Dear PV,I heard Governor Perdue's speech last Monday night and I was dumfounded to hear him declare that if the Legislature decides to hold a referendum (whether binding or non-binding) on the state flag, that local governments should pay for this vote out of their own revenues.
I happen to manage the budget of one of those "local governments" and it's not like we have extra cash lying around to throw at an election. The recession hits every town in Georgia, not just state government. We weren't asked originally what our opinion was on the state flag, nor did we participate in its change. That was accomplished by the 2001 Legislature.
If the State Legislature decides to force local governments to shoulder the cost of such a referendum that they created the need for out of their own short-sightedness 2 years ago, then Governor Perdue just might become the first governor to ever get sued via a class-action lawsuit where the "class" is Georgia municipalities forced to finance something that merely amounts to be "feel-good" legislation.
"Republican" governor, indeed...
- Name, Location & Municipality Withheld by Request
