COBB COUNTY BURIED a part of its political history on Monday with the death of Tommy Brown, 80. Brown was one of the members of the first-ever multiple-member county commission elected here in 1964. Prior to that, the county was represented by a single-commissioner form of government.

That first five-member board was chaired by Ernest Barrett of Fair Oaks when it took office in January 1965 and also consisted of Brown and Bill Oliver representing east Cobb and Al Burruss and Harry Ingram representing west Cobb.

Barrett spent 20 years in office, but the original board, along with Bob Sutton, who for all practical purposes was the county manager, got off to a good start.

Cobb was one of the first counties to go to a multiple-member board. The switch to the multiple-member commission coincided with one of the county's heaviest growth periods in its history, and saw the commission launch its first-ever county-wide parks program, create a county-wide library system and upgrade the police and fire departments. The commission went hard for federal dollars to pay for sewer lines and other programs during those years. Cobb was soon known as the most progressive county in the metro area and one of the most progressive in the Southeast, a legacy that still lives today.

Brown, a heavy-equipment salesman, served on the commission until 1978 and went down in history as one of the commission's longest-tenured members. He also served on the board of directors of Kennestone Hospital and Chattahoochee Technical Institute and was a member of the Lions and Kiwanis clubs.

"He could say 'Yes' and could say 'No,' but whatever he told you, you could take it to the bank," recalled Butch Thompson, who served on the commission in the early 1980s.

Ingram, who served eight years on the commission before stepping down to head the Cobb Water and Sewer Department, recalled that Brown "loved Cobb County and was always trying to make it better."

Ingram, who was a Sinclair Oil auditor and Smyrna City Council member when he ran for commission in 1964, is now the sole survivor of that first board. He was known as Barrett's "go-to-man," while Brown was considered "a progressive steady-Eddie," Thompson said.

Brown, 80, died on Wednesday at his home in Kennesaw. Services took place Monday at McEachern Memorial Methodist, with burial at Cheatham Hill Memorial Cemetery.

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U.S. SEN. JOHNNY ISAKSON (R-Ga.) and a series of Republican candidate forums will headline the 2010 Faith, Family & Freedom Kickoff Event Saturday at the Riverwood High School auditorium on Heards Road in Atlanta. Tickets are $25 per person in advance, $30 at the door for the 10 a.m.-3 p.m. event, which is sponsored by the Georgia Christian Alliance and co-sponsored by 920AM WGKA radio and the Georgia Conservative Coalition. The price includes lunch by Williamson Bros. BBQ.

Other speakers will include Georgia Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart of east Cobb, U.S. Reps. Tom Price (R-Roswell) and Lynn Westmoreland (R-Grantville), Georgia House Speaker David Ralston and House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones.

The afternoon session will feature remarks by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta) and a forum for Republicans running for governor. Taking part will be Jeff Chapman, U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Gainesville), Secretary of State Karen Handel, state Sen. Eric Johnson, Ray McBerry, Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine and state Rep. Austin Scott. Moderating will be Dick Williams of "The Georgia Gang."

Additionally, there will be a candidate forum for state attorney general featuring Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens and Max Wood, and moderated by Atlanta newspaper columnist Jim Wooten.

Also slated for the event are a candidate forum for Secretary of State candidates, a forum for Insurance Commissioner candidates and a forum for state school superintendent candidates featuring incumbent Kathy Cox and Roger Hines of Kennesaw.

COBB SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE MARY STALEY had the winning touch at Thursday's Marietta Kiwanis Club meeting, pulling the joker from the nine remaining cards in the club's weekly charity raffle to win the $2,336 pot. The club will donate a matching amount to its Young Children Priority One Project (ages birth to 5), which will help erect billboards around the county to educate the public about shaken-baby awareness.

"Don't tell anybody, but those were the first tickets I'd bought in a year," the dazed judge murmured after winning.

