Deal promotes 3 officers on his security detail; Common Cause calls promotions 'tainted'

ATLANTA (AP) -- Following his re-election, Gov. Nathan Deal promoted three Georgia State Patrol officers on his security detail, giving them significant raises.<br /> <br /> Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said the officers are experienced, capable and have excellent records. The governor's critics questioned the promotions given Deal's history of appointing loyalists to government posts.<br /> <br /> "I'm not saying it specifically about these gentlemen because I don't know their backgrounds," said William Perry, executive director of Common Cause Georgia. "But their promotions are tainted by the governor's history of appointing people who are not qualified for the positions they are appointed to."<br /> <br /> The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB-TV report that David Herring was promoted from lieutenant to lieutenant colonel, increasing his salary from roughly $71,000 to slightly more than $125,000. He runs the executive security unit for the Department of Public Safety. Besides Deal, the unit protects Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker David Ralston.<br /> <br /> "This was an appropriate structural change," said Robinson, Deal's spokesman. "And future heads of the executive detail will maintain this rank, even after the Deal administration."<br /> <br /> Sgt. Chris Wigginton was named head of Georgia's law enforcement training agency. His salary more than doubled to $125,500.<br /> <br /> Sgt. James Andrews was selected as a deputy of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety. His salary nearly doubled to around $120,000.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/2/284978