House stands by its budget in spite of Senate

House and Senate GOP leaders show no signs of compromise in the weeklong standoff over the midyear budget, which dictates state spending through June. The Senate says the House’s midyear budget spends millions on nonessential projects, such as the "Go Fish" tourism program. Senate leaders say those items are better left to next year’s budget. In response, House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans) says the upper chamber is standing on politics; not principle.

“It’s not about providing more efficient services. It’s not even about keeping campaign promises. It’s about politics, ambition and leverage,” says Harbin. House members voted to send their budget bill—as is—to the Senate with a note saying “urgent attention required.”

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle says the Senate will release its own budget instead. “The Senate will have our version of the budget publicly available in less than 24 hours,” Cagle says in a written statement. “I look forward to working closely and cooperatively with the House to resolve our different positions on state spending.”

Money for the Peachcare child health program, public defense, and tornado-stricken areas is at stake.

Bailout: political hot button issue

The war of words between the candidates for the hotly contested 8th Congressional District seat heats us as the proposed Wall Street bailout package is shaping up to be this election season's political hot potato.

Two days after democrat Jim Marshall said he's willing to lose his seat over his "yes" vote in favor of the $700 billion dollar plan, here's how his Republican rival Rick Goddard responded.

"This is politics. This is pure politics. And, I’m not playing into that game."

Marshall is a self-described conservative democrat, a label Goddard dismisses. What both candidates can agree upon is that something must be done about the current credit crisis.

However, Goddard warns a rush to judgment is perilous.

"This bailout has not been properly vetted in the Congress. It has not gone before committee. Nobody has testified as to the pros and cons. It is a quick knee jerk reaction to the crisis and we don't even know if this will fix the problem."

Jim Marshall is one of just two Georgia House members to support the bailout. The other is Democrat Sanford Bishop of Albany.

Obama Calls For Unity at Atlanta Church

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks during the Sunday morning church service at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Barack Obama on Sunday called for unity to overcome the country's problems as he acknowledged that "none of our hands are clean" when it comes to healing divisions.

Heading into the most racially diverse contest yet in the presidential campaign, Obama took to the pulpit at Martin Luther King Jr.'s Ebenezer Baptist Church on the eve of the federal holiday celebrating the civil rights hero's birth 79 years ago. His speech was based on King's quote that "Unity is the great need of the hour."

"The divisions, the stereotypes, the scape-goating, the ease with which we blame the plight of ourselves on others, all of that distracts us from the common challenges we face: war and poverty; inequality and injustice," Obama said. "We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing each other down. We can no longer afford to traffic in lies or fear or hate. It is the poison that we must purge from our politics; the wall that we must tear down before the hour grows too late."

Obama has called for a new kind of politics that he says should appeal to people's hopes, not their fears.

South Carolina, which holds its Democratic primary Saturday, is the first state where a large number of black voters will participate, and Obama needs a win to remain a front-runner in the race for the party's presidential nomination.

He is counting on blacks to stick with him despite losing to Hillary Rodham Clinton in two consecutive contests. He lost Nevada despite winning 83 percent of blacks, who made up 15 percent of the total vote. In South Carolina, they are expected to make up at least half the turnout.

Obama's campaign has worked to overcome a concern among black voters that he wouldn't be able to win an election in white America. After his victory in practically all-white Iowa, his poll numbers leaped among blacks.

"I understand that many of you are still a little skeptical," Obama said Friday night at a King banquet in Las Vegas. "But not as skeptical as you were before Iowa. Sometimes it takes other folks before we believe ourselves."

At Ebenezer, where King launched the civil rights movement, Obama spoke in front of a tightly packed crowd; hundreds more who had lined up outside in subfreezing temperatures couldn't get in. It was unclear whether the crowd was for Obama, the King holiday or caused by the unusual blast of ice and snow that closed other area churches.

"We had to fight, bleed and die just to be able to vote," the Rev. Raphael G. Warnock said in introducing Obama. "Now we can select presidents, and now with credibility and intelligence and power, we can run for president."

He teased worshippers who cheered at the sight of the most viable black presidential candidate in history. "I understand, but don't get it twisted," Warnock said.

Obama said blacks often have been the victims of injustice, but he said they also have perpetrated divisions with gays, Jews and immigrants.

"If we're honest with ourselves, we'll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King's vision of a beloved community," he said to applause.

