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Sen. Bill Heath hides behind office equipment

Hide & Seek

The fallout from Chip Rogers’ $150,000 per year, taxpayer-funded job keeps getting bigger.

Last week, State Sen. Bill Heath was so tired of hearing from taxpayers asking for GPB to fire Chip Rogers that he sent a nasty email to thousands of Georgians.

He told them they had been ‘conned’ and he was ‘annoyed’ by the emails that, he said, were a ‘waste of my time.’

He lied about how Better Georgia uses and protects your valuable email address. He also called us ‘childish.’

WSB-TV wanted to ask him why he sent the email and, importantly, whether he supports the $150,000 per year salary for Chip Rogers.

He ran. And then he hid.

He literally hid behind an office printer. (Click to watch the WSB video).

That’s childish and cowardly, for sure.

But he’s not alone. Not a single person has been able to defend this abuse of taxpayer dollars.

Even Michael McDougal, chairman of the Georgia Public Broadcasting commission, told the AJC that Chip Rogers doesn’t have enough experience and is wasting taxpayer dollars:

“In my view, he’s being paid too much,” said McDougald, a 60-year broadcast veteran. “The man comes to us with very limited (broadcast) experience and there are very few $150,000 radio products.”

So why is Chip Rogers — with limited experience — getting a taxpayer-funded job at a salary that is several times above normal? Those who know refuse to say. Georgia’s elected officials have dodged every question.

Here’s the scorecard so far:

  • Gov. Nathan Deal laughed and walked away – CBS
  • Chip Rogers ran out the back door – WSB
  • Sen. Bill Heath ducked behind an office printer – WSB

Let’s Make It Local

The Sen. Bill Heath story became news because Joseph Hall, a Better Georgia supporter like youcalled his local TV station.

You can have the same impact in your community. Call your local newspaper or TV station and tell them that you want to know what your local officials think about the Chip Rogers job at Georgia Public Broadcasting.

The elected officials below are members of a powerful Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee that must approve the new GPB budget. They have the power to ask tough questions and to reject parts of the governor’s proposed budget.

Your local newspaper can make sure every member speaks on the public record before they take a vote. Call your paper and ask for this important coverage today.

Member Office Number Hometown Newspaper Newsroom
Sen. Bill Cowsert (Chair) 404-463-1383 Athens Banner-Herald 706-208-2211
Sen. Josh McKoon (Vice-chair) 404-463-3931 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer 706-571-8565
Sen. Burt Jones 404-656-0082 Jackson Progress-Argus 770-775-3107
Sen. Buddy Carter 404-656-5109 Savannah Morning-News 912-652-0327
Sen. Hardie Davis 404-656-0340 Augusta Chronicle 706-724-0851 Ext.2
Sen. Tim Golden 404-656-7580 Valdosta Daily Times 229-244-1880 Ext.3
Sen. Lester Jackson 404-463-5261 Savannah Morning-News 912-652-0327
Sen. Nan Orrock 404-463-8054 Atlanta Journal-Constitution 404-526-7003
Sen. Cecil Staton 404-656-5039 Macon Telegraph 478-744-4411

Will your local lawmaker run or hide? Or will he or she stand up for taxpayers and common sense? Ask them to make their opinion public today.

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