HOSCHTON — Braselton Mayor Pat Graham will have some local competition for the District 47 state Senate seat now that local businessman Kelley Gary has thrown his hat into the political ring.

“I am running because we don’t need any more professional politicians in Atlanta who offer nothing but a lot of talk,” Gary said in a news release Monday. “We need a leader with the courage to deliver — to deliver on property tax reform, to deliver lower taxes, to attract jobs and most importantly someone with the courage to stand up for our conservative values.”

The District 47 Senate seat is currently held by Sen. Ralph Hudgens, who is running for Georgia insurance commissioner this year.

Gary is the owner of Premier Storage in Braselton and was formerly a consultant for Marsh and McClennan, a professional services company providing insight and solutions in risk, strategy and human resources. Gary gathered more than 400 signatures on a petition he circulated that urged the Hoschton City Council to hold an election on whether its charter should be amended so that any time a change in the property tax, or millage rate, is proposed, it must be placed on the ballot. The petition ultimately was denied.

Senate District 47 is comprised of all of Barrow, Oglethorpe and Madison counties and part of Jackson, Elbert and Clarke counties.