Deal bans gifts for himself, staff

Ethics was a major topic of debate during Georgia"s 2010 race for governor.

  The conversation was not kind to Republican candidate Nathan Deal, who eventually won the race and was sworn in as governor Monday.

  Deal, a former congressman who represented portions of North Georgia, was the subject of a congressional ethics investigation in early 2010 on allegations that he pressured state officials to retain a contract for his auto salvage business. The investigation ended when Deal resigned from Congress to focus on his run for governor. But the scrutiny didn"t.

  Deal, during the campaign, pledged he would not allow himself or his staff to accept gifts.

  "As governor, I will implement a total gift ban for executive branch employees to send a strong signal to Georgians that we will not be subject to undue influence," he said.

  Still, Democratic Party gubernatorial nominee Roy Barnes tried to hammer Deal on ethics. Barnes proposed prohibiting any executive branch employee from meeting privately with a state or federal elected official about personal business.

  Barnes said his plan was not inspired by Deal, but in a quip, he said "certainly Deal is a good example of why we need the law.”

  The criticism didn"t deter most voters. Deal trounced Barnes in the election.

  On Monday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that one of Deal"s first executive orders was to ban gifts to his staff and executive agency heads. Deal signed a policy re-enacting rules put in place in 2003 by his immediate predecessor, Sonny Perdue. The policy prohibits any conflicts of interest by state officials in the governor"s office. Gifts greater than $25 must be returned or donated to a charitable organization.

  The penalties for violating the policy include getting fired.

  The order fulfills what Deal said on the campaign trail. And for that, we rate Deal"s executive order as a Promise Kept.