Cherokee County’s former state senator, Chip Rogers, started work at Georgia Public Broadcasting this week, and the former majority leader’s $150,000 salary at his new job is raising eyebrows.

Rogers resigned from his Senate seat in December to take the job at GPB, a move some are questioning as political.

Rogers is now an executive producer at GPB charged with spearheading a new programming initiative to promote jobs and economic development in Georgia.

As the senator for District 21, Rogers represented parts of Cherokee County in the state Legislature from 2005 until he resigned.

Veteran GPB producer Ashlie Wilson Pendley, a 15-year employee, resigned from the network this week and cited Rogers’ salary in a time of budget cuts as a motivation in her resignation letter.

While Rogers announced his move to GPB in December, his salary was not revealed until Jan. 18.

Better Georgia, a progressive advocacy group, has launched an online petition asking for GPB and Gov. Nathan Deal to fire Rogers.

“Gov. Nathan Deal gave a large government handout to a political friend who left the Georgia Senate in disgrace. This is an extreme abuse of power, even by Gov. Deal’s own low standards,” said Bryan Long, executive director of Better Georgia, in a release.

Rogers was elected to represent eastern Cherokee and part of North Fulton for another term in the Senate, set to begin this month, after defeating Brandon Beach in a July primary.

Beach (R-Alpharetta) went on to win the District 21 seat in a special election held earlier this month.

Rogers could not be reached for comment by press time.