Porterdale Mayor Bobby Hamby pointed to his work representing the city and pushing for the creation of a park along the Yellow River and a city development plan when making his case for another term in office.

Hamby, who has been a part of city government for more than a decade, said building a park along the Yellow River is vital to economic development of the city.

“One of the ways we can improve, and our economy and bring more police officers and more public works people to the city, is to bring more people into city. And one of the best ways to do that is if we can find funds to build the Porterdale Yellow River Park,” Hamby said last week. “That would really bring people into the area and will bring economy to this area. More people will be here and more businesses would open up to accommodate those people and that would bring more money into the city coffers.”

The conceptual design of the park, completed at no charge by  theFanning Institute at the University of Georgia, is on display at City Hall.

Hamby said an Urban Redevelopment Plan would help the city as it develops to accommodate the population growth Newton County is projected to get.

“This plan will guide the city in the future, with preservation, growth and redevelopment,” Hamby said in a campaign pamphlet. “Again through my ability to work with other agencies, these were and are being completed at no cost to Porterdale.”

At the candidate forum, Hamby said his efforts kept a stoplight at Highway 81 and Crowell Road moving forward, countering criticism that he has hindered and delayed the process.

Plans for improvements to the intersection, and ultimately the installation of a traffic signal, were interrupted by leadership changes at the Georgia Department of Transportation and by a reduction in state transportation funding, he said.

“We should start construction in the fall of 2012,” Hamby said last week. “I’m pushing very hard to make sure that happens. I know there’s been talk around town that I have somehow delayed this project. But that is far from the truth. There is nobody who worked harder or pushed more to have this intersection completed than I have.”

Hamby and his family moved to Porterdale in 1980, moving into and restoring the John Porter house. He was a firefighter for four years and fire chief for 21 years. In 1997, Hamby was elected to the City Council, where he served for eight years. In 2005, he was elected mayor.

The Hambys are members of the Porterdale Baptist Church, and Bobby Hamby is active in the American Legion.