According to a report by WAGA-TV, Deal's then-chief of staff Chris Riley sent e-mails to county officials on his House of Representatives e-mail account, inquiring about the effort. House ethics rules prohibit using government resources for private gain.
The station also said Deal appeared in person before county officials to start the process.
The road request was followed by a rezoning request by Deal's auto salvage business to turn the 137 acres of property at the end of the road into a landfill. The property ended up being rezoned.
Deal's lawyer Randy Evans told Fox 5 the contact did not violate House ethics rules because Riley did not specifically ask for anything and was gathering information on behalf of a constituent.
"The important part is, did you ask for action? Did you ask for something? And the answer to that is, it didn't happen here," Evans said. The AP was unable to reach Evans for comment Tuesday night. It was not clear from the TV station's report whether the county ended up taking over maintenance of the road.
Professor Harvey Newman, chairman of Georgia State University Department Public Management and Policy, said such behavior crosses an ethical boundary and erodes public trust in public officials.
"It's the use of a public office and the abuse of that public office in time, equipment and personnel that is inappropriate for public officials," Newman told the TV station.
Earlier this year, the Office of Congressional Ethics said Deal's lobbying of state officials in 2008 and 2009 to preserve a lucrative state arrangement for his auto salvage business may have violated House ethics rules by using official resources for his private gain. Deal met three times with state Revenue Commissioner Bart Graham.
Deal refused to answer reporters' questions following a debate Tuesday night in Atlanta.
Nathan Deal addressing supporters following the GOP gubernatorial primary in July. (Staff photo by Jerry Gunn)
http://accesswdun.com/article/2010/10/231069