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Brian Kemp is in a fierce battle with David Perdue. [6] His nomination was approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee by a 19-1 voice vote on March 30. The secretarys 2019 filing also shows nearly $140,000 in income from Soque River Conservation LLC, which holds land along the Soque River in northern Georgia and is held by a separate trust that Perdue first reported last year. Sonny Perdue Age: 75 Birthplace: Perry, Georgia Political History: Georgia state senator, 1991-2002; governor, 2003-2011; U.S. Department of Agriculture secretary, 2017-2021. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? Steve Fennessy: The last full-time permanent chancellor, why did they leave? [60] In August 2019, Lewis Ziska, a USDA plant physiology climate scientist, quit after department administrators attempted to impede the publication of one of his studies in the journal Science Advances. But ethics questions have piled up in recent months about the secretarys mixing of USDA duties and his political promotion of the president. Conley. Jess Mador is the lead podcast producer at GPB News. Sonny Perdue served two terms as governor of Georgia before being named Agriculture Secretary in the Trump administration. On March 1, 2022, the Board of Regents of University System of Georgia appointed Perdue as the system's 14th chancellor, effective April 1, 2022. Perdue and the department have argued that the move will lower living costs, save . Why are we still talking about this, then? The policy, according to the American Association of University Professors, is the only one of its kind in the country. [67], Perdue's assets during his time as Secretary were placed in blind trusts, as is common to prevent financial conflicts of interest. Republican Sen. David Perdue, a former Fortune 500 CEO, will face off against Democrat Jon Ossoff, a 33-year-old media executive, again in a runoff election Jan. 5. But should it go to a politician? Perdues response? He also talked about, you know, bringing stability to the system. The secretarys office contends he has complied with the agreement. Eric Stirgus: Yeah, I mean, and that's the argument that many of Kemp's team has said. Sonny Perdue Is Sole Finalist to Lead Georgias Public Universities, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/15/us/sonny-perdue-georgia-chancellor.html. Her name is Theresa McCartney, and she worked under Mr. Wrigley. publicly condemned how the university system selected Mr. Perdue, will be the first woman to head the institution, a large-scale, low-cost online Master of Science degree program. Eric Stirgus: Publicly, I don't think he's said one way or another right now. Eric Stirgus: Yes, Sonny Perdue backed Kemp's state Senate bid in 2002. One is there was a group of students who created a group called Students against Sonny. The Board of Regents is expected to confirm Perdue's appointment in the next two weeks. Like Trump, he's a former Democratwho ascended to political power (in Perdue's case, Georgia. The business holdings were a source of concern during his confirmation process, as well as during his time as Georgia governor from 2003-11, when he faced more than a dozen ethics complaints and was found to have funneled illegal amounts of money from his businesses to his campaign in 2002. Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do. Steve Fennessy: So there's a school of thought that Gov. Come on board with me. The association has publicly condemned how the university system selected Mr. Perdue, a process that largely occurred in meetings without faculty input and closed to the public. I cant imagine Sonny Perdue doing that.. They range from Georgia State University, which has the most students in the system, like about 53,000 students; Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State both of those schools have about 40,000 students each and then University of Georgia. Founder and partner in an agricultural trading company,[4] Perdue served from 2012 to 2017 on the Governors' Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C.[3][5] He is the second secretary of agriculture from the Deep South; the first was Mike Espy of Mississippi, who served under President Bill Clinton from January 1993 to December 1994. Eric Stirgus: His name is Steve Wrigley and he retired. Steve Fennessy: As you said, Sonny Perdue persuaded Donald Trump when he was president to endorse Brian Kemp. In 2011, he founded Perdue Partners, which facilitated the export of U.S. goods and services. The other election pits Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler against the Rev. Yes. [44], Upon the end of Perdue's term as governor, many in the Georgia General Assembly condemned the project and Perdue after an advisory council (appointed by Perdue) began to funnel additional bond money to the project located in his home county. [43], Beginning in 2007, Governor Perdue began to pursue the goal of making Georgia the "bass-fishing tourism mecca". He stated that legitimate, measurable carbon trading could spur so-called carbon sequestration by giving farmers an incentive to innovate. [News tape] FOX5: The choice of Perdue has already drawn criticism from student groups and university professors who describe Perdue as a career politician with no experience in higher education. At least he is out of the gate. Presumably, some political appointees who served in the Trump administration did so with earnest intentions, hoping to bring dignity and professionalism to the task of advancing the Republican agenda of deregulation, austerity (for non-cronies), and upward wealth redistribution. United States, Copyright 2023, Georgia Public Broadcasting. Steve Fennessy: But in the state of Georgia, I would think that, at least of jobs that are sort of in the employ of the state of Georgia, there are few that are more prominent or important than chancellor. He praised the tax cuts and the program of deregulation, which, he claimed, benefitted the people who needed it most, those in the middle, and the lower rungs. Its little wonder that Trump would train his benevolence on the little people, because hes a blue-collar guy who worked for years in the construction yards, with all kinds of folks, all colors, Kudlow informed Perdues listeners. