Outgoing administrator Christi Dockery leaves Lee County in ‘great shape financially’

LEESBURG — Over the past decade — indeed, over the past quarter-century — the sleepy little bedroom community of Lee County steadily morphed into an island of economic fortune in a sea of southwest Georgia poverty.

The significance of Christi Dockery climbing the ranks from stay-at-home mom/school volunteer to county clerk to county administrator over that period and helping oversee an era of unprecedented — and, to be honest, for the most part unexpectedly significant — growth is lost on many. That Dockery grew into the county’s top non-elected position and left it last week with the county in “great shape financially” is a tribute to her quiet, and some would say dogged, pursuit of excellence. 

“It’s going to be hard to find somebody to fill the big shoes she’s leaving,” Lee County Commission Chairman Luke Singletary said of Dockery. “When you think of how she worked her way from deputy clerk to clerk, to co-county administrator to administrator, it’s just a tribute to the person she is. She’s really helped me over these last 12 years, and it’s going to be difficult to find someone as dedicated as she’s been.”

Dockery was in her early 40s when she applied for an open clerk’s position with the county in July of 2000. She’d been a school volunteer/homemaker and decided to give government work a try.

“I grew up in Moultrie, moved to Albany when I was in the second grade, graduated from Westover High School, got married and raised a family,” Dockery said. “I applied for an open job I heard about, then went to the Carl Vinson Institute and got certified as a county clerk.

“We’d moved to Lee County in 1989, and as I settled into the job I realized how fortunate I was to work with people like Randy Dowling and Alan Ours. I watched them, learned from them.”

That education paid off when, in 2016, then-County Administrator Ron Rabun exited his position. The five-person County Commission mulled over what to do next and decided that Dockery and then-Director of Public Works Mike Sistrunk, with their combined experience, could serve as co-managers until a full-time manager was found. That part-time gig would last five years for Sistrunk, almost 10 for Dockery.

“Lee County has not had a more dedicated employee than Christi,” Sistrunk, who returned to his Public Works position a year and a half ago, said. “She’s a perfect example of what you’re looking for in an employee.

“When the Board of Commissioners came to us and said they wanted us to work as co-county administrators on an interim basis, we figured it would only be a short-time position. But things went well, and we ended up holding those positions for five years — me — and nine years — her. It just worked out well. I dealt mostly with the public, and Christi dealt with the state and local officials. I’m glad I had that opportunity to work closely with her.”

As she looks back over her 25 years with the county and her tenure as county administrator, Dockery says she’s proud of the part she’s played in Lee County’s recognition as the fastest-growing county in south Georgia and one of the few outside metro Atlanta that has maintained steady growth over her time as a county employee.

She said projects like the $21 million, game-changing fiber optic project under way will be “transformative” for the county. The county’s passage of a second transportation special-purpose local-options sales tax (T-SPLOST) and an eighth SPLOST will allow the county to continue making infrastructure improvements, and a new Geographic Information System department will serve the county well as it prepares for next-generation 911 service.

There’s also a new communication tower under construction that will allow first-responders to work more efficiently. And there have been sewer projects, road improvements, stormwater projects, public safety projects, facilities improvements. All while taking the county’s millage rate from 13.95 when she arrived to 12.38 as she prepares to leave.

“We’ve undergone a lot of changes in the years I’ve been here and over the past nine years that I’ve had the opportunity to serve as co-county administrator with Mike and later with (long-time employees) Joey Davenport and Heather Jones as co-assistant county administrators the last couple of years,” Dockery said. “Of course, we also have (County Attorney) Jimmy Skipper guiding us, so that’s made things run smoother.

“When they talked to me about serving as county administrator, it was definitely daunting at first. But we have such great employees here, and we had the support of our elected officials. I remember when they were talking to Mike and me about the position (Commissioner) Dennis Roland said, ‘We can’t find two more dedicated people in Lee County.’ That helped me feel they had confidence in me.”

Singletary said that the county administrator’s position is being advertised nationally and that applicants — “some local, some from a little ways out and some from way out” — have expressed interest.

“One positive is that with Joey and Heather in place, we really don’t have to rush to a decision,” the commission chairman said.

As she worked, frequently behind the scenes, Dockery used the lessons she’d learned by observing men like Dowling and Ours, men she called her mentors, to maintain the steady growth in this once small, bedroom community.

Now, she says, it’s time to take a break. 

“I haven’t taken a vacation in nine years, so I’m going to visit friends on the Coast, read books, spend some time with people I haven’t had an opportunity to spend time with,” Dockery said. “The county’s in great shape; I feel the time is right for me to go. Monday will be strange, not having to go in to work, but I’m not going to miss having those two phones to pick up.”