MARIETTA - Bill Bolton is an engineer and consultant in his second bid to become mayor of Marietta. And although he has some big ideas, he wasn't always set on another campaign this year.

He got in on the last day of qualifying.

"I just don't want (Steve) Tumlin to be the only one running," Bolton said.

Leadership: Bolton, 61, acknowledges that he does not have a particular style or method of leading a group toward a common goal, and that his ideas are often hard to sell. One leadership role he has held includes serving as secretary of the Cobb chapter of the National Organization for Women.

"I'm often an advocate for off-beat issues," Bolton said. "Most of my politics has been against the normal grain of things. I'm not trying to be negative, but I look at things from a civil liberties perspective."

"My leadership is, how do you change the flow of things?"

Parks Bond "I'm not sure I would vote for the referendum, because a lot of that money is going to buy expendables, benches and things," Bolton said. "I think we should be buying more greenspace. The issue is, we have the opportunity to buy land now because of all the foreclosures. I'm more interested in getting us more property that if we needed to, we can sell to get our money back.

"If the community and the neighborhood wants swings and stuff, the community should come together and say 'let's build this swing set.'"

Transportation This is a key issue for Bolton, who wants to see light rail built from around the Big Chicken westward to the other side of Kennesaw Mountain. He also advocates a rail line that would connect with MARTA to get people to the airport. He suggests using Build America Bonds to pay for the construction, though "I have no idea what it would cost."

"We've got a transportation problem here that's just terrible. One problem we've had all along is that Cobb people don't want rail. But they don't want the management they've had in Atlanta (MARTA). One of most important things Atlanta has is that the rail goes right into the airport.

"We should tie into that, and also have first class and second class cars. People who are going to the airport have luggage. With first class, there would be special cars and workers devoted to helping you with your luggage. You might be paying $10 a ticket, or it might be more."

Future of the City Another key issue for Bolton is family values, though he does not believe any religion is the sole source of values. And, Bolton says, capitalism is a family value.

As he wrote on his Web site: "In the spirit of the free market, any institution promoting appropriate family values should have the same privileges as churches," such as tax breaks. "If diversity in the free market allows the best businesses to flourish, shouldn't diversity in our culture allow the best family values groups to succeed."

Why he's the best candidate "I've been in the accounting area, the computer area, and I understand what needs to be done to automate a lot of things. I've had a lot of different experiences." As of Sept. 30, Bolton had received no financial contributions. Besides his previous mayoral campaign, he has run for governor and president, though he's never held elective office.

"Being in politics for 15 years now, I don't promise anything to anybody."