New House speaker opposes tax increases

Marietta Daily Journal:

In a Friday interview with the Marietta Daily Journal, Georgia House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) said, while it's too early to tell what will happen with education funding, he is adamantly opposed to any tax increases.

Budget shortfalls prompted the Cobb County School District to cut teacher salaries last year, while Marietta City Schools cut some education positions altogether. Ralston said he doesn't yet know whether this year will be better or worse when it comes to education funding.

"I think it's too early to tell. State employees and public employees across the state have sacrificed, and I am very grateful for the spirit in which they have sacrificed for the good of the entire state. We've asked a lot out of educators specifically. I hope we don't have to ask much more if any, but I think it's too early to say," Ralston said.

Ralston expects to know the answer by late March or early April.

But if he has anything to say about it, Georgians will not see a tax increase.

"I think tax increases are totally counter-productive. I think that in this economy it would be the wrong thing to do to ask people to pay more money to the government when they're worried about keeping their jobs and making ends meet at home," Ralston said.

Ralston said he is an advocate for a more media-friendly House, as opposed to his predecessor, Glenn Richardson, who had a reputation for hostility toward the media.

"We're going to be more accessible. I think it's important that we communicate with you because that's the way the public knows what we're doing, so we're going to do things a lot differently in that regard," Ralston said.

In a major change for Cobb County, Ralston removed state Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs) from his position as chairman of the House Rules Committee, considered one of the most powerful positions under the Gold Dome. Ehrhart was considered Richardson's right hand MAN. But Ehrhart wasn't banished as some speculated. Instead, Ralston appointed him to chair the Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education.

Marietta lobbyist Shawn Davis said Ehrhart's reassignment is a mixed bag for Cobb County.

"On the one hand, Cobb lost the influence and leverage that comes with having a delegation member preside over all bills vying for the house floor. But our higher educational institutions gained a tremendous asset in someone who can be a champion for funding our universities and technical schools," Davis said.

Ralston said he wants the people of Cobb County to know he believes Ehrhart's new position is more crucial in these tight budget times than his former role.

"As everybody knows, we're in a very challenging budget situation here in the General Assembly and that part of the budget for higher education is a significant part of where we spend state dollars, and because of those challenges, I felt that we needed someone with the experience and the expertise that Rep. Ehrhart brings, so I made that request of him. He's done an outstanding job on the Rules Committee, but I thought that with this session and these tough times that it was important that I have him doing this work on the state budget," Ralston said.

Removing Ehrhart from his post as rules chairman should not be viewed as a demotion, Ralston said.

"It is the exact opposite. I have no desire or intention to punish Rep. Ehrhart. I think that I need the best people in place that I can get to work on this budget this session, and when I looked around the state House ... he served on that subcommittee for many, many years; he understands the issues of higher education better than anyone. I view it actually as a promotion, not a demotion," Ralston said.

As for Cobb's other committee chairs, such as state Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-east Cobb), chairman of Health and Human Resources; and Judy Manning (R-Marietta), chairman of Children and Youth, they're all safe, he said.

"The theme of our announcements has been continuity," Ralston said. "I've told people and I told them this during the campaign for speaker that whatever problems that we had here in the House were not at the chairman level. They were higher up in the leadership. So it was never my desire to make wholesale widespread changes in committee positions. I think it's important at least for this session that we have continuity going forward, and that's what we're going to try to do. The other Cobb County chairs will retain exactly their positions," Ralston said.

An upbeat Ehrhart said he was looking forward to his new role. Cobb has a significant amount of economic development tied up with its universities in Kennesaw State University, Southern Polytechnic State University and Chattahoochee Technical College, he said.

"We probably have 70,000 students involved in this committee alone. So I can do a lot of things to represent Cobb County's interest, and that is my job," Ehrhart said.

"The speaker was very clear with me that this was an important role this year. I'm going to take that as a mandate to go out and work real hard and do a good job for him on that ... I see it as an opportunity for Cobb County," Ehrhart said. "I still have a senior advisory role here. I'm the senior most Republican legislator in the state that is run by the Republicans in the state House. This is my 22nd year. I have an excellent relationship with the speaker. I respect him. I like David Ralston. I think he's going to be a good speaker. I know he's going to be a good speaker."

Posted via email from Jim Nichols