming pollution in the U.S. by 120 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year by 2025—providing the same benefit as taking 25 million cars off the road annually. The agency's plans for doing this mostly entail implementing its existing programs. Here at the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">Natural Resources Defense Council</a>, we'd hoped the next administration would be able to do significantly better. Before Sony Perdue is confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture, Americans need to know a lot more about his commitment to protecting natural resources and the environment.Jonathan Kaplan is the director of the Food & Agriculture Program at the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">Natural Resources Defense Council</a>.</div><div></div><div>
</div><div>alternet worst gov 2006<div>
</div><div><div class="print-content"><div id="node-634431" class="node node-story view-mode-print clearfix" about="/story/35688/america%27s_worst_governors" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document" style="position: relative;"><div class="the_body body_news-politics clearfix">Georgia: Sonny Perdue

Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is by no means the best known Southern Governor (that claim to fame probably goes to Jeb Bush or to Haley Barbour, featured in our sidebar). His story is an amazing one, from how he got elected to his presiding over a period of resurgence in Georgia that is less conservative and more wingnut fringe.

The race bait and switch: During his campaign for Governor, Sonny Perdue criticized the incumbent Roy Barnes for changing Georgia's state flag to remove the Confederate Battle Flag. Some observers credit this move with his victory. Following his election, he held a referendum on replacing the Barnes flag, but didn't include Confederate Battle Flag imagery as an option.

Education malpractice: Perdue <a href="http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/georgia/entries/2006/02/23/legislature_app.html">backed, passed, and signed</a> [13] a version of the <a href="http://www.progressivestates.org/content/152/03202006-stateside-dispatch-the-rightwings-war-on-public-schools">65% Distraction</a> [14] requiring that Georgia schools spend 65% of their budgets "in the classroom." The proposal is nothing more than political fluff that ignores such necessary school expenses as nurses and schoolbuses. Perdue made it a centerpiece of his education agenda.

Economic boondoggles: Flustered by economic flight out of Georgia (spurred, perhaps, by bad education policy and questionable racial politics?), Perdue felt pressure to deliver. So after Ford and GM pulled up their stakes, Georgia's Governor <a href="http://www.progressivestates.org/blog/150/ga-new-jobs-or-costly-boondoggle">landed $400 million</a> [15] in incentives for Korean automaker Kia to build a plant in Georgia. The plant is expected to create 2,500 jobs at a cost of $160,000 a piece to the state.

Conservative robots: In addition to passing poorly thought-out rightwing ideas like the 65% Solution (see above), Perdue's election to the Governor's office was <a href="http://www.progressivestates.org/content/57/governing-the-nation-from-the-statehouses#examples">quickly followed</a> [16] by Georgia's establishment as ALEC's prime state, moving multiple model bills, including asbestos tort deform and legislation to shut down Atlanta's living wage ordinance.

