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. On February 25, 2015 Berlon pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud in Federal court after defrauding clients of over $2 million dollars.[2]

Personal life

Berlon was born in Ohio. He attended St. Xavier High School. He moved to Georgia in 1984 where he worked as an adjuster for an insurance company. While working full time, he also completed his studies at Georgia State University and graduated with a degree in Political Science. He then went on to complete his legal studies and graduated from Georgia State's College of Law in 1992.

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 saying Berlon would resign his chairmanship, after Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed called for him to step down.[6] 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] 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.[9]

All three party-switchers lost in their next election.[10][11][12]

Federal fraud conviction

After an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Berlon pled guilty to one count of wire fraud and was sentenced on February 25, 2015, to 5 years and 3 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.[13]

References
  1. "Party Officers | Georgia Democrats". Georgiademocrat.org. 2011-01-29. Archived from the original on 2013-02-08. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  2. "Former Gwinnett Lawyer Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Funds from His Clients". justice.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  3. "Mike Berlon Elected Georgia Dem Party Chairman". firstcoastnews.com. 2004-05-19. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
  4. "Democrats Court Voters Outside Atlanta". Gpb.org. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  5. "No challenge is more vital than job creation". www.ajc.com. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  6. "Ga. Democratic Party chairman steps down". wsbtv.com. 2013-05-29. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
  7. "Georgia Democrats furious at turncoat lawmaker". 11alive.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-07. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  8. "State Rep. Doug McKillip is 7th Ga. Democrat to Switch to GOP - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5". Myfoxatlanta.com. 2010-12-07. Archived from the original on 2013-05-27. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  9. "Dems Want Crawford Off Ballot". Gpb.org. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  10. "Quick beats McKillip in House District 117; Frye takes down Heard in District 118 House contest". Online Athens. 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  11. "Bell's political star fades after primary loss". Gainesvilletimes.com. 2012-08-04. Archived from the original on 2013-04-11. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  12. "Election Dobbs takes BOC seat Ray wins BOE seat". Times-Georgian. Archived from the original on 2012-11-15. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  13. "Former Gwinnett Lawyer Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Funds from His Clients". justice.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
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