Bill Loughrey Announces Candidacy for Fulton County Commission Extensive Experience in County Issues.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- Bill Loughrey has formally announced his candidacy for the Fulton County Commission District 2 (At Large) seat. E[acute accent]Loughrey said, "Fulton County is experiencing a leadership vacuum and lack of new ideas, made painfully obvious by several decades of explosive growth and the domination by one political party for more than 100 years. Atlanta is a destination city for the entire world, yet its governing structures have not kept pace. E[acute accent]"Fulton County deserves better government. The county is responsible for Grady Hospital, MARTA and many other human services for the entire Atlanta metropolitan area. Yet, its government is widely perceived to be dysfunctional. I have a plan to return responsible and responsive government to the working people of Fulton County." E[acute accent]Loughrey stated that as a County Commissioner, he will focus on three key areas: reform, regional funding of MARTA and Grady Hospital, and roads. E[acute accent]Reform. "We will reform county government by a 10 percent property tax reduction, while improving services to our citizens and restoring financial stability and the county's cash reserves. My opponent, by exhibiting his usual chameleon-like approach, has shown a lack of leadership in reforming the badly broken property tax appraisal system. E[acute accent]"We will reform the antiquated Fulton County judicial system by giving the courts and other law enforcement personnel the tools they need so that another Brian Nichols case never happens again," Loughrey said. E[acute accent]Regional funding of MARTA and Grady Hospital. "We need to ensure that other counties pay their fair share for these regional assets from which they benefit significantly. Fulton County taxpayers should not be forced to carry a disproportionate burden," Loughrey stated. E[acute accent]As a member of the Grady Hospital Board of Directors, Loughrey has played a key role in the historic turnaround of the hospital, including the hiring of a world-class CEO (Dr. Andy Agwunobi) and achieving $100 million in annual savings and efficiencies without cutting services to county residents. He has served on the MARTA Finance Study Committee and the Blue Ribbon Committee on the Future of Fulton County. E[acute accent]Roads. "As a County Commissioner, I will emphasize expanded road funding and new alternatives for alleviating traffic congestion. Currently, the County has virtually no roads program, and as a result, poor Fulton County residents are forced to subsidize roads in affluent counties such as Cobb and Gwinnett," Loughrey said. He was instrumental in obtaining $50 million in Federal Funding for the improvement of the Georgia 400 corridor. E[acute accent]Loughrey has a proven track record of reform and a broad range of experience in both the public and private sectors. He worked for 15 years as an executive at Scientific-Atlanta and has been involved in the start-up of several small businesses. He served as the first Chief of Staff in Washington, D.C. for Senator Arlen Specter and is the longest serving member of the Grady Hospital Board of Directors. He was instrumental in the passage and implementation of a number of post-Watergate and campaign financing reform measures while serving as Deputy, and then as Acting Director of the Federal Election Commission. E[acute accent]Loughrey said, "I pledge to serve a full term as County Commissioner and challenge my opponent to make the same commitment." E[acute accent]"In many years as an observer and participant in politics, I have never seen such a compelling case for change. The north wants to secede; the south is breaking off into new cities; and Atlanta residents feel they pay twice as much in taxes to the county and receive fewer services than are provided by the city. E[acute accent]"I have been on a listening tour of the county and have visited the homes of close to 10,000 voters over the past several months. The country is extraordinarily diverse economically and politically, but almost everyone agrees on the need for change," Loughrey stated. E[acute accent]A majority of current Commissioners are likely to run unopposed and the remaining favorites appear to face nominal opposition. Thus, the race for the District 2 At Large seat is the only real opportunity to change the county. E[acute accent]Loughrey concluded, "I will bring fresh new ideas and strong leadership to the Fulton County Commission for the benefit of all working people. " E[acute accent]For further information on the Bill Loughrey for Fulton County Commission campaign, please visit the website www.billloughrey.com or call 678-662-4962.