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MARIETTA KIWANIS President Victoria Turney is returning from a visit with her son, Marine Sgt. Chris Conkel, in California. Conkel's unit is soon due to deploy to Afghanistan. Conkel is a veteran of two deployments to Iraq. Turney is a retired Marine gunnery sergeant and is director of corporate relations for Prime Power in Austell.

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THE MARIETTA BAHA'I COMMUNITY is sponsoring a devotional program at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Baha'i Center for Learning at 2601 Sandy Plains Road in east Cobb in support of seven Iranian Baha'i leaders imprisoned in Tehran for nearly two years on false charges stemming from their membership in the Baha'i faith, which was founded in Iran in 1844, reports member Bill Bruner. The next session of the trial is to take place on Sunday. The Baha'i faith is the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran.

TWO COBB lawyers, Rebecca Keaton and Jason Fletcher, have announced for the Cobb County State Court seat being vacated by Judge Beverly Collins, who will not seek re-election.

"I'm deeply committed to this effort, and if elected I will work to keep cases moving quickly and fairly through the court," said Mrs. Keaton.

Lance Cooper, former president of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, will manage Keaton's campaign. Keaton was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1994 after receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Birmingham-Southern College, and her juris doctor degree from the John Marshall Law School. Keaton has worked as a trial lawyer in private practice for 15 years and as an assistant solicitor general. She and husband, Darrin, live in Kennesaw with their children Michael, Isabella and Elijah.

Fletcher is deputy assistant solicitor general of Cobb County. Cobb native Fincher is a John Marshall Law School (cum laude) and Kennesaw State University graduate. He is a member of the Georgia Bar and Cobb County Bar Associations. Prior to joining the Solicitor General's office, he was law clerk for Superior Court Judge Kenneth Nix. He and wife Deena attend Roswell Street Baptist Church.

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THE 2010 COBB GOP LEGISLATIVE LUNCHEON is Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at the Georgia Train Depot. Speakers are Lt. Gov. Cagle and Speaker Ralston. The event includes lunch, a program, tour of the Capitol and photos with the legislators. Cost is $50 a person. Group transportation is available at Roswell Street Baptist Church at 10 a.m. Round trip cost is $5 a person. Contact Tonya Boga at boga.tonya@belawgroup.com. ... The Cobb GOP's February breakfast will feature Sen. Isakson on Feb. 6 at Williamson Bros. Bar-B-Q. The speakers start at 8:30. Breakfast is $10 a person. For details, call (770) 971-3201.

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PEOPLE: Lillian and former U.S. Rep. Buddy Darden (D-Marietta) have welcomed a third granddaughter, Elizabeth Darden Brennan, born Jan. 25 in Arlington, Va. Parents are Christine Darden Brennan and husband Patrick Francis Brennan of Arlington. Christine is a Washington lawyer and her husband works for the feds. ... AT administrative aide Kellie Ward is getting married on Aug. 21 to Eric Parod. The maternal grandparents are Paula Milton, an MDJ sales exec, and Gary Ward. The parental grandparents are Martin and Debbie Parod. ... East Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott said he was "pleasantly surprised" that 42 people showed up on a rainy day Saturday at his open house at the East Cobb Government Center.

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THE HARRISON HIGH JAZZ BANDS will host their annual Night of Jazz on Feb. 13 at the Harrison gym at 4500 Due West Road.

An Afternoon of Jazz will feature the two Harrison Jazz Ensembles and play music of the Big Band era from 4 until 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 and include a dessert and beverage. The Night of Jazz begins at 7 and features the two Harrison Jazz Ensembles, the Durham Middle School Jazz Band, the McClure Middle School Jazz Band and special guest vocalist Mary Stephens. Tickets are $10, and include swing dance lessons, dessert and beverage.

For more info or to reserve tickets, e-mail nightofjazz@harrisonbands.org or call (770) 424-2220. You can also download an order form by going to the Harrison Bands Web site, www.harrisonbands.org and clicking on the "Jazz" icon.