Paul Forgey spurned Lee County offer for challenges of Albany-Dougherty County

ALBANY — Those who live their lives looking back at what might have been would not be comfortable in Paul Forgey’s shoes.

On March 8, Forgey, who serves as the Planning Services director for Albany and Dougherty County, stunned Lee County officials by turning down an opportunity to serve as Lee’s county manager, a position considered a plum job by many who work in government management.

Forgey had forged a strong working relationship with Lee County Commission Chairman Rick Muggridge, with Chamber of Commerce Director Winston Oxford, with Commissioner Dennis Roland and with others in the community during his 17 years working with the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission, and the Lee commission decided his management skills would serve the community well.

But Forgey said no thank you, forcing the Lee County board back into search mode.

“I’m just not the kind of person who spends time regretting decisions I’ve made,” Forgey said. “Life’s too short for that. I am disappointed that I won’t get the opportunity to work closely with Rick, Winston, Dennis, Bob (Alexander, Leesburg’s city manager) and others there, but I believe we’re on the verge of doing some really big things here in Albany-Dougherty County.

“I decided I wanted to be a part of that.”

Born and raised in Tucson, Ariz., Forgey came to Georgia when he received a scholarship offer to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he studied architecture and historic preservation. That latter area of study would also play into Forgey’s decision to turn down the Lee County position.

“There are a few historic buildings in Lee County — the courthouse being the most obvious one — but there are a lot of structures here (in Albany and Dougherty County) worthy of preservation,” he said. “I’m someone who loves variety and loves to take on challenges, and there are a lot of challenges here.”

Forgey has worked for a quarter-century as a planner, on the Atlantic Coast in Glynn County and on Jekyll Island, but mostly in Southwest Georgia, in Thomasville, with the Camilla-based Regional Commission and in Albany. He’s built a reputation as one of the region’s most knowledgeable practitioners of his profession.

“We felt like Paul would be a great fit in Lee County,” Muggridge said after learning Forgey had chosen not to accept the county’s job offer. “He’s worked well with our people here, and we thought he could help move us forward. But he explained his reasons for not taking the job, and I respect that. I understand what’s important to him.”

Albany City Manager Sharon Subadan fought to keep Forgey when she learned he was a finalist for the Lee County position.

“Paul has expertise in areas that are important to our community, especially as we focus on redevelopment of our downtown district,” Subadan said. “I know that when your managers are selected for top-level management jobs elsewhere, it is a complement to your management team. But we’re pleased that Paul decided to continue his work with our team. He will be a big part of our efforts to make Albany the best community it can be.”

Forgey said he was initially intrigued at the thought of making the move to a top-level management position when Lee County officials voted to name him county manager. But he said a number of factors led him to reject the offer.

“The biggest thing was the split, 3-2 vote (for approval of Forgey),” he said. “I don’t like to get too deep into the politics of a situation, but that was a tenuous vote. And all three of the commissioners who reportedly voted for me were coming up for re-election.

“But mostly, I’m a person who likes stability. I did research into city and county managers, and generally they fall into two groups: those who settle in and stay a long time and those who stay a year or two and move on, going from place to place. I didn’t want to be someone who goes to a place and spends his two or three years there planning his next move. I love Southwest Georgia, and I feel that as long as I do my job, I have an opportunity to stay here in Albany.”

But just settling in and holding an office are not priorities in Forgey’s agenda.

“I can’t stress enough how much I love what I do,” he said. “There are good people here, the staff is the best I’ve ever worked with, and I believe we’re on the verge of doing some really big things in Albany. I feel like I have the skills that can help make our community better, and I want to be a part of that.

“So many times, a community will build momentum, and then some of the key leaders who helped create that momentum move on, and things die down. That makes it hard for the community to move forward. I think we have a committed staff here in place, and being a part of something like this is more important to me right now than a career change.”

Forgey said it was a chance meeting with Muggridge that piqued his interest in the Lee County job in the first place, but in the end the challenges of Albany and Dougherty County kept him in place.

“There are so many elements to our community: urban, rural, historic preservation, poverty, commercial, agriculture, military,” he said. “Being director of Planning Services is a big-picture kind of job. And that appeals to me.”