State Sen. Hunter Hill told the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods on Dec. 13 that he’s not in favor of creating a so-called Milton County to address concerns with Fulton County government.
“I think we need to figure out a way to work better together with the governments that are already in place,” Hill told the BCN.
Hill made his first official visit as a Senator-elect since being elected to the District 6 Senate seat. The district includes Vinings, Buckhead and Sandy Springs.
Hill beat four-term incumbent Doug Stoner, a Democrat, in the Nov. 6 general election.
The Legislature convenes on Jan. 14. Hill said he’s requested committee assignments, specifically the Transportation Committee. He said he expects the Fulton County legislative delegation will work to reform Fulton County government instead of working to create a breakaway county.
“Over the years Fulton County has become 95 percent municipalized, the reason for that is people felt underserved by the county government,” Hill said. “We can mandate Fulton County only perform those functions it needs to perform.”
Hill, who is a native of Buckhead and graduate of the Westminster Schools, unsuccessfully challenged Stoner in 2008. Hill is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and is a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, receiving numerous medals during the course of his service.
His wife is Shannan Reese Hill, a Brookhaven native, and their children are Hunter Bradley Hill Jr. and Annie Christine Hill. The family attends Church of the Apostles in Buckhead.
The 2012 elections gave Hill a better shot at Stoner’s seat, which was redistricted to include more Republicans. Hill also raised more money than his opponent, bringing in $421,000 compared with Stoner’s $227,489 in contributions.
Hill won with roughly 53 percent of the vote, beating Stoner by about 4,000 votes.
Hill said he is on board with calls to reform the state’s ethics laws, reforms that include setting caps on the amounts lobbyists can spend to influence legislators.
“I don’t think we have a huge ethical problem down in the state legislature and I think our folks our constituents want to make sure we’re operating in a transparent way,” Hill said. “People don’t want to see us get gifts lavishly is the bottom line.”