[63], In August 2020, Perdue supported the president's re-election while promoting the Farmers to Families Food Box Program; Perdue was fined for violating the Hatch Act. Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. 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. "The most important activity in which any governing board will be involved in is the selection of the CEO. [23], In January 2003, Perdue signed an executive order prohibiting himself and all other state employees from receiving any gift worth more than $25. Mr. Perdue, a graduate of the University of Georgia, said he considered the opportunity to lead the university system, which has more than 340,000 students, as the capstone to a career of public service. (David Perdue is now locked in a tight runoff election that could decide which party controls the Senate in the next Congress.). Not that Perdue lacks national stature - he was the governor of Georgia, a heavily agricultural state, from 2003 to 2011. Steve Fennessy: So he left in June. Steve Fennessy: So what happened then? Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms shocked manyby announcing last week she will not be running for reelection. Eric Stirgus: Now, you know, conversely, his supporters say he was a governor of Georgia for eight years. We're a nonprofit (so it's tax-deductible), and reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget. Steve Fennessy: Well, let's unpack a little bit more this rather awkward political relationship going on. [3], In 2006, Perdue was re-elected to a second term in the 2006 Georgia gubernatorial election, winning nearly 58% of the vote. [43], Beginning in 2007, Governor Perdue began to pursue the goal of making Georgia the "bass-fishing tourism mecca". Subsequently, the trust sold off AGrowStar LLC and Pro Ag Products LLC (none of the other assets posed any conflict of interest with his duties as Secretary of Agriculture). Eric Stirgus: Yes, Sonny Perdue backed Kemp's state Senate bid in 2002. 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. [24], In mid-2003, Perdue purchased 101 acres (0.41km2) of land next to his Houston County, Georgia, home. Looking at the pandemic, they've also had to take on some additional responsibilities, such as, you know, managing coronavirus relief funds. [45], During his governorship, the Georgia State Ethics Commission received thirteen complaints against Perdue. Terms of Service apply. Is Sonny Perdue staking out any does he have a dog in this fight, at least publicly? In fact, for the next two weeks after the prayer, the state's epic dry streak grew worse. This is Georgia Today. In 2010, at the tail end of his second term as governor, Perdue named his cousin, David Perduewho had just stepped down as chief executive of Dollar General discount storesto the board of the Georgia Ports Authority. In 2018, while Perdue was secretary, Soque River Conservation asked the Army Corps to modify the credits held by the company in a way that could boost its value by nearly $3 million, the groups estimate. Steve Fennessy: You mentioned that there's a long political history between Sonny Perdue and Brian Kemp. 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. (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. "[36], On November 13, 2007, while Georgia suffered from one of the worst droughts in several decades, Perdue led a group of several hundred people in prayer on the steps of the state Capitol. [7] 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. [33] Georgia voters chose the flag resembling the Confederate flag. He also won reelection in 2000. It pays pretty well. The new questions surrounding Perdues 2017 agreement follow his rebuke last week by the Office of Special Counsel for using a taxpayer-funded event to promote President Donald Trumps reelection, in violation of the Hatch Act. And you know, I think there have been a couple of state lawmakers who have publicly come out against the idea. [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. "You have got to have stuff where there is a lot of traffic. [31] The choices were a modified version of the First National Flag of the Confederate States of America, with the Georgia State Seal prominently displayed inside a circle of 13 stars, or the flag created in 2001 by the Roy Barnes administration. [46] Perdue failed to disclose his ownership of the property in required financial disclosure forms. So we have not had a chancellor at least, a non-interim chancellor for at least seven or eight months, right? Quite honestly, I've been in the private sector for 30 years. So very excited to have the president standing with us and I'm a lot like him. 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. Sonny Perdue Is Sole Finalist to Lead Georgias Public Universities, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/15/us/sonny-perdue-georgia-chancellor.html. Many credit Pierre Howard for helping Perdue build the early foundation of what would become his future political career.[20]. But should it go to a politician? Entitled President Trumps Affection for American Farmers, the episode featured the host and former White House press secretary competing to see who could lavish the most praise on Trump. Eric Stirgus: Yes. We've been hearing that Gov. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Lance Cheung/USDA; Mother Jones Illustration. The sole vote against him came from Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). 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. Our engineers are Jesse Nighswonger and Jake Cook. Perdue has long been Trumps most effective advocate among rural voters, visiting all 50 states to spread the presidents message and spearheading massive taxpayer aid programs that kept farmers afloat through Trumps trade war and the pandemic. Enlivened by these bald lies, and perhaps feeling a competitive spark, Perdue replied that Trump is the embodiment of the amazing spirit that built this country. He sounded quite satisfied after a year spent campaigning for his boss while inflicting lasting damage to poor people and food-system workers during a deadly pandemic that the administration did so very little to control. [47], Perdue was constitutionally ineligible to seek a third consecutive term as governor in the 2010 Georgia gubernatorial election. