Albany Mayor Hubbard city’s first GMA president in 72 years

ALBANY — Being a trendsetter is nothing new for Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard.

Hubbard, who was sworn in recently as the 85th President of the Georgia Municipal Association during the association’s annual conference in Savannah, was the first female mayor of Albany and she became the first official from the city to serve as GMA president in 72 years. This from a leader whose political career began with an appointment by Georgia’s governor.

Hubbard started her political career in 2005, when she was appointed by then-Gov. Sonny Perdue to fill the Ward 2 Albany City Commission seat. She served for six years until her election as mayor in 2011.

“Mayor Hubbard has made a tremendous impact on the association and our members,” GMA Executive Director Lamar Norton said after Hubbard was sworn in as the group’s president. “Her passion and extensive experience in education helped take the Municipal Training Board to the next level, which improved the way city officials serve statewide.”

Under Hubbard’s leadership, the city of Albany has seen major projects come to fruition. Some of the more prominent among them are the Transit System conversion from diesel buses to Compressed Natural Gas, the rebuilding of the Broad Avenue bridge, downtown revitalization projects like the Pretoria Fields microbrewery and the Flats at 249 mixed-use housing development, and completion of the biomass green energy plant on the Albany-based Procter & Gamble campus.

“I am delighted to be able to represent the people of Albany and the state of Georgia,” Hubbard said. “We have a lot of work to do, especially with representing the small cities of Georgia. We want all elected city officials to be well-trained so they can best represent the people of their communities.”

According to the GMA, Hubbard is an active leader of the association. She was a member of GMA’s Executive Committee, its Board of Directors, and the association’s Member Services Advisory Council. She was also the chair of GMA’s Federal Policy Council, its Legislative Policy Council and the association’s Municipal Training Board.

In her acceptance speech at the GMA’s annual conference in Savannah, Hubbard applauded the more than 2,000 convention attendees for their stewardship of their hometowns and also urged each of them to stay informed on the many changes that will happen across Georgia in the near future.

“If recent history is any indication, we’ll have between 400 and 500 new city elected officials attending next year’s newly elected officials training,” she said. “Regardless of the changes that will affect our communities, state and our association over the coming months, the fundamental work of GMA will remain the same — to effectively advocate on behalf of, and provide services to, Georgia’s cities and towns.”