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Candidate profiles: House District 161
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Bill Hitchens

Bill Hitchens

Family: Wife, Norma Minor Hitchens, 65; children, Lori Hitchens Dasher, 43, William W. “Billy” Hitchens III, 40, Jennifer J.Hitchens, 35, Stephanie Hitchens Carter, 35.
Age: 65
Occupation: Retired commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.  I went to work for the state of Georgia five days after being released from active duty in the Marine Corps and worked for the state in a variety of different capacities for 43 years, which included being the head of two state agencies.
Place of birth/how long have you lived in Effingham County:  Washington, D.C./ moved from Chatham County to Effingham County in 1970 and we have maintained our residence here continuously for 42 years.
Briefly explain why you are running for office:  As previously mentioned I have been a public servant for 47 years if you include my four years of active duty military service in the Marines.  I retired from state government so my wife and I could return home to Effingham County to be with our children and grandchildren.  If I could have maintained my office in Rincon, I would still be working for the state as public service has been my life’s work.  Then, when Ann Purcell decided to retire, she, along with several others that I held in high regard, encouraged me to give serious thought to continuing in public service as an elected official.  After giving it a great deal of prayer and thinking it through, I came to the conclusion that having worked closely with the Legislature during the last nine years as the head of two state agencies, I believe my knowledge, experience, and rapport with the members of the Legislature and the Governor’s Office, would facilitate my ability to be an effective legislator immediately, which would be advantageous to the citizens of House District 161. And being fully retired, I will have the time and freedom to travel to Atlanta for the legislative sessions and to any meetings there, in the district, or anywhere else without having to work around my employer’s schedule.
List your top three objectives/priorities for the next four years:
1) Expand economic development and tourism, which will provide additional job opportunities and grow our tax base.
2) Reduce income and property taxes by limiting services to only those that are essential, and by working toward requiring zero based budgeting for all state agencies.
3) Improving the transportation networks in Effingham and West Chatham making ingress/egress less congested, more expedient and safer.


Kristopher Moutray

Family: Wife, Robin; daughter, Laura
Age: 36
Occupation: Senior aircraft technician, airframe and powerplant mechanic at Gulfstream
Place of birth/how long have you lived in Effingham County: Born and raised in central Illinois/have lived in Effingham County for six and a half years.
Previous political experience (and what other offices have you held or run for): None
Briefly explain why you are running:  I’m afraid there is no simple answers to your questions, with exception to experience. Politically, I have none. The question of expertise is all together another matter. Though I may be a technical layman, I am guided by a firm sense of morality and principle founded in faith. Unfortunately, producers such as myself have sat on the sidelines for far too long, while the would-be central planners have run amok and given away the store. This has inevitably eroded our system of self-government and traditions of personal responsibility, self respect, good will toward others and most egregious of all, our moral compass based on foundations of faith and religion.
I value good government, that which is based on self rule, liberty and respecting personal property.  I wish to contribute to that values end.
The hard working, law-abiding, self-reliant, personally responsible producers of this land have been dragged along further toward servitude. I would stand sentry against further assault and form necessary alliances under the dome for successful counter attacks and reverse this trend if afforded the opportunity. 
List your top three objectives/priorities for the next four years:
1) Tax relief for the producers with true tax reform.
2) A return to Constitutional government, liberty and state sovereignty.
3) Path forward for Georgia’s economic and social independence with limited government.