Don Balfour | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Georgia State Senate from the 9th district | |
| In office 1993–2015 | |
| Succeeded by | P.K. Martin IV |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Ginny |
| Residence | Snellville, Georgia |
| Alma mater | B.S. Bob Jones University; M.A. Fairleigh Dickinson University |
Donald Kenneth Balfour II is a Republican politician. He was a member of the Georgia State Senate, representing the 9th District.
Legislative career[edit]
Balfour, a resident of Snellville and an executive with Waffle House, Inc.,[1] was elected to the State Senate in 1992. He was re-elected multiple times without opposition. In 2002, after Republicans took control of the Georgia Senate for the first time, he was elected chairman of the Republican caucus[2] and in 2003 he became chairman of the senate's Rules Committee,[3] a position he held until January 2013.[4] He served as President of the National Conference of State Legislatures from 2009 to 2010.[5][6] He announced a campaign for the United States House of Representatives in Georgia's 7th congressional district in March 2010 (see United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia § District 7),[7] but ended his campaign later that month.[8] Balfour was defeated in a primary challenge in 2014.[9] When he left office, he was the longest-serving Republican in the Georgia Senate.[10]
Indictment and acquittal[edit]
Balfour was indicted by a Fulton County grand jury for eighteen counts of falsifying expense reports and theft by taking.[11] In November 2013, pending his trial, he was suspended from his office by Governor Nathan Deal, and from his party positions by the Senate Republican Caucus.[12] In December, Balfour was acquitted of all charges and his suspension was reversed.[13][14]
References[edit]
- ^ "Days of Diners Lighting Up Numbered", Rome News-Tribune, April 5, 2005.
- ^ "Georgia Senate Republicans Elect Majority Leadership Officers", Atlanta Inquirer, November 30, 2002, via HighBeam Research.
- ^ "Democrats bumped from key committees", Associated Press in Athens Banner-Herald, January 15, 2003.
- ^ "Balfour out as chairman of rules committee", Associated Press in Gwinnett Daily Post, January 15, 2013.
- ^ NCSL Officers ncsl.org Archived 2014-02-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "National Conference of State Legislatures.(People & Politics)", State Legislatures, September 1, 2009, via HighBeam Research.
- ^ "Balfour to run for Linder Congress seat". The Augusta Chronicle. March 1, 2010. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
- ^ Galloway, Jim (March 18, 2010). "Don Balfour pulls out of race for Congress — and state Senate". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on March 22, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
- ^ Young, Camie (May 20, 2014). "Balfour disappointed in election defeat, but grateful for 22 years in office". Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ Josh Green, "Senate race pits Balfour against Lawrenceville attorney", Gwinnett Daily Post, October 31, 2012.
- ^ Galloway, Jim (September 27, 2013). "State Sen. Don Balfour indicted on 18 counts". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
- ^ Kristina Torres, "Balfour suspended from office, kicked out of caucus", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 13, 2013.
- ^ Kristina Torres, "Balfour reinstated to GOP Caucus, committee leadership", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 19, 2013.
- ^ Michelle Wirth, "Senator Don Balfour Returns to Georgia Senate", WABE, January 13, 2014.