State Rep. Rich Golick (R-Smyrna) has announced his candidacy for House Speaker Pro Tem, the No. 2 position in the House, in order to bring a sense of stability back to the Gold Dome.
"What the House Republican Caucus needs now are leaders who represent stability, maturity and experience. We need a fresh start with new faces and voices," said Golick, who chairs the Judiciary (Non-Civil) Committee and is the former floor leader for Gov. Sonny Perdue.
State Sen. Judson Hill (R-east Cobb) said everyone awaits the House's decisions on several well qualified candidates for both Speaker and Speaker Pro Tem.
"The task before the Georgia House to select their new leadership could be the most important vote a representative makes in the next few months," Hill said.
The Speaker Pro Tem serves as legislator, adviser to the Speaker, advocate for members and communicator with the media, among other functions. Most importantly, the Pro Tem steps in for the Speaker when the Speaker is off the floor or not otherwise able to serve, Golick said.
"Therefore, the job requires the ability to think on your feet, and that's a skill I've been able to refine over my career as I enter my 12th year of service. Overall, the position calls for an individual who demonstrates stability, maturity and experience. My hope is that my colleagues will see me as the right fit for this position at this critical time," Golick said.
The date for the caucus election has not been set, though Golick said his sense is that members would like to have elections as soon as possible, possibly before Christmas.
Cobb Board of Commissioners Chairman Sam Olens has high praise for Golick.
"Rich Golick is a very bright and accessible legislator. He greatly values time with his family and has much passion for public service," Olens said.
Golick, 43, who serves as southeast regional counsel for Allstate Insurance Company, was born in Honolulu and reared both there and in New York, coming to Georgia at age 17 to attend Emory. He was first elected as a Smyrna Republican state representative in 1998.
One of the things he is proud of accomplishing as a freshman legislator was the passage of the Cobb County Reassessment Relief Act of 2000, which he says effectively froze the County General line of property taxes and resulted in tens of millions of dollars of savings for Cobb property taxpayers. Cobb's cities followed suit, resulting in even more savings for taxpayers, he said.
Golick is also proud of successful passage of the Private Property Protection Act of 2006, which was in direct response to what he calls the "terrible decision" made by the U.S. Supreme Court on the issue of government seizure of private property through the power of eminent domain.
Another point of pride for Golick is the successful closing in 2002 of a loophole in Georgia insurance law that some unscrupulous insurers had been using to charge blacks more than whites.
Georgia Watch, a nonprofit consumer watchdog group, selected him Legislator of the Year in 2008. Other honors include the 2007 Georgia Association of Educators Legislator of the Year Award for successful passage of the Whistleblower Act; the 2005 Georgia Environmental Council Legislator of the Year Award, for successful passage of the Georgia Land Conservation Act; the 2005 Georgia District Attorneys Association Commitment to Justice Award, for successful passage of the Criminal Justice Act and the Crime Victims Restitution Act; the 2005 Georgia Cure Autism Now Legislator of the Year Award, for work on preserving health insurance benefits for families dealing with autism; and the 1999 Georgia Hospital Association Legislator of the Year Award, for successful passage of the Volunteers in Medicine Act.
Golick spends his free time cheering on his two boys at Smyrna basketball, Little League and soccer. As a family, they enjoy fishing, hiking and anything having to do with the ocean and beach.
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