County government is much like a big business and should be run that way, says County Commissioner Harold Bost.

In his new role as chairman of the commission, Bost says he plans to push for long-range planning and fiscal conservatism, though he hastens to add that the chairman has no more authority than other commissioners in accomplishing those goals.

"We have five commissioners all elected county-wide, and everybody has an opportunity to vote on those commissioners," says Bost, adding that he opposes recent suggestions that the chairman be elected by popular vote. The chairman currently is chosen by the commissioners themselves at the first of each year.

"By golly, we've got five equals. It is not a king and his court," he says. "My role as chairman is to make recommendations, and one thing that I will be strongly recommending is that we get into a formal, long-range plan, department by department."

County departments should strive for a five-year plan that is "fairly accurate," he says, "then do the best they can projecting on out 10 and 15 years."

It works for him in his business, and it will work for the county, he says.

Bost, a native of North Carolina, worked for Revlon cosmetics firm for 21 years, starting as a salesman in Birmingham, Ala., and working his way through 17 positions, the last one as national sales manager.

One of his tasks over the years was to travel the country, evaluating sales people for future management potential and develop a training program to help those who were qualified move up in the company. That's when he met Brent Wilkes, who later became his business partner.

"Brent was so far ahead of whoever was in second place [in management potential] that it was unbelievable," he says.

Bost left Revlon in 1982 and purchased Estex Corp., a small company in Fairburn, Ga., manufacturing canvas, leather and vinyl products for utility companies and airlines, and in three years the firm's business quadrupled, he says. "It became too much for me to handle, and I needed a business partner, and Brent was the one person that I wanted."

Both men were headstrong, Bost admits, adding that many associates predicted fireworks. "They said it wouldn't last 30 days," he chuckles. But by focusing on building a profitable business and by talking their differences out, the two have worked well together over the years, Bost says. "It has been a great pleasure and it has been profitable," he says.

The company was housed in a 3,000-sq. ft. building in Union City when Bost acquired it, but soon needed to expand, he says. He bought a 2.5-acre plot just outside Fairburn, and built a 21,000-sq. ft. building in 1985. "We had a master plan, and looking ahead we could see a need for expanding to as much as 75,000 square feet," says Bost, " so I bought four acres next door."

The company expanded into a 63,000-sq. ft. building, then purchased an existing business, adding 17,000 square feet more. The four acres purchased in 1985 stand ready to receive the next expansion, he says.

That kind of experience, Bost says, influenced his decision recently to push for rescinding the commission's promise of three acres for a new building to house Fayette Senior Services.

The county owns 33 acres of vacant land, with plans to build a new jail and municipal complex on the property, and commissioners in December chose three acres out of that 33 for the senior facility.

But Bost argued that a master plan is needed first, and that the plan should consider not only the need for a new jail and judicial complex, but also a new administrative complex to replace the current center on Stonewall Avenue. That complex won't be needed for 10 or 15 years, he admits, but if the county plans for it now, the space will be there when it's needed, he says.

Space for the senior center should be considered as part of the master plan, not designated beforehand, he said. Two other commissioners, Greg Dunn and Linda Wells, agreed, and the group rescinded the earlier decision 3-2.

In addition to master planning, Bost says, he will strive during the next year to help improve the commission's public image. "One thing I want to see happen is the image of the commission to improve to the point that people say the commissioners are reachable... the commissioners are doing the very best they can for the people," he says.

"It's only natural that people distrust politicians," he says, "but it's possible for people not to think of the commissioners as usual politicians. We can achieve it by having a totally open and honest government."

Bost says he will encourage citizen participation in commission meetings. "No one person has all the ideas, and no group of people has all the ideas," he says. "And after all, this is the people's business."

Most commissioners are concerned about holding the county's property tax millage rate down, Bost says, but adds that he wants to change the focus. "We need to be talking in terms of dollars, not millage.