Rep. Ashe nominated for House Speaker Pro Tem

January 15, 2010

On the first day of the 2010 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly, I was honored by my fellow members of the Democratic Caucus of the House of Representatives when they nominated me for the position of Speaker Pro Tem, the second highest ranking leadership office in the House.

I congratulate Rep. Jan Jones (R-Alpharetta), who as the majority party's nominee was elected. She is the first woman to hold that post, and the two of us were the first women to be nominated for Speaker Pro Tem. I am humbled by the support of my fellow House Democrats, especially Rep. Carolyn Hugley (D-Columbus), who placed my name in nomination, and Rep. Rob Teilhet (D-Smyrna), who seconded the nomination. I would like to share my speech on the House floor with you now:

"Mr. Speaker and Members of the House:

"I am honored and humbled to be nominated for this important position, especially during such a challenging time. We confront profound problems, some beyond our control and others self- inflicted.

"Restoring (Earning) public confidence should be our top priority. This will require less partisanship and much higher collective and individual standards of public and personal ethics and probity. This will require us to tackle the challenging public policy issues the people of Georgia expect us to not only address, but also to reach consensus about solutions and next steps. We must agree more often and disagree more agreeably. Our public debate must be civil, in-depth, inclusive, fact-based and uncensored whether it is about water, transportation or Milton County.

"I respectfully urge your commitment to these goals and I promise they will continue to be mine, whether or not I receive your vote. Of course, I will welcome it too!

"Rev. Gary Charles, our pastor at Central Presbyterian Church (just across the street from the Capitol) yesterday in his sermon said: "Just think what would happen to the quality of public discourse if we thought of our opponents as (also) our Creator's beloved, rather than as hopeless idiots."