By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@thecitizennews.com

State Rep. Lynn Westmoreland seemed genuinely pleased with results from this year's General Assembly.

“I thought it went very well, especially for the consumers,” he said.

With several tax cuts in place, Westmoreland believes the taxpayers should be fairly happy as well. One bill that was passed is a revaluation of automobiles, which could cause many residents' tag bills to decrease.

“This was something that needed to be done. We'll just have to wait and see how the local governments react with less revenue,” he said.

The biggest item on this year's agenda was Gov. Roy Barnes' education reform package. Westmoreland doesn't doubt that everybody wants the best education possible for their children, but was not happy with how the bill got passed.

“We've got the number one educational system in the state in Fayette County and nobody came down to observe how we're doing it,” he said.

The educational reform package adds another layer of government to oversee the reforms, which Westmoreland questions, since he would like to see the size of government trimmed. But the measure passed and now everyone will have to evaluate how successful it will be, he said.

“If it works, he [Barnes] will be a hero. If it doesn't, he'll be a zero,” he added.