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources figures showed 21,101 people visited the Perry facility in fiscal 2015, which ended June 30. So tell us, what does the job of chancellor of Georgia universities and colleges entail? [55], In July 2019, Perdue ordered two USDA agenciesthe Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agricultureto move from the USDA's headquarters in Washington, D.C. to the Kansas City metropolitan area. By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from Mother Jones and our partners. Steve Fennessy: What did you think when you first heard about that? [25] Perdue signed the legislation into law on April 12, 2005, three days before tax day. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo. 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. Who hires the chancellor? Kemp and Perdue are also close political allies, and Kemp recently replaced four members on the board before the vote. 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. [8] Perdue served as Secretary of Agriculture throughout Trump's term. But you know, we are hearing, you know, some of the newer members could be a lot more supportive of Sonny Perdue. Why is accreditation important for a university system like Georgia's? 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? Please consider making a gift today to support this vital public service. Sonny Perdue had campaigned on his cousins behalf during David Perdues 2020 re-election campaign, which he narrowly lost to Senator Jon Ossoff. 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. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has long been President Donald Trumps most effective advocate among rural voters. [67], Perdue and his wife, Mary (ne Ruff), were married in 1972 after dating for four years. The administration began acquiring bond money for the Go Fish Education Center near his home in Perry, GA. Perdue, a former US senator, has so far raised a fraction of what Kemp has in his campaign war chest. Some farmers ended up destroying perfectly good food. Georgias public university system said on Tuesday that former Gov. While Perdue puffed up the generosity of his boss, the USDA was busy botching the food-relief effort, awarding fat contracts to distributors ill-equipped to handle them, with the result that some parts of the country got a lot of food, while others got very little, NPR reported. 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. [News tape] FOX5: Students against Sonny have collected more than a thousand signatures on a petition on Change.org. Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who like Grassley is up for reelection in 2022, said he hasn't "paid a lot of attention" to Georgia's governor race, saying "we got our hands full . Perdue addressed the crowd, saying "We've come together here simply for one reason and one reason only: to very reverently and respectfully pray up a storm" and "God, we need you; we need rain." Eric Stirgus: For now, we have not heard any discussion about, you know, where Sonny Perdue will ultimately fall on the governor's race. Sonny Perdue may soon head up Georgias public university system. Come on board with me. After Perdue took office, in 2003 and 2004, Georgia moved up from last place in the country in SAT scores. 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. President Trump is endorsing Brian Kemp's Republican opponent in the primary, David Perdue, to be the next governor. He also has largely avoided the sort of major scandals that have dogged many others in Trumps Cabinet. He would not be the first governor to move into academia: Former Gov. [9], Perdue was born in Perry, Georgia, the son of Ophie Viola (Holt), a teacher, and George Ervin Perdue Jr., a farmer. 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. The watchdogs question whether the sale of AGrowStar and Pro Ag Products was enough to quash all potential conflicts. The secretarys office contends he has complied with the agreement. She says a lot of things. It is no surprise that these made up accusations are coming out in the final weeks of October. Once again, left-leaning organizations like American Oversight will do anything they can to stop this administration from helping the American people, the spokesperson said. At the beginning of 2020, Perdue yearned publicly for a way to cut federally mandated wages for migrant farm workers on guest visas. After serving as a member of the Houston County Planning & Zoning Commission in the 1980s, Perdue ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Georgia General Assembly. 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. Perdue will not improve the state of education as chancellor - he will only ruin it.. 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. The other election pits Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler against the Rev. The first two companies are managed by Perdues children, according to Georgia records. This week on Georgia Today, we look at some issues Bottoms faced during her tenure as mayor with CNN national correspondentRyan Young. So we have Brian Kemp in this fierce battle against David Perdue primary battle for governor. But Sonny Perdue was there from the beginning. Steve Fennessy: Yeah. 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. [70], Perdue is an avid sportsman. "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. [24], Late in the evening of March 29, 2005, the penultimate day of the legislative session, Representative Larry O'Neal, who also worked part-time as Perdue's personal lawyer, introduced legislation making capital gains tax owed on Georgia land sales deferrable if the income goes to purchase out-of-state land, also, unusually, making the tax break retroactive. [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: Politics makes strange bedfellows. Later, FALF Management Trust was created. In July, with the economic fallout from the pandemic generating a massive hunger crisis, Perdue alighted on North Carolina, a key swing state, to stage a rally promoting congressionally mandated food aid as an example of the personal benevolence of Donald Trump. He enjoys flying and, in a 2003 incident, was accused of flying a state helicopter without a license. This is diversity and inclusion. And I'm curious about why it's elicited such a ferocious response on the side of those who are for the idea, but also those who are against it. His nomination was transmitted to the U.S. Senate on March 9, 2017. Along with the recent Hatch Act violation, Perdue is facing blowback from Democrats and food banks for requiring all contractors under a $4 billion coronavirus relief program to stuff promotional letters signed by Trump into millions of food boxes delivered to hungry families. Eric Stirgus: There have been some faculty members who have, you know, written letters to the University System of Georgia, you know, stating their opposition. He left in June. Governor Pierre Howard asking for more responsibilities, and Howard obliged. 