There were so many cabinet members who who left, and then he had to appoint new ones. I think Steve really was making maybe about a half million dollars when he retired, so that's way more than the governor of Georgia was making. What is that history? Eric Stirgus: Now, you know, conversely, his supporters say he was a governor of Georgia for eight years. Steve Fennessy: By definition, you're appointed as a regent by the sitting governor, but appointing and hiring a chancellor is supposedly, at least theoretically, not supposed to be political, right? What's the implication there? [34] In a 2014 editorial published by National Review, Perdue criticized attempts by "some on the left or in the mainstream media" to connect climate change to weather events. Similarly, while the pandemic savaged meatpacking workers, killing at least 563 as of mid-December, the ag department kept on with a trend it had started in 2019: allowing giant poultry companies to speed up their slaughterhouse kill lines. A longtime Atlanta-based journalist, he is a former editor-in-chief of Atlanta magazine. Why isn't he going back to his farm? Born George Ervin Perdue III, 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". Saeger, of Accountable.US, said the inspector general still needs to review that claim. The sole vote against him came from Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Her name is Theresa McCartney, and she worked under Mr. Wrigley. Two-thirds of the reassigned USDA employees chose to quit rather than accept relocation. . David Perdue now a U.S. senator to . Eric Stirgus: Last March, we started hearing talk you know that Perdue was interested in the job or that some board members on the Board of Regents were interested in him becoming chancellor. Brian Kemp is not. You know, he also backed Brian Kemp to fill the position of Secretary of State. Please consider making a gift today to support this vital public service. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. I cant imagine Sonny Perdue doing that.. The likely appointment of Mr. Perdue, a Republican, comes during a volatile time in Georgia politics, with the State Legislature considering several bills that would ban, or limit, how race and activism are taught in the classroom. Kemp continues to be grateful for that support, and he feels some, you know, some loyalty, from what we've been hearing from our sources towards Sonny Perdue. Sonny Perdue had campaigned on his cousins behalf during David Perdues 2020 re-election campaign, which he narrowly lost to Senator Jon Ossoff. Both elections are set for Jan. 5, though early voting began on Monday. [48], During meetings with Georgia state port officials, then-Governor Perdue discussed his family business's use of a terminal, then started a new export company in Savannah soon after leaving office. RELATED: Oversight group isnt reviewing Georgia regents choice of Sonny Perdue. Kemp is sort of paying back a favor. So that's a little strange, isn't it? [News tape] WSB: After what the board's chairman described as a nationwide search with, quote, "numerous highly qualified candidates," in the end, the board voted to pick Perdue as the sole finalist for the job. Conley. Perdue led Ossoff in the . He was confirmed by the Senate on April 24,[49] with Bernie Sanders and nine Democrats voting against him. [40], In 2008, Perdue worked with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to implement Ready Georgia, a campaign to increase disaster preparedness throughout the state. [11], Perdue played quarterback at Warner Robins High School and was a walk-on at the University of Georgia,[12] where he was also a member of the Beta-Lambda chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity. Sonny Perdue may soon head up Georgias public university system. Eric Stirgus: Sonny Perdue, you know, encouraged then-President Trump to endorse Brian Kemp in the Republican primary back in 2018. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, payments on the Go Fish bonds, approved by Perdue and the General Assembly in 2007, runs through December 2027 with most payments $1 million a year in bond money. Eric Stirgus: Publicly, I don't think he's said one way or another right now. Steve Fennessy: How unusual is it for a letter like that to be written? You know, then there are many others outside the metro area. Terms of Service apply. [24] The State Ethics Commission ruled against Perdue twice, finding that he had taken improper campaign contributions from donors including SunTrust Banks and that he had improperly used one of his family business's airplanes on the campaign, for which the commission fined the sitting governor. Perdue is the first cousin of former U.S. Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. [13], In 1971, Perdue earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, and worked as a veterinarian before becoming a small business owner, eventually starting three small businesses. He also talked about, you know, bringing stability to the system. Steve Fennessy: Sonny Perdue is a Republican, so when he uses an expression like Cultural Revolution, what is he referring to? Gov. Eric Stirgus: There was some support on the regents, but not enough support to get him across the finish line to be named as chancellor. Here to help us make sense of the implications of all this is Eric Stirgis, who covers higher education at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Washington Post detailed several wish-list items that ADM achieved: loosening of regulations on pork production, fewer inspections, helping lobby against proposed government bans on glyphosate by Thailand and Vietnam, and promoting ethanol and biodiesel. Therefore the new trust Perdue listed on his 2019 financial disclosure, identifying himself as a co-trustee, poses no conflict of interest or violation of his ethics commitments, the spokesperson said. [News tape] FOX5: Students against Sonny have collected more than a thousand signatures on a petition on Change.org. [72], In 2006, Perdue's financial disclosure forms revealed that he had a net worth of approximately $6 million and received compensation of $700,000 that year.[73]. Steve Fennessy: And when Wrigley said he was going to retire, was there kind of a shortlist floated around of possible successors? Perdue restructured his original family trust into a new fund that he did not oversee, and the fund then sold off two of his businesses directly involved in agriculture the only assets that posed potential conflicts, according to a USDA spokesperson. His name is Sonny Perdue. You know, he's a strong conservative, you know, and he's David Perdue's cousin. [25] Perdue signed the legislation into law on April 12, 2005, three days before tax day. June 23, 2021. 