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Fulton County

Commissioner Bill Edwards says he is committed to doing things differently.

After staging

a meeting Tuesday night to get input on economic development, Edwards

emphasized that the public will play a key role in his decision-making

process.

"This

is information that would previously have been discussed in the back

room. We want to make you partners in this process," he told a

crowd of about 40.

Edwards said

he plans to start a "Partnership for Tomorrow" program that

will add residents' input to issues the commission is discussing, and

also make the government process work better for his constituents.

"The

fundamental question should be: What are you doing to relieve the burden

of government?" he said.

Edwards wants

to see a new crop of South Fulton residents get involved in the leadership

process and work together to get a cohesive plan for issues that concern

the residents.

This was

Edwards' first town hall type meeting since his election, but he promised

it would not be his last. During the coming year, he plans to conduct

a series of meetings on issues that affect the everyday lives of South

Fulton residents.

Some of the

issues Edwards plans to focus on include transportation, predatory lending

and the airport. The commissioner said South Fulton's growth will cause

the leadership to focus on transportation issues, including roads around

the airport, if the fifth runway is built as planned.

Edwards got

passionate when he talked about the level of predatory lending going

on in the county.

"Fulton

County is number one in the state in this type of activity. These people

prey on the elderly and low-income people and use this practice to basically

get their property," he said.

Edwards wants

the community to get more involved in the issues and believes he can

get things accomplished with the community support.

"It's

my job to lead you into tomorrow," he said.