Attorney Jim Thornton is ready to step into his role as a LaGrange city councilman Jan. 12. He said he’s seen the changes coming to the city and is prepared to offer his services any way he can as a representative of District 1.

Thornton is a lifelong resident of the city and a graduate of LaGrange High School and LaGrange College. He has the endorsement of his predecessor, Tom Gore.

“I have been, all my life, interested in government and politics and have often thought that I would want to get involved in some form or fashion,” Thornton said, “and with Dr. Gore’s decision not to seek re-election this year in our district, I decided that now is a good opportunity for me to get involved on the local level.”

Thornton sees the city as a well-oiled machine. Although there’s always room for improvement, many of its gears, including the fiscal budget and utility services, have been well maintained through a strong staff and a respected council, he said.

“I think that the city has a good staff in place, which makes our job on the council a lot easier,” Thornton said.

He’s been a regular at council meetings to stay up on current events.

Thornton said there’s no checklist of problems he wants to fix nor does he look to affect anything that’s not broken, but he wants to add a fresh set of eyes to help look for alternative solutions that might crop up.

“I hope to bring continuity because I think the city of LaGrange is in a good position at present, certainly compared to lots of other cities around,” he said, “and I also hope to be a voice for continued progress on a local level in terms of what I would term good government.”

Thornton sees good government as being a limited one that doesn’t unnecessarily affect lives that don’t need to be affected, while remaining an effective government that knows when it’s needed and can get involved in a meaningful way.

He was surprised, however, that no one opposed him for the seat in November. Thornton raised funds for the election, created a committee to help him along the way and put up a Web site explaining his intentions as a councilman.

“I think every candidate for every political office should take it very seriously, and I did, and I continue to do so and will do so for the next four years on the council,” he said.

Along with his responsibilities to the city, Thornton will serve as chairman of the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce, seeing the two posts as similar in the promotion of the community.

“I’m very excited about this,” Thornton said. “I’m deeply honored and humbled by the people of LaGrange who have entrusted me with this position, and I’ll do everything I can not to let them down.”

Trey Wood can be reached at twood @ lagrangenews. com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.