Friday, Febraury 20, 2004

County cuts down on car use by commissioners

By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

The Fulton County Commission decided Wednesday to severely curtail the use of police drivers for commissioners’ use on county business.

South Fulton Commissioner Bill Edwards, who had been criticized for his use of the vehicles, supported the policy, but said several issues still remain unresolved.

The new policy only allows a police officer to drive a commissioner somewhere when an official threat has been made.

“I voted for the policy, but if there’s no security threat to us, why do we have to go in a special elevator to our meetings and have a policeman outside our doors during our meetings?” he questioned.

Edwards did not think the issue should have been included in the county’s new ethics legislation. Rather, he supported a policy, which he voted for on Wednesday.

“I wasn’t having anybody take me to the airport or pick up my dry cleaning. I was using it when I had seven or eight meetings a day over my 200 square mile district,” he said.

Edwards said he has to have resources to do his job, and the car was simply one he used.

The commissioner also criticized the tone of recent commission meetings.

“This is probably the most malicious time since I’ve been on the board and it’s just got to stop. I’m tired of the north-south politics.”

Edwards would be willing to sit down with his other commissioners and try to hammer out the differences, but said the tone has to change.

“We should be working for all of the county.”