Obama suggested he's allowed divisions to creep into his campaign in recent days. "Last week, it crept into the campaign for president, with charges and countercharges that served to obscure the issues instead of illuminating the critical choices we face as a nation.
“None of our hands are clean," he said.

Obama's and Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaigns engaged in several days of back and forth after Clinton's comments about King that some interpreted as minimizing his role in the passage of landmark civil rights legislation. The two candidates called a truce on that issue last week.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the presidential primaries.

Ex-EPA scientist fights agency over sewage sludge

David Lewis is a lab rat with no lab, a researcher with no salary, a once-influential scientist whose only perk these days is a lonely cubbyhole.

In his heyday, he was a high-ranking Environmental Protection Agency scientist whose discovery that dental equipment could be a haven for the HIV virus in the 1990s earned him prestige and respect.

Now he's a pariah, working out of a spare office at the University of Georgia and waging a quixotic battle with his former patron over sewage sludge, the reason for his gradual fall from grace.

More than a decade ago, Lewis began to challenge the EPA's policy allowing farmers to spread the semi-solid byproduct of wastewater treatment plants over their fields as a free, nutrient-rich fertilizer.

He's investigated illnesses and deaths he claims are linked to the sludge; he said his work has helped prod government officials to issue guidelines for workers who handle the sludge. He's also filed a flurry of lawsuits, the latest in March 2006 claiming UGA was complicit in a scheme by EPA leaders to justify the agency's program that distributes sludge to farm fields.

"Science is getting trumped by politics and I want that fixed," said Lewis. "My case is the worst case scenario where politics is blocking good science."

There was more than a hint of a conspiratorial tone in his voice recently when he said he's up against "an effort organized by multiple federal agencies and powerful industry groups with support of tens of millions of dollars in congressional earmarks."

The UGA and EPA researchers have stood by their work and deny wrongdoing.

"There's no cover-up. There's no conspiracy," said Robert Brobst, an EPA environmental engineer and a defendant in the lawsuit. "We're a bunch of nerdy scientists. How the hell do we know how to cover up and do conspiracies? We're boring."

For Lewis, who said he's trying to reclaim his reputation, it's been a costly crusade. He's lost his job with the EPA and was spurned by UGA, where he once hoped to land a gig as a tenured professor.

But he has reason to be encouraged. A federal judge has refused to throw out Lewis' lawsuit against UGA, and his work is helping focus attention on sewage sludge beyond the small circle of scientists who now study it.

"There really has not been adequate research about what this material is, let alone the repercussions," said Rob Hale, an environmental chemistry professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences. "Folks were told that this stuff had been studied to death, and Lewis is concerned that they're overstating what they knew about the material."

Wastewater treatment plants across the nation produce about 7 million tons of the sludge each year as a byproduct, and slightly more than half of it is used as fertilizer. The EPA has long argued the sludge is safe as long as it's applied properly.

"If it's misused, if it's overapplied, if it doesn't meet quality criteria, of course it's going to be a problem," said Brobst, who has specialized in this area for 30 years.

Still, "Based on what we know today, yes, it's safe," he said. "Science takes little steps, but if you add up all the little pieces in 1,500 articles in the last five years, you have a safe argument."

Lewis, who was never shy to question EPA policies, turned his attention to sewage sludge in 1996 after the issue kept coming up during an informal poll of his colleagues.

He started collecting samples from sewage treatment plants, using some of the same methods he used while investigating dental products: Collecting gunk and analyzing it for harmful pathogens and toxic materials. He soon found some that certain pathogens in the sludge could survive disinfection by taking shelter in fatty greases and oils.

"It doesn't take but a high school education in science to understand this stuff: Bacteria hides in hunks of gunk," he said.

He presented his findings at a national conference in 1998, prompting a new round of media coverage - and more scrutiny from his employer. Other EPA researchers soon conducted a study that refuted some of his work, though Lewis has questioned their methodology.

Lewis' growing reputation didn't do him any favors with his bosses, who offered in 1998 to pay his salary at UGA for four years as long as he retired after the contract was up. At UGA, though, he said he wasn't granted the freedom he had hoped, and started conducting research on his own dime. UGA never did offer him a job, and when his EPA contract was up, Lewis refused to retire and was let go in 2003.

