Patrick Bell Gets Backing from Forsyth Citizens for Responsible Growth

As the runoff for the District 4 Forsyth County Commission race nears, incumbent Patrick Bell earned an informal endorsement over the weekend from the Forsyth County Citizens for Responsible Growth, a press release stated.

The ForsythCRG website states that the organization is a Political Action Committee (PAC) governed by the laws of the State of Georgia. Their primary goal is to encourage all citizens to support responsible residential, business, and quality of life growth throughout Forsyth County.

In a letter to Commissioner Bell, ForsythCRG Directors Tony DeMaria and Lee Cohn stated, “I believe you offer District 4 citizens, citizens county wide, and the county a clear advantage: you stand up for all citizens, you challenge the status quo and have offered at times creative solutions, and perhaps most importantly, you have learned how Forsyth County functions and how to make good things happen. Your recent efforts to allow for an exemption on inventory tax is just one such issue we support!”

DeMaria also said, “You are good at researching the details of an issue and arriving at the proper solution. A great example of this is how you listened to the residents along Castleberry Road concerned about a divided four lane parkway, understood that the flawed traffic study overstated projected traffic by over 50 percent, and you said 'NO – three lanes will make it a safe road and save the county at least $5 million.'"

DeMaria was referring to Bell’s commitment to keeping Castleberry Road’s rural character while improving safety along the corridor.

“District 4 needs your experience and commitment to help improve conditions for all of us while we pursue responsible growth," DeMaria said in the letter. "The short time before the runoff does not allow us to obtain formal endorsement approval from ForsythCRG, but we will let supporters know that you are the clear choice as a candidate for all citizens including homeowners and businesses."

Bell responded by saying, "I could not be more pleased to have earned this support from the Citizens for Responsible Growth. This group cares a great deal about their community and I look forward to helping them for the next four years I am in office."

Editor's Note: Cumming Patch is not affiliated with nor endorses any political party, organization or candidate running for public office.

If you have a campaign announcement or press release – send that information to liz.kennedy@patch.com

If you're interested in this story, here are a few others: