Another candidate is putting his hat in the ring for the Board of Commissioners Chairman race in 2012.

Ed Conway, head of the Lakeview Community Action Committee and recently appointed executive director of the Mercy Heart free medical clinic, confirmed that he announced his bid for BOC Chairman at the Nov. 20 Rockdale Republican Party meeting.

Conway, 76, said he started thinking about running for the seat for almost a year ago, “when they started letting go of people out of the departments that had so much experience and putting on additional layers of supervisors,” said Conway. “I do think we need to head in another direction.”

Conway said he would like to see a county manager form of government. “I think we need a professional to run the county on a day by day basis and not elect an amateur every four years,” he said. “I think the county commissioners should be out and about, meeting and listening to the people.”

He proposed that the money to hire a county manager would come from not needing the chief of staff position and lowering the BOC Chairman’s salary.

Financially, he feels the county should be run on a pay-as-you-go basis. “If we can’t afford it, we won’t do it.”

He added that he didn’t think the county should be in a position to award money to non-profits. “I think that should go through independent agencies. Our primary responsibility is transportation and public safety and those are the two that should be addressed first.”

This would be Conway’s first time running for elected office.

School board member Brad Smith has also confirmed he would run for the Republican nomination in the 2012 BOC Chairman race.

Incumbent Chairman Richard Oden has not confirmed whether or not he would be running for reelection in 2012.