Habersham County Commission Chairman Andrea Harper’s idea to get all the local governments together in the same room worked out pretty well. “I was a little disappointed in the turnout but every city was represented and that’s the main thing,” Harper says.
Last month she devised a plan to invite all the elected officials from all the towns in Habersham County to an informal gathering. Similar to a Chamber of Commerce “Business After Hours” event, Habersham’s “Government After Hours” convened at the County Courthouse on Wednesday evening. The event attracted more than a dozen local leaders from each of the various municipal governments as well as State Rep. Terry Rogers (R-Clarkesville).
There was no agenda, no work list they had to get through. Mayors and City Council members just “hung out” with each other and enjoyed snacks from Garden Gate Catering.
“It’s just a good thing to have a non-agenda event,” says Baldwin Mayor Jerry Neace. “We could just socialize and talk as a community.” That is exactly what Harper had in mind. “This is all part of an effort to keep the communication lines open. We can get together where’s there is not an agenda. We can just get to know each other.”
Harper believes that people who know each other socially are more likely to work together better when the need arises, “We may not always agree but I think it’s easier to talk to people about your disagreements when you know them socially and you feel comfortable talking to them.”
The idea seemed to go over well with other leaders too. Mt. Airy’s Mayor and Council have agreed to host the next joint meeting in the coming months. Harper says City and County staff will also get in on the social agenda, “The County Manager and city managers are going to start meeting together on a regular basis too. They can discuss some of the issues that will come before their respective boards.”
