 He returned to local politics and in October 2002 was elected Prefect of Eastern Attica (50.1%)—himself resident of [Pikermi] for 30 years—and for a second term in the 2006 election (54.6%), in which however he exacerbated building disorder in the district by expeditiously legalising thousands of illegally constructed acres of land.After the October 2009 elections, although he was the only New Democracy prefect in Attica, he abstained from taking part in his party's bid for ENAE, issuing later a statement in defence of his non-participation decision pleading his commitment to principles.Kouris has also been linked in 1998, 2002 and 2006 for running as Super-Prefect of Athens and Piraeus.