CARLTON FLETCHER: Mike McCoy gets shabby treatment from commissioners … what else is new?

“It’s the same old song …”

— The Four Tops

Yeah, I bet it was tough for the Dougherty County Commission to renew Michael McCoy’s contract during their “contentious” meeting Monday. When your only concern is your own and those of allied special interest groups — not the people who elected you to represent them — your assessment of the person in your crosshairs can get a little muddled.

So I’ll lend a hand. This is what Dougherty County accomplished under McCoy’s daily leadership in 2022:

♦ Complete facelift of historic Radium Springs neighborhood in wake of tornado damage, including trailhead spanning 4 miles, Spring Run Bridge renovations, cleaning of springs, renewal of Radium Springs Fall Festival;

♦ Passage of SPLOST VIII;

♦ Development of first communitywide Juneteenth celebration;

♦ Secured funding for Flint River Trail System’s Radium Springs-to-Albany State University section;

♦ Successful management of ongoing special-purpose local-option sales tax funds;

♦ Ribbon-cutting on renovated Robert Cross Park, which now has outdoor exercise pad and paved walking trail around existing pond at park;

♦ Passage of balanced county budget;

♦ Implementation of first employee pay raises in 20 years;

♦ Reduction of vacancies in county departments with improved recruitment and retention policies;

♦ Improvements at Putney Park, including new playground equipment, picnic pavilion and gravel walking trail;

♦ Continued recovery from locally devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

There’s more. But this list pretty much sums up what any rational person would have to assume is a pretty successful year.

But McCoy had to survive some last-minute maneuvering by members of the commission just to keep his job. Perhaps the trio that voted not to renew the county administrator’s contract showed their hand when they suggested the board wait until Commission Chairman-elect Lorenzo Heard is in office to take the vote. As in, “Surely he’ll vote with us, and we can get a new county administrator in here.”

No doubt, the trio would add if they were honest, “… one that we can control.”

See, McCoy is not someone who is swayed by individuals and groups who want only what they want, and see themselves in position now to follow through on promises they made to some of those special interest groups — whose interest has nothing to do with what’s best for the majority of the people in the county. It’s sad that a man whose accomplishments stack up against anyone’s in the state is simply dismissed by the people who are supposed to be keenly aware of what’s going on around them.

But there are two things about McCoy that won’t allow them to judge him on merit and not personal enmity.

1) McCoy does not make race a deciding factor in the decisions he makes. Yes, he’s a black man — a proud black man — but unlike others in elected office, he doesn’t make that priority one in his decision-making. (It should be noted, though, that Albany/Dougherty County has an overwhelmingly African American population, and that has to be a factor in all government decisions made. But to make it the dominant factor is a disservice, and harkens back to the days when the population’s racial makeup was reversed, and largely white commissions cared primarily for their own special interests.) County citizens can thank goodness for men like McCoy and District 5 Commissioner Anthony Jones, who offer balance to this vengeful way of thinking.

2) The John Hayes factor. Hayes is the former county commissioner who, while supposedly involved in county business — but in reality more concerned with business of a much more prurient nature — cursed McCoy and poked him in the face while threatening to take the then-assistant county administrator’s job. Not only did Hayes not get McCoy’s job, he cost the county a $50,000 hostile workplace settlement and in the end lost his job when he was voted out of office.

There are those on the commission who today are more interested in Hayes as a political ally than the embarrassment and taxpayer money he cost the county.

After Monday’s vote, McCoy made the following statement:

“Thank you for the renewal of my contract by a 4-3 margin. I’ve dedicated over 24 years of service, from Solid Waste Operations Manager, Solid Waste Director, Assistant County Administrator and County Administrator. Myself, along with dedicated staff, have also successfully navigated unprecedented and unparalleled natural disasters that have made national news. At every step, I have tried my best to commit myself to 100% dedication to Dougherty County.

“Although today’s 4-3 vote was not the outcome I intended, it is appreciated as I continue my career, humbled to serve in Public Administration. In the political arena, emotions can sometimes run high from all parties involved as I witnessed today. It has never been my intent as the County Administrator to divide the Dougherty County Government.

“As I start my new contract, I once again commit to serving each district, each commissioner, each elected official, each employee, and every citizen with the same 100% commitment that I’ve shown over my past 24 years of service.”

With actions from members of the board who have turned their personal feelings into a semi-vendetta against McCoy, I marvel at his words. I’ll be damned if I could have been that magnanimous.