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. The Perdue USDA also insisted that federally funded grocery boxes distributed by food banks contain a letter signed by Trump, touting the administrations coronavirus response. Eric Stirgus: Correct. That decision and the selection of Mr. Perdue are both intrusions on academic freedom, Mr. Boedy, the University of North Georgia professor, said. Eric Stirgus: Good question. We noticed you have an ad blocker on. A USDA spokesperson denied Perdue was involved and said holding such land doesnt conflict with his duties as secretary. [3], In 2004, Perdue sued the Environmental Protection Agency to block environmental regulations on reformulated gasoline. Georgia Today is a production of Georgia Public Broadcasting. But then prior to him, you had Errol Davis, who was a utilities company executive and he had no administrative experience in higher education. The FALF Management Trust had no conflicting assets with his duties as Secretary of Agriculture, and therefore the Secretary could become a trustee of the trust. In his 2002 election campaign, Perdue promised that he would let the state's citizens vote to determine the state flag. Earlier this week, Georgia's Board of Regents announced that Sonny Perdue was the sole finalist for the job. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, a Democrat, later ran the University of California system, and former Gov. Perdue then decided that the Go Fish Education Center would be built down the road from his home. after feeling punished under Trump, "Economists flee Agriculture Dept. Steve Fennessy: And when Wrigley said he was going to retire, was there kind of a shortlist floated around of possible successors? Then there were the full-on MAGA-bots like Sonny Perdue, the Georgia politician and agribusiness entrepreneur who became agriculture secretary. "[37], According to a March 5, 2008, proclamation by 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. Steve Fennessy: This has been percolating for a while now, Eric: this this idea of Sonny Perdue as the next chancellor of the University of Georgia system. As governor, Perdue mastered the Trumpian strategy of using know-nothing bigotry as a beard for brazen self-dealing, sometimes involving his own family. Eric Stirgus: I think you would have many people who would say that it is a political decision or that the board members themselves have, you know, some say depending on their own personal politics. What is it about this job that appeals to him? Perdue is the first cousin of former U.S. Alec Poitevint, long a pivotal player in the Perdue network, is now backing Kemp over David Perdue. Saeger, of Accountable.US, said the inspector general still needs to review that claim. Your support makes this possible. His Democratic opponent was Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor. There's been some social media push against him. Kemp replaced them with two additional members. Perdue announced the final relocation site in a letter that was distributed to employees Thursday morning. Although it returned to last place in 2005,[26] Georgia rose to 49th place in 2006 in the combined math and reading mean score, including the writing portion added to the test that year. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue pledged in 2017 to separate himself from his multimillion dollar business holdings that could pose conflicts of interest in his public duties. You know, then there are many others outside the metro area. What is that history? Steve Fennessy: When you look at past chancellors in the university system of Georgia, is that a position where the person who gets the job is typically coming from a higher educational background? 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"[38] The proclamation was criticized by historians for its historical inaccuracies,[39] although there were, in fact, African-Americans who served the Confederacy. Mitch Daniels of Indiana has led Purdue University since 2012. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? Yes, there is a acting chancellor. 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. 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. Students and faculty members around the state are reacting to news that Republican former Gov. The latest scrutiny stems from the agriculture secretary's wealth of current and former interests in agriculture, trucking and land development. That's next. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. In 2011, he founded Perdue Partners, which facilitated the export of U.S. goods and services. Earlier this week, Georgia's Board of Regents announced that Sonny Perdue was the sole finalist for the job. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "As the vigil ended, the sun shone through what had been a cloudy morning. Eric Stirgus: His name is Steve Wrigley and he retired. Has he said, "I'm supporting the guy who's pushing my candidacy for chancellor" or "I'm supporting my cousin who's running against him"? [51], Perdue was the designated survivor on January 30, 2018, for President Trump's first State of the Union address. She currently produces the Georgia Today and Battleground: Ballot Box shows. The former Georgia governor has a background in agriculture. Sonny Perdue's . A low-ball estimate of the value of storage in the grain silos was US$3 million. [29] Perdue also created additional opportunities for charter schools and private schools. 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. This is the golden rule do unto others.". [News tape] 11Alive: This is where angry parents are accusing the school board of trying to indoctrinate students with controversial curriculum on race and American history.