Local business man Tony Arbucci has announced that he will seek the post 1 position on the Gilmer County board of Commissioners, and will run as a Republican.

A retired Army Officer, he has operated the SEARS hometown store in East Ellijay since 96. At the ripe young age of 60, I have about 40 years of leadership experience. I have worked and lived in many parts of the world and been in charge of men, tons of equipment, and dealt with people from all walks of life. I know all about budgets, making due with less, how to improvise, and have the skills, knowledge and experience needed to run a complex organization.

A native of the State of Connecticut, he holds a BS degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut, and a masters of education degree from Boston University. He and his wife Peggy have raised three outstanding young ladies. Their oldest daughter Amanda lives with her husband in Warner Robbins, the second Jessica, lives with her husband in Chattannooga TN, and the youngest Rebecca, is in the teaching program at North Georgia College.

In making his announcement Arbucci stated that Gilmer county is a great place to live and raise a family. In the past our local government has set priorities and funded projects that only benefited a small minority. Since we all pay taxes, our tax money should be spent to improve the lives of all citizens. I believe that the most important assets that our county government has are our people. They make all the difference, and do most of the work. In the past, job cuts have fallen on the lower echelon of our county work force while “Management” insured that their positions and hefty salaries were protected.

Our county needs to be run like a business and not spent more money than we take in, look at reducing our debt, and stop escalating the tax burden on our people. During these challenging economic times, we need to get back to the basics and fund and support programs that benefit the health and welfare of ALL our citizens. I believe that our priorities should be focused on providing the best education possible for our children, have a strong public safety organization with our police and fire departments, and have a real schedule to repair and improve our road infrastructure. With limited natural resources we also need to take better care of our environment, have an effective recycle program, and really look at what its going to take to get more jobs for our community.