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Straight from the Mike: Tall Trees Fall Hard in Cobb

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Many of us are aware of what has been said about a tree falling in the forest, ‘that no one notices.” The forest I want to emphasize is the one near us. I am talking about a populace forest with lots of trees, albeit some not as tall as others. In this case when two tall trees fall, they are heard. Their tremors are felt, and the shade once provided the area is no more. The tree can be a California Redwood, or North Carolina Pine, or a New England Birch. They are tall nonetheless and reflect growth, stability, and presence.

This month harkens for me a realization that this vibrant county has endured the loss of two mighty tall trees in our community forest. The very recent passing of former County manager, David Hankerson, should give us all pause and reflection of what a mighty tall timber he was. I did not know him that well before I joined county government, however, it did not take me long to appreciate his leadership, vision, and commitment to excellence. He was a master at showing how teamwork could get the job done and completed with excellence. He so reminded me of a quote by Michael Doyle, “The power of consensus comes from inclusion.” I was not a direct report, but he gave me the opportunity to join in with his regular management meetings. I will long appreciate his novel exercise of asking for observations from his managers about the most BOC meeting. Mr. Hankerson knew very well the importance of team buy-in and consensus.

The other tall timber, former Cobb County Chairman, Mike Boyce, is someone I did know well and enjoyed the opportunity to work for as his Special Assistant for Special Projects. I have never known anyone who would say ‘Thank you’ with fervor, consistency, and as viscerally as Mike. Those of us who may have given him a campaign contribution surely soon received a handwritten thank you note. Yes, you may have had difficulty in reading the text, but you knew it was from Mike. He had the signature of medical doctor.

Moreover, Mike saw and appreciated the human capital in everyone he connected with and understood the trials and tribulations of life in the lives of people. Yes, he would often share his concern for the inequities and disparities that existed in our county. He proved it every day, but maybe never as diligently as when he got engaged in addressing the muck and mire of the Riverside Drive apartments. He was a bulldog when it came to making his presence felt for these necessary causes and served as a beacon of leadership and excellence. He visited those South Cobb dwellings week after week. He became a fixture and conducted his own inspections and benchmarks. He had the buy-in of the then Precinct Commander, Craig Owens, as well as Code Enforcement. I can honestly say that I never got push back on any issue that involved South Cobb, affordable housing, homelessness, or the environment under his watch.

Mike took the county motto ‘Expect the Best’ as seriously as anyone I have known since Mr. Hankerson. Oh sure, I can also recall him saying good enough is the enemy of perfect. He would just keep things real that way.

However, when it came to people, human capital, all bets were off. If you had his ear, and if it made sense, it was game on. Of course, there were a few people who enjoyed full access to him other than his dedicated wife, Judy. Millie Rodgers controlled the chess board, but truth be known, it was Deane Bonner that had the office pass at her discretion. When the two of them got together, you knew some progress was in the making.

It is because of these two giant stalwarts, Michael Boyce and David Hankerson, that I am reminded of the saying that man is like unto a potato plant. The value is not in the beauty and blossoming flowers one sees about the ground, but the value is in the fruit that is under the ground.

We are a better county, a blessed county with better county employees and programs for their benefit and for our residents because of these two gentlemen that stood tall as a mighty Oak tree and withstood the storms and high degrees of sunlight to protect the community forest.

We still had work to do, but as I can recall leaving the county offices on our last day, I remarked, “Mr. Chairman, we just ran out of time.”

I remain Michael Murphy…

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