Senate leadership feud on display again

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By Kristina Torres

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An hours-old peace deal among the state Senate's feuding Republican leaders fell apart Tuesday despite being brokered by Gov. Nathan Deal, leaving open the question of whether the chamber would repeat last year's drama instead of passing legislation.

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Jason Getz, jgetz@ajc.com President Pro Tempore Tommie Williams, R-Lyons, center, discusses a bill as Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle is shown above on Jan. 9, 2012.

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The feud began in earnest in late 2010, led by Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, and Senate President Pro Tem Tommie Williams, R-Lyons. Backed by a majority of the Senate, they took control of the chamber's decision-making process -- including committee assignments. The move effectively froze out Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, relegating him to a more ceremonial role in a chamber over which he traditionally presided.

More importantly, it also seemed to affect how the chamber did the public's business.

The Senate's majority Republican caucus openly bickered last year over high-profile issues such as immigration. Williams and Rogers' more democratic approach with caucus members at times stymied consensus-building and slowed legislation. Some days, members spent more time in private Republican caucus meetings than in open session.

In August, Deal brokered a deal with Senate leaders about when the state would hold transportation sales tax referendums this year. It fell apart during a Republican caucus meeting, angering him and House Republicans.

The year's legislative session began Monday with the governor voicing expectations of an ambitious agenda -- one he did not want derailed by bickering by some in his own party. Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said the governor met for several hours late Monday with Senate leadership in search of a solution and, it seemed, had found one in what seemed to be a power-sharing compromise.

But when Cagle gaveled the Senate to order at 10:16 a.m. Tuesday, he was one of only two Republicans in the chamber besides the Senate's Democratic minority. By the time the rest of the Senate's members arrived, another deal had fallen apart after yet another Republican caucus meeting.

"If the chamber was delayed for an hour while the Republican caucus discussed and debated leadership issues, it proves to me ‘executive by committee' does not work," said Sen. Doug Stoner, D-Smyrna.

Likening the feud to "intramural games" by Senate members, House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, said last week that he hoped "whatever's going on over there doesn't become a big obstacle for us. We don't really have time for a caucus meeting every day."

Williams and Rogers both told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week they were committed to working with Cagle as the session got under way. But it is an open question as to when -- if at all -- the Senate can unite.

"There's no animosity on my part. I like him as a person," Williams said. "We have a different philosophy in the governance of the Senate. It's a separation of powers, three-branches-of-government issue with me."