9th District GOP denounces House Speaker over DOT board vote

GAINESVILLE - The 9th District Republican Party now on board is denouncing the state House Speaker's actions in the wake of the recent state DOT board election.

The Hall and Pickens county Republican parties had already taken similar action after Glenn Richardson demoted several House members who did not vote for his candidate in picking a 9th District board member.

Members of the District Committee, guests, and visitors from 13 northgeast Georgia counties met recently in Gainesville, the first such get-together since Richardson's action. Representatives Tom Graves, John Meadows, Martin Scott, and Doug Collins, all Republicans, were removed from leadership positions in the Georgia General Assembly by Richardson for voting to return Mike Evans of Cumming to the DOT board for another five years. Richardson had supported former State Representative Stacey Reece of Gainesville.

Following an extended discussion, a resolution denouncing the actions taken against the lawmakers was adopted. Prior to the vote, the Pickens and Hall county Republican parties had passed resolutions expressing their displeasure with the actions. The Committee members were given secret ballots, and the resolution was promptIv approved 25-1.

"The 911, District is the epicenter of the Georgia Republican Party entering the 2008 election cycle. "It is apparent that the grassroots workers are concerned that such a substantial number of leadership positions were lost for our citizens in North Georgia," Kevin Harris, 9th District Republican Party Chairman said. "It was clear...that local Republican leadership strongly supports each individual House and Senate members at the Capitol. Many people...want to see our Republican leaders in Georgia working together for that will make Georgia an even better place to live."

TEXT OF THE 9TH DISTRICT REPUBLICAN PARTY RESOLUTION:

WHEREAS. the Ninth District Congressional District contains the strongest Republican delegation in the state of Georgia, with 23 of the 24 legislators carrying the Republican banner, and

WHEREAS, the Ninth District Republican Party proudly supports each of the twenty-three House and Senate members to act in the best interest of their districts and to represent the voters in their individual districts, and

WHEREAS, Mike Evans was reappointed to serve a 5-year term as the 9th Congressional District's representative to the state board of the Georgia Department of Transportation and

WHEREAS, many House and Senate members received e-mails, letters, phone calls, and resolutions from elected officials, community leaders, party leaders, and voters to support Mike Evans, and

WHEREAS, individual Representatives like Tom Graves, Martin Scott, John Meadows, Doug Collins, and Mark Hamilton should be encouraged and supported for listening to their constituents as their representative in a Republic form of government, and

WHEREAS, the voters and the people residing in the Ninth District lost eight separate leadership positions because of the actions taken following the vote, and

WHEREAS, recent election cycles which have led to a Republican Revolution in a were largely because of the perceptions and antics or the former Democratic political machine and its leaders, and

WHEREAS, we embrace Reagan's 11th Commandment that "Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican,"

THEREFORE, Be it resolved, that the Ninth District Republican Party denounce the action of removing these Representatives from their leadership positions within their respective committees and all other forms of retaliation by Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson and impel Speaker Richardson to rescind his decision and reinstate these Representatives immediately to all positions of power raid to which they were appointed at the beginning of the session, and

Be it further resolved that the Ninth District Republican Party encourages all of its leaders to embrace the qualities of statesmen and make every effort to work together for a conservative agenda that will make Georgians and our party activists proud.

This 9th day of February, 2008 by the District Committee of the 9th District Republican Party.