AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January > 08 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USRichardson reelected speaker
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s House of Representatives reelected Glenn Richardson as speaker today despite an attempt by Democrats to replace him with one of their own.
Richardson (R-Hiram) picked up 113 votes, while House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin) got 66. At least seven Democrats crossed the aisle to vote for Richardson.
In his acceptance speech to the House, Richardson said he would favorably consider legislation during this 40-day session if it shrinks state government, cuts taxes, encourages “personal responsibility,” and strengthens families.
“Any bill that does not will have a tough time making it through this process,” Richardson vowed. Richardson also quoted Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities,” while referring to unspecified attacks against him and the Republican majority in the House.
“The last two years for me as speaker, well, they have been the best of times and they have been the worst of times,” Richardson said.
During his speech, the speaker did not refer to ethics complaints the state Democratic Party filed against him today. The complaints allege Richardson had an “inappropriate personal” relationship with a female lobbyist for Atlanta Gas Light last year while co-sponsoring a bill to finance a $300 million pipeline for the utility.
State Democratic Party chairman Bobby Kahn offered no evidence of the alleged relationship in the complaints he said he mailed to the State Ethics Commission and Joint Committee on Ethics Friday.
“We can get into the evidentiary part as the complaint proceeds but we will leave it at that right now,” Kahn said Sunday. “The complaint speaks for itself.”
Richardson has so far declined to respond directly to Kahn’s allegations, saying he doesn’t want to “give them merit.”
“We are not going to respond to Bobby Kahn and the Democrats,” Richardson said in an interview Sunday. “We are going to stay focused on the issues for the people of Georgia.”
Richardson added that he signed onto the pipeline bill last year at the request of House Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta), who co-sponsored the legislation. Richardson said that by the end of last year’s legislative session he “didn’t care if it passed or not.”
At the end of his speech before the House today, Richardson thanked his wife, Susan, for her support.
Also today, Burkhalter was reelected speaker pro tem. In an interview Sunday, Burkhalter denied rumors that he had been trying to line up votes to take Richardson’s job. Burkhalter, in fact, nominated Richardson for speaker today, praising Richardson as a “great manager of this House and a great defender of this House.”
The House started its 2007 session at 10 a.m. sharp today. All 180 members were present and were immediately sworn into office with spouses, fidgeting children and parents at their sides.
“You can’t get any better than perfect attendance,” said House Clerk Robbie Rivers, who was also reelected today. “180 members. 180 members present. Congratulations, you are here.”
The House members shook hands and hugged each other after they raised their right hands and took the oath. The House also adopted its rules after a testy debate between Porter and House Majority Leader Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons Island).
Porter objected to the Republican majority’s plans to continue with its “hawks” system in which the speaker appoints members who can show up at any committee and cast votes.
“In our opinion, it does away with representative government,” Porter said before urging the House to reject the rules.
Keen denied Porter’s claim, saying the purpose of the hawks is to maintain a quorum in committee meetings. He added that if the speaker wanted to he could simply “stack the committees” with Republicans.
“It is the intent that they never have to be there” in the committees, Keen said of the hawks. After approving the rules by a 110 to 66, the House recessed at 12:15 p.m. today.
Permalink | | Categories: politics
