Mike Berlon

Mike Berlon is the former Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia.^[1] He served from early 2011 until June 9, 2013, when he resigned following accusations of professional misconduct.

Personal life

Mike Berlon was a practicing attorney. He is married to Susan Markham Berlon and resides in Gwinnett County, Georgia.^[1] Mike Berlon was sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison for fraud. ^[2]

Political career

In January 2011, Berlon was elected as the Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia.^[3] Since his election, he has emphasized a grassroots strategy to make the Democratic Party more competitive outside of the Atlanta metro area^[4] and a progressive platform including job creation, increased pay for teachers and educators, and increased funding of public schools.^[5]

On May 29, 2013, the Democratic Party of Georgia released a statement^[6] saying Mike Berlon would resign his chairmanship, after Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed called for Berlon to step down earlier on Wednesday. In a subsequent statement released to the media, Berlon announced his resignation from the state party would be effective midnight on June 9, 2013.

Stance on party-switchers

Berlon has also been a strong critic of elected Democrats that switch to the Republican Party.^[7] During his tenure, several Democrats switched parties to take advantage of the state's Republican-lean, most notably State House Caucus Chair Doug McKillip,^[8] Hall County Commissioner and former Young Democrats of America President Ashley Bell,^[9] and State Representative Rick Crawford (who stated his intention to switch immediately after his re-election campaign).^[7] The Democratic Party of Georgia unsuccessfully attempted to remove Crawford from the ballot.^[10]

All three party-switchers lost in their next election.^{[11][12] [13]}

References