The End of an Era

One we'd probably like to forget.
The AJC is reporting that Speaker Glenn Richardson will resign or be completely obliterated in a conference call at 4 p.m. today.

Update: Recheck the link if you weren't glued to it as I was. The final verdict is in and AJC has Richardson's public statement.
Come January 1, Paulding County will be looking for a new state Representative and the General Assembly's Lower Chamber will be electing a new Speaker.
The Interblogs are ablaze with speculation about how that process will go down. But the line of succession will start with Mark Burkhalter, the Speaker Pro Tempore.

Update:
Some corrections/clarifications to the update above.
Speaker Pro Tempore Mark Burkhalter is now the Speaker, or will be come January 1 (though I can't imagine that Rusty Kidd is not rescheduling his appointment with Richardson to meet with Burkhalter now). According to Capital Impact's Tom Crawford (hear his interview with GPB here), Georgia Code provides that Speaker Burkhalter has 120 days to call a vote of confidence, which would set the stage for the election of a new Speaker. Crawford said that should allow Burkhalter to retain the gavel throughout the 2010 session, should he so desire. But during that 120-day period, Burkhalter will be pressured to call that vote of confidence by the members of the Republican House Caucus who desire that seat as well, Crawford added.
GPB's Edgar Treiguts and Crawford mentioned these names as some of the House Republicans who will probably be applying the pressure throughout the 2010 session: David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, threw his hat in the ring for the Speaker's gavel at the beginning of the 2009-2010 session; House Majority Leader Jerry Keen; but don't count out Mark Burkhalter.