Walter Ray of Douglas, who formerly served as the Georgia Senate's highest-ranking member, today officially announced his candidacy for the office of secretary of state.Ê Incumbent Cathy Cox is vacating the office to run for governor.

Ray enters the Democratic primary with a broad array of experience in public service. The two-time all-state basketball player began his career as a classroom teacher and coach and he served briefly as interim superintendent of Coffee County schools. He served as a member of the Georgia Highway Patrol before being elected to the state senate in 1985. During his 17-year career Ray was elected by his Senate colleagues to the top leadership positions: caucus chairman, majority leader and, ultimately, to the position of president pro tempore.

In 1996 then Gov. Zell Miller named Ray to the Board of Pardons and Paroles where he later served as chairman before resigning to return to private business in 2002.

Ray made his announcement today at a press conference in the state capitol rotunda. Flanked by his family and supporters, Ray described the office of secretary of state an "office of administration and service". He continued, "Aside from the governor, no other constitutional officer has such broad and diverse duties, from coordinating elections to administering professional boards to issuing corporate charters."

"The secretary of state is entrusted with the Great Seal of Georgia", Ray continued. "It must be jealously guarded by the secretary as an emblem of service to all the people of Georgia and never, ever be tarnished by a personal or partisan agenda."

Ray pledged to continue the effort to improve public access to the numerous functions within the office, and to ensure that participation in statewide elections is as effortless as possible. "Access will be the watchword of my service as secretary of state", Ray declared. "Many of my generation will remember the late Ben Fortson, one of our 'most revered public servants of all time. While serving as secretary of state for 34 years, the door to his private office opened into the capitol corridor and it was never closed. That's the kind of access I will offer to all our citizens."

Ray was highly critical of the plan to implement the new voter ID law. "Registering to vote in Georgia should not be a burden. The dumbest thing I've ever heard is the recent law that provides only 58 locations to obtain an official Georgia Voter Identification. That fact alone will keep too many Georgians, especially the elderly and disabled, away from the polls. Have we learned nothing from the fact that many of our citizens have been forced to wait in line for hours to obtain a driver license?
One of the unspoken secrets about some elected officials is that they often have no idea where they're trying to take us," said Ray. "I know the right direction to take the office of Secretary of State and we will stay the course. I will use my experiences to advance Georgia as a business-friendly state and one way is faster licensing of professional personnel. I intend to install a innovative licensing program immediately after taking office."

Ray also pointed to a past example of his leadership. While chairman of the Georgia Pardons and Parole Board, he helped to develop the Results Driven Supervision Model (RDS). The program brought Georgia two top honors: The American Probation Paroles Association President's Award and the Association of Paroling Authorities International Award. Ray said, "RDS and Georgia enjoyed national attention. In addition, we hosted and taught the RDS model to boards from twenty-seven states."

Ray was born in Hazelhurst in Jeff Davis County. He is married to the former Carol Cassell of Franklin in Heard County. The Rays have three children. Sharon lives in Douglas, and is married to Doug Shaver. They have two children, Christine and Brian. Darren Ray resides in Miami, FL with wife Melanie and children Jeremy, Jennifer, Jordan and Jimmy Jr. Shannon Ray, a physician's assistant, also lives in Douglas. He and wife Lindsey are expecting their first child in April. Walter and Carol are choir members at Douglas First Baptist Church.

Ray earned degrees from three Georgia colleges. His master's in administrative supervision is from Valdosta State and his undergraduate degrees are from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro and from Brewton-Parker College in Mt. Vernon. In 2000, Ray was elected to Brewton-Parker's Hall of Fame.

For more information about Walter Ray's campaign to become Georgia's next Secretary of State, visit the campaign website at www.rayforgeorgia.org or telephone 912.384.0200.