Sonny’s Fishing While Georgia Burns

In the last 10 years, an audit found that state officials diverted $185 million in bond money to other projects than approved for. One example is Governor Sonny Purdue of Georgia. Due to Georgia’s severe droughts, $4.37 million was set aside for a reservoir in west Georgia. It didn’t happen, instead $4 million was diverted to the purchase of “Oaky Woods” a giant forest tract adjacent to property owned by Georgia’s Governor Sonny Purdue.

Another $375,000 was paid to finish the Go Fish Education center down the road from Purdue’s hometown, Bonaire. Top lawmakers say they knew nothing about it, instead the decisions were carried out by state agencies, including the governors budget office. Guess who was chairman of the State properties Commission? Sonny Purdue. This type of thing is legal in the state of Georgia and a few lawmakers want to change it.

Rep. Ben Harbin plans to introduce a bill to stop such transactions. He said, ” To bypass the Legislature , and bypass the tax payers of Georgia should be illegal. The Oaky Woods deal was approved one month before the governors term ended in 2011. Georgia paid $2.874 per acre to a group of Houston developers who had bought the land for $1,600 per acre.( at which time Purdue’s adjoining property more than doubled in value.)

As anyone can see, the price Georgia paid was inflated. It should also be pointed out that Purdue was chairman of the State Properties Commission when Georgia bought Oaky Woods. Sonny’s fishing project is a matter of contention in Georgia when money is needed to keep water in our faucets. The popular saying is, “Sonny’s fishing while Georgia burns.”

Rep. Alan Powell, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said what happened with Oaky Woods and Go Fish, ” may be legal but it’s still circumventing the process, which to me is damaging to the political system.” Powell says he doubts lawmakers would have approved using the bond money on Oaky Woods and Go Fish. He continues, if the governors own party had know about these deals they would have opposed it. Harbin plans to file legislation that will give lawmakers the chance to vote on how all bond money is spent.