Camilla offers city manager’s job to Bryan County’s Ben Taylor

CAMILLA — It took a while, but it appears Camilla has finally found a new city manager to replace the outgoing Bennett Adams.

At a called meeting Monday morning, the Camilla City Council voted 5-0 to offer the job to current Bryan County Manager Ben Taylor. Councilman Bryant Campbell’s wife is in the hospital, and he missed the vote. Camilla Mayor Rufus Davis, continuing his announced plan to sit out council meetings, was not present for the morning vote.

Taylor has been the county administrator of Bryan County since Aug. 1, 2014, and was Ashburn’s city manager for 10 years, from 2004-14.

The city manager-designate holds an associate degree in political science from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (1998), a bachelor degree in political science from the University of Georgia (2000) and a master of public administration from Georgia Southern University (2002).

Former Albany interim City Manager Tom Berry, who owns a Thomasville-based consulting firm, led the search effort.

“Ben Taylor is eminently qualified for the position of Camilla city manager,” Berry said.

Adams stressed Monday afternoon that Taylor has yet to sign his contract with Camilla, but the current city manager said he expects Taylor to sign shortly. Adams said his last day as Camilla’s city manager is Jan. 26, and if Taylor accepts the position, his first day on the job would be Jan. 23.

Taylor could not be reached for comment Monday, but in his resume cover letter he wrote: “This opening is what I would consider to be a great opportunity for my family and myself. My past experience as a City Manager of a smaller community has exposed me to the critical operational details of local government and has allowed me to directly experience a more detailed vantage point of service delivery. Ashburn was also one of the poorest communities in the state with a very diverse population, very similar to most areas in Southwest Georgia. This environment of a stagnant residential tax base and the lack of industrial prospects to grow utility revenue forced me to operate with strict budgets and design accurate revenue forecasts.

“Coupled with the knowledge acquired with being at the heart of city operations, I was able to guide this city (Ashburn) through a decade of competent financial management and increased service delivery to its citizens.”

Davis did not return a call seeking comment, but Berry said the mayor did not participate in the search process.

“He was at none of the preliminary discussions, executive sessions or interviews,” Berry said. “He wasn’t involved in any of it.”