Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate):

I am a lifelong resident of North Carolina having lived in Wake County since 1981. I attended UNC-Chapel Hill obtaining a BS Pharmacy degree in 1978 and a MS Pharmacy Administration degree in 1981. Along with my wife, Robin, I have owned and operated several pharmacies in Raleigh and Durham. After selling a few of the stores in 1999, I took three years to complete the Law Program and NCCU in Durham. I passed my initial Bar Exam in 2003 and continue to own an interest in the law firm, Gurley & Cookson, PLLC.

Robin and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary this year and we have two children. Robert is a Junior at the University of Rochester in New York. Michael attends Wake Technical Community College, better known as the best Community College in the country.

I was elected to the Wake County Board of Commissioners in 2002, during my second year of Law School. I was re-elected in 2006 to a second term. During the eight years of service, I have been chosen Chairman for three years by my peers. I am especially proud of two accomplishments during the past eight years. First, in 2006 as Chairman, I was able to work with our School Board and Community Partners to campaign for the largest Public School Bond ever approved in North Carolina. Second, in response the State of North Carolina closing the Dix Hospital and reforming mental health care, our Board of Commissioners was able to fund a mental health crisis center to help improve the continuum of care for our mentally ill. That hospital will open later this year.

I proudly serve the residents of Wake County thru service on the Board of Commissioners and look forward to continuing that service if re-elected.

Since being elected Commissioner in 2002, I have worked to make Wake County a great place to live, work, learn and play. As a pharmacist and small businessman I make decisions that affect my customers and my business based on the best information available to me. That is how I have made my decisions on the critical issues facing Wake County.

I have worked to make the lives of Wake County citizens better by keeping taxes low, recruiting new businesses that create new jobs, and providing more human service, public safety and educational resources. My priorities have included:

Human Services: I strongly supported the opening of Wake County's first Hospice facility and the addition of 44 new beds for Wake County Psychiatric patients at Holly Hill Hospital.

Public Safety: I worked to implement the deployment of 17 specially trained paramedics to help treat the most acute patients and prevent emergencies in high-risk patients such as the elderly. The Advanced Practice Paramedics (APP) is the first of its kind in the United States.

Fiscal responsibility: I led the initiative to develop the national award-winning Wake Watch program that puts all County spending on the web and is searchable by department.

Education: I have worked with current and former Wake County school board members to ensure that our students have facilities that are safe and provide an environment conducive to learning. My role as County Commissioner is to ensure that our students have adequate facilities and that are Wake County taxpayers' dollars are spent wisely.

For almost 8 years I have had the privilege of serving as your Wake County Commissioner and as its Chairman three times. I would like to continue serving the citizens of Wake County and ask for your support and vote this November.