The head of the Georgia chapter of Common Cause is leaving to start his own organization.

William Perry said in a statement on Tuesday that he will resign as executive director of the Common Cause chapter. Perry says his resignation came at the request of the organization's national president Miles Rapoport as Common Cause's priorities shift.

Rapoport says in the statement that Common Cause plans to focus on influencing policy. Perry says his new group will focus solely on government watchdog work.

The statement called Perry's departure a ``mutual understanding.''

Tags: Common Cause Georgia, William Perry