5th UPDATE
Governor's Candidate, Gena Abraham, Wins DOT Post

Posting History:
6th Update at 3:44 p.m. adds that members of DeKalb delegation reportedly will seek board member's resignation. New material highlighted.
5th Update at 3:11 p.m. adds statement by Democratic Leader DuBose Porter.
4th Update at 2:56 p.m. adds comment from Smith.
3rd Update at 2:29 p.m. adds comment from governor's office.
2nd Update at 2:08 p.m. adds details of election.
1st update at 1:48 p.m. Election results

By Dick Pettys
InsiderAdvantage Georgia

(10/17/07) The governor’s candidate, Gena Abraham, prevailed Wednesday by the narrowest possible margin to win an intense battle to become the next commissioner of transportation and the first woman ever to head the department.

Abraham’s win came despite a pressure-packed lobbying campaign orchestrated by House Republican leaders but also joined in by House Democrats to instead put Rep. Vance Smith, R-Pine Mountain, in the seat.

In some ways, the battle was a continuation of the struggle we have seen all year between the governor and lawmakers of his own Republican Party who have grown restive since they successfully helped him win re-election.

That battle will continue, and the first overt sign may come when five members of the board face re-election in January. Board members are elected by caucuses of legislators from the congressional districts in which they reside.

House Speaker Glenn Richardson was still traveling from a speaking engagement at mid-afternoon, but House Democratic Leader DuBose Porter said this of the board's decision:

"This was a rare chance to move transportation forward in Georgia. We know that Vance Smith was open to looking at mass transit and a multi-modal center in Atlanta, and seven of the 13 member decided to maintain the status quo, which is not good enough for a growing Georgia. Now, like in healthcare and education, transportation suffers and the state goes further backwards."

The governor's office issued this statement:

“The DOT Board’s choice of Gena Abraham as DOT Commissioner is clear evidence that they’re looking for someone to lead the department with an experienced eye toward efficiency, cost savings and value. She’s a leader with years of expertise in contracting, construction and project management. While there were many well qualified candidates, Governor Perdue looks forward to working with Gena in this new role to tackle Georgia’s transportation issues.”

Voting for Abraham: Larry Walker, Garland Pinholster, Robert Brown, Chairman Mike Evans, Bill Kuhlke, Raybon Anderson and Roy Herrington. Up for election next year from that group are Evans and Anderson.

The vote went down in a way that was anything but ordinary. Typically, these matters get hashed out behind close doors under the Open Meetings exemption of personnel matters. After a wrenching, private discussion, board members then usually open the doors to the public, all smiles, and cast a unanimous vote for the candidate they’ve picked.

Didn’t happen that way this time.

When the public was allowed in, Board Member Larry Walker nominated Gena Abraham and that was seconded by Anderson. And then Board Member Billy Langdale nominated Smith and that was seconded by Sam Wellborn.

Under the procedure announced by Evans, the board would vote on the candidate who was first nominated - Abraham. If she failed to win the required 7 votes, the board would then consider Smith.

At that point, Board Member David Doss of Rome challenged Board Member Robert Brown to say if he had a conflict of interest in the race, asking him point-blank if his firm does business with any of the state agencies which Abraham now runs.

“We haven’t done any work at the state ... in a few years,” he said.

Asked if he felt he should recuse himself, he said, “No, I do not.”

Brown represents a heavily Democratic and largely black district, and was particularly targeted by fellow Democrats to switch his support to Smith. As we reported in the list above, he voted for Abraham. Had he switched, Smith would have won.

Knowledgeable sources told us after the meeting that members of his 4th congressional district delegation were so incensed they were considering a meeting to call for his resignation from the board.

The board members who did not vote for Abraham and, therefore, obviously supported Smith: Langdale, Wellborn, Emory McClinton, Rudy Bowen, Doss and Dana Lemon. Of that group, Langdale, McClinton and Lemon are up for election next year.

Smith said: "Of course I'm disappointed, but I have a job to do and it's a very important job. I'm fortunate to be in position as chairman of the House Transportation Committee to continue to work to meet our state's transportation needs. I'm overwhelmed with the support I received from my colleagues in the House and Senate and the people across Georgia."