State Rep. Mark Burkhalter, who will take over as speaker of the Georgia House in January, is the kind of legislator who has seldom seen a tax cut he doesn’t like.
Burkhalter made his political bones championing a tax revolt in Fulton County during the early 1990s, and he has promoted tax breaks for Delta and for local entertainment and arts attractions. He also led the unsuccessful campaign to eliminate the annual property taxes Georgians pay on cars.
When the Johns Creek Republican takes over for Glenn Richardson in January, he will become the first Fulton County leader of the chamber that anyone can remember.
House speakers have typically come from outside Metro Atlanta.
Until the Republican takeover of the House following the 2004 elections, the chamber was dominated by small-town lawmakers and representatives from cities outside Atlanta, such as Columbus and Augusta. Now Metro Atlanta lawmakers head several key committees in the House and Senate.
“It’s bringing the politics of the General Assembly in line with the population distribution of the state,” said Charles Bullock, a University of Georgia political scientist.
Under state law, Burkhalter becomes speaker when Richardson leaves Jan. 1. But he could have a short tenure, as the law requires that a new election for speaker be held within 120 days.
Still, Burkhalter has had strong backing in the House Republican Caucus, which will decide the issue.
Burkhalter, 48, currently serves as speaker pro-tempore. He was born in Atlanta and grew up in Alpharetta. The owner of a real estate management and development company, he was an aide to U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich t before being elected to the state House in 1992.
Early in his career, he chaired the successful campaign of Fulton County Commission Chairman Mitch Skandalakis, who later pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators in a public corruption investigation and served time in prison.
Burkhalter was a member of the “Daufuskie Five,” a group of lawmakers who went on a 1995 lobbyist-funded golfing outing to Daufuskie Island that was also attended by four dancers from the Cheetah nude dancing club.
Burkhalter said at the time that he was “in the wrong place at the wrong time,” and was “blindsided” when discovering the dancers upon his arrival at the island resort. Burkhalter also said he paid for his portion of the trip and left the day after he arrived.
The lawmaker survived the incident to become a champion of North Fulton County issues. He pushed for the creation of new cities in North Fulton. He also backed the creation of Milton County.
When Sonny Perdue became the first Republican governor since Reconstruction in 2003, he named Burkhalter as one of his assistant floor leaders in the House. Burkhalter rose to second-in-charge of the House when the GOP took control of the chamber, and he has been loyal to Richardson, despite the speaker’s many troubles.
Some of his colleagues in the House expressed confidence Thursday in his ability to lead the chamber.
“He’s one of the most experienced members of the House and one of the brightest members we have when it comes to the policy issues facing our state,” said Rep. Edward Lindsey (R-Atlanta). “ He has the talents and temperament to make an outstanding speaker.”
Bio box
Name: Mark Burkhalter
Current Position: Speaker Pro Tem of Georgia House of Representatives
Age: 48
Home: Johns Creek
Family: Wife, Gina, and three children
Job: Owns real estate management and development company
First elected: 1992