Since then, he's turned his full attention toward fighting his former employers in court, where he's had a few successes and some stinging defeats, such as a 2004 administrative judge ruling that said Lewis has not provided "scientific evidence to back up his belief" that the sludge could pose a significant danger to people.

On the walls of Lewis' modest home in Watkinsville are some of the proudest images of his career, and in his office is a silver cabinet full of sludge files.

To Lewis, they are a constant reminder of the score he still wants to settle. And to some of his colleagues, that's not such a far-fetched idea.

"He's got a lot of guts and fortitude, and he's been right in the past," said Hale. "You need people like that, whether you agree with him or not."

(The Associated Press)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of environmental issues.

Columbus man running for state rep slot

Zephaniah Baker (Courtesy)

Columbus native 31-year-old Zephaniah Baker, plans to run for District 132 as an independent on the November 4 ballot.

Running what he calls a “people over politics” campaign, Baker says he's calling for better educational opportunities, especially in the district's middle and high schools. He says he wants to create a more welcoming business climate for industry, that would bring, in his words, “high paying jobs,” to the area.

Baker says he started canvassing the district in January, and has received a requisite 990 verified signatures to be added to the ballot as an independent candidate.

Baker tells the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer newspaper that he's running, in his words, "for the post," and not against the current Democratic representative, Calvin Smyre.

Smyre is a 30-year veteran of Georgia politics and serves as House Minority Whip.

Click here for more GPB political news coverage.

Politics: Thomas not "going with the flow" in Barrow challenge

Savannah State Senator Regina Thomas has thrown local Democrats for a loop. The outspoken Senator is trading in the Gold Dome to run for Congress. Her primary opponent is an incumbent Democrat in a highly competitive district. Her campaign threatens to divide Democrats in a district that routinely sees squeaker outcomes in November.

Thomas is known for her frank, independent style and her hats. She was wearing a bright, orange colored hat with a blue blazer when GPB interviewed her for this story . But it's not her hats causing a stir in Savannah politics these days. It's her decision to run against U.S. Congressman John Barrow in the July primary.

"There have been so many people who've said, 'We don't have a choice. This person wasn't my choice, but there was nobody else there. And I didn't go to vote at all because there wasn't a choice,'" Thomas says. "So now the people have a choice."

For some local Democrats, that choice leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Barrow's district, the sprawling 12th, has been a tough one for Democrats to hold. It's one of the few competitive Congressional districts in the nation. And Karen Arms, the chairman of the Chatham County Democratic Party, says that's why she wishes Thomas were running somewhere else.

"Probably not particularly good, would be my feeling," Arms says. "It's just a waste of a good Democrat because they're both excellent Democratic candidates. It seems a waste to have them going against each other instead of going against a Republican."

Thomas could give Barrow a tough run. The 12th district is about 40% African-American, but the primary could be up to 60% African-American. University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock says, Thomas, a member of the state legislative black caucus, will be counting on that support in her race against Barrow, who is white. Bullock says, the challenge could hurt Barrow in November.

"At minimum, he's going to have to spend considerable resources, both money and his time campaigning," Bullock says. "You know often, in the course of primaries, things come out that might then be used by the opposing party come November."

For the moment, Republicans seem to be focused more on their own campaigns to gloat about dueling Democrats. At least three have announced bids. Savannah political consultant Dave Simons say, while Thomas is a strong candidate, she doesn't have the financial resources or name recognition outside of Savannah as John Barrow.

"The good news for John is that he's got $1.3 million cash on hand," Simons says. "He's got the 'I' behind his name for 'Incumbent.' And he's already got a district-wide network established."

And that could be bad news for Democrats if Thomas wins the primary. Democrats held the seat two years ago by just under 9-hundred votes.

"I think Democrats are putting that out, I really do," Thomas responds. "I think the Democrats are saying, 'That's exactly what the Republicans want. They want her to come out, beat him in the primary so they can beat her in November. That's not going to happen. I'm in it to win it."

Thomas remains as frank and independent as ever, in this battle, as in fights of the past. She bucked Democratic leaders over natural gas deregulation and redistricting five years ago. And she seems intent on doing it again in this race, although she insists her run isn't about Barrow.

"So many politicians go around. They have their money. They have their big backers and their big supporters and everybody wants to go with the flow," Thomas says. "Well then there comes a Regina Thomas, who says, 'I'm not just going along to get along.'"

