Mitch Skandalakis

Last updated
Mitch Skandalakis
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
In office
1992–1993
Personal details
Born
Demetrios John Skandalakis
Political party Republican
SpouseKay (Saffo) Skandalakis
Children2
Education Emory University (BA)
University of Georgia (JD)

Demetrios John "Mitch" Skandalakis is an American lawyer and former Republican Party politician from Georgia who rose quickly to national prominence in the early-1990s. He upset Martin Luther King III to become chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and in 1998, was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for lieutenant governor of Georgia. Afterward, he became subjected to a wide-ranging federal corruption investigation of Fulton County government and admitted lying to an FBI agent. He was disbarred but later reinstated as an attorney.

Contents

Early life and education

Skandalakis is the son of a Greek immigrant, Dr. John Skandalakis, who resisted the German occupation of Greece during World War II and fought in the Greek Civil War. He emigrated to the United States and became a prominent surgeon who taught at Emory University and was named by a Governor George Busbee to the Georgia Board of Regents. [1] Skandalakis graduated from Emory University, where he founded a chapter of Young Americans for Freedom. He then graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1982 and joined the law firm of conservative Georgia congressman Pat Swindall. [2]

Career

Skandalakis ran for a seat in the Georgia State Senate in 1988 but lost. In 1991, he became more active in Fulton County, Georgia's most populous county, as an anti-tax activist. In 1992, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. [2] He attracted national attention when he upset Martin Luther King III in a 1993 special election for chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. [3] [4]

Skandalakis was re-elected to a full term in 1994, running as a moderate Republican and performing well among gay and African American voters. He made headlines again in 1995, when he proposed that all amateur athletes be required to disclose whether they had AIDS. [5] As a commissioner, he was most notable for cutting property taxes, even while Atlanta was expanding its budget for the 1996 Summer Olympics. [6]

1998 campaign for lieutenant governor

In 1998, he hired former Christian Coalition executive director Ralph Reed as his campaign manager and ran for lieutenant governor of Georgia as a right wing conservative. While earlier he had "good relations with Atlanta's gay and lesbian community", he needed stronger Christian credentials to win the primary; hiring Reed was thought to provide those credentials. [7] Skandalakis placed first among five candidates in the Republican primary, then defeated conservative State Senator Clint Day in a bitterly contested primary run-off. Skandalakis's campaign drew criticism for running "advertisements portraying one rival in racial stereotypes and another as a drug addict". [8] The spots from the campaign were cited years later as examples of Ralph Reed's "dirty tactics":

In the autumn of 1998, Georgians were jolted from their armchairs by television ads run by a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor with the nicely onomatopoeic name of Mitch Skandalakis. One commercial played what political writer Josh Marshall later described as "the DW Griffith card," charging gross incompetence on the part of Atlanta's predominantly black political leadership. Another featured an actor who resembled Skandalakis's opponent, state senator Mark Taylor, shuffling down a hallway at a well-known psychiatric and drug treatment facility near Atlanta. The ads were arresting, but they backfired. Skandalakis got stomped by Taylor, while a surprisingly high turnout among African Americans helped produce a victory for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes and other Democrats running statewide. [9]

Although successful with Reed's help in winning the Republican primary, Skandalakis's strategy of negative campaigning backfired in the general election. The ad that suggested that his opponent, Democratic candidate and State Senator Mark Taylor, had ongoing drug problems and was being treated in a rehabilitation center, [10] solicited a legal response from Taylor — a $1 million lawsuit for libel. [11] In the end, Skandalakis lost in a landslide in part because he had alienated Atlanta voters [12] and had made a habit out of insulting Atlanta's (African American) mayor Bill Campbell and other African American officials, "a classic example of racebaiting." [13] These attacks "also offended many whites, who perceived them to be race baiting." [14] He agreed to pay $50,000 to a charity to settle the lawsuit: [15] "in hindsight, Skandalakis said, he regrets airing the ad." [16] Later, Skandalakis's negative advertising was blamed for Republican losses, [17] [18] and he was viewed as "a drag on the [Republican] ticket." [19]

