Ben Taylor says thanks, but no thanks to Camilla city manager job

CAMILLA — It’s back to the drawing board for Camilla City Manager Bennett Adams and the City Council in their quest to find Adams’ replacement after Bryan County Administrator Ben Taylor was offered the job on Monday and said “No, thanks” on Wednesday.

A statement released by the Bryan County Board of Commissioners Wednesday afternoon stated:

“Bryan County Administrator Ben Taylor recently was offered and has declined a position as city manager with Camilla, Ga. Camilla is a full-service city with a $50 million budget that provides electricity, natural gas, water and sewer, and cable television. Taylor has been Bryan County’s administrator for over three years, having been hired in July 2014 to succeed Ray Pittman as county administrator. Taylor formerly was the city manager of Ashburn, Ga.”

While Taylor said he appreciated Camilla’s offer, which included an enticing salary and benefits package, his commitment to Bryan County remains firm. He said he’s eager to continue the progress the region has experienced under his guidance.

“Bryan County is my home and has been for several years. My family is here, and my children attend local public schools. This is my community, and I take great pride in the work I have done and will continue to do in Bryan County,” Taylor said. “Our residents’ quality of life is a top priority to me, and with all the growth and development plans we have in the works, I’m looking forward to continuing with this momentum and seeing positive results.”

Bryan County Commission Chairman Carter Infinger expressed satisfaction with Taylor’s decision to remain in Bryan County and praised Taylor’s commitment to the region.

“Ben is excellent at what he does and has a history of heavily contributing to the successful growth and development of the communities he has led, including ours,” Infinger said. “In this line of work, it’s not unusual to be approached for advancement opportunities. A county that is poised for advancement may take note of another county that has recently experienced a lot of success. It’s common for a growing county’s leaders and employees to be recruited by other communities who are looking to experience that same kind of success.”

Former Albany interim City Manager Tom Berry is leading the search effort to find Adams’ replacement in Camilla.

“Well, that didn’t take long. That was probably the quickest city manager in history,” Berry said. “He (Taylor) really wanted to go (to Camilla). We won’t do anything now until the first of the year. We’ll meet with the City Council and see where we go from here.”

Adams is set to retire on Jan. 26, and Berry said it is possible that the city could name an interim administrator until a permanent replacement is found. Berry said he has several names to put before the council in January.