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Led County Ledger
Your Hometown Source Of Local News
Hometown Newspaper of Susan Rooks
Volume XLII- Number 1
Leesburg, Georgia - - September 4, 2019
Fifty Cents
Getting to Know Our 2019 LCHS Distinguished Alumnus
Billy Mathis - Class of 1978
Billy Mathis
Special to the Ledger
The fourth recipient
of the 2019 Lee County
High School Distin
guished Alumni is Billy
Mathis who graduated
from Lee County High
School in 1978. Mr.
Mathis was an A student
and exceptionally good
debater while attend
ing Lee County High
School. He won many
awards for his speaking
ability and brought home
many team victories
at a time when it was
difficult to do so because
many judges in South
Georgia were untrained.
He won numerous
tournaments as well as
Region and finally 3rd
in state in his junior and
senior years. This was
particularly a feat to ac
complish during the late
‘70s because the Atlanta
schools had more experi
ence.
After graduating from
Valdosta State Univer
sity earning a B.B.A.
degree, Mr. Mathis at
tended Woodrow Wilson
Law School to pursue a
J.D. degree. While at
tending law school, Mr.
Mathis decided to take
the Bar exam for extra
practice and passed with
only 2 years of study!
This accomplishment
was most unusual and
certainly made his third
year of law school more
stress free.
Billy Mathis has
worked for over 30
years as a self-employed
civil trial lawyer in the
Albany and Leesburg ar
eas - Mathis Law Firm,
Billy Mathis Attorney
at Law. Mr. Mathis was
the past President of the
Southwest Georgia Trial
Lawyers Association
and a past Vice Presi
dent of the Georgia Trial
Lawyers Association. He
has managed to have a
very successful practice
in the area for many
years representing local
citizens. Billy is a mem
ber of the Georgia Bar
Association and contin
ues to practice law in the
Albany, GA area.
Being involved in local
politics in Lee County
for about 18 years, Mr.
Mathis’ professional
skills have contrib
uted greatly. He has
served as Chairman of
the Lee County Board
of Commissioners
from 2001-2003, Vice
Chairman in 2000 and
2019-present, Commis
sioner from 1999-2006
and 2015-present, and
as Chairman of the
Lee County Utilities
Authority. As a coun
ty commissioner, Mr.
Mathis has been instru
mental in increasing the
quality of life in Lee
County. During his term
of service, Lee County
went from a volunteer
fire department to a full
time fire department. As
a result of his efforts,
emergency services have
expanded and improved
with Lee County’s EMS
response time being one
of the lowest in the state.
He is currently involved
with the possible hos
pital project coming to
Lee County. This project
hopes to bring better
medical care from more
specialists, provide
citizens a choice for
medical care and possi
ble lower medical costs
associated with hospital
competition.
Billy has continued
to be involved in the
debate program at Lee
County High School and
provide financial assis
tance where needed. He
also served as judge at
local school tournaments
when available. He has
devoted his time in
recent years to trying to
help find a debate coach
to provide opportunities
like those which benefit
ed his life.
A supporter of the Lee
County Public Library,
Mr. Mathis has cham
pioned the progress of
literacy, community,
and citizenship in our
community. He has con
tributed to the growth
and expansion of the
Lee County Library by
advocating for funding,
community support, and
library services for resi
dents of Lee County.
Billy Mathis is a proud
Lee County resident and
proud to have raised two
children: Carly Mathis
who was Miss Georgia
for 2013 and currently
studying law at UGA
and Tripp Mathis who
is currently studying at
FSU. He lives with his
wife Wendy who serves
as a volunteer in many
county organizations.
The LCHS Dis
tinguished Alumni
Committee is proud to
recognize Billy Mathis
as a member of the 2019
Class of Distinguished
Alumni. The purpose of
this program is to recog
nize outstanding alumni
who have maintained a
high standard of excel
lence and distinguished
themselves through their
work, personal accom
plishments, or in the
lives of others. These in
dividuals exemplify the
ideals of the Lee County
School System and the
community it serves,
and thus serve as role
models for current and
future Lee County High
School Students.
Three Qualify For Smithville Mayor
During the recent
qualifying period in
Smithville, three people
qualified to seek a four
year term as mayor.
Current Mayor Jack
Smith will be seeking
reelection. Also qualify
ing was Vincent Cutts,
a former city council
member and seeking her
first political office is
Jalia Taylor.
Ward 1 and 2 on the
Smithville City Council
were listed in the qual
ifying notice. Shalni-
ca French and James
Champion, the two
incumbents, qualified
Voters To Decide On Sunday Alcohol Sales
Lee County voters
will decide at the
ballot box the answers
to two questions. The
answers to the two
questions on the ballot
will determine wheth
er alcoholic beverage
can be sold by the
drink and if malt bev
erage can be sold by
package sales.
Question 1 on the
November 5th ballot is
the proposal to allow
distilled spirits or al-
DOHERTY, DUGGAN,
HART&TIERNAN
INSURORS
Home • Auto • Business • Life/Health
P.O.Box 71628 (229)888-2040
Albany, GA 31708-1628 800-628-2040
2301 Dawson Road (31707) Fax (229) 435-3036
www.ddhtins.com
Save the Date -
October 3, 2019
Lee County
Homecoming
Parade -
5:30 PM
For information
email
Donna Jones
jonesdo@lee.
k12.ga.us
coholic beverage to be
sold by the drink on
Sundays from 11:00
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Question 2 on the
November 5th bal
lot is the proposal to
allow package sales
of malt beverage and
wine on Sundays from
12:30 p.m. to 11:30
p.m.
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Submitted Photo
The Georgia Retired Educators Association holds yearly meetings in the fall to kick start the
new year and inform all clubs throughout the state of different programs, services, and events.
The Lee County Retired Educators attended the one for their district on August 8 at Albany
Tech. In attendance at that meeting were President SaraBess Lunsford, Georgia Temples,
Linda Cannon, Ann Brown, Debra Smith, and Sandra Parker. These ladies represented Lee
County at that meeting.
To Subscribe Call 229-759-2413
for reelection and will
not face any opposition.
The election for the
position of mayor in
Smithville will be held
Tuesday, November 5,
2019.
Qualifying for the City
of Leesburg election for
November 5, 2019 saw
only the three incum
bents, Bobby Wilson,
Richard Bush and Rufus
Sherman qualifying
without opposition. The
election for Leesburg
City Council will be
cancelled.
BHilHiilllii
BANK OF LEE COUNTY
& BANK OF TERRELL
ARE EXCITED TO
DO BUSINESS UNDER
OUR NEW NAME
Georgia Community Bank
New Name.
Same Faces.
Same Commitment.
3000 N. SLAPPEY BLVD.
ALBANY, GA
250 E. LEE ST.
DAWSON, GA
GCB.BANK pDic (=}
