Dougherty Commission chairman kicks off bid for third term at campaign event

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ALBANY — When Chris Cohilas ran for the Dougherty County Commission chairman’s office eight years ago, he had big plans for improving the lives of county residents.

That ambition is still there, and after dealing with an unanticipated four presidentially declared disasters and a worldwide pandemic in his first eight years in office, he would like to turn his attention back to those projects.

“Now we’re at a place where we can invest dollars — invest in infrastructure, invest in building back and invest in building back stronger,” Cohilas told a reporter during a Tuesday campaign kickoff event at the Pretoria Collective brewery in downtown Albany. “I want to make this a great place for our kids.”

Cohilas, an Albany attorney, lined up a group of speakers who gave endorsements at the event, including former Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard, former Commission Chairman Jeff Sinyard and current Dougherty District Attorney Greg Edwards. Also lending their endorsements were Mary Martinez, executive director of the Lily Pad SANE Center and Frank Wilson, the former executive director of the Albany Civil Rights Institute.

“Chris has a vision for this community,” Wilson said in his remarks.

Martinez, who manages the center that helps sexual assault victims and child victims of sexual and physical abuse, spoke of her time working with Cohiilas when he was serving as the county’s chief assistant district attorney. Cohilas was always compassionate and caring with the victims, Martinez said, and without his assistance Lily Pad might not have become a reality.

“Had Chris not said, ‘What can we do to prevent these cases?’ we may have still been in the dark ages,” she said during an interview during the event. “Not every county has a rape crisis center. Chris made that happen. Since 2008, we have been serving 500 victims a year. Without his help and compassion, we would not be there serving the 19 counties we are today.”

The candidate has given of his time, traveling to Washington, D.C., to advocate for the county for assistance in recovering from natural disasters that occurred during his tenure, including tornadoes, wind damage and a hurricane, Sinyard said.

“We’ve heard all the things he’s done for the last eight years,” he said. “The guy’s a fighter. He gets things done.”

Despite the incredible run of disasters, that included destruction at area industries and part of Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany, Cohilas told the audience, he has been inspired by the resiliency and caring of the community.

“I’ve seen people pick up chainsaws and cut tree limbs off people’s houses,” he said. “I’ve seen people deliver food to the hungry.

“We’re back up, we’re on our feet, and what I’m really impressed at is how much we’ve done in spite of all that. COVID-19 obviously wasn’t a blessing for us, but we overcame it. I want to see what Dougherty County can do when we’re not being punched in the face.”

Like small and rural communities across the state, Dougherty County has experienced population loss, but Albany is the hub of southwest Georgia and as the metropolitan area in the region attracts people from the region, the candidate said during an interview.

“When I talk to legislators, I tell them ‘if Albany, the hub of southwest Georgia, doesn’t do well, the region dies,’” he said. “We are the place where people come to eat. We’re the place where people come for health care. We need to build on that.”

Cohilas pointed to Radium Springs and the system of trails originating to and from the attraction as a success story. Eventually, those trails will link the Radium Springs area to downtown for bikers and walkers.

“I want to see a community that’s connected,” he said. “I want to see a community that has access to recreation. I want to see a community that has good roads, that has good industrial development, that has all the amenities.

“I want to build out the things that will allow us to work, live and play together.”

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]
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