11/08/2018 02:42 PM EST. Economists in the USDA's research branch were told to include disclaimers in their peer-reviewed publications stating that the findings were "preliminary" and "should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy". His nomination was transmitted to the U.S. Senate on March 9, 2017. Am I being naive to think that that that would be the case? [News tape] WSB: He called being named a finalist a quote wonderful capstone to a career in public service. Raphael Warnock. It pays pretty well. Citing export losses from Trumps trade war with China, the USDA lavished mainly huge soybean, hog, and cotton farmers with $28 billion in 2018 and 2019more than double the price tag of President Barack Obamas 2009 auto bailout. Critics argued that the deal should be investigated, and speculated that ADM, which spends millions of dollars on lobbying regardless, used the property sale as a bribe for favorable treatment. That's next. The Board of Regents is expected to confirm Perdue's appointment in the next two weeks. Steve Fennessy: When did we first hear that Sonny Perdue who was the outgoing Secretary of Agriculture in the Trump administration, of course a two-term former governor of Georgia was interested in the job of chancellor? After Perdue took office, in 2003 and 2004, Georgia moved up from last place in the country in SAT scores. He oversees 26 public colleges and universities with a $9.8 billion annual budget, 48,000 faculty and staff and more than 340,000 students. [45], During his governorship, the Georgia State Ethics Commission received thirteen complaints against Perdue. [News tape] FOX5: Critics have questioned Perdue's experience, pointing out his lack of experience in the higher education setting. Steve Fennessy: Politics makes strange bedfellows. But the threat is part of the latest controversy for the Board of Regents, which in October approved a new policy where universities can fire tenured professors with little to no faculty input. We noticed you have an ad blocker on. The former Georgia governor has a background in agriculture. "To me it was a boondoggle because of the amount of money they were spending and the location," said Rep. Alan Powell, R-Hartwell, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. Steve Fennessy: So there's a school of thought that Gov. The . [News tape] WSB: Gov. [69] Perdue lives in Bonaire, Georgia. [46], In December 2004, Perdue bought $2 million worth of land near Disney World from a developer who he had previously appointed to the state's economic development board. And you know, for a lot of critics, you know, it did raise their concerns about all of this. Sonny Perdue was its sole finalist to become chancellor, a choice that has outraged some professors and led a regional agency to threaten the accreditation of the 26-school system. [19] After his first year in office, Senator Perdue wrote then Lt. [3], In 2004, Perdue sued the Environmental Protection Agency to block environmental regulations on reformulated gasoline. (Washington, D.C., April 25, 2017) - Sonny Perdue was sworn in as the 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by fellow Georgian and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas in a brief ceremony today at the Supreme Court building. Mr. Perdues appointment as chancellor would also limit his contributions to the campaign of David Perdue, his cousin and a former senator who is running against Gov. Eric Stirgus: Yes, I think the governor could certainly use this on the campaign trail and, you know, to, you know, David Perdue supporters and say, "Hey, look, you know, I've made Sonny Perdue, chancellor of the university system. Eric Stirgus: Yes, Sonny Perdue backed Kemp's state Senate bid in 2002. As governor from 2003 until 2011, he celebrated the states legacy of chattel slaverysigning 2009 legislation making April Confederate History and Heritage Month, honoring the more than 90,000 brave men and women who served the Confederate States of America. He was an early adopter of race-motivated voter suppression, signing into law one of the nations first strict ID laws. Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox. This is the golden rule do unto others.". Kemp has used congressional redistricting to add more Sonny Perdue supporters to the Board of Regents. President Trump is endorsing Brian Kemp's Republican opponent in the primary, David Perdue, to be the next governor. Governor Perdue stood out for his impressive experience and leadership in public service as well as a vast understanding not only of Georgia and its communities but of the issues facing the university system as we move forward, Harold Reynolds, the chair of the Board of Regents, said in a statement on Monday. But her critics have said thatwhat she calls a COVID Crime Wave and her handling of the firing of Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe, who shot Rayshard Brooks last summer, made her vulnerable if she had chosen to run. So those are some of the things that have concerned a lot of state leaders or particularly on the Republican side. A department spokesperson claims the 2017 agreement had to refer to the holding company at large, rather than those two firms in particular, because it was the legal entity that owned the businesses. [News tape] 11Alive: He tweeted, "Brian Kemp is running for governor of the Great State of Georgia. In research shared with POLITICO, Accountable.US alleges that farm policies backed by the secretary could potentially have benefited his own or his familys interests beyond the two agribusinesses that were sold. A chancellors job is to defend the system against such bills, said Matthew Boedy, a rhetoric and composition professor at the University of North Georgia and the president of the Georgia conference of the American Association of University Professors. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo. Higher education is where I wanted to have a real impact as governor, only to be stymied by twin recessions, he said in the board-issued statement. Perdue is poised within . Eric Stirgus: You know, it's a pretty important job in the state of Georgia. Yes, there is a acting chancellor. There's been a lot of different issues that colleges are facing regarding social issues and political issues. [1][10] He grew up and still lives in Bonaire, an unincorporated area between Perry and Warner Robins. I understand that the Board of Regents, at least in its previous iteration, was not necessarily too keen on the idea of Sonny Perdue as the next chancellor, is that correct? GPB is committedto bringing you comprehensive news coverage from Georgia, across the country and around the world. [3], In 2006, Perdue was re-elected to a second term in the 2006 Georgia gubernatorial election, winning nearly 58% of the vote. The other election pits Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler against the Rev. SteveFennessyis host of Georgia Today,a weekly radio show and podcast on Georgia Public Broadcasting thatexplains stories of interest to Georgians through the experience and perspective of the reporters covering those stories. The regents hired another firm, and then it put Ms. McCartney as acting chancellor, and so there really hasn't been much movement up until, I guess, the last few weeks. Eric Stirgus: During his time as agriculture secretary there was, you know, there's been some criticism about his record, you know, concerning issues such as climate change. "The most important activity in which any governing board will be involved in is the selection of the CEO. There may be that short list that some of these members of the Board of Regents have, but they're not allowed to discuss it publicly.