DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – David Headley was hired as Dawson County Manager two years ago. Thursday, the Board of Commissioners showed their appreciation for the way he has managed the day-to-day operation of the county by unanimously reappointing him for another year.

Dawson County Board of Commissioners Chairman Billy Thurmond said, “David has done a good job. He’s shown good leadership skills and he has the staff working together and going in the right direction. We’re proud of the way he has taken care of the county’s business.”

As county manager, Headley supervises nine department directors and more than 200 county employees, implements board policies and assists the chairman with annual budget preparations.

“If you were to ask me what our biggest accomplishments were in the last two years, or what I’m most proud of, it would be the people we have hired,” Headley said.

He has demonstrated the ability to identify highly-experienced, highly-qualified individuals to serve citizens.

When Lanier Swafford resigned as Public Safety Director, Headley hired Danny Thompson, a veteran firefighter with 29 years fire and emergency services experience along with 26 years’ experience as a paramedic.

Thompson also is a Certified Emergency Manager who has commanded in high rise fire situations and received the 300 Club of Atlanta award for life-saving efforts while serving with the Sandy Springs Fire Department.

He also hired Planning and Development Director Jameson Kinley who has a number of unique qualifications, including a specialized background in Geographic Information Science.

Kinley has worked closely with the planning department the last two years and has the ability to take Dawson County to the next level with technology. Headley said Kinley will use his GIS skills to analyze data and help give the Board of Commissioners and committees more updated and accurate information so that better decisions can be made for the citizens.

Headley also hired Matt Payne, who has nearly a quarter century of experience in parks and recreation operations, to be Dawson County’s Parks and Recreation Director.

From 1995 until 1999, he served as athletic director for the Forsyth County Parks and Recreation Department. After that, he worked as athletic director for the City of Cumming, where he was responsible for all aspects of athletic programming and maintenance and operations of the city swimming pool.

“There is an old quote that says, if you want to run fast you run alone. But if you want to run far you run together,” Headley said. “Our employees are running together and that should make the citizens feel good about the way things are being run.”

From an operational standpoint, Headley said, “The county has made big strides as far as how open the budget process has become. In the past, when department heads presented their annual budget requests, they made them to the chairman and county manager. But for the past two years, all commissioners and citizens have been welcome to attend.

“In the past, that has been pretty much a closed-door process,” he said. “Commissioners have not been involved in it. The chairman met with the department heads and he determined what needed to go forward. He presented the budget and they voted on it. But, we have opened the door to communications we never had before.”

Headley has 28 years of county government experience with 16 of those years in county government management. Most recently, he served as the Dawsonville City Manager.  He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and served in the United States Marine Corps. He and his wife, Sandy, and their two daughters reside in Cumming.

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