It is with great pleasure that I have formally announced my decision to run for Chairman of the Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners. I am a life- long resident of Oglethorpe County. I have however traveled and worked in many places throughout the United States. During my travel experiences I have found no place better or more desirable for my family and me to live than Oglethorpe County. I cherish the quality of life that we share in Oglethorpe County and although my experience and qualifications are ideal for the position of Chairman, it is the commitment to the preservation and improvement of the quality of life that is at the core of my desire to serve as your Chairman.
I have been happily married to Geri Frey for 24 years and we have three wonderful children. Our oldest son, Eric, and our daughter, Alix, both graduated from Oglethorpe County High School. Our youngest son, John (JT), is currently in the 4th grade at OCES. Our family collectively operates a poultry farm and manages a small herd of cattle in the Beaverdam community.
I have a strong interest in community involvement which I find to be most gratifying. I am an active member of the Oglethorpe County Rotary Club (currently serving as president) and the Winterville Lions club. I have coached little league baseball, soccer and basketball. I have served as president of the local Little League and served on the Oglethorpe County Recreation Commission. Although I am not a member of our local volunteer fire department, I truly respect and appreciate their dedication and commitment and offer my physical and financial support.
I graduated from Oglethorpe County High School in 1981. I have attended Athens Technical College (electronics), taken Chemical Engineering Principles classes at Clemson University, and have received numerous continuing education credits from the University of Georgia and the American Management Association.
I have 20 years of vested employment with Johnson & Johnson's Noramco Incorporated (pharmaceuticals) and McNeil Specialty Products (health and nutritional research and development). At McNeil Specialty Products research and development division, I was promoted to an engineering position and was blessed with the opportunity to work with and receive training from some of the best domestic and international research scientists and engineers in the industry. I was responsible for the research, development and design of chemical and biological processes and equipment, managed a multi-million dollar pilot plant, and provided project management and technical support for new plant start-ups. Some additional training and experience includes: plant management and supervision, project management, electronic mathematical modeling, database management, computer aided drafting (CAD), technical writing and reporting, information transfer (IT), programmable logic control (PLC ladder logic) and programming, inventory management, emergency response/ incident command, and much more.
Unfortunately, early in 2002, the decision was made to relocate our research and development facility to Mobile, Alabama to assist in the start-up and provide manufacturing support for a newly constructed 160 million dollar chemical manufacturing facility. Although I was instrumental in the design, engineering, procurement, construction, and start-up of the Mobile facility and was offered a substantial increase in salary to relocate, our family was not prepared to sacrifice our quality of life for monetary gain and decided to remain in Oglethorpe County.
In 2003, due to the unfortunate passing of Charles Mathews, I ran for Chairman in a special election. I was defeated in that election by our current chairman Robert Johnson. A few months after the election, our county Road Superintendent and former chairman, Billy Bryant, retired and I was offered the position of Road Superintendent. I accepted the position with the primary purpose of gaining experience with our county government. Later, due to the unfortunate death of our landfill manager, Joe Tidwell, and the retirement of our county engineer, Ken Whitehead, I was offered and accepted the collective responsibilities of their positions under the new title of Public Works Director.
As Public Works Director, with the support of our current Chairman Robert Johnson and the Board of Commissioners, we made significant improvements with the limited financial resources available. In addition to the normal responsibilities as the Public Works Director, I managed many projects that resulted in the savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some of the many projects completed under my direction include a new law enforcement center, two new bridges that were designed and constructed in-house, and the court house tower repair. Current projects include the design and building of a new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) facility.
In July '07 I relinquished my responsibilities as Road Superintendent and Landfill Manager to prepare for my campaign for Chairman. While much has been accomplished there is still much more that needs to be done. As your Chairman I plan to use creative solutions with fiscal responsibility to achieve continued improvement for our great County. While some may say that we have many problems, I say we have many opportunities. With vision, insight, and commitment we can exploit those opportunities, not just for the next 4 years but for many years to come.
As this website develops you will have an opportunity to learn about issues that we face in our county as well as my position on these issues. In the meantime, if you have any specific questions feel free to call me at 706-742-2241.
If you are interested in contributing to and/or joining my campaign effort, becoming a part of my campaign email list, or if you would like a political yard sign please email me at BillyPittard@alltel.net. With the blessings of God and the help of the great people of our county I look forward to a successful campaign and serving you as our County Commission Chairman.
