A few new Commissioners on a five-member board is producing significant
changes in Clayton County.
What changes will the new Lowndes County Commissioners make?

Tammy Joyner write for the AJC

Election results usher in period of change for Clayton,

The new County Commission set the tone this week by ushering in a
raft of changes aimed at creating better accountability in Clayton’s
finances while putting greater control in the hands of the new
chairman. The board removed County Manager Wade Starr, a long-time
kingmaker in Clayton politics, and will bring in a chief financial
officer to manage county finances.

The balance of power clearly has swung to newly elected
Commissioners Jeff Turner and Shana Rooks. Turner, who replaces
Eldrin Bell as chairman, and Rooks, who defeated Wole Ralph, teamed
with returning Commissioner Michael Edmondson to create a new voting
bloc on the five-member board, and they appear intent on taking
swift action.

“They hit the ground running,” said Carl Swensson,
chairman of the Clayton County Citizens Oversight Committee.
“The former power triumvirate has been absolutely shattered.
We’re going to have good people in position where they can do the
most good for this county. You’re going to find a more receptive ear
in the new structure.”

Naturally the remaining old guard took issue:

Returning Commissioner Gail Hambrick, who now finds herself outside
the new voting majority, questioned the board’s decisions this week
to create two new positions and spring for a forensic audit, which
could costs hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“A lot has gone on,” Turner told the commissioners in
defense of his request of the comprehensive audit. “I need to
be comfortable about what’s going on in the finance
department.”

Swensson applauded Turner’s stance. “They may have to spend a
little bit more money to save some money,” he said.

The new Lowndes County Commission is now a five-member board
with two new members plus a new non-voting Chairman.
It can choose to do things differently if it wants to.
So far, it’s business as usual, with, for example,

no indication in the agenda of what property the
Industrial Authority wants to buy.
One could argue that real estate transactions are executive session matters,
but in that case, what is that item doing on the public meeting agenda?

Here are a few ideas they’re pursuing in Clayton County.
Curt Yeomans wrote for Clayton News Daily 27 December 2012,

BOC’s Turner, Rooks pledge transparency in government,

They said a forensic audit of the county’s finances and resources,
as well as the assembling of an ethics panel to oversee the behavior
of commissioners are two of their top initial goals. Those steps
would help them do their jobs, but it would also improve the
commission’s transparency with the public, they indicated.

“Anything that makes the citizens of District 3 and the
county feel like they’re connected, their voices matter and they
understand what’s going on in government, that’s what I want,”
Rooks said. She added she wants to see television and live Internet
broadcasts of commission meetings so more citizens can see the
governing board in action.

Hm, “like they’re connected, their voices matter and they
understand what’s going on in government”.
Would that be different from

an unsigned letter informing 5,000 county citizens their voices were ignored?

-jsq