The septimana horribilis ("horrible week") for Democratic Party of Georgia chairman Mike Berlon continues as the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) reports a high-ranking Democrat is now calling on Berlon to resign or be removed from office.
A high-ranking Democratic official called Friday for his party’s chairman to step down after a spate of legal concerns came to light.
David Worley, a former chairman of the state party, said Mike Berlon’s legal woes tarnish the party’s image and hamper its abilities to raise funds. He said he’ll ask the Democratic Party of Georgia’s executive committee, a group of roughly 30, to recommend Berlon’s ouster at a June 6 meeting. A vote by the full panel of about 300 board members could follow.
Galloway, Jim (24 May 2013). Mike Berlon’s problems could complicate a Michelle Nunn roll-out. AJC Political Insider. Retrieved on 25 May 2013.
- Worley is a Democratic National Committee (DNC) member;
- Worley is a State Elections Board member;
- Worley is a former Georgia Democratic Party chairman;
- Worley came within 980 votes of unseating Newt Gingrich in 1990; and
- Worley is a big dollar donor to Democrat candidates and causes (He gave the the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) over $10,000 in 2012.).
From a public relations standpoint, the last thing Georgia Democrats want is their Party chairman forcibly removed from office.
Behind the scenes, I am willing to bet pressure is being put upon Mike Berlon to resign and avoid a messy, contentious confrontation with the state Democratic committee in full view of the public; and it will happen in public due to a provision in the Democratic Party of Georgia Bylaws that reads, "Unless the body votes to go into executive session, all meetings of each body of the State Party shall be open to the public."
So, we're on resignation watch, ladies and gentlemen. My guess is Mike Berlon will resign as Georgia Democratic Party chairman before the end of the month.