Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle is leveraging his public office in the final weeks before the GOP primary by sending letters to local superintendents touting his record on education.
The Republican front-runner for governor sent the dispatches on his office letterhead to each school superintendent earlier this month with estimates of how much his or her district will receive from an extra infusion of cash.
Gov. Nathan Deal has yet to sign the budget, which fully funds the state's k-12 formula for the first time in more than a decade, and official communiques about Georgia's spending plan typically come from his office.
A Cagle spokesman said the letters were justified and that, as the leader of the state Senate, he was informing stakeholders about the chamber’s accomplishments. The spokesman said Cagle’s office obtained the emails from the Department of Education’s public records.
The letters proclaim lawmakers had a “great session for public education,” promote Cagle’s College and Career Academies program and remind superintendents of the additional cash coming their way.
“I hope these extra funds will allow you to invest in our students by rewarding teachers, launching new educational initiatives and supporting your most effective programs,” Cagle states in the letters.
Officeholders have a long history of using the perks of their position to help their campaigns. Facing a tough re-election in 2014, Deal ramped up his use of chartered planes to sign legislation in cities across the state — including four stops in one day to sign the state budget each time.
Georgia transparency advocates called the letter an abuse of taxpayer dollars. William Perry of Georgia Ethics Watchdogs said it was “clearly a blatant attempt to use public resources, such as staff and communication systems, to campaign for governor.”
“If a candidate is going to abuse his current office for political gain, how could you expect anything different if he serves as governor?” Perry said.
Cagle faces four other leading Republicans in the May 22 primary to succeed Deal, who is term-limited. Former state Sen. Hunter Hill, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, executive Clay Tippins and state Sen. Michael Williams are racing for what's expected to be the No. 2 spot in a likely July runoff against Cagle.
Two Democrats — former House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams and ex-state Rep. Stacey Evans — are also running for governor.
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