Governor Perdue Announces Appointments to Task Force on Local Transportation Strategies

ATLANTA , GA - Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the appointees to the Governor's Task Force on Local Transportation Strategies.  The task force will bring state transportation agencies together with local governments to review current funding options available to cities and counties and make recommendations for maximizing local resources.

" Georgia's interstates and major highways are a valuable economic development asset, and local roads serve as the vital links in our transportation network," said Governor Sonny Perdue.  "More than eighty percent of our connecting roads are maintained by city or county governments, and this task force will facilitate improved communication and coordination in statewide transportation planning."

Perdue announced the creation of The Governor's Task Force on Local Transportation Strategies on April 14, 2004 as part of his Fast Forward transportation improvement plan.

The appointees include:

Harold Linnenkohl, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation;

Steve Stancil, Executive Director of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority;

Doug Hooker, Executive Director of the State Road and Tollway Authority;

Mike Beatty, Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs;

Jerry Griffin, Executive Director of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG);

Jim Higdon, Executive Director of the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA);

Cullen Larson, Executive Director of the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA);

John Leonard, President of the Georgia Association of Regional Development Centers;

Wayne Shackelford, Georgians for Better Transportation;

Steve Parks, Georgia Highway Contractors Association;

The Honorable Boyd Austin, Mayor, Dallas;

The Honorable Jim Burgess, Mayor, Social Circle;

The Honorable Rod Casey, Commissioner, Lowndes County;

The Honorable Katie Dempsey, City Commissioner, Rome;

The Honorable Jim Ham, Commissioner, Monroe County;

The Honorable Karen Handel, Commissioner, Fulton County;

The Honorable Robert Poydasheff, Mayor, Columbus;

The Honorable Elmo Richardson, Commissioner, Bibb County;

The Honorable Jan Tankersley, Commissioner, Bulloch County.

The task force will present its report to the Governor by November 1, 2004.