Dougherty Co. Commission planning next move following county administrator’s termination

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - During a special called meeting on Thursday, a commission made the motion to vote on whether or not to repeal the commission’s decision to terminate McCoy.

District 4 Commissioner Russell Gray made the motion. However, in order to do that, he was required to get a unanimous vote to add it to the agenda. After a vote, he was denied.

But District 6 Commissioner Anthony Jones voted with Gray and McCoy.

“My opinion is yes, I feel like he should still remain intact. He did a good job,” Jones said. “But however, I’ve learned in this line of work to respect the opinions of others. And so right now, I have to respect the opinion for the other four. But as for me, my opinion is that I would like to have seen him remain in this position.”

Dougherty County Commission Chairman Lorenzo Heard says he’s only looking forward now. That’s where Dave Wills, the executive director for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, comes in.

“I wanted to bring somebody with expertise to give us solid direction on how do you move forward,” Heard said. “This isn’t his first rodeo. And I knew that he would give us excellent information. What we need to consider and what we need to do. And I appreciate Mr. Wills. And I think it’s gonna help us.”

When asked if he believed the commission was in a good place after the termination, Wills had this to say:

“I was invited here to help them understand how they could potentially move forward. So I just restrict my comments to that,” Wills said. “I’m absolutely confident that they can move on, every county does at some point. Some move quicker than others. It’s not uncommon to see managerial changes among counties. But ultimately, the commission has a responsibility to provide government, provide services to people.”

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