COBB COUNTY - For almost four months, Cobb County has operated without a chairman at the helm. In 10 days, all of that will change.

The two men vying in the July 20 special election for the seat, which was left open at the end of March when chairman Sam Olens resigned to focus on his run for state attorney general, are similar in their beliefs of a fiscally conservative government and the "let's take a look before we jump" approach to transportation. But the similarities between Tim Lee and Larry Savage pretty much end there. Lee served eight years as the northeast Cobb commissioner, in District 3, before resigning in April to enter the special election race. Savage, a retired salesman in his first venture into politics, lives on Columns Drive near the Atlanta Country Club area in southeast Cobb. His lack of political history is an advantage, he said, because he has "no special interests and I don't owe anything to anyone." As a self-employed marketing entrepreneur, Lee develops strategic marketing and promotional programs for the grass division of TenCate, a Netherlands-based multinational company that makes synthetic fabrics and materials. The Cobb school district's recent bid request for artificial turf requires the use of TenCate fibers, but Lee denied any involvement in that action, saying he is not a salesman for the company and never spoke to anyone in the school district about such a requirement. Deluxe Athletics of Marietta was awarded the $9.3 million contract to install the turf at 16 Cobb high schools. The county government's Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, which is paying for road improvements, the new jail and the new courthouse, is set to expire at the end of 2011, after six years. Savage said he is not sure he would vote for another county SPLOST. "The first letter in SPLOST is 'S' for 'Special'. I am concerned that some are thinking of SPLOST as not 'Special' but as simply an auxiliary budget," Savage said. "But that shouldn't be the case. Passing another SPLOST will be difficult because, one: many people felt the last SPLOST was mishandled, two: the economy is still slow and three: tax fatigue. If another SPLOST is to be done, I do not favor splitting the penny. I prefer a plan dedicated to one area. If transportation, it should only be used for projects that will make a real reduction in traffic congestion. Sound guidelines should be provided for how locations will be identified, how congestion will be reduced, and how success will be measured for each project. No more 'bait and switch' promises of projects that get voters to say yes, then different outcomes when the money is spent." But Lee said the sales tax revenue is needed, and he would support another SPLOST. "The SPLOST is a very effective tool for building and maintaining the necessary infrastructure to provide services for our citizens," Lee said. "It is effective because our citizens get to know exactly what projects the tax will pay for and they get to vote on those projects. We will need to develop, with input from our staff, our citizens, the business community and other stakeholders, a list of the most critical infrastructure needs. That list will determine how the dollars raised from the SPLOST will be appropriated. And remember, approximately 33 percent of SPLOST dollars are paid by non-Cobb residents. We have effectively used the SPLOST to make needed road improvements, expand our detention facility, improve our court systems and make other needed infrastructure improvements."

But Lee acknowledged that some projects may have been given more funding than originally planned, as the tax brought in more than expected. Lee said perhaps the county should look at charging a "half penny, rather than a full penny." On light-rail, which has been proposed to run along U.S. Highway 41, both candidates say more study is needed - to determine effectiveness in time and cost - before they would vote for such a project. And the candidates agree the system would have to connect to Atlanta in some way in order to bring in federal financing.