Fresh Loaf

President Sonny Perdue. It’s got a nice and rather frightening ring to it, dontcha think?

An Insider Advantage piece that says the governor’s rumored to be lining up a post-office position as  University of Georgia president recently caught the eyes of those rapscallions at the Marietta Daily Journal. Here’s some of what the MDJ cribbed from the IA article, which is now available only for subscribers:

As the storyline goes, Perdue — who is joined at the hip with UGA President Michael Adams — would consider being named by the Board of Regents as president of the University of Georgia at the end of his term. In exchange for the creation of an open seat via the resignation of Adams, Adams would then be in strong consideration to become the system’s new chancellor. Sound crazy? Well … so did borrowing $21 million in the middle of a world financial meltdown. But Perdue pulled that one off didn’t he?

A commenter at the AJC’s Political Insider column speculates that Perdue’s recent appointment of former House Majority Leader and Georgia Department of Transportation board member Larry Walker to the Board of Regents could help the governor transition from one mansion to another. The two are old buddies.

Perdue’s a UGA alum and would probably be delighted to be one of the few university graduates lucky enough to find a job in the Classic City after throwing his cap in the air. Even if it’s 40 years after the fact.

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Nonprofit arts foundation Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue added Atlanta to its roster of grant-eligible cities in 2008. Today, the organization announced the 15 local finalists in the running for this year’s awards: Tristan Al-Haddad, Corrine Colarusso, Don Cooper, Ruth Dusseault, Sarah Emerson, Scott Ingram, Benjamin Jones, Stuart Keeler, Alexander Kvares, Fahamu Pecou, Rocio Rodriguez, Danielle Roney, Jerry Siegel, Larry Walker and Angela West.

The 15 finalists were chosen by Jeffrey Grove (Wieland Family Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Ga.), Naomi Beckwith (Assistant Curator, Studio Museum Harlem, NY), and Lisa Cremin (director, Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund) from a pool of 292 applicants. Jurors Grove, Clara Kim (gallery director and curator, REDCAT, Los Angeles, Calif.), and Hamza Walker (associate curator and director of education, the Renaissance Society, Chicago, Ill.) will whittle the number down to seven during studio visits Thurs.-Sat., March 26-28. Ultimately, two awards of $15,000 and five awards of $3,000 will be announced in early April.

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STILL GOING Dispute over Beltline tracks riles residents

After two hours of debating administrative minutiae, the Georgia Department of Transportation board nearly brought an end to the bitter dispute the state agency and Amtrak started with the City of Atlanta over Beltline tracks near Piedmont Park.

At the end of today’s board meeting, Boardmember David Doss of Rome — who it should be noted, hasn’t always been the biggest advocate for rail projects — asked the board to consider withdrawing its stay of abandonment of the “Decatur Belt,” a 4.2-mile segment of unused tracks which stretch from Ansley Park to DeKalb Avenue. Those tracks are a vital piece of the Beltline, the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit proposed to circle Atlanta’s core. Amtrak and GDOT say they want the tracks preserved for future commuter rail service into downtown Atlanta.

Doss said he proposed the same motion yesterday at an intermodal committee meeting.

“The idea of commuter rail or high-speed rail going through Piedmont Park makes little sense to me,” Doss told boardmembers. He said the two modes are not compatible with plans the city has already made for the property, which it purchased from Gwinnett County developer Wayne Mason last year for more than $66 million.

Suddenly, a booming voice sounded from the ceiling. Boardmember Steve Farrow of Dalton, participating in the meeting via conference call, objected.

(more…)

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