Candidate Profile: Lee Morris For Fulton County Commission D3

FULTON COUNTY, GA — Two candidates qualified for Fulton County Commission District 3 seat in the May 24 General Primary/Special Election.

Incumbent Lee Morris, of Atlanta, is running for re-election against Dana Barrett. Morris has held this seat since 2015. District 3 encompasses the southern part of Sandy Springs, all of Buckhead, and parts of Midtown.

May 24, 2022 General Primary/Special Election sample ballots are available for review at the Georgia My Voter Page. Enter your information in order to access a personalized sample ballot.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Name

Lee Morris

Campaign website

https://VoteLeeMorris.com

City or town of residence

Atlanta

Office sought

Fulton County Commission District 3

Party affiliation

Republican

Education

BA from Duke University; JD from Emory School of Law

Occupation

Former CPA; former Attorney; former CFO and General Counsel; now retired

Family

Married 41 years to the late Gilda Walker Morris, 3 children, 6 grandchildren

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Age

73

Previous public office, appointive or elective

Atlanta City Councilmember, 1994-2001; Fulton County Commissioner, 2015-present

Why are you seeking this office?

To continue the work I've done to fix some of the problems in county government. Local government is the closest to the people and often has the most direct impact on people's day-to-day lives.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The most pressing issue is crime, and I will continue to be the liaison between the Board of Commissioners and the separately elected justice partners (judges, district attorney, sheriff, etc.) (1) to fund adequately their work and (2) to bring them together to collaborate on their important work.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Experience and passion for local government as opposed to federal government. I have always resisted the calls for me to run for state or federal offices, because of my passion for improving local government, which is so much closer to people's day-to-day lives.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

I am the incumbent.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

My continued efforts to keep property taxes as low as reasonable while addressing the needs for funding county functions. See my website for some of the successes I have had in this area.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

See my website for a long yet partial list. I am particularly proud that I was able to reform the Development Authority of Fulton County, especially to create seats on it for the two public school systems whose general fund taxes comprise about half of the taxes that are abated when DAFC grants property tax abatements for projects in the county.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

My parents always told me to treat everyone with respect, decency and honesty. I suspect that is why I have the endorsements of so many with whom I have worked: Democrats and Republicans, women and men, gay and straight, Black, white and Asian.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I have always tried to do what I believe to be in the best interest of the taxpayers, citizens and businesses, when I served on the Atlanta City Council and while in my current office.