Governor Perdue Asks for Small Towns to be returned to State Map
| Wednesday, January 3, 2007 |
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Governor Perdue Asks for Small Towns to be returned to State Map
ATLANTA, GA – Governor Sonny Perdue today released a letter sent Friday to State Transportation Board Chairman Mike Evans asking the Board to revisit the Department of Transportation’s recent decision to remove references to some of Georgia’s small towns on the state’s official highway map.
The text of the letter is below:
December 29, 2006
Mr. Mike Evans
Chairman, State Transportation Board
2 Capitol Square, SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Dear Mr. Chairman:
I had the great pleasure this year to travel around the state on the campaign trail and meet Georgians from all walks of life. While we have a wonderfully diverse state, a common thread that I recognized throughout Georgia is our citizens’ pride in their communities. Being from a small town myself, I know the personal connection that each citizen feels with his or her town. I think this feeling even tends to increase as the size of the town decreases.
So, it was no surprise to me the way many small communities reacted when learning of the decision to "de-clutter" the state map by eliminating the references to many of our state’s small towns. My office has been inundated with letters, phone calls and emails from constituents asking the state to reconsider this decision. I myself have heard first-hand from Georgians about their concerns regarding the economic and societal impact the state’s actions will have on small communities.
I write to you today asking the State Transportation Board to revise the guidelines for inclusion on the state map. While I understand this year’s map has already been printed, I urge the Board to restore the references to our state’s small towns in both the large print edition of the map due out this summer and next year’s regular edition of the map. I appreciate your attention to this matter and understanding of why it is so important to recognize the hometowns of our valued citizens.
Sincerely,
Sonny Perdue