Perdue, Gottwals sworn in as newest commissioners

PERRY, Ga. — The Houston County Board of Commissioners is going through changes of their own as the year changes over, with the addition of a local business owner and a return from a former commissioner.

On Wednesday, families and community leaders gathered upstairs in the Jury Room at the Houston County Superior Court in Perry to witness Perdue and Gottwals’ inauguration.

As you may recall, on Election Day, Shane Gottwals was voted in for Post 2, taking the place of Commissioner Jay Walker III, who will step down from office.

Post 1 Chairman Tommy Stalnaker will also retire from the Board of Commissioners, handing over the reigns to former Post 4 Commissioner Dan Perdue, who ran unopposed for the seat earlier this year.

Judge Edward D. Lukemire swore in Perdue and Gottwals at the ceremony, saying a few remarks about both candidates in the process.

Lukemire said of Gottwals, “I’ve known Shane for quite a while … I’ve watched him grow up. He’s very involved in the community, of course, as a business.”

Addressing Gottwals directly, Lukemire said, “We do appreciate that you are committed to this. I know you’re ready to start, and know you’re committed to serving the people of Houston County.”

Moving on, Lukemire spoke highly of Perdue as well.

“Your reputation proceeds you, and that’s a good thing,” Lukemire said. “Likewise, I appreciate the heart for public service that you have.”

After both were sworn in, former Chairman Tommy Stalnaker spoke to the crowd, thanking the community for giving him the opportunity to serve, and expressing a sense of pride towards Perdue, his replacement.

“He will fill my shoes, and he will do a great job,” Stalnaker said.

Speaking of Gottwals, Stalnaker expressed a sense of gratitude for having a diverse set of viewpoints on the commissioners.

“I said ‘we needed a man of business on the commissioners,’ and you bring that business to the board,” Stalnaker said. “I know you’re going to do a great job, as well, and you have done a remarkable job in building the business that you made.”

Stalnaker closed by offering support moving forward, and wishing luck to the current commissioners

“If there’s any way I can help any of you, I’ll be glad to do it,” Stalnaker said. “But I feel like this county is in good hands come January 2023.”

After Stalnaker, Gottwals took the podium to speak, showing appreciation to those who came to witness the ceremony, and then spoke on his business background.

“I come from a different background, and that’s a wonderful thing, that diversity on the board,” Gottwals said.

He then spoke on his first exposure to politics — coincidentally, Judge Lukemire’s campaign for superior court judge in the 90’s — and how special it was to him to be sworn in by a longtime family friend.

“It really means a lot,” Gottwals said. “Talk about a full circle sort of thing … my introduction to politics was a positive one. I had no earthly idea what the process was, honestly, who was in office, maybe the president or the governor at the time. It was a very positive experience through [Lukemire], and I knew I could trust him.”

He then explained his connections to county politics, stating that his friend’s father is former Warner Robins Mayor Randy Toms.

He then spoke on his relationship with Perdue and his family, and closed by thanking God, the community and his family, and with a quote from C.S. Lewis: “In each of my friends, there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself, I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity. I want other lights than my own to show all these facets.”

Gottwals then explained the quote’s meaning, underpinning the spirit of cooperation and community within its concept.

“It takes each of us reflecting off of each other in community for all of us to shine, and I think that’s what we have here in Houston County,” Gottwals said.

Finally, Perdue spoke briefly, thanking his family and the community for their support. He said that he and his wife did not originally plan on working in public service and showed gratitude to his family for trusting him as times changed.

“Here we are,” Perdue said. “I want to thank you for trusting me and following me, because I followed the Lord, and His leading. That’s really special to have someone who will trust you like that.”

He then spoke on how honored he is to serve and continue the county’s successful legacy.

“There’s a calling on this next generation of commissioners that have come in,” Perdue said. “When you’re coming into a situation that’s as good and as well run as Houston County, it’s nice, because you don’t have to come in and fix a lot of things. But there’s also a very high bar for what success looks like.”

Perdue closed by thanking previous commissioners for modeling that success, before the ceremony ended with a reception on the first floor of the courthouse.

Looking forward, the Houston County Board of Commissioners will meet on the first and third Tuesday of every month.

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