Henry County Commissioner Dee Clemmons on Thursday announced her intention to resign from her District 2 seat.
In a statement, Clemmons said that she decided to leave the board after thinking about her future while on a requested 90-day leave of absence, which began in February. Clemmons had said in her leave request that she needed the time off to take care of her mental and physical health.
“I want to extend a sincere thank you to the citizens of Henry County and across the state for the support that I received during my leave,” Clemmons said. “But after much-needed rest, I concluded it was time to pass the torch on the local level.
“While you won’t see me working in this current capacity, I remain driven to find ways to make a positive impact through a means that is sustainable for me and my family,” she said.
It was not clear Thursday when the county would hold a special election to replace Clemmons or if Henry County Commission Chairwoman Carlotta Harrell would appoint someone to her seat in the interim.
The Henry Commission in February denied Clemmons request for a leave of absence, which by law must be approved by the board to go into effect. Nonetheless, Clemmons did not attend any board meetings in person or remotely after requesting the leave of absence.
Clemmons departure opens up a seat on a board that has seen much turnover in recent years.
The March 2021 COVID-19 death of former Commissioner Gary Barham opened up his District 3 position, which was filled by former Commissioner Greg Cannon in a special election that year in June.
Cannon abruptly resigned eight months later after relations on the board became strained.
“After much prayerful consideration, soul searching and thoughtful deliberation, I resign from the Henry County Board of Commissioners effective immediately on this day, Feb. 1, 2022, respectfully submitted,” he told a stunned audience during the commission meeting that day.
Cannon then turned to chairwoman Harrell, handed her his resignation letter and left.
Harrell appointed Derrell “Dee” Anglyn to fill Cannon’s seat as an interim commissioner later that month. Anglyn won a full four-year term to represent District 3 in November.
Credit: Henry County Commission
Credit: Henry County Commission
Former Commissioner Bruce Holmes lost his District 5 seat last year during redistricting of the county’s commission map. He was replaced by Commissioner Kevin Lewis.
Clemmons was Henry County’s first Black woman commissioner and received the “Commissioner of the Year” award for improvements she led to the Highway 19/41 corridor and the county-owned Henry County Airport.
She also made headlines in 2017 after she inquired about a Confederate flag at the entrance to Nash Farm Battlefield in Hampton. Operators of a museum on the grounds of the facility said they were pushed to remove Confederate flags from their facility.
Although it remained unclear who made the request, Clemmons became the face of the flag issue and said she received death threats. Opponents of the flag removals called her bully and said she did not respect history. The operator of the museum called the facility shortly after the controversy roiled the community.
Clemmons said she was not sure about her future plans.
“This does not mean my commitment to bettering lives everywhere is complete,” she said. “I am going to take time to figure out what is next for me as a public servant. I will always believe in the importance of giving back to the community. While my tenure with the board is coming to an end, I remain invested in making Georgia a better home for all residents.”
