The City of Cornelia is mourning the unexpected passing of Ward One Commissioner Wesley Dodd, who has served the city for over 15 years. 56-year-old Dodd lost his battle with cancer on Wednesday.
Cornelia Mayor John Borrow says that while his family and friends knew he was battling cancer and the complications that came along with it, his death was a shock. Cornelia Commissioner Don Bagwell echoed the same thoughts, saying that his sudden death has been a painful loss, not only for himself and the commission, but for the community as a whole.
Bagwell remembers Dodd as a kind, big-hearted individual, who was conscious of the needs of citizens, open to conversation and a responsible steward of citizen’s tax dollars.
“He just understood that he was spending other people’s money and he was very, very careful when he voted in favor of an expenditure for the city,” Bagwell tells Now Habersham. “And he helped us all [the commissioners] be that way too.”
Dodd was an influential part of the budgeting and fruition of Cornelia’s water treatment plant and municipal complex, as well as other city initiatives. Dodd constantly worked to find ways to save city and taxpayer dollars as a commissioner; over his years serving Cornelia, the city received millions of dollars worth of federal grants to replace dated infrastructure.
“I looked up to Wes, both as a friend and as a role model,” Mayor Borrow says. “Wes had so much more experience than I, he would take the time to explain complex issues to me in layman’s terms – especially regarding the dynamics of our water system and how we work with other cities and the County. The Cornelia Commission has lost a valuable member. We will all miss not only his brains and intellect, but we’ll also miss his heart.”
