Troup County pulled off a “slam dunk” with Kia Motors’ opening in West Point, the president of Georgia’s Chamber of Commerce told local leaders .

“It was a dream beyond imagination,” George Israel said of the automaker’s move to Georgia, along with suppliers, jobs and economic activity.

Troup County now is “a growing and important part of the state,” Israel told members of the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday morning. He also praised the local chamber.

“You’ve done decades of great work,” he said.

Israel, a former mayor of Macon who will retire from the statewide chamber in October, said it’s been a good year for Georgia businesses and the economy seems on the upswing.

Israel says he’s leaving the chamber to found his own organization, the Civil Justice Association. The idea for the organization was born out of talks by the legislature to reform medical malpractice insurance, which Israel says the state needs to “go back to the drawing board” on and start over.

“We need to set reasonable limits on noneconomic damages” in malpractice suits, he said.

Israel said in 2005 there were 18 pediatric neurosurgeons in the state. Now there are six.

“There’s a message in this state that if you operate on a child as a neurosurgeon you won’t be covered in court,” he said after a court decision in the eastern part of the state that awarded large sums of money to the plaintiffs.

“Our children deserve better.”

Israel said part of the organization’s work will be to convince members of the legislature to reform malpractice insurance and if members can’t be convinced, recruit those who are for the reforms to run against them.

While still at the chamber, Israel said the statewide organization has had to keep a closer eye on national politics than ever before and he blasted the federal government on its recent efforts at health care and financial reform as well as proposed changes to climate change legislation and labor laws. He urged chamber members to join the statewide Georgia Business Action Network to keep updated on proposals as they move forward.

Israel said with every constitutional office other than lieutenant governor open, as well as a U.S. Senate seat, 13 congressional seats and high numbers of seats open in the legislature, it could be a watershed year for politics in Georgia.

“There are a lot of mad people in Georgia,” he said, referring to voters around the state.

Jennifer Shrader may be reached at jshrader @lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.