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms shocked manyby announcing last week she will not be running for reelection. However, most served in the early years of the war and were either forced at gunpoint or feared reprisals for disloyalty. Your support makes this possible. Gov. 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. [61][62], In February 2020, Perdue endorsed putting a price on carbon dioxide, a climate change policy favored by many economists. Mr. Perdue served two terms as governor from 2003 to 2011, and later became Secretary of Agriculture under President Donald J. Trump. Eric Stirgus: Yes, definitely. [14] He defeated Republican candidate Ned Sanders in 1990 and succeeded Democratic incumbent Ed Barker as the senator representing the 18th district. In the podcasts final episode before the election, released Oct. 29, Perdue hosted another MAGA loyalist, the high-living former Wall Street man and TV personality Larry Kudlow, the non-economist who Trump improbably chose to lead the National Economic Council. George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III[1] (born December 20, 1946) is an American veterinarian, businessman, politician, and university administrator who served as the 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2017 to 2021. Some would say the most important job is, you know, making sure that money that comes from the state is sent to the schools and is being spent properly. Our engineers are Jesse Nighswonger and Jake Cook. And so now he's no longer on the regents. Eric Stirgus: You know, it's a pretty important job in the state of Georgia. 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. Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer Eric Stirgus: The chancellor is sort of the person who makes sure all the trains run on time, so to speak. [News tape] CNN: The former president recruited the former Sen. David Perdue to mount a primary challenge to Gov. The reallocation entailed raising the companys holdings of highly valuable wetlands credits while lowering its portion of much cheaper stream credits. He enjoys flying and, in a 2003 incident, was accused of flying a state helicopter without a license. RELATED: Oversight group isnt reviewing Georgia regents choice of Sonny Perdue. [46] After the state dropped out of the bidding and the land was sold to developers, the value of Perdue's property more than doubled. [25] Perdue then used the new law on his 2004 tax return to defer $100,000 in taxable gains from the sale of land. Unquote. Why is Sonny Perdue is such a polarizing figure? USDA said the reorganization of Perdues finances was cleared by career ethics staff, pointing to the secretarys 2019 financial disclosure that was signed by ethics officials. Georgia Today is a production of Georgia Public Broadcasting. Quite honestly, I've been in the private sector for 30 years. Opponents of the choice say Perdue's appointment would jeopardize academic freedom across the systems 26 campuses. But last year, he disclosed he had become trustee of a newly formed fund that includes many of the same assets as his original family trust. He's a two-term former governor, Secretary of Agriculture. Eric Stirgus: Now, you know, conversely, his supporters say he was a governor of Georgia for eight years. When you go this long without having a permanent chancellor on board, what signal does that send or how does that affect the operations of our schools? after feeling punished under Trump", 'It feels like something out of a bad sci-fi movie', The Trump administration is suppressing climate science, "US agriculture secretary breaks ranks to endorse carbon pricing", "USDA chief violated Hatch Act by advocating for Trump re-election, gov't watchdog says", "USDA's Perdue fined for violating Hatch Act while promoting food boxes", "Perdue rebuked for violating ethics law by boosting Trump's reelection", "The land was worth millions. [58][59], Under Perdue, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) was accused of suppressing scientific publications for political reasons. The U.S. Senate confirmed Secretary Perdue by a vote of 87-to-11 on Monday evening. How did we find out about that? Listen on Apple Podcasts. Is Sonny Perdue staking out any does he have a dog in this fight, at least publicly? Sonny Perdue, of course, was a two-term governor of Georgia, as well as secretary of agriculture under former President Donald Trump. And then also, I think, you know, there's been some criticism that he's not the best qualified person for the position. [9], Perdue was born in Perry, Georgia, the son of Ophie Viola (Holt), a teacher, and George Ervin Perdue Jr., a farmer. [67], Perdue and his wife, Mary (ne Ruff), were married in 1972 after dating for four years. Am I being naive to think that that that would be the case? Perdue and a partner purchased the agricultural land in 2009 and later earned so-called mitigation bank credits for converting the tract for wetland conservation purposes, according to the watchdog organizations. Like Trump, hes a former Democrat who ascended to political power (in Perdues case, Georgia governor) in a stunning upset. 