ATLANTA - House Speaker Glenn Richardson opened the last two legislative sessions with calls for unity and ended them with scathing attacks against leaders of his own Republican Party.
Now a group of frustrated Republicans led by state Rep. David Ralston are challenging the House leader, launching an ouster attempt that promises to bring a more cooperative tone to the 180-member chamber.
``The people of Georgia are wanting us to work together and get some things done,'' said Ralston, an attorney from Blue Ridge. ``With the current climate we have, that's going to be extremely tough to do. I think we have an opportunity to do that.''
It's a gutsy attempt to oust Richardson, who was elected the first Republican leader of the chamber since Reconstruction.
Richardson's office said in a statement that the speaker was ``focused on the job he was elected to do,'' while his supporters lashed out at the insurgency.
``He has no chance,'' state Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, said of Ralston. ``Glenn's the man who took us into power. He was our leader when we came out of the wilderness.''
Indeed, Richardson has become an icon of sorts in the state Republican party. He helped engineer the Republican takeover of the state House in 2004, and was rewarded the next year with the speaker's gavel.
As the chamber's leader, he led the charge for key conservative initiatives, including changes to medical malpractice rules and a tough new crackdown on Georgia sex offenders.
But his fiery personality landed him in a growing number of scuffles with fellow Republicans, reminding many of the long-running feuds between Democratic leaders in the 1980s and 1990s.
Richardson ended last year's legislative session by accusing Gov. Sonny Perdue of showing his ``backside.'' This year, after his campaign to erase the state's property tax was thwarted, he called for Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle's ouster and challenged him to ``stand up and be a man.''
The tumultuous sessions were a contrast to the repeated calls for unity from Richardson and other GOP leaders.
Cagle, Perdue and Richardson went on a statewide tour in January aimed at projecting a unified front. But days later the House quickly voted to override 12 of Perdue's vetoes in a stinging rebuke of the governor. After the Senate passed one of their own, it became the first veto override in the Legislature in 34 years.
Richardson's top lieutenants say he has a broad base of support and are rallying to his defense. Scott, for one, has questioned the courage of the challengers, who he said told reporters of their takeover bid before telling fellow lawmakers.
``This is like saying you're going to kick out an All-Star quarterback because he threw an interception,'' said Scott.
Toppling a House Speaker is a daunting task, and other Republicans who have bucked Richardson were promptly stripped of their leadership posts and prime Capitol office space, turning them into political pariahs.
But Ralston said he wouldn't have gone public if he felt he couldn't win when the chamber decides on its leader in January.
``I think a lot of other members will take a wait-and-see attitude,'' said Ralston, who is making a formal announcement next week. ``But we feel good about where we are with the numbers. We wouldn't do this if we didn't think we could win.''
And Ralston's supporters a half-dozen or so have been named say they're willing to accept the consequences.
State Rep. Terry England said he thinks ``the world of the speaker.'' But the Auburn legislator said he realized he needed to back Ralston when he began dreading to go to work on Mondays.
``There's a time for confrontation and turmoil and independence, but there's a difference between independence and isolation,'' he said. ``I'm ready to see things calm down. And my constituents tell me constantly they want to see us get along and move Georgia forward.''
Friday
April 26th, 2024
5:07PM
