A South Georgia state senator recently announced that he will be leaving his elected office for a state job as chief medical officer of Georgia’s Department of Community Health.
Sen. Dean Burke (R-Bainbridge) is slated to officially step down from office on Dec. 31, a recent report from FOX 5 Atlanta said. Upon the announcement, Georgia Gov. Brain Kemp said a special Republican primary to fill his Senate District 11 seat will be held on Jan. 31.
“My passion’s obviously been health care,” Burke told the Moultrie Observer. “I feel like I can make a difference there.”
A medical doctor by trade, Burke won a special election to the Senate in 2013, with his South Georgia district including the areas of Seminole, Decatur, Grady, Thomas, Brooks, Colquitt and Cook counties.
Burke is on record in asserting that he was first approached about the chief medical job by the Department of Community Health after Kemp won reelection in November, adding that he has previously led a subcommittee that oversees the department’s budget, FOX 5 reported.
Kemp has also named Juvenile Justice Commissioner Tyrone Oliver as incoming Corrections commissioner beginning at the start of the new year , with Department of Juvenile Justice Assistant Commissioner and Chief of Staff Shawanda Reynolds-Cobb being installed as interim commissioner.
