Friday, June 14, 2002

Commission district grows as election approaches

By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

With a federal judge's swipe of the pen, South Fulton County's County Commission district grew by a few hundred residents.

The judge was called in because there a controversy concerning some of the districts, said South Fulton's Commissioner Bill Edwards.

Many of the problems were in the Fifth District, but Edwards was happy to see his district grow.

Now, the Seventh District reaches up to Benjamin E. Mays drive and some of Cascade Road, he added.

"We also now have some of the Neighborhood Planning Units in the city of Atlanta," he said.

The ruling came right before qualifying begins next week for all the Fulton County Commission posts. Edwards said he's ready to qualify, and has heard that some folks may be ready to challenge him.

"We just really won't know until 5 p.m. on June 21," he said.

Edwards won a special election in 2000, after former Commissioner Mike Hightower was convicted on bribery charges.