Tommy Parker

CHATSWORTH, Ga. — Murray County’s leaders are developing a unified front to bolster economic development in the mostly rural county.

A recent economic summit featuring business and political leaders, including Chatsworth Mayor Tyson Haynes and Eton Mayor Billy Cantrell, yielded four committees designed to help create plans to bring growth.

“The economic summit ranged from government people to bankers to regular citizens,” said Murray County Commissioner David Ridley. “We had a good mixture of all three.”

Georgia Power’s community and economic development division personnel are assisting the county.

Tommy Parker, Murray County administrative assistant, said this is one of the first times in the county’s history that leaders have formed a solid local network with the idea of advancing the county’s economic growth.

“In the past we’ve sat around and come up with some good ideas, but there just wasn’t a mechanism in place to go forward and set goals and try to be somewhere,” he said.

“If we have goals for a year, for three years, for five years — then we think we have the road map set out to try to reach those goals,” Mr. Parker said.

He said the economic committees will meet once or twice a month, and then all four committees will join in a second economic summit on July 15.