For his part, Congressman Barrow says, he's going to keep on doing what he's always been doing. A statement says, the Congressman is currently focused on health care, the price of gasoline and student loans.

Judge says Democrat can serve office

A Fulton County judge has ruled that Democrat Jim Powell's name can stay on the ballot in November. Judge Wendy Shoob's ruling Thursday reversed the decision by Georgia's top elections official to disqualify Powell from the election.

Secretary of State Karen Handel's office said it "strongly disagreed" with the decision and that it may appeal. Powell was disqualified from the race for a seat on Georgia's Public Service Commission days before the July primary on grounds that he doesn't meet residency requirements. A judge later ruled Powell's name could remain on the ballot. He earned more than 330,000 votes and easily defeated opponent Bob Indech.

Handel's office dismissed accusations that politics were involved in the decision. Powell has called it "dirty politics at its worst."

(Associate Press)

New name in 2010 Governor's race

Here’s another name to throw in the pot for a possible gubernatorial bid in 2010 - - Democratic Sen. Tim Golden of Valdosta. Golden told Insider Thursday he is “seriously looking” at a run but has made no decision yet. Even so, he said he thinks he has something to offer. "People are tired of partisan politics and they really prefer someone who will put policy over politics. I've been doing that for 18 years," he said. Golden served in the House from 1990 through 1998 and has served in the Senate since. He is chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

There will be a lot more names, no doubt, in the coming months. On the Democratic side, former Adjutant General (and former Secretary of State) David Poythress has said he’s interested. So has House Minority Leader DuBose Porter of Dublin.

Among Republicans, Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine already has declared he’s in the race, but Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle is out there working hard, although he hasn’t announced. Also on the speech circuit already is House Majority Leader Jerry Keen, and there’s talk of Secretary of State Karen Handel.

Early?

It may seem that way but it costs mega-bucks these days to run statewide campaigns.

And even back when it was cheaper, campaigns have started much earlier than this. When Jimmy Carter lost in 1966, he immediately began work on his successful 1970 run for governor.

Golden said he's aware of the likely cost of a campaign and isn't scared off, based on encouragement he's gotten so far. He said he thinks his pro-business record and support for education and health care initiatives would hold him in good stead should he run.

(Insider Advantage Georgia)

Perdue calls state house action irresponsible

Governor Perdue today accused the state house of being irresponsible in passing a tax reform ammendment. The tax cut amendment would leave the state 800 million dollars short in a few years if approved by voters.

That's the tally from the budget and policy institute and Governor Perdue Agrees.

The state house this week just barely passed the amendemnt which would cut car taxes and the state income tax portion of property taxes.

Governor Perdue says the state house actions were wreckless. "This is major tax policy of the state done on the fly" Perdue says, "I liken it to the Wright brothers jumping out of Kiddy Hawk and designing and airplane on the way down."

Perdue accuses house members of being motivated by election year politics and not the best interest of the state.

"We're gonna need resources to fund education, growth and transportation in the future, " Perdue said.

The ammenment is now in the State Senate. Today the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute called on Senators to halt the measure.

Because this is a constitutional ammendment, the Governor has no veto control.

Health care pros: Grady broke its promise

Health care advocates met in Atlanta today to address the widening health care disparities in minority populations. Of particular concern to some – how politics have shaped the allocation of medical services at one high profile hospital.

According to Dr. George Rust, the ratio of poor African Americans unable to access adequate and affordable health care has remained unchanged for nearly half a century. Rust directs the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine. All Morehouse medical students are required to do some clinical work at nearby Grady Memorial Hospital. But, Rust says Grady isn't delivering on its promise made in the 1890s. Namely, to serve the poor.

"We segregate health care for the poor and then we under fund it. We say we're going to create a separate system of care for the uninsured and then we're not going to adequately fund it. And what we're seeing is that when deliver care separately you get separate health outcomes and worse health outcomes."

Today it’s estimated that annually so-called segregated health care means 83,000 African Americans die at earlier ages of treatable and preventable diseases. Most experts agree lifestyle choices may be the root causes of treatable diseases like diabetes and obesity. But add, the lack of culturally sensitive medical personnel unfairly burdens some minority communities.

About that special session

It has been nearly two weeks since Gov. Sonny Perdue vetoed the midyear budget passed by the state legislature, citing lack of funding for basic services and a controversial property tax cut championed by House Speaker Glenn Richardson.