Scapegoating immigrants: In a time of immigrant scapegoating, Perdue and his rightwing allies in Georgia have taken the cake -- passing a bill that <a href="http://www.progressivestates.org/blog/95/ga-more-rightwing-scapegoating-of-immigrants">threatens immigrants</a> [17] while basically letting employers, especially unscrupulous ones, off the hook. While happily claiming that they've passed the harshest measure in the country, Perdue smiles and says that "<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060417/ap_on_re_us/immigration_2;ylt=AnnwEmqlBi4mQXvl.itmjIFQuk0A;ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl">Georgia's government is not, and this bill is not, anti-immigrant</a> [18]." Right. It's just in favor of immigrant exploitation. That's a big difference.</div><div id="report-typos">
</div><div class="big_story_tools_bottom_container"><div class="authors_signup"><div class="talk_box"></div><div class="clear"> </div></div><div class="comment_button"><div class="print-footer" style="text-align: center;"><hr class="print-hr" style="text-align: left; border: 0px; height: 1px; width: 1551px; background-color: rgb(158, 158, 158);" /><div class="print-source_url" style="text-align: left;">Source URL: <a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/35688/america%27s_worst_governors">http://www.alternet.org/story/35688/america%27s_worst_governors</a></div><div class="print-source_url" style="text-align: left;">
</div><div class="print-source_url" style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="print-source_url" style="text-align: left;">George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[1]</a> (born December 20, 1946) is an American politician who served as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Governors_of_Georgia" title="List of Governors of Georgia" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">81st Governor of Georgia</a>from 2003 to 2011. Upon his inauguration in January 2003, he became the first <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Republican_Party" title="United States Republican Party" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Republican</a> Governor of Georgia since <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_era_of_the_United_States" title="Reconstruction era of the United States" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Reconstruction</a>.<div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 7px; display: table; zoom: 1; background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249);"><div id="toctitle" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><h2 style="margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: none; display: inline; line-height: 1.3; background: none;">Contents</h2>  [<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#" id="togglelink" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">hide</a>] </div><ul style="line-height: 1.6; list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#Personal_life_and_education" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">1 Personal life and education</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#Political_career" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">2 Political career</a><ul style="line-height: 1.6; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#State_Senator" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">2.1 State Senator</a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#Governor_of_Georgia" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">2.2 Governor of Georgia</a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#Controversies" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">3 Controversies</a><ul style="line-height: 1.6; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#Land_ownership" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">3.1 Land ownership</a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#Praying_for_rain" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">3.2 Praying for rain</a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#Electoral_history" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">4 Electoral history</a><ul style="line-height: 1.6; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#As_State_Senator" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">4.1 As State Senator</a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#As_Governor_of_Georgia" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">4.2 As Governor of Georgia</a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#References" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">5 References</a></li></ul></div><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">Personal life and education[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonny_Perdue&action=edit&section=1&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Personal life and education" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2>Perdue was born in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry,Georgia" title="Perry, Georgia" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Perry, Georgia</a>. He currently lives in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonaire,Georgia" title="Bonaire, Georgia" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Bonaire</a>, an unincorporated area between Perry and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Robins" title="Warner Robins" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Warner Robins</a>. His father was a farmer and his mother was a teacher. Perdue has been known as Sonny since childhood and prefers to be called by that name (he was sworn in and signs official documents as "Sonny Perdue").Perdue is the first cousin of U.S Senator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Perdue#Career" title="David Perdue" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">David Perdue</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-2" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[2]</a>Perdue played quarterback at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Robins_High_School" title="Warner Robins High School" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Warner Robins High School</a> and was a walk-on at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Georgia" title="University of Georgia" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">University of Georgia</a>, where he was also a member of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_Sigma_Fraternity" title="Kappa Sigma Fraternity" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Kappa Sigma Fraternity</a> (Beta-Lambda chapter).Perdue served in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force" title="United States Air Force" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Air Force</a>, rising to the rank of Captain before his discharge.In 1971 he earned his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Veterinary_Medicine" title="Doctor of Veterinary Medicine" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Doctor of Veterinary Medicine</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.V.M." title="D.V.M." class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">D.V.M.</a>) from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Georgia_College_of_Veterinary_Medicine" title="University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine</a> and worked as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterinarian" title="Veterinarian" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">veterinarian</a> before becoming a small business owner, eventually starting three small businesses.Perdue and his wife, Mary, were married in 1972. They have four children (two boys and two girls) and twelve grandchildren (five boys and seven girls) and have also been foster parents for eight children.In addition to flying, Perdue is also an avid sportsman.Perdue made a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameo_appearance" title="Cameo appearance" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">cameo appearance</a> as an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Carolina_Pirates" title="East Carolina Pirates" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">East Carolina</a> football coach in the movie <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_Marshall" title="We Are Marshall" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">We Are Marshall</a>, large portions of which were filmed in Georgia.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[3]</a>...<h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 1.6; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">Governor of Georgia<span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonny_Perdue&action=edit&section=4&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Governor of Georgia" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3>Perdue resigned in December 2001 and devoted himself entirely to running for the office of Governor. He was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_gubernatorial_election,2002" title="Georgia gubernatorial election, 2002" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">elected Governor of Georgia</a> in November 2002, defeating Democratic incumbent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Barnes" title="Roy Barnes" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Roy Barnes</a>, 51% to 46% (a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarian_Party_of_the_United_States" title="Libertarian Party of the United States" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Libertarian</a> candidate took 2% of the vote<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-5" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[5]</a>). He became the first Republican governor of Georgia in over 130 years.Perdue was re-elected to a second term in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_gubernatorial_election,2006" title="Georgia gubernatorial election, 2006" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">2006 general election</a>. His Democratic opponent was Lieutenant Governor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Taylor(politician)" title="Mark Taylor (politician)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Mark Taylor</a>. Libertarian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrett_Michael_Hayes" title="Garrett Michael Hayes" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Garrett Michael Hayes</a> was also on the ballot. Perdue won handily, with nearly 58% of the vote.