Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens resigns
Cobb County Commission Chairman Sam Olens resigned and packed up his office Tuesday after nearly eight years at the helm of Cobb’s government.
“It’s been my pleasure to live in the county, to work for the county and to work with our great employees,” Olens said after finishing some final county business.
Olens is running for Georgia Attorney General as a Republican in July’s primary against candidate Max Wood, the former U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. The winner faces the Democratic candidate in November.
Olens, an east Cobb resident, joined the commission in 1999 and was elected chairman in 2002. He said he is proud of Cobb’s conservative fiscal management during his time in office.
“The county has weathered the recession better than our surrounding counties,” Olens said. Cobb’s sheriff and court administrators have worked to trim their budgets, he said. The county commission has done its part, too.
Tuesday was the deadline for employees to sign up for Cobb’s early retirement incentive package, and about 235 employees took it. The program is the primary way Cobb plans to trim expenses to deal with an expected 10 percent drop in the tax digest this year and a lean 2011 budget.
While the county will pay lump sum incentives to retirees this year, it will save in the long run from lower payroll expenses, Olens said.
As for his accomplishments during the past 11 years, Olens said he built bridges and improved working relationships. Olens has been chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission for the past five years.
“We stopped the in-fighting between Atlanta and the suburbs,” he said.
Olens also said he improved relations between Cobb cities and the county government.
His resignation triggers a special election to fill his position July 20, the date of the primary election.
County commissioner Tim Lee has said he will run for Olens’ seat. He is expected to qualify for that race in April, thus triggering an appointment to fill his seat by the remaining three county commissioners. Lee’s seat would be permanently filled in the general election in November. Three Republicans have declared they will run. The appointment for Lee’s seat is expected in April, a county spokesman said.
Olens would not name Lee’s expected successor but said he has heard it is a woman from Lee’s district who will not run for Lee’s seat.
On his last day in office Tuesday, Olens met with county judges to talk about court efficiency. He attended a meeting on improvements for the county’s historic Hyde Park. He signed a letter of recommendation and finished work on some computer issues. He also carried out a few boxes of personal photos and souvenirs from his time in office.
“I’m still working,” Olens said a few hours before his chairmanship expired. “I’m still doing county things.”