On April 20, his office released a statement saying "he would make an announcement next week calling for a special session of the legislature to pass a balanced 2007 amended budget that meets the needs of Georgia's citizens."

But that week has come and gone, and Perdue has kept mum.

Meanwhile, schools that were counting on the midyear budget for money to ease overcrowding and pay nurses are digging into their rainy-day funds.

"Some are quite worried," says Department of Education Spokesman Dana Tofig. "They haven't hit crisis mode yet, but some are spending their own money—either surpluses or redirecting other funds. That's not ideal at all."

State leaders who say they want the special session to be as swift and painless as possible might be trying to get their ducks in a row before lawmakers return to the Capitol. That won't be a small feat, judging from the end of the regular session.

At that time, Richardson vowed the House would override Perdue's veto of the budget "again and again and again" in a special session. Richardson continues to insist on including a tax cut in the budget.

Tempers have cooled somewhat in the interim, but Richardson's spokeswoman, Clelia Davis, says the speaker has not met with Perdue.

"We're willing to work on it," said Davis. "We're willing to talk, but we have not heard from the governor's office."

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle says he has met separately with both men. "I wish you could take the politics out of the equation that we're in," he told reporters last week. "Unfortunately, that does not exist."

Unity Begins the 2009 Legislative Session

Democrats in the Georgia State Legislature opened the first day of the 2009 session with a sign of unity. With Republicans holding a majority of seats in the House, Republican Speaker Glenn Richardson was re-elected – but not with the usual “yeas” or “nays.” He was elected by process of acclamation, where no formal vote was held.
Minority Leader Dubose Porter says Democrats in Georgia are taking a page from President-elect Barack Obama.

"We, at this important crossroads in Georgia's history, want to show just as our president-elect in Washington is putting the country's welfare ahead of partisan politics, we too, the Democratic caucus in Georgia, put aside the partisan rancor and ask that we move forward with the work of this state."

The gesture did not go unnoticed by Republicans. Majority Leader Jerry Keen says that both sides of the House need to work together as the Democratic-controlled government will soon begin helping the states' ailing budgets.

10th District to elect US Representative tomorrow

Tenth Congressional District residents head to the polls Tuesday to elect a replacement for late Congressman Charlie Norwood.

Two conservative Republicans are in this run-off: former State Senator Jim Whitehead of Evans, and physician Paul Broun of Athens. They beat out eight other candidates in June’s special election.

Athens-Clarke County Election Supervisor Gayle Schraeder is predicting an eight to 10 percent voter turnout. Columbia County Registration Coordinator Nancy Gay has a slightly more optimistic forecast.

"For the July 17th run-off, we’re predicting anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the registered voters to come out and participate in the run-off."

The main campaign issues revolved around local politics. Whitehead said he would favor the Augusta area for any funding opportunities, while Broun said he would serve the entire district and not just the needs of his hometown, Athens.

State House sends strong message to Governor Pedue

The Legislative session started with a show of power by the State House. It decided to make History by overriding 12 of Govenor Perdue's vetos from last year.
They range from tax credits for the construction of concert halls to a higher book allowance for the hope scholarship. House Speaker Pro Temp Mark Burkhalter said it's not about teaching
the governor a lesson.

"There's no message, particularly, these are bills on the issue we feel passionately about," he said. "

Burkhalter said he genuinely looks forward to working with the governor throughout the session. By law veto overrides have to be considered by the state senate. There Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle called the overrides petty politics. He said he's worried about this year's session.

"I'm very concerned that this is a distraction. If we're not careful veto overrides are going to dominate the session," he said. "Healthcare, transportation and water will go on the backburner and we can't afford to do that.

Cagle says the Senate is not expected to take up the veto overrides this week.
Governor Perdue called the action "yet another example of
House leadership insisting on making a statement rather than making the
state better. The Governor issued a statement saying while he respects the constitutional
provision for veto overrides, he is also mindful that there has not been
a groundswell of support for any of these bills from Georgians.

Budget fight between House and Senate escalates

A day after the Georgia House reaffirmed its midyear budget; the State Senate has released its own version. The Senate’s budget is lean, and puts $20 million aside for a rainy-day fund.

But the dispute impacts politics more than programs. The House would spend millions now on tourism, patrol cars, and other things the Senate deems “non-essential.” Senators aren’t saying no to these items, but they would rather pay for them in the fiscal year that starts in July.

“It’s a big deal for taxpayers,” says Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah). “We should avoid using the supplemental budget for unnecessary things. It ought to be for what we need to do and not what we want to do.”

The Senate is playing a shell game, according to House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s spokeswoman, Clelia Davis.

In a statement, Davis asks, “How does shifting the same amount of spending by 4 months make the Senate conservative and the House not conservative?”

Both chambers have to approve the same budget before the governor can sign it into law.

State Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Voter ID Law

By Valarie Edwards

The Georgia Supreme Court heard testimony today on whether to strike down that part of state law requiring voters to show a picture ID when they go to the polls.

The original law was passed in 2005, and has been in both federal and state court ever since.

At issue is whether or not showing a photo places an undue burden on the poor and the elderly.

Former Democratic Governor Roy Barnes now represents the plaintiffs.

He says the law is unconstitutional.

“The right of franchise, to vote, is the most basic right we have in a democracy. Anytime playing politics with it, then i’m upset.”

Republicans in Georgia have amended the law to make photo voter id-s available to the poor for free.

They argue that with Georgia’s growing immigrant population, tighter voter controls are needed.

U-S Attorney General speaks in Atlanta

Embattled U-S Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will be in Atlanta Thursday to speak to the National Association of Attorneys General. His predecessor, John Ashcroft, spoke to the group yesterday.

Ashcroft addressed the current scandal of the firings of eight federal prosecutors, saying the issue has not hurt the Justice Department. Congress is looking into whether politics played a role in the firings, under the current leadership of Gonzales.

2007 good year for GA colleges, universities

Enrollment is up at the state's 35 colleges and universities, says Chancellor Erroll Davis. Nearly 300,000 students signed up for classes in fall 2007. That's 10,000 more than enrolled for 2006. Also up, says Davis is minority enrollment and graduation rates.

However, not all Davis had to say was rosy.

In his annual State of the System address, Davis told the 18-member Board of Regents, that politics needs to get out of the way of recruiting and training medical students.

"While we have been debating over the last two years where doctors should be trained,Georgia has slipped in physicians per capita. we have to move forward with a comprehensive statewide plan to meet these needs and we must forward without delay."

Davis also called for increased accountability in managing the system's 5-and a half billion dollar budget in light of recent reports of employee abuse of state issued credit cards.

Finally, Chancellor Davis says he'd like to faculty salaries increase.

"In order to strengthen the quality of faculty and staff, we simply have to pay people at market rates. We cannot wish for, we cannot hope for, we cannot expect to get world class outcomes without competitive salaries."

Carter political strategist dies

Hamilton Jordan, 1944-2008. Jordan answers questions at a news conference in Dallas on June 4, 1992. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File)

Hamilton Jordan, a political strategist from south Georgia who helped propel Jimmy Carter to the White House and served as his chief of staff, died Tuesday. He was 63.

Jordan died at his home in Atlanta after a long battle with cancer, said Gerald Rafshoon, a former Carter spokesman.

Jordan graduated from the University of Georgia with a political science degree in 1967 and became a key adviser to Carter during the 1976 presidential campaign. After Carter was defeated by Ronald Reagan in 1980, Jordan ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 1986. He lost to Wyche Fowler, who won the general election.

Jordan worked for H. Ross Perot's presidential bid in 1992.

Later he worked with Unity08, an independent political group founded by independent Angus King, the former governor of Maine, along with Rafshoon and Doug Bailey, a former staffer on President Ford's 1976 campaign.

Jordan's family is planning a memorial service at the Carter Center on Friday, according to a report.

For more GPB News coverage about Georgia politics, click here. For more about Carter, click here.

(The Associated Press)

CDC head resigns

The Bush administration appointee for the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is out of the job effective January 20. Dr. Julie Gerberding stepped down as director of the CDC.

Her resignation was announced in an email sent Friday to employees of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Gerberding’s decision complies with the Obama administration’s request for her resignation, along with a number of other senior-level officials.

Gerberding was appointed head of the CDC in July 2002. Her six- year tenure is marred with controversy, from allegations she allowed politics to interfere with science to concerns her decisions would inhibit the agency from responding in a public health crisis.

A CDC spokesman said Gerberding was traveling in Africa and unavailable for comment. The CDC's chief operating officer William Gimson, will step in as interim director.