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". Brian Kemp: That's why I'm looking forward to working with the members of the General Assembly this legislative session to protect our students from the divisive ideologies like critical race theory. The staff of Mother Jones is highlighting the years heroes and monsters. Both elections are set for Jan. 5, though early voting began on Monday. He won his first term in 2014 by fewer than 8 percentage points. [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. [50], In September 2017, Politico reported that, according to 42 reviewed resumes, the department hired 22 former Trump campaign workers, many of which had no significant agricultural knowledge or experience with federal policies. Steve Fennessy: Well, let's unpack a little bit more this rather awkward political relationship going on. 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. I ran because I was frustrated with the government. "[35], In 2006, Perdue signed a law that gave Georgia "some of the nation's toughest measures against illegal immigrants. The latest scrutiny stems from the agriculture secretary's wealth of current and former interests in agriculture, trucking and land development. 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. [7] His appointment was approved by an 8711 vote by the Senate on April 24. These emergency benefits represent a 40% increase in . "The most important activity in which any governing board will be involved in is the selection of the CEO. So we have not had a chancellor at least, a non-interim chancellor for at least seven or eight months, right? Steve Fennessy: Politics makes strange bedfellows. And besides the national prominence afforded any state governor, Perdue garnered widespread attention for his actions in 2007 during the worst drought in Georgia's history. You know, it's kind of a fascinating situation that, you know, your cousin is running for governor and at the same time his political opponent could be putting you in charge of one of the most important positions in state government. Steve Fennessy: So that's not something you can just push aside because you don't like what one of their family members is doing. (David Perdue is now locked in a tight runoff election that could decide which party controls the Senate in the next Congress.). David Perdue is running against Democrat Jon Ossoff in one of two runoff elections in the state that will determine control of the U.S. Senate in the next Congress. [42] The floods resulted in Perdue declaring a state of emergency in 17 counties. Two-thirds of the reassigned USDA employees chose to quit rather than accept relocation. And so, you know, they point to things like that and they also point to issues, you know, point to things that, you know, hey, other states have hired elected officials and former politicians to lead colleges or universities. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. And so, you know, I think he was one of those, you know, members who, you know, was part of that faction were against it. And you know, in saying, you know, this is why we, you know, we are concerned about Sonny Perdue becoming chancellor. You know, I guess at the time, they sort of came to an impasse and there was a search firm that was hired to help with the process, but pulled out of the process. 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. It is no surprise that these made up accusations are coming out in the final weeks of October. Steve Fennessy: So he left in June. All Rights Reserved. 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. So that's a little strange, isn't it? But you know, we are hearing, you know, some of the newer members could be a lot more supportive of Sonny Perdue. You know, there was a faction of regents members who were not supportive of him at all. Using the CCC to hand billions to big farmersmajor Trump supporters in 2016 is a signature move of Perdues USDA. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email. after feeling punished under Trump, "Economists flee Agriculture Dept. I'm Steve Fennessy. In this 2017 post, I recount some of the port-related shenanigans the cousins Perdue got up to together, including launching a port-reliant export business. In July, as the general election heated up, the department tapped a Depression-era funding mechanism called the Commodity Credit Corporation to come up with $14 billionwithout having to consult Congressto hand to producers of commodities like corn, soybeans and wheat, ostensibly for losses due to the coronavirus. [32] Perdue disappointed some Georgians by not making the 1956 flag one of the choices on the ballot, despite a campaign promise to do so. Sonny Perdue issues state of emergency for 17 Georgia counties", "Perdue fails to disclose '04 purchase of land", "Trump to announce Sonny Perdue for Agriculture", "Sonny Perdue Sworn in as 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture", "Trump hires campaign workers instead of farmworkers at USDA", "Sonny Perdue is Trump's 'designated survivor' for State of the Union 2018", "Perdue tells second Iowa Ag Summit he wants to support new farmers", "Trump administration to return refined grains to school lunches", Many USDA workers to quit as research agencies move to Kansas City: 'The brain drain we all feared', ERS union predicts mass exodus ahead of relocation, 'Cut, Relocate, Eviscerate': Moving a USDA Research Agency Will Have Lasting Consequences, Employees Say, Economists flee Agriculture Dept.