On Sunday the Washington Post speculated about possible Vice Presidential partners for each party. Sonny Perdue, GA’s Governor, was included on the short list of Republican VP Candidates. His strength, according to the Post, is that he’s a southern Governor re-elected with relative ease. That was pretty much it.
But consider this- how much would his chances be enhanced if he were able to bring powerhouse fundraisers Jamie and Mercer Reynolds to the ticket?
Linger Longer Communities, the developer involved in a controversial proposal to develop Georgia’s Jekyll Island State Park, is owned by Jamie, Mercer and Harold Reynolds. The Reynolds have a long, chummy history with Governor Perdue. And Perdue's office played a key role in opening the island up to private developers. All of which makes one wonder... could roads being rerouted on Jekyll actually lead to the Vice Presidency?
The Reynolds were big fundraisers for George Bush and the Republican party in the last election.
Jamie Reynolds was a “ranger” in the last Bush campaign, helping him raise a boatload of money in Georgia. He has close ties with Governor Perdue; he and Harold have contributed at least $12,000 to Perdue, with Linger Longer contributing at least $15,000.
Mercer Reynolds has a long past with the current President, bailing him out of an early oil venture and partnering with him to buy the Texas Rangers. But most importantly, he’s credited with raising more money for the 2004 Bush campaign than any other presidential campaign in history, over $200 million.
If history is any indication of future actions, Jamie and Mercer Reynolds will probably support the Republican nominee, whoever he is. But due to their relationship with Perdue, that support may be more concrete should he be on the ticket.
Which brings us to Jekyll Island.
Georgia purchased Jekyll in 1947; in 1950 the Jekyll Island State Authority (JIA) was established to serve as a steward for the island. Georgia law states that 65% of it remain natural, with only 35% of it available for development. For years developers have lobbied for the chance to get their hands on the island, especially with neighboring St. Simons and Sea Island running out of space. Until Sonny, they had been kept at bay.
Last year, Linger Longer- owned by the Reynolds boys- was selected to partner with the JIA. Their proposal includes a 64-acre "town center" right along the most popular public beach- sparking a big public outcry. That 64-acres has caught the most attention but it's important to point out that LLC is also bidding on or has bought two other large beachfront properties. In addition to this and the 64-acre development, their “vision plan” shows they want a presence in every corner of the island. There’s a lot of “develop,” “expand,” “add” and “enhance” thrown around, including a part of the proposal that talks about expanding the historical district to add amenities and visitor accommodations. That’s a lot of our island for one little ‘ol company.
Sonny Perdue, in his budget for the upcoming session, included $25 million for Jekyll- curious because it’s supposed to be a self-sustaining park. Conveniently, it’s over half the initial $45 million requested by LLC from the state for "infrastructure costs" (they want the state to pay for a new convention center and parking lot- and that cost is projected to be somewhere around $84 million once all is said and done).
There is no doubt about this: Perdue has used his position as Governor to help himself and his friends in the past. He was known to have met with Mercer and James Reynolds at least once about the Jekyll Island project. And there's a good read of his questionable ethics here.
But here’s the really interesting part:
“For the second time in two weeks, a judge has ruled that Gov. Sonny Perdue has overstepped the authority of his new office. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Bensonetta Tipton Lane on Monday voided an executive order signed by Perdue in March removing Columbus attorney Jim Butler from the Board of Natural Resources. Perdue gave the seat to a longtime friend, Macon businessman Ben Porter. The judge's order reinstates Butler and bars Perdue and other state officials from ‘interfering in any way or manner whatsoever’ with Butler's board service until the expiration of his term on Jan. 1, 2005.”
[Badertscher, “Judge voids Perdue's order for DNR board,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4/22/2003]
But don’t you worry about Ben Porter! He has settled comfortably into the role of chairman of the Jekyll Island Authority. By the way, all seats on the JIA are Governor-appointed positions. Porter, a developer by trade, helped shepherd the Linger Longer partnership. This “partnership” caught most people by surprise since the JIA didn’t include the public in plans for such a massive redevelopment on the island. But the Gov, well, he's a fan, even in the face of opposition from the area's sitting Senator, a member of his own party.
So… a Governor mentioned as a possible Vice Presidential candiate; prolific Republican fundraisers who also own a development company; a state park that’s suddenly opened to some major development by the island authority, headed by a longtime friend of the Governor; and the prolific fundraisers granted an unprecedented partnership in that said development, which will surely be worth millions…
Of course this is all just speculation, connecting the dots. But it sure does seem like the dots are pretty darn easy to connect.