Bid to make transportation department in Georgia less parochial draws opposition from rural officials

"Newspapers in rural Georgia have begun exploring the implications of Gov. Sonny Perdue’s effort to consolidate the state’s various transportation agencies," reports Jim Galloway of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "His legislation would diminish the role of the board that governs the state Department of Transportation, whose members are selected by congressional district. Funding is also spread out among those 13 districts."

In an opinion piece published in Georgia papers, Perdue, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson called the DOT parochial and a “tangled web of bureaucracy that makes it virtually impossible to hold anyone accountable.” That brought a retort from Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, who told the Tifton Gazette, “I know everyone in the metro areas of the state is frustrated with traffic, but it doesn’t mean we should crucify the DOT.”

The issue also arose at the other end of the state, at a meeting of the Dalton City Council, where "officials expressed concern Monday about proposed changes in state transportation planning and funding," reports Charles Oliver of The Daily Citizen. He quickly noted that a local lawyer is one of the 13 board members.

Since this is our first blog item from The Daily Citizen, we pass along one of our favorite newspaper staff biographies: "Jimmy Espy is executive editor of the Daily Citizen. He is available for speaking engagements, lectures, bar mitzvahs and cockfights."