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[6]</a> Perdue was constitutionally ineligible to seek a third consecutive term as Governor in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_gubernatorial_election,2010" title="Georgia gubernatorial election, 2010" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">2010</a>.Two primary objectives in Perdue's administration was on reforming state government and on improving education. Perdue advocated reforms designed to cut waste in government, most notably the sale of surplus vehicles and real estate. (Prior to Perdue's becoming governor, no state agency had even compiled an inventory of what assets the state owned, much less managed them.[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">citation needed</a>]In education, Perdue promoted the return of most decision-making to the local level. After Perdue took office, Georgia moved out of last place in SAT scores in 2003 and 2004. Although it returned to last place in 2005, Georgia rose to 49th place in 2006 in the combined math and reading mean score, including the writing portion (new that year).<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-Associated_Press-7" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[7]</a> The high school class of 2006 recorded the sharpest drop in SAT scores in 31 years.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-8" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[8]</a>Having campaigned for governor, promising to let the citizens of Georgia vote to determine <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Georgia(U.S.state)" title="Flag of Georgia (U.S. state)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">their flag</a>, Perdue signed legislation for a flag referendum in 2004. The choices given to Georgia voters were a modified version of the First National Flag of the Confederate States of America with the Georgia State Seal prominently displayed inside the circle of the 13 stars, or the version of the flag created in 2001 by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Barnes" title="Roy Barnes" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Roy Barnes</a> administration. (The nickname of this flag was the Barnes flag or Barnes rag). Perdue angered some Georgians when the 1956 flag was not a choice on the ballot after promising throughout his campaign that the '56 flag design would appear in any referendum. However, Perdue was faced with a Democratic House that would not consider having the 1956 flag on the referendum and he needed support for the new tobacco tax he wanted to pass.[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">citation needed</a>]According to a March 5, 2008, proclamation by Governor Perdue, "Among those who served the Confederacy were many African-Americans, both free and slave, who saw action in the Confederate armed forces in many combat roles. According to the Georgia government's website on Confederate History Month, they also participated in the manufacture of products for the war effort, built naval ships, and provided military assistance and relief efforts..."<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-9" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[9]</a>Governor Perdue's tenure included the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Georgia(U.S.state)floods" title="2009 Georgia (U.S. state) floods" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">most severe floods</a> in Georgia's recorded history,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-EMartin0924-10" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[10]</a> which resulted in Perdue declaring a state of emergency in 17 counties.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-Savannah_Now-11" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[11]</a> Disaster preparedness has been a focus of the administration, with Governor Purdue having worked with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Emergency_Management_Agency" title="Georgia Emergency Management Agency" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Georgia Emergency Management Agency</a> to implement <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_Georgia" title="Ready Georgia" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Ready Georgia</a>, a campaign launched in 2008 to increase disaster preparedness throughout the state.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-About_Us-12" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[12]</a>As of September 2007, Governor Perdue remained relatively popular. Perdue had a 56% approval rating, while 35% disapproved, according to Strategic Vision.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-13" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[13]</a><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">Controversies[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonny_Perdue&action=edit&section=5&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Controversies" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 1.6; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">Land ownership<span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonny_Perdue&action=edit&section=6&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Land ownership" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3>In mid-2003, Perdue purchased 101 acres (0.41 km2) of land next to his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_County,_Georgia" title="Houston County, Georgia" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Houston County</a> home, for $303,000, after negotiating directly with the owner. The purchase was done using a limited liability company named Maryson LLC, a corporation formed on July 23, 2003.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-AJC-10-28-06-14" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[14]</a> Maryson's registered agent was Stephan Holcomb, a Houston County dentist. Perdue appointed Holcomb, a neighbor of the governor's sister in Houston County, to the state Board of Dentistry in 2003. The lawyer who organized Maryson LLC was state representative Larry O'Neal (R-Warner Robins), the chairman of the Ways & Means committee of the House.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-AJC-9-2-06-15" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[15]</a> Perdue paid the 2003 tax bill on the property after it was acquired by Maryson, Houston County tax records show.[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">citation needed</a>] In May 2004, the land was transferred from Maryson to Perdue's own name.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-AJC-10-28-06-14" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[14]</a> The transfer price was recorded at $305,000. Maryson was dissolved on July 9, 2005, a year after the sale.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-AJC-9-2-06-15" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[15]</a> Perdue did not disclose the property or any interest on his financial disclosure forms for calendar years 2003 and 2004, as required by Georgia law.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-AJC-10-28-06-14" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[14]</a> Five days after Maryson was incorporated in 2003, O'Neal also incorporated a partnership for Perdue and his wife, Mary, called Perdue Plantation LLC, according to the Secretary of State's Office. This partnership also was not listed on Perdue's 2004 financial disclosure report. The Secretary of State's Office said an official is required to report ownership or a fiduciary position in a company.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-AJC-9-2-06-15" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[15]</a><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 1.6; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">Praying for rain<span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonny_Perdue&action=edit&section=7&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Praying for rain" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3>In November 2007, while Georgia suffered from one of the worst droughts in several decades, Perdue, along with lawmakers and local ministers, prayed for rain on the steps of the state Capitol. This came shortly after <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama_Governor" title="Alabama Governor" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Alabama Governor</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Riley" title="Bob Riley" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Bob Riley</a> issued a proclamation declaring a week in July as "Days of Prayer for Rain" to "humbly ask for His blessings and to hold us steady in times of difficulty." The Atlanta Freethought Society opposed the rain prayer saying in a statement, "The governor can pray when he wants to. What he can't do is lead prayers in the name of the people of Georgia."<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Perdue#cite_note-16" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[16]</a>...</div><div class="print-source_url" style="text-align: left;">=</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>