ashley bell. [ applause ] >> you just changed parties recently right? >> okay. ruth c jones city manager riviera beach, florida. mrs. jones serves for a city that is 70% african-american. ms. jones served as deputy county manager for fulton county government in atlanta. she played a key role in the development of the county's overall budget which totalled nearly $1 billion. she is convinces that riviera beach is nearly the right place at the right time. ruth c jones. emily w murphy senior council small business committee. u.s. house of representatives. specializing and contracting in worth forworkforce issues. she has focused on federal procurement issues spending four year s chief council in a start-up communications company. she has served as the associate administrator at the u.s. small business administration. the gsa. miss murphy is a graduate of smith college and virginia school of law. darrell jordan communications director. he has been a communications director since february of 2011. before that he was the communications director for congressman alderha

. >> let's go to ashley bell. first of all, you're very young. you're dynamic. you have already changed parties. you hit with a splash. you're the commissioner, district 4 commissioner georgia. you've heard what we talked about here today, the challenges, what can be done. on a more localized level to help black businesses. >> i tell you, there is no clamoring for any more regulation. i tell you that. there is no one looking for additional regulation from the federal or state level at the county side. what i heard dr. laffer mention as far as empowerment zones, at the local level, we try to create those. with take the opportunities given us by federal government to create empowerment and opportunity zones. but the problem is there are so many regulations on where they can be. it took us at hall county about two months to figure out well, we knew where we wanted them to go, but they didn't fit the federal regulations on where they thought they might go. but i tell you, we would know better where to put the empowerment zones than the federal government would. >> r

ashley bell was elected in 2008 at age 27 to become a hall counties youngest ever commission and one its youngest in the state of georgia. commissioner bell is a graduate of gainesville high, and attended law school, he is a successful attorney and partner, practicing law through the state of georgia. also honored to be the 21st century leader fellow at the harvard university, john f. kennedy school of government. ashley bell. [applause] >> you just change parties recently, right? okay. ruth c. jones, city manager, riviera beach from florida. she's producers as the cement for rivera beach, a city that has 7% african-americans, particular work as city manager in june 2009, she served as deputy counsel, county manager. also assistant county manager for seven years. she played a key role in the developing of the county's overall budget, was totaled nearly $1 million. this jones convinced that riviera beach is the right place at the right time but she says i think all of us together, even in these challenging times we can show strength and work to create long-term success. ruth c. jones.