MARION TUTT JR. The latest to declare his candidacy for Washington City Council is Marion Tutt Jr. His announcement statement is printed below.

I, Marion Tutt Jr., am running for a District 1 seat on the Washington City Council.

I'm 43, a resident of Washington. My honorable parents are the late Mrs. Mildred Booker and Mr. and Mrs. Marion (Lucinda) Tutt of Wilkes County. My supportive wife is Mrs. Shameco F. Tutt and we are proud parents of two, Byron, 19 and Carrington, 8.

A 1984 graduate of W-WCHS, I'm pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice at Augusta Technical School part-time, and am on the Dean's List Fall and Spring Semester 2009. I'm employed as a commercial truck driver for Mike Thornton Trucking of Washington.

I am a board member of the prestigious Mary Willis Library and volunteer as an instructor at the Wilkes Pre- Release Center. I also enjoy motivational speaking at churches and youth activities.

I enjoy reading, fishing, cooking, and traveling. I am a member at New Salem Baptist Church, where I am on the Usher Board. Rev. R.L. Reynolds is my pastor. I respect all denominations of faith.

Our mission is simple. We're here to voice our opinions on all the issues in the city of Washington with intellectual ammunition from the voters. Together we can change the direction of the city to be more competitive and a very strong economic place to live. By becoming concerned voters, we will accomplish the goals that we set forth.

I need your support by attending the city council meetings. That's where the power is and you, the voter, have the power. Whatever your concerns are, I would like to know them and address the issues in city meetings. We, the voters in District 1, need to come together as one on issues within our community. This is the only way to achieve goals. I have no intention of making empty promises to you. I will be dedicated as your City Councilman to represent you to my utmost ability.

My mission is to research appropriate avenues to resolve the concerns and issues that diffuse our community. Time is crucial, I will look into previous concerns presented to see what has been done to correct them. If nothing has been done, I will explore possible solutions to settle these concerns.

I expect you to hold me accountable for my representation on your behalf. It is necessary that constituents become involved in their local government, voice concerns, state issues and relate their needs to me. My desire is to reassure you that we can work together as a team.

No part of my mission is to knock down any candidate for the same seat. I am the best choice for the seat, however I will operate fairly and under strict ethical guidelines to maintain a clean, courteous campaign. District 1 deserves someone to represent them who will help them with their community issues, and not someone who is caught up in their own personal competitive agenda for the job.

To learn more, visit: www.mariontutt. org or email me: mariontutt@ hotmail.com.

Trust me to serve you as honestly, loyallly and professionally as I can.