Mark Burkhalter

Mark Burkhalter (born December 12, 1960) is an American politician and real estate developer who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1993 to 2011.[1][2][3]

Mark Burkhalter
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 50th district
In office
January 10, 2005 – January 10, 2011
Preceded byGeorganna Sinkfield
Succeeded byLynne Riley
Speaker pro tempore of the Georgia House of Representatives
In office
January 10, 2005 – January 11, 2010
Preceded byJack Connell
Succeeded byJan Jones
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 36th district
In office
January 13, 2003 – January 10, 2005
Preceded byEarl Ehrhart
Succeeded byEarl Ehrhart
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 41st district
In office
January 11, 1993 – January 13, 2003
Succeeded byJoe Wilkinson
Personal details
Born (1960-12-12) December 12, 1960
Atlanta, Georgia
Political partyRepublican

President Donald Trump nominated Burkhalter to serve as the United States Ambassador to Norway on May 15, 2020.[4]

Early life and education

Mark Burkhalter was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1984 with bachelor's degree in Global Studies (Political Science) and a minor in German and Slavic languages.[5]

Political career

Burkhalter was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives from the 41st district between 1993 and 2003. He continued his service from the 36th district between 2003 and 2005. Burkhalter went on to represent the 50th district in the session between 2005 and 2011. During his terms in the Georgia General Assembly, he served as both Speaker and Speaker Pro Tempore of the Georgia House of Representatives. The various districts he represented were located in the Atlanta suburbs of north Fulton County in Georgia.[6][7]

In 2008, Burkhalter served on the Platform Committee of the Republican National Convention and was a leader for Governor Mitt Romney's Presidential campaign in Georgia. Prior to his state congressional tenure, Burkhalter served as an intern on the legislative staff to U.S. Representative Newt Gingrich in Washington, D.C.[8]

Racist ad controversy

In 1994, while Burkhalter was campaign chairman for then-Fulton County, Georgia, Commission Chairman Mitch Skandalakis, he was involved in creating campaign fliers which depicted Gordon Joyner, an African-American politician running for a seat on the county commission, in a racist manner: Joyner's features were darkened, and he was photoshopped to have a large Afro, an enlarged lip, and a warped eye.[3]

Burkhalter, who was deposed as part of a resulting libel lawsuit, was involved in delivering materials for the flyer, attributing it to a false political action committee, authorizing payment for part of its printing and approving its release, according to court documents. The libel lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed sum in October 1995, and Skandalakis, Burkhalter and other officials signed a letter of apology to Joyner in which they took "full responsibility" for the flyer.[9] The signed apology says the flier “contained a distorted photograph of you and inaccurate statements regarding you and attributed to you.”[10]

The flier sparked a controversy when it was released, with a 1995 editorial in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calling it a “racist hit piece.” Court filings says that during a meeting Burkhalter attended before the flier was created, attendees discussed that “white voters in North Fulton County were unaware that Gordon Joyner is black.” The lawsuit said that "Defendants mailed the cards bearing the false pictures captioned 'Gordon Joyner' primarily to white voters residing in the northern part of Fulton County, for the purpose of instilling and inciting racial fears and prejudices on the part of those voters."[9] During a deposition, Burkhalter said the doctoring of Joyner’s photo was discussed and joked about because “the face looked a little funny.”[10]

In addition to the lawsuit, Burkhalter was involved in an ethics investigation related to the flyer and following "nearly a year of proceedings, which included appearing in person before a hearing of the Ethics Commission, Mr. Burkhalter signed a consent order stating that he personally authorized payment for the flyer, failed to properly disclose the payment, and agreed that he violated Georgia law and would pay a civil penalty."[9]

On July 14, 2020, the NAACP issued a statement opposing Burkhalter's nomination and calling for his withdrawal. Derrick Johnson, president & CEO of the NAACP, was quoted as saying that “Mr. Burkhalter’s actions were racist and deeply offensive. It is inconceivable that someone who sought to use racial prejudice to influence the electoral process could now be chosen to represent our democracy to the world."[11]

Business career

Parallel to his service in government, Burkhalter built a successful career in real estate development.[4]

From 2010 Burkhalter led the UK Public Affairs effort for the international law and public policy firm McKenna Long & Aldridge.[12] He continued to play an important role at the firm after McKenna Long & Aldridge initially merged with Dentons in 2015.[13]

Dentons told CNN that Burkhalter resigned effective June 30, 2020, two days before the first media reports about his role in the racist ad controversy. Dentons told CNN that "We were unaware of the situation reported in the media, which predated Mark's affiliation with the firm."[9]

Personal life

Mark Burkhalter and his wife Gina, have three children; Natalie, Sam and Olivia.[5]

The amphitheater in Newtown Park, Johns Creek, is named in honor of Mark Burkhalter for his efforts in gaining city-status for Johns Creek.[14]

References
  1. "Representative Mark Burkhalter". House.ga.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  2. Hatcher Hurd (2016-05-18). "Burkhalter can reflect on legacy of leadership". Northfulton.com. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  3. "Trump's pick for ambassador involved in racist smear against black politician". The Washington Post. 2020.
  4. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individuals to Key Administration Posts". The White House. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  5. "Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue - Governor Perdue Announces New Administration Floor Leaders". sonnyperdue.georgia.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  6. "Ga House - Hon. Mark Burkhalter (GA SH 041)". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  7. "Burkhalter: No GOP image problem". AccessWDUN. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  8. LLP, McKenna Long & Aldridge. "Mark Burkhalter Joins National Government Affairs Practice at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  9. Hansler, Jennifer. "Top Democrat urges White House to withdraw ambassador pick involved in racist ad targeting Black politician". CNN. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  10. Hudson, John (July 2, 2020). "Trump's pick for ambassador involved in racist smear against black politician". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  11. "NAACP | NAACP Opposes Nomination of Mark Burkhalter For Ambassadorship, Urges Immediate Withdrawal". NAACP. 2020-07-14. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  12. LLP, McKenna Long & Aldridge. "Mark Burkhalter Joins National Government Affairs Practice at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  13. "Mark Burkhalter". www.dentons.com. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  14. johnscreek@gwinnettdailypost.com, By Frank Reddy. "Amphitheater dedicated to official who helped found Johns Creek". Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
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