Corruption investigation

Skandalakis, who had returned to county government after his 1998 defeat, became part of a wide-ranging federal investigation into corruption in Fulton County government in April 2000, when the FBI was in investigating payments made to another commissioner. A local businessman, George Greene, confessed to having made payments to other officials as well, including Skandalakis and his chief of staff. Apparently, from September 1997, Skandalakis was paid $5000 a month in legal fees, [20] $75,000 in total. [21] News of the investigation broke in the spring of 2000; [22] by September Skandalakis had sold the family home in Alpharetta, while his family had moved to North Carolina. [23]

Skandalakis denied, to a FBI agent, having voted on matters relating to Green or his company, but "had, in fact, voted in favor of a contract to install a video teleconferencing system on which Sable was a subcontractor." After a two and a half year investigation, he pled guilty to lying to an FBI agent and was sentenced in 2003 to six months in prison. [20] [24] He was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine and spend 100 hours in community service. [21] As a result of his conviction, in a unanimous decision by the Georgia Supreme Court in 2005, he was disbarred from practicing law in the state. [25]

Reinstatement as an attorney

After serving his prison sentence, Skandalakis went to work for Waffle House, eventually becoming a vice president for security, risk management, and loss prevention. He then sought reinstatement as an attorney.[ citation needed ]

The fitness board of the State Bar of Georgia recommended that Skandalakis be allowed to again be admitted as a Georgia attorney after he petitioned for reinstatement in March 2012. Subsequently, on May 6, 2013, the Supreme Court of Georgia allowed reinstatement of Skandalakis subject to his again passing the bar examination, the court writing in its opinion that

The record shows that since his conviction Skandalakis has shown remorse and has strived to act with integrity and responsibility through his hard work, his devotion to family, and as a volunteer in his community.

On October 30, 2013, Skandalakis again became a member of the State Bar of Georgia, and continued his post conviction employment as an executive with Waffle House. [26] [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Williams</span> American murderer and serial killer

Wayne Bertram Williams is an American convicted murderer and suspected serial killer who is serving life imprisonment for the 1981 killings of two men in Atlanta, Georgia. Although never tried for the additional murders, he is also believed to be responsible for at least 24 of the 30 Atlanta murders of 1979–1981, also known as the Atlanta Child Murders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Deal</span> American politician (born 1942)

John Nathan Deal is an American politician who served as the 82nd governor of Georgia from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2010, and as a member of the Georgia State Senate 1981 to 1993 as a Democrat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Reed</span> American political pundit

Ralph Eugene Reed Jr. is an American political consultant and lobbyist, best known as the first executive director of the Christian Coalition during the early 1990s. He sought the Republican nomination for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Georgia but lost the primary election on July 18, 2006, to state Senator Casey Cagle. Reed started the Faith and Freedom Coalition in June 2009. Reed and his wife JoAnne Young were married in 1987 and have four children. He is a member of the Council for National Policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Taylor (American politician)</span> American politician

Mark Fletcher Taylor is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served two terms between 1999 and 2007 as the 10th lieutenant governor of Georgia. Taylor was the Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia in 2006, losing in the general election to Republican incumbent Sonny Perdue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Cagle</span> American politician

Lowell Stacy "Casey" Cagle is an American politician who served as the 11th lieutenant governor of Georgia from 2007 to 2019.

Bob Irvin was an early leader of the modern Republican Party in Georgia in the United States. He was a member of the Long Range Planning Committee in the 1970s, along with Mack Mattingly, Paul Coverdell, Newt Gingrich, and John Linder. He served 15 years in the Georgia House of Representatives, in the 1970s and again in the 1990s. He ran for the State House in 1990, but lost the Republican primary to Dorothy Felton by 227 votes. He was elected to his second stint in the State House after incumbent Mitch Skandalakis was elected to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners in November 1993. He was the House Republican Leader 1994–2000, known for passing welfare reform and tax cuts. He ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate in 2002, losing to Saxby Chambliss. He attracted attention in early 2005 by publicly calling for Ralph Reed to withdraw from the race for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Shafer (politician)</span> American politician from Georgia

