On today's Atlanta Journal Constitution Op-Ed page , a Georgia Republican claims that Gov, Perdue removed him because he opposes a sweetheart deal for the McCain campaign's national finance co-chair:
I was advised on Sept. 22 by Gov. Sonny Perdue’s office that he was going to remove me from my position as a member of the board of directors of the Jekyll Island State Park Authority.
The obvious reason for this action is to prevent me from raising questions about the impending approval of a contract to turn over large sections of Jekyll to a politically connected private developer, Linger Longer Communities.
. . .
This was intended to be a massive giveaway of state property to Mercer Reynolds, national co-finance chair for John McCain’s presidential campaign.
Jekyll Island was purcahsed by the State of Georgia over 60 years ago, and by law is to be managed by the Jekyll Island State Park Authority for the benefit of the "common people" of Georgia. This is in stark contrast to barrier islands such as Sea Island and St. Simons, which are playgrounds for the rich and well-connected. In recent years a number of re-development and revitalization programs have been considered. Many agree that facilities on the island need revitalization, but the Linger Longer project has been heavily criticized as over-development. See Seaturtle's earlier diary for more background.
The real reason for my post is the tie to McCain's Finance Co-chair