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Perdue recharges Military Affairs Committee
Hinesville resident reappointed
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ATLANTA -- Former Hinesville Mayor Tom Ratcliffe is among members of the Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee who have been reappointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue.
The governor signed an executive order reorganizing the GMACC Tuesday and announcing that it will continue to serve as the state's focal point for efforts to assist Georgia's military facilities and communities impacted by the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission.
Ratcliffe is a partner with Ratcliffe & Smith, PC, and served as mayor from 2000 until this year..
"Georgia's military installations serve as cornerstones for the local economies of several Georgia communities and even entire regions of the state," Perdue said. "The Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee will strive to ensure the continued economic strength and military viability of Georgia's defense installations and activities while also coordinating the stateís assistance to communities impacted by the 2005 BRAC recommendation."
The committee was created in 1994, at the behest of Sen. Sam Nunn, to help Georgia's bases deal with Base Realignment and Closure.  The committee was reappointed in 2003 and 2005. James R. Balkcom Jr. will serve as chairman.
The 2005 BRAC process has been completed, but the governor's executive order said the committee is still needed to serve as a "statewide focal point for efforts to assist Georgia's military facilities, to support communities impacted by the implementation of the 2005 BRAC, and to prepare for any future BRAC."
Besides Balkcom and Ratcliffe, members from the coastal area include Lt. Gen. (ret) Thomas N. Burnette Jr. of Savannah and Sheila McNeil, president of Friends of Kings Bay Submarine Base in Saint Marys. George M. Israel III, president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, of Atlanta also serves on the unpaid committee.
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