Former Cobb County commissioner Joe Lee Thompson was so eager to stay on top of community concerns in his district that he was constantly in the field checking for things that needed tackling.
He rode around on weekends, accompanied by his wife, who had a pen and pad in hand, making note of a pothole that needed filling or a blighted area that needed revitalization.
He’d then take that list to his office and ask his assistant to get right on it.
“Joe was very proactive,” said his wife Charlsie Thompson. “He saw the big picture and the small things that needed to be addressed. He really loved serving the local community.”
Thompson of Vinings, Cobb’s longest-serving district commissioner, died Sept. 5 at age 77. His wife said he suffered severe head trauma from a fall on Sept. 1. His funeral was Sept. 9 at Smyrna First United Methodist Church.
Born on March 9, 1938, in Albertville, Ala., Thompson grew up in Atlanta and attended Georgia Tech on a football scholarship. After graduating, he moved to Cobb County and began working for Smyrna Federal Savings and Loan as vice president of mortgage and lending.
After a decade in the mortgage business, Thompson turned to politics. He won election to the state senate as a Democrat in 1972 and served for 12 years.
Former state senator George T. Warren II, who represented south DeKalb County at the time, said that although he was a Republican and Thompson was a Democrat in the early 1970s, the two men found they had a lot in common.
Both fought for more stringent laws to crack down on drunk drinking, he said. Thompson also advocated for better teacher benefits. “He was a man of strong character and strong Christian values,” said Warren, now a resident of Madison.
In 1993, Thompson was elected to the Cobb commission as a Republican, representing District 2, which encompasses southeast Cobb, Vinings and Smyrna.
As commissioner, he was a strong advocate for road improvement projects, which helped spur development and revitalize neighborhoods. He also was instrumental in the multimillion-dollar renovation of Cumberland Mall and the opening of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center.
He was most proud of his work to widen Atlanta Road, which transformed a declining industrial corridor into a bustling residential community, his wife said. The road has been designated the Joe L. Thompson Honorary Roadway.
“He was a quiet, but extraordinarily visionary leader,” said Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee. “He always saw far beyond what was right in front of him to the potential of what it could be in the future. I learned a great deal about leadership from him and am privileged to have had the opportunity to serve with him on the Board of Commissioners.”
Known as a fiscal conservative and a good communicator, Thompson used patience and diplomacy in advocating for issues while maintaining a hands-on approach in serving his constituents.
Sometimes, he’d pick up constituents and drive them around the district to show them what had been accomplished and what else needed attention, said friend and former neighbor Sheldon Simms of Cumming.
“He was one of the best commissioners we ever had,” Simms said. “He kept taxes down and held down spending. He could talk to people and do what could be done to bring in good development. He was very much in touch with his district and very good in responding to his constituents.”
Thompson left the commission in 2008, after losing the Republican nomination to commissioner Bob Ott.
A Braves fan, he was excited about the team coming to Cobb, and loved to ride by the construction site to see how work was progressing on the new stadium, his wife said.
“He was obsessed with serving Cobb and his district,” she said. “He was always thinking about things to benefit the county.”
In addition to his wife, Thompson is survived by his son Joe Thompson Jr. of Merritt Island, Fla., his daughters Kelly Thompson of Avondale Estates, Deannie Robinson of Decatur and Lee Cork of Marietta, and seven grandchildren.
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