LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Who needs Washington’s drama; Dougherty County has its own?

To the Editor:

As African Americans across the nation express alarm over what looks like a federal weaponization of power under the current president — executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, Black History Month, and even Martin Luther King Jr. — it’s ironic to see the same playbook being used right here in Dougherty County. But instead of national headlines, we have local leaders like Lorenzo Heard, Gloria Gaines, Victor Edwards and Clinton Johnson stepping into roles as our very own architects of revenge politics.

And who’s the target? None other than county’s former county administrator, a man who dared to stand up to one of their dear friends over an ugly incident years ago.

If you’ve been following the saga, you know that Chairman Heard’s fixation on the employee didn’t begin with his election. It started long before, on his gospel radio program — a platform where you’d expect to hear messages of faith and unity. Instead, Heard used his pulpit to routinely lash out against the former administrator, referring to him as the “white man’s Negro.” Christian values, indeed.

Apparently, “love thy neighbor” didn’t apply to this man, whose real crime seems to have been showing professionalism and integrity while doing his job.

Once Heard became chairman in 2023, he wasted no time exacting his version of “justice.” The administrator, who had dared to stand up to former Commissioner John Hayes during an inappropriate incident in Savannah, was immediately in the crosshairs. Heard’s reasoning for the firing? Take your pick — there have been at least four different explanations. The most laughable? Claiming the administrator made a “poor decision” in hiring an assistant county administrator. And the punchline? That very same assistant, who happens to be white, was promoted to acting county administrator after the dismissal — despite having zero experience as a county administrator or city manager. Not only was he allowed to run the county, but he was lauded by Heard and his allies and even given a raise. Meritocracy, indeed.

But that’s not all. Under this new leadership, there seems to be a curious double standard when it comes to employment. Non-African Americans without college degrees or management experience have been handed leadership roles with ease, while African Americans in similar positions are held to impossibly high standards. It’s almost as if the playbook here is do unto others as was done unto us, only worse.

And let’s not forget Heard’s most recent spectacle: Hosting his mentor as the keynote speaker for an MLK dinner. A lovely gesture, except this mentor, billed as the chairman of a metro Atlanta county, wasn’t actually in office anymore — he’d been voted out. Oh, and there’s that minor detail of an $85,000 sexual harassment settlement hanging over his head. But why let facts get in the way of a good friendship?

Meanwhile, under Heard’s leadership, the county’s population continues to decline, no new industries have been attracted, and conditions in east and south Albany remain unchanged. But rest assured, political enemies have been vanquished, friends have been rewarded with contracts, and public perception has been managed with smoke and mirrors. Who needs accountability when you can throw a good MLK dinner?

The irony is so thick, it’s almost poetic. African American leaders, who ought to be advocates for fairness and equality, are instead engaging in the same behavior we decry on the national stage. When we see Washington weaponize power against perceived enemies, we shake our heads in disbelief. But here in Dougherty County, it’s déjà vu — with a local twist.

If this is leadership, Dougherty County is in trouble. It’s time to demand better — not just from those in Washington but from those in our own backyard. Because if this is the example we’re setting, we don’t need outsiders to undermine our progress. We’re doing it just fine ourselves.

Name Withheld on Author’s request

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