Steve Croy of Richmond Hill has recently been elected to serve as Georgia’s finance chairman for Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson.

"I think Fred Thompson is the truest voice of being a conservative, when you compare him to the top tier candidates," Croy said.

"I’ve stood on the sidelines, waiting to see if he was going to enter, and decided that I wanted to get involved once he entered the race."

Croy, a member of the National Finance Committee, said there has already been one fundraising event in Georgia so far.

"In July, Tom Bell and I co-chaired an Atlanta event which raised $400,000 for the campaign. Our next event will also be in Atlanta, in Cobb County, on Oct. 18. And there will be a special legislative get-together that afternoon for all legislators that have endorsed Thompson. We currently have over 60 legislators endorsing Senator Thompson, almost 50 percent of the Republicans in the state’s General Assembly," he said.

Croy said the campaign is looking to bring Thompson to the local coast.

"We don’t have any definite dates yet but there is a tentative time frame to be down here (in Savannah) in the beginning of November," he said.

Croy thinks the campaign race is going to end up coming down to Rudy Giuliani and Thompson.

"When you look at the major issues of pro-life, the second amendment, and the sanctity of marriage, it is without question that Senator Thompson is head and shoulders above Mayor Giuliani in those areas," Croy said. "When you look at the fiscal side of republican beliefs, Senator Thompson’s strong federalism ideas of giving as much power as possible to the state, makes for a better economy not only on the statewide level, but on the local level as well."

Croy said anyone in Bryan County who is interested in getting involved can contact the local co-chairs, John Reynolds or Jimmy Burnsed. Croy said the co-chairs, or himself, will be available to provide information.

"At the end of the day, the key thing is to elect someone who can defeat Hillary Clinton in the next election. And Fred Thompson is the man that can do that," Croy concluded.

Croy currently serves as the president of Croy Realty Group, Inc., a commercial, residential and industrial development, brokerage and consulting firm with offices in Richmond Hill and Atlanta.

The Presidential Preference Primary/Special Elections will be on Tuesday, Feb. 5. Monday, Jan. 7, will be the last day a person can register and be eligible to vote in this election.