Georgia County Government - May/June 2008 - (Page 25)

CLAYTON COUNTY continued from page 23 head the Clayton County Board of Commissioners and now completing his first term in office, has witnessed enough during his long career to easily fi ll a novel, if not several chapters in Georgia’s latter day history books. The colorful former chief of the City of Atlanta Police Department spent 33 years in law enforcement and remains the only individual to have worn every shield the department offered. Bell asserts that his experience as a major metropolitan city police chief – managing more than 2,300 employees, a $100 million budget and helping the police department obtain more than $50 million in grants – was an “outstanding background” for the job he holds now as chairman of Clayton County government. His law enforcement years also shaped his vision concerning a multitude of community needs, he says, running the gamut from complex transportation challenges to human services. “I learned that government works best when it is integrated, operating as a holistic system,” Bell asserts, and has no shortage of initiatives on the front burner reflecting these convictions. The chairman is also an activist on behalf of children and seniors and holds several chairmanships within regional, state and national transportation planning organizations. District 2 Commissioner Virginia Burton Gray was sworn in April 26 as 2008-09 president of Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG). Going on 13 years in office, she is the first AfricanAmerican elected to Clayton County government. Like Bell, she also brings experience to bear on the many urban challenges arising daily in this southside metro jurisdiction that continues to grow, in step with the metro region. Since she took office, Gray has initiated important programs for youth, encouraged the building of several state-of-theart senior centers and has assisted in benefits for local charities such as the Rainbow House Children’s Shelter, and the facility’s expansion. Bell says he looks to Gray for the “quiet, unassuming authority the commission needs to stay focused on what’s best for the whole community.” He adds, “She is respected for her judgment and her many contributions to youth and seniors. Her legacy in human services will long be felt in this community.” Both county leaders agree that Clayton County’s uniquely urban challenges are driven by the relentless demands of munity activist, initially with the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce, for which he was named Volunteer Citizen of the Year in 2002. The Leadership Clayton graduate served on that body’s Advisory Board and was its chairman for two terms. He has also served as treasurer for Keep Clayton County Beautiful and in leadership positions with many local civic groups. Commissioner Wole Ralph, serving District 3, is Georgia Director of ACCION-USA, a small business lender serving hundreds of Georgians, and founder of his own fundraising and project management consultancy. Elected to the Clayton County Board of Commissioners at age 26, Ralph is among the youngest commissioners in the state. ACCG 2008-09 President and Clayton County Commissioner Virginia Gray. growth. “Mostly, an urban county like ours is facing growth that brings constant change,” Bell offers. “Change is a given in government. What we have to be mindful of is planning – not only for what you want your jurisdiction to be, but also planning for what you do not want it to be.” Since coming into office, the chairman says he has found that among the many challenges facing urban counties, “no two are alike.” Even so, he has focused local government in such a way as to find new ways to link services, particularly public transit and human service needs, toward improving efficiency and service delivery. All members of the five-member Clayton County Board of Commissioners are active as community volunteers, motivated by the personal “stake” each has in the communities they live in, and serve. Commissioner Sonna Singleton, representing District 1, is a North Carolina native and 12-year resident of Rex, dedicated to helping working families. Through volunteer work and as an elected official, she is credited with being instrumental in promoting recreation facilities county-wide, and in promoting neighborhood leadership organizations. Representing District 4 is Commissioner Michael Edmondson, a committed com- Transportation Plans Since Clayton County began booming economically in the early 1960s with the advent of the airport’s location here, growth has been coming through the floodgates. Ongoing population growth and urbanization necessitate solid transportation planning, in tandem with the metropolitan statistical area of Atlanta, under the auspices of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). The need for upkeep and additions to transportation infrastructure persist, to accommodate not only growing numbers of residents, but heavy commercial demands that are key to the whole state’s economic well-being. Chairman Bell perceives the intense demands as fueling some major initiatives that he envisions will put the county in a position of “model leadership” among metro jurisdictions. In recent months, Bell notes, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) won a bid to take over Clayton Transit Authority and is working with the commission on a plan to combine the community’s public transportation needs with special transportation requirements of citizens including disabled children, dialysis patients and youth in Head Start programs. “We need an integrated, holistic transportation system that will serve the entire community. We had contracted with the Georgia Regional CLAYTON COUNTY continued on page 26 MAY/JUNE 2008 www.accg.org 25 http://www.accg.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - May 2008

Georgia County Government - May 2008 Contents President’s Message County Matters ACCG 2008 Annual Meeting: Highlights County Focus: Clayton County Negotiating a Professional Service Firm Contract: Part 3 Counties Get Involved in Efforts to End Sexual Abuse of Children Smart Growth Scorecard Gives Communities a Way to Grade New Developments Wireless Technologies Critical for First Responders Research Corner: The ACCG Policy Process RDCs Assist the USS Georgia Flag Project Extension News: Animals Take Spotlight in Disaster Planning Georgia’s Grand Old Courthouses: Grady County NACo News: Green Initiative Launches Searchable Database Insurance News: ACCG Announces New Inmate Medical Savings Program County Parade Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - May 2008

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