House Speaker Glenn Richardson announced Thursday that he will resign Jan. 1, nearly a month after trying to kill himself and four days after his ex-wife told the world he had cheated on her with a lobbyist.
Richardson (R-Hiram) released a statement about his decision after a conference call with the GOP caucus. Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Johns Creek) will become the second Republican speaker since Reconstruction.
Richardson’s conference call with the House caucus was described as emotional and very personal — but lacking in contritition.
“He’s a friend of mine and it’s just hard to get into,” said Rep. Austin Scott (R-Tifton). “When he was at his best, nobody was better. Let me leave it at that. The nature of the call was so personal.”
Rep. David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge), who challenged Richardson for speaker after the 2008 elections, said the call was “painful.”
“I applaud the speaker for what he did,” Ralston said. “And I applaud him for doing it now rather than later.”
On radio station WABE in Atlanta, Ethics Committee chairman Joe Wilkinson (R-Sandy Springs) said Richardson “bared his soul.”
But for some, the call was notable for what was not said. One lawmaker, who asked not to be identified to avoid offending his colleagues, said Richardson had harsh words for his ex-wife, Susan.
“He was swinging pretty hard at her,” the lawmaker said.
Richardson’s announcement come four days after Susan Richardson told an Atlanta television station that her former husband had an affair with a lobbyist for Atlanta Gas Light. At the same time, he was sponsoring legislation that would have benefited the utility.
The alleged affair was the subject of an ethics complaint filed by Democrats against Richardson in 2007. The ethics panel — made up in part by Richardson appointees—quickly dismissed the complaint.
Susan and Glenn Richardson divorced in 2008. In the interview, she said her ex-husband became irate when she started dating and sent her threatening text and phone messages last month when she left their children with him for a weekend and went away with a new boyfriend.
She told WAGA that her ex-husband threatened to beat her up and to have state law enforcement track her down. She also said his suicide attempt was an effort to gain attention and persuade her to reconcile with him.
Susan Richardson’s revelations prompted a new ethics complaint. House Democrats say they may also seek an investigation and question whether Richardson was guilty of stalking his ex-wife.
Glenn Richardson has yet to address his ex-wife’s accusations publicly. But Wilkinson told WABE that Richardson did tell his side to the caucus.
“There is a lot more to that story,” Wilkinson said.
Thursday’s announcement capped a month of crisis for the speaker. On Nov. 8, the 49-year-old Paulding County resident tried to kill himself, a fact he acknowledged nearly a week later in a statement. He was found semiconscious in his Hiram bathroom, according to police reports, with a revolver nearby.
In his statement on the attempted suicide, Richardson said he has been suffering from depression since he separated from Susan Richardson. He said he has been seeing a physician and taking prescription medication.
On Thursday, in the statement announcing his resignation, Richardson blamed the media for drawing attention away from his hopes of raising awareness of mental illness.
“In making this public disclosure, it was my hope to raise awareness and encourage others who suffer from this disease to come forward and seek treatment,” he said. “I fear that the media attention of this week has deflected this message and done harm to many people who suffer from this condition.”
In the statement, Richardson does not discuss his ex-wife or the circumstances of the past week.
But his political career essentially ended when Susan Richardson went on WAGA. Until then, he had appeared to have weathered his attempted suicide. Democrats and Republicans alike rushed to express sympathy and support.
That unraveled when Susan Richardson, looking calm and competent, appeared on television in an interview WAGA spread over three days.
Richardson’s colleagues in the House seemed shocked by his ex-wife’s statements. There were days of private meetings, including a top secret gathering at the Governor’s Mansion late Wednesday, cryptic conversations and a 24-hour period of wild rumor mongering.
Calls for his resignation began in earnest Thursday morning. By 4:30 p.m., it was done.
His resignation will end a reign that began after the GOP’s historic takeover of the House in 2004. In that time, Richardson was driven, impassioned and prone to occasional outbursts.
He once called for the defeat of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, a fellow Republican. He told the House that Cagle needed to “be a man.” He accused Gov. Sonny Perdue once of showing his “backside.”
But all that had seemed to change in the past year. Richardson promised to be more in control. For the past year, he largely was, at least in public.
Once he officially resigns Jan. 1 and Burkhalter takes over, a new election for speaker must be held within 120 days.
“I certainly understand the gravity of this situation and my responsibilities,” Burkhalter said in a statement. “I am committed to getting the Georgia House through this transition and beyond.”
It was not clear when the election would be held.
“All that will work out,” House Majority Leader Jerry Keen (R-St. Simon’s Island) said. “Everybody is tired after going through that this week.”
Keen said Richardson wanted some time to clear up final business in his office, visit his staff and “finish the job. That’s something he wanted to do.”
Perdue said Richardson made the right decision.
“Coping and recovering from depression is difficult enough, even in a private family setting,” Perdue said in a statement.
Perdue said he knows Richardson’s sense of “resolve, tenacity and perserverance” made his decision difficult and the speaker needs privacy without the “burden of public responsibility ... to recover fully and completely.”
Sadie Fields, the influential head of the Georgia Christian Alliance, who earlier this week said it might be time for Republicans to reconsider their choice of leadership, said Richardson’s “personal failings” brought him down.
“I trust he will seek the help he needs to get his life on track for himself — and for his children,” Fields said.
Staff Writer Jim Galloway contributed to this report.
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