Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards says he is committed to doing things differently.

After staging a meeting Tuesday night to get input on economic development, Edwards emphasized that the public will play a key role in his decision-making process.

"This is information that would previously have been discussed in the back room. We want to make you partners in this process," he told a crowd of about 40.

Edwards said he plans to start a "Partnership for Tomorrow" program that will add residents' input to issues the commission is discussing, and also make the government process work better for his constituents.

"The fundamental question should be: What are you doing to relieve the burden of government?" he said.

Edwards wants to see a new crop of South Fulton residents get involved in the leadership process and work together to get a cohesive plan for issues that concern the residents.

This was Edwards' first town hall type meeting since his election, but he promised it would not be his last. During the coming year, he plans to conduct a series of meetings on issues that affect the everyday lives of South Fulton residents.

Some of the issues Edwards plans to focus on include transportation, predatory lending and the airport. The commissioner said South Fulton's growth will cause the leadership to focus on transportation issues, including roads around the airport, if the fifth runway is built as planned.

Edwards got passionate when he talked about the level of predatory lending going on in the county.

"Fulton County is number one in the state in this type of activity. These people prey on the elderly and low-income people and use this practice to basically get their property," he said.

Edwards wants the community to get more involved in the issues and believes he can get things accomplished with the community support.

"It's my job to lead you into tomorrow," he said.