Fallout continues after DOT vote

ATLANTA - Fallout over the state Department of Transportation board vote is continuing, with three more Georgia House members losing leadership positions for voting against House Speaker Glenn Richardson's choice to head the board.

Republican state Reps. Martin Scott of Rossville and Doug Collins of Gainesville say they were told over the weekend they must step down from their appointed committee posts.

A Richardson aide also confirmed that Republican state Rep. John Meadows of Calhoun has been demoted. Meadows says no one had told him that as of Monday night.

The three House Republicans join Republican state Rep. Tom Graves of Ranger, who was told last Friday that he'd lost his committee assignments and his position as House ``Hawk,'' a designation Richardson awards to trusted lieutenants.

Graves also was forced to move from his office inside the state Capitol to smaller space at a building across the street.

The four Republicans went against Richardson on Friday when they voted to re-elect Mike Evans of Cumming as board chairman of the state DOT. Richardson put up a candidate to run against Evans and instructed GOP House members to vote for his candidate, former state Rep. Stacey Reece of Gainesville.