Perdue's net worth rises by a third since taking office

<p>Gov. Sonny Perdue's wealth has ballooned while he has been in office, according to a financial disclosure report he filed with the state Ethics Commission this week.</p><p>Perdue's net worth now stands at about $6 million. It has grown by nearly a third since he was elected in 2002, the report said. It shows the governor has more $1.46 million in real estate, $1.8 million in cash, and businesses worth about $2.76 million.</p><p>In July of 2002, when Perdue was an underdog candidate for governor, he listed his net worth at about $4.48 million. Perdue's net worth gain outpaced the Dow Jones stock index, which increased 24.5 percent from July 2002 until Monday.</p><p>Tax returns reviewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for the past four years show Perdue got a refund in 2002 and 2003, but owed $95,000 in state and federal taxes in 2004 and $138,000 in 2005.</p><p>Neither of Perdue's would-be Democratic opponents _ Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor of Secretary of State Cathy Cox have _ filed their financial disclosure forms with state officials yet.</p><p>Financial records released this week also show that Georgia's two Republican candidates for lieutenant governor are millionaires.</p><p>Ralph Reed, a political strategist, reported a net worth of $4.5 million. His opponent, state Sen. Casey Cagle, has a net worth of $1.7 million thanks to his stake in six banking and real estate firms.</p><p>The documents also give a rare look at a handful of clients seeking the help of Reed's grass-roots lobbying firms. Reed is president of Century Strategies and four subsidiaries related to campaigning.</p><p>Among the clients are Microsoft, which paid Reed more than $1.5 million for his companies' services. The software giant announced last year it had severed its ties with Reed after liberal activists urged Microsoft to quit using Reed as a political consultant. The activists were upset that the software company had pulled its support for a Washington state gay rights bill it had backed in the past.</p><p>The documents also reveal Enron paid Reed $90,000 in 2001, the year the company collapsed.</p><p>The records did not disclose the actual work he did for the companies. Campaign manager Jared Thomas said it would be unethical for Reed to violate the privacy of his contracts and disclose the specific work he did for clients.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cdc3a0)</p>