On the Job With Richard Crowdis

DOSSIER

NAME: Richard Crowdis

AGE: 62

POSITION: Dougherty County Administrator since October 1998.

FAMILY: Crowdis and his wife, Kathy, and one son, Doug.

EDUCATION: After graduating from Early County High School, Crowdis earned a bachelor of arts degree from Georgia Southwestern State University. He also received a master of public administration degree from Georgia Southern College.

WORK HISTORY: Crowdis also has served as city manager for the cities of Griffin and Brunswick. He served as finance director, personnel director and city clerk for the City of Moultrie. He also was county clerk for the Floyd County Commission.

BACKGROUND: Crowdis is past president of the Georgia City-County Management Association, past president of the Georgia Association of County Managers and Administrators, past president of the Spalding County American Heart Association and past president of the Moultrie Kiwanis Club. He has been awarded membership in National Honor Society for Public Administration by Georgia Southern College.

Q. What was your first job?

A. My first job with a weekly paycheck was working during the summer before my senior year in high school as a laborer for a construction company building the new Early County High School.

Q. What was the first thing you spent money on when you received your first ever paycheck?

A. I probably bought a new baseball glove or some fishing equipment.

Q. What led you to your current position? Why did you want to operate your own business?

A. My wife, Kathy is from Thomasville and I am from Blakely. When former County Administrator Alan Reddish left in July 1998, I applied for the position. We both wanted to get back closer to home and our aging parents.

Q. What is the biggest lesson you as a business leader learned from the recent recession?

A. Local governments have to respond, adjust and adapt to the changing economic times just like private businesses. However, the big difference that is often overlooked by the general public is that where consumer demand for services and products decrease significantly in a recession for the private sector; the public sector sees no decrease for its services and often the demand is increased in a recession.

Q. If you could turn the clock back on one aspect of technology