David James Shafer is an American politician who is a former chairman of the Georgia Republican Party. From 2002 to 2019, Shafer was a Republican member of the Georgia State Senate from Senate District 48, a suburban district located north of Atlanta that includes portions of Fulton County and Gwinnett County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Handel</span> American politician (born 1962)

Karen Christine Handel is an American businesswoman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, Handel served as chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners from 2003 to 2006, as Secretary of State of Georgia from 2007 to 2010, and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Evans</span> American lawyer & diplomat (born 1958)

James Randolph Evans is an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Luxembourg from 2018 to 2021. He presented his credentials on June 19, 2018, to the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. A member of the Republican Party from Georgia, he specializes in litigation, as well as professional, legal and government ethics. Evans is a partner at the global law firm Squire Patton Boggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kasim Reed</span> American politician and former mayor of Atlanta, Georgia

Mohammed Kasim Reed is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 59th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia's state capital and largest city, from 2010 to 2018. A Democrat, Reed was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1998 to 2002 and represented the 35th District in the Georgia State Senate from 2003 to 2009. He served as campaign manager for Shirley Franklin's successful Atlanta mayoral campaign in 2001. After Franklin was term limited from the mayor's office, Reed successfully ran for the position in 2009. Inaugurated on January 4, 2010, Reed was elected to a second term in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Ralston</span> American politician from Georgia (1954–2022)

David Ralston was an American attorney and a Republican politician who was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 2003 until his death. From 2010 onwards, he was also its 73rd speaker of the house. Ralston was the longest-serving Republican speaker in state history and the longest-serving speaker of the Georgia general assembly since Tom Murphy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashad Taylor</span> American politician

Rashad Jamal Taylor is a political consultant and former politician from Atlanta, Georgia. A Democrat, he served from 2009 to 2013 in the Georgia House of Representatives, representing the City of Atlanta from the 55th House District. He was first elected in November 2008, at 27 years old, making him the youngest serving member of the General Assembly. After re-election in 2010, he was elected Vice Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, the fourth highest ranking leadership position in the House. At 31, Taylor was the youngest member of the General Assembly leadership, House or Senate, Democrat or Republican.

Donald Kenneth Balfour II is a Republican politician. He was a member of the Georgia State Senate, representing the 9th District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Atlanta mayoral election</span>

The 2017 Atlanta mayoral election occurred on November 7, 2017, with a runoff election held on December 5, 2017. Incumbent mayor Kasim Reed, a member of the Democratic Party who had been in office since 2010, was ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burt Jones</span> American politician (born 1979)

William Burton Jones is an American politician and businessman who currently serves as the 13th lieutenant governor of Georgia. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a member of the Georgia State Senate from January 2013 to January 2023, representing the 25th District.

Mark Burkhalter is an American politician and real estate developer who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1993 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Rayshard Brooks</span> June 2020 police killing in Atlanta, Georgia

On the night of June 12, 2020, Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old African American man, was fatally shot by Atlanta Police Department (APD) officer Garrett Rolfe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia</span>

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the 14 U.S. representatives from the state of Georgia, one from each of the state's congressional districts. The elections coincided with the Georgia gubernatorial election, as well as other elections to the U.S. House of Representatives, elections to the U.S. Senate, and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel Sterling</span> American politician and elections official

Robert Gabriel Sterling is an American politician and elections official from the state of Georgia. He is the chief operating officer (COO) in the office of the Georgia Secretary of State. He previously served on the city council for Sandy Springs, Georgia. Sterling received widespread attention for his speech denouncing false claims of election fraud in the 2020 election, stating "someone is going to get shot" if the claims and related harassment continue; weeks later, Ashli Babbitt, a pro-Trump rioter, was shot by police during the January 6 attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1998 Georgia lieutenant gubernatorial election</span>

The 1998 Georgia lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998, to elect the lieutenant governor of Georgia, concurrently with the 1998 gubernatorial election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Georgia is one of 21 states that elects its lieutenant governor separately from its governor.

