Click here for the Georgia State Ethics Commission Web site. Click to view Gov. Sonny Perdue’s RGA letter. An inquiry into the close relationship between the State Transportation Board and the transportation industry is shining a spotlight on the nature of corporate lobbying in general.
Board member David Doss contends that frequent interaction between the groups — at dinners, conferences and other gatherings — leads to a better understanding of the issues on both sides and a better set of options to solve problems facing the state.
The former Floyd County commissioner chairs the Transportation Board’s Public/Private Initiatives Committee.
“These are some of the leading experts in the world,” Doss said about the list of attendees and speakers scheduled for an upcoming three-day conference hosted by Georgians for Better Transportation at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. “And we’re bringing private investors to the state, showcasing the state. We hope they come back and invest.”
Gov. Sonny Perdue called for an investigation after seeing a conference packet that included a welcome letter from Doss and a GBT letter soliciting sponsorships in exchange for various perks including a private dinner with government officials.
Attorney General Thurbert Baker concluded there was no illegal “sale of access” but the longstanding tradition of vendors hosting board members at private functions could give that impression to the general public — people excluded from the events.
“While no actual wrongdoing might take place, the perception of impropriety may in fact exist,” he wrote to Perdue in a summary of his investigation. “Of course, this raises the question of the extent to which appearances of impropriety are prohibited for public officials.”
Financial disclosure reports filed by lobbyists and elected officials show corporate wining and dining is not limited to the Transportation Board.
According to the State Ethics Commission, there are 1,366 active lobbyists representing 5,507 groups and their reported expenses total nearly $800,000 so far this year.
As chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Perdue signed letters seeking corporate sponsors for the organization’s Economic Growth Forum held in Atlanta on April 18 – promising opportunities for “direct interaction” with Republican governors and senior staffers. Participation levels ranged from $5,000 to $100,000.
“Selling private access to public officials is wrong, but in this political climate we live in, it’s a pretty common occurrence,” Doss said. “Where’s the line?”
Nick Ayers, executive director of the Republican Governors Association, said the political committee’s sole purpose is to work for the election of Republican governors across the country. He called it “absurd” to view Perdue’s letter as selling access to government officials.
“Every candidate in America solicits contributions to run for office,” Ayers said. “You ask people to come meet you and your team and, if they like you, they support you.”
Ayers also noted donations are itemized in the nonprofit 527 organization’s filings with the Internal Revenue Service.
Perdue’s press secretary, Bert Brantley, said the governor sought the Transportation Board investigation out of concern for “the appearance of impropriety” but is satisfied with the attorney general’s finding that no criminal wrongdoing occurred.
“The accountability to the public is the main point in this,” Brantley said. “Sunshine is certainly the best disinfectant. You want to make sure everything is done out in the open, in the light of day.”
