Pennington Calls On Governor To Debate Or Step Down From Race

Outside the governor’s office at the state Capitol, Pennington said if Deal doesn’t want a debate, he should carry out the rest of his term and leave it at that.

“Straighten out your legal, ethical, and financial problems in private because it’s obvious now you’re not able to perform as the chief executive officer of the state of Georgia.”

He cited several issues, one of which is an ongoing drama at the state ethics commission. Several former employees allege they were fired as part of an effort to squash an investigation into Deal’s 2010 campaign. A former head of the commission is in that group and recently received a jury award of more than $700,000 for her claim.

Pennington, a former mayor of Dalton, recommend an overhaul of the commission aimed at preventing future conflicts of interest.

“Only by separating the commission completely from the governor’s office, the speaker of the House’s office or the legislature can Georgians regain their trust in state government.”  

Deal has denied any involvement in the removal of commission employees. But following the jury award, Deal acknowledged the state’s ethics system was broken and vowed to push for reform next legislative session.

After Pennington finished his remarks and in front of a gaggle of reporters, Deal’s lawyer, Randy Evans, confronted the former mayor, accusing him of ethics issues of his own, including hiding financial records.

Both Pennington and the other Republican in the race, State Superintendent John Barge, have blasted Deal for refusing three formal debates prior to the election. After the verbal exchange, Evans said Pennington hasn’t “earned the right” to debate Deal.

“Candidly, there are certain folks who are candidates for the sake of being candidates. They just want their name on the ballot,” said Evans.

The primary is May 20^th.