References

  1. ↑ "Obituary: Dr. John Skandalakis". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . September 1–2, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Torpy, Bill (December 17, 2003). "Skandalakis Pleads Guilty: Scrappy pol caused own destruction". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . p. D1.
  3. ↑ "Skandalakis shocks King". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . November 3, 1993. p. A1. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  4. ↑ Duffy, Hazel (1995). Competitive cities: succeeding in the global economy. Taylor & Francis. p. 49. ISBN   978-0-419-19840-6.
  5. ↑ "A threat to life is seen by Fulton County Commission Chairman Mitch Skandalakis. Ban sought on all AIDS-infected athletes". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . February 25, 1995. p. C8. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  6. ↑ Hairston, Julie B. (December 6, 1998). "Juggling the Money Pie Despite an air of prosperity, Fulton County and the city of Atlanta face serious budget shortfalls". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . p. Q1.
  7. ↑ John Clifford Green, ed. (2000). "Georgia The Christian Right Meets Its Match". Prayers in the precincts: the Christian right in the 1998 elections. Mark J. Rozell, Clyde Wilcox. Georgetown UP. pp. 59–76, quote on p. 63. ISBN   978-0-87840-775-0.
  8. ↑ Kilpatrick, David D.; Philip Shenon (April 18, 2005). "Ralph Reed's Zeal for Lobbying Is Shaking His Political Faithful". The New York Times . Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  9. ↑ Kilgore, Ed (April 1, 2006). "Deviously Ineffective: Ralph Reed has a long history of corruption—and of losing". Washington Monthly . pp. 22–23.
  10. ↑ "Public Vigilance is Necessary". The Albany Herald . December 17, 2003. p. 8. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Taylor Sues Skandalakis". Waycross Journal-Herald . October 20, 1998. p. 1. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  12. ↑ Judd, Alan (April 26, 2006). "Smears cited in Reed races". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . p. B1.
  13. ↑ Poliakoff, Eli (Winter 1999). "The South Solidifies: Southern Democrats' Winning Coalition Lives Again". Harvard Political Review . 25: 23–25.
  14. ↑ Crotty, William J. (2001). The state of democracy in America. Georgetown UP. p. 34. ISBN   978-0-87840-861-0.
  15. ↑ "1998 Campaign Opponents End Suit". Rome News-Tribune . January 30, 2000. p. 6A. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  16. ↑ Redmon, Jeremy (June 25, 2006). "Taylor a 'big guy' who became a 'tough guy': The veteran of nasty campaigns knows how to connect with voters, but don't expect him to compromise on the issues or lose his focus, say politicians who know him". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . p. A1.
  17. ↑ Utter, Glenn H.; True, James L. (2004). Conservative Christians and political participation: a reference handbook. ABC-CLIO. p. 252. ISBN   978-1-85109-513-1.
  18. ↑ Marshall, Joshua Micah (April 12, 2000). "Microsoft's Hired Gun: Former Christian Coalition frontman Ralph Reed was lobbying for Microsoft while he was serving as a chief advisor to the George W. Bush campaign". Salon.com . Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  19. ↑ "GOP Rallies Behind Common Platform". The Albany Herald . September 25, 2002. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  20. 1 2 Whitt, Richard (December 17, 2003). "Skandalakis Pleads Guilty: 'We're satisfied justice has been done'; Ex-Fulton chief lied to FBI on corruption". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . p. D1.
  21. 1 2 Winne, Mark (February 12, 2004). "Ex-Fulton Chairman Ordered to Jail; Businessman Who Paid Skandalakis to Serve Prison Sentence". WSB-TV . Archived from the original on February 27, 2004. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  22. ↑ Hurd, Hatcher (June 22, 2000). "Grand jury probes Skandalakis dealings Former commission chairman faces federal scrutiny". North Fulton. Archived from the original on August 7, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Skandalakis Sells Home, Keeps Low Profile During Investigation". Rome News-Tribune . September 5, 2000. p. 2. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  24. ↑ Salzer, James (December 6, 2009). "New speaker set to offer a different voice: Friends say Burkhalter will bring businesslike mentality to Gold Dome". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . p. B1.
  25. ↑ Judd, Alan (November 8, 2005). "State Supreme Court disbars Skandalakis". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . p. B2.
  26. ↑ "Skandalakis gets chance to become lawyer again". AJC.com. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Mr. D. John Skandalakis". State Bar of Georgia. Georgia State Bar. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.