Fayette County's

chief financial officer will soon be working for the state's new transportation

superagency, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority.

"I'm looking

forward to it," said finance director Emory McHugh. "They've

got a lot to do, it sounds like."

During a seven-year

tenure here, McHugh has brought Fayette County numerous state and federal

awards for the quality of its financial reporting.

He will now

put that expertise to work as GRTA's manager of finance and administration.

Among his immediate duties, he said, will be handling more than $2 billion

in bonds about to be issued for metropolitan Atlanta road projects.

McHugh said

although he has enjoyed his work in Fayette County and has enjoyed working

with the staff here, "It was just time to go."

"That's

unfortunate for us," said County Commission Chairman Harold Bost.

"This is apparently a new, big opportunity for him with GRTA, but

we sure hate to lose him. He's been a real big positive for the county."

A native of

Gwinnett County, McHugh is a graduate of the University of Georgia, and

received his master's at Georgia State University before undertaking a

career in finance that has spanned 25 years.

He worked in

Douglas and Gwinnett counties as well as the city of Smyrna and the state

Department of Audits before taking the helm of Fayette County's budgetary

matters.

McHugh's last

day working for Fayette will be Friday, but officials said he will continue

helping out in the evenings until a replacement is found.

Bost said acting

County Administrator Chris Cofty is already looking for a replacement

for McHugh. "He got right on it," Bost said, issuing notices

through the Georgia Municipal Association and the Association of County

Commissioners of Georgia.