Hudgins’ 28-year career in Dougherty County government coming to a close

ALBANY — Monday will mark the end of an era in local politics, as the longest-serving Dougherty County Commission member participates in the last meeting of a nearly 30-year career.

Lamar Hudgins, who represents District 1 on the board, was elected in 1992 and has served on the body for 28 years.

Colleagues described their fellow commissioner as an “anchor” for government institutions with a keen knowledge for those who are newer to the job.

“It’s definitely bittersweet,” Hudgins said. “I think I will definitely miss the county staff. We’ve got a wonderful staff. Mr. (County Administrator Michael) McCoy and his staff. I will definitely miss my fellow commissioners

“You know, it’s time; after 30 and a half years, it’s time. My wife (Wanda) was, like, ‘You’ll know when it’s time.’ I’ll miss it for sure.”

The 30-plus year figure includes the 2 1/2 years Hudgins served on the Albany City Commission, beginning in 1992, before stepping down for a run for the mayor’s position.

Hudgins has served on the county’s Budget Committee throughout his tenure and has been a dean of sorts on finances, helping guide the government through lean years. This included the Great Recession of 2008 that had a huge impact on budgets and negatively impacted governments’ retirement funds as investments held in those funds shrank markedly.

The county also is in the midst of recovery from a series of severe weather events, including tornadoes and a hurricane.

“Right now, we don’t have a penny of long-term debt,” Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas said. “You ask accountants around the state, and they will say you don’t see that very often.”

While Hudgins maintains a low-key presence, he does not shrink from making his displeasure known. At an honors ceremony for Hudgins last week, Cohilas presented him with a hammer in recognition of one memorable occasion.

“Lamar is remarkably blunt,” Colihas said. “A couple, three, four years ago we had some contentious issue we were facing on the commission, and he delivered a body blow.

“He has this way about him. He doesn’t raise his voice and he says what he means and means what he says, and it was extremely uncomfortable to the person he was directing it at. After that, I started calling him ‘The Hammer.’”

Budgets have been strained over recent years due to the economic fallout from the 2008 recession and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, and Hudgins’ guiding hand has been an asset to the county, Cohilas said.

“People will never realize how difficult some of the budgets (were) he had to tackle as chairman of the Budget Committee,” the commission chairman said. “A lot of difficult decisions had to be made over the last 12 to 15 years.

“He’s a damn fine man, a good father, a great husband and a great public servant. I’m sorry to see him go, but I’m so happy for him and Wanda.”

Earlier this year, Hudgins and his wife both contracted COVID-19 and he spent three days in the hospital battling the disease.

Another nickname of more recent vintage given to the long-serving commissioner is “best friend” of District 6 Commissioner Anthony Jones. District 5 Commissioner Gloria Gaines gave them the moniker during one meeting where the two were engaging in a round of banter toward the close of the session.

That name has stuck, and since that time, Jones has referred to Hudgins as his “good, best friend.”

“She got a little hot because we were going back and forth,” Jones said. “She didn’t have time for playing that day. Sometimes Chris has to break us up. He’ll bang his gavel to get us to stop.”

That doesn’t mean Hudgins didn’t take his role seriously, Jones said, especially when it came to budget matters.

At one time, Jones was fielding a number of calls about the tall grass on a section of U.S. Highway 82 in his district. Because the highway is state-maintained, the county can’t mow the grass along the roadway. So Jones suggested planting trees along the stretch.

“I wanted to do a beautification (project),” he said. “I wanted to plant crepe myrtles. I thought that would improve the 82 corridor.”

When he brought it to the commission’s attention, Hudgins objected on the basis of cost, Jones said, and did not see a reason for planting the trees.

“I said (that) I see a reason to plant crepe myrtles,” Jones said. “I said, ‘Commissioner Hudgins, one thing I’ve seen is you will squeeze a dollar until it hollers.’ But I think we need to plant crepe myrtles.”

Eventually Jones got the trees planted along the stretch of highway, but it is a memorable story for him.

“He still kids me about that,” Jones said. “I know it was memorable to him because he told his family about it. He’s the dean of our commission, and he’s going to be missed. I won’t have anybody to play with, because we were always back and forth.”

Hudgins’ knowledge, experience and budget work will be missed, by commissioners and county staff, District 4 Commissioner Rusell Gray said.

“We’re all better because of him,” Gray said. “It’s bittersweet to see him leave, but at the same time he served a good, long time and he served well. It’s time for him to get some of his life back and enjoy his golden years.”

The District 4 commissioner also gave his colleague a nickname. That came from an executive session several years ago during which Hudgins made his opinion known.

“Finally he just hulked out and let everybody have both barrels,” Gray said. “I’m sure it was warranted at the time. That’s when I started calling him ‘The Hulk.’”

Despite more than three decades in politics, Hudgins never came off as a politician intent on wooing voters for the next election, Gray said. Instead, he did what he thought was best and let the voters decide.

That strategy served Hudgins well as he hardly ever faced an opponent for the job.

“I think his record of re-election speaks for itself,” Gray said. “It is a testament to his staying power and what he brought to his community.”

For Hudgins, making a difference to the residents in the county has been the best reward. Those efforts have been assisted by those residents with their approval of a series of special-purpose local-option sales tax initiatives that has allowed the county to make investments in capital improvements.

When Hudgins was elected, a number of constituents brought to his attention the lack of emergency medical services facilities that meant delays of 30 to 45 minutes in the arrival of an ambulance to some homes.

“That’s a long time, especially if it’s 5 o’clock and the ambulance has to weave through traffic,” Hudgins said. “We didn’t have an EMS station West of Slappey (Boulevard). I got with the (county administrator) and asked what we could do. He told me we don’t have the money to build another station.”

Funding for additional stations was included in the next sales tax initiative, and the people in the area are better served now, he said. The money raised through the penny tax has allowed the county to not only build additional stations but purchase ambulances and equipment as well as assets for improving fire protection.

“It was a life-saving decision,” Hudgins said. “It really brings satisfaction being part of the team and being able to save lives. It wasn’t that the county didn’t want to do it. We didn’t have money to do it.”

Special Photo