“Growth doesn’t just happen by itself. You don’t wake up, and there are new businesses and people. There is a lot of work, planning, and preparation to achieve this type of growth.” –Larry Hanson
Larry Hanson retired as Valdosta city manager on Dec. 8, 2017, and began his new position as executive director of the Georgia Municipal Association on Dec. 11, 2017. Photo by: Pat Gallagher
After four decades of working for the City of Valdosta, including 22 years as city manager, Larry Hanson has moved from promoting the interest of one city to serving hundreds of communities across Georgia.
Hanson officially began as executive director for the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) on Dec. 11, 2017. Established in 1933, the GMA is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy, professional training, employee benefits packages, and technical consulting services to more than 500 municipalities.
His career with the City of Valdosta began in 1975 when he was hired by Dave Christian to work part-time for parks and recreation.
“I had just graduated from Valdosta High School the week before,” said Hanson, who is also a graduate of Valdosta State University. “I was basically doing manual labor. I raked ball fields, laid sod, and took care of whatever needed to be done.”
Hanson’s first full-time job came in 1979 when he began working as a supervisor for the adult softball program. He then moved through the ranks, holding various administrative positions, including athletic director and assistant director of parks and recreation. In 1990, he became director of parks and recreation and community affairs.
“People wonder how I have stayed at one place for 40 years,” said Hanson, who received the 2010 Georgia City/County Management Association Pillar of Professional Management Award. “But I have had a series of different jobs, and for the first 20 years I moved to a new position every three to four years.”
Hanson, who does not back down from a challenge, said he would ask Christian to give him a trial period when a new job became available.
“It was a tactical move on my part,” Hanson said. “I would offer to take the job without a pay increase for six months. I told Dave that if I couldn’t handle the job, then he could move me back to my former position. Dave would give me that chance, and each time I would prove myself and get the job.”
Hanson gives credit to the supervisors and mentors who provided him with the skills, training, encouragement, leadership, and most importantly, the opportunity to grow.
It was James “Jimmy” Rainwater, who served as Valdosta’s mayor from 1988 to 2003, who gave Hanson the opportunity for a “trial period” one more time.
“I had been assistant city manager for only five months when the city manager’s position came open,” Hanson said. “It was Mayor Rainwater who persuaded the council to give me a chance. They made me interim city manager and then six months later the city manager.”
Hanson said he remains grateful to Rainwater and the Valdosta City Council for giving him the opportunity to serve as Valdosta’s city manager.
“Jimmy always saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” Hanson said. “He encouraged and inspired me to grow personally and professionally. Mayor Rainwater stepped up and gave me a chance to prove myself.”
Councilman Sonny Vickers, the city’s longest-serving councilman, has also been a supporter and mentor to Hanson.
“I have learned a lot from Councilman Vickers,” Hanson said. “Most importantly, I learned that people come first.”
Hanson said he has been fortunate to work with many people who are dedicated to public service, including current Valdosta Mayor John Gayle.
“Mayor Gayle is an example of a person who I greatly admire because he serves for the right reasons,” Hanson said. “Valdosta is his home, and he wants to give back. He has no ulterior motives. He is an honest and honorable gentleman. Everything he does is to make this city better.”
Hiring the right person for the right job has been a hallmark of Hanson’s leadership.
“I am proud that Valdosta is recognized as an outstanding local government,” said Hanson, who was named to the GMA Hall of Fame in 2011. “I credit that to the political leadership we have had all these years, as well as the high-quality people who work for the city. Valdosta has a lot of talented people, and they are the ones who have set us apart from other cities.”
As city manager, Hanson worked closely with three mayors and numerous city council members. With each, he pledged his dedication to make Valdosta a better place to live and work.
“As city manager, I could make recommendations all day long,” said Hanson, who was a founding member of Leadership Lowndes and a member of Leadership Georgia. “But if we didn’t have support from the mayor and city council members, then we wouldn’t be able to carry out projects, like the new wastewater treatment plant, which won an award.”
In 2017, the City of Valdosta won Project of the Year from the Georgia Chapter of the American Public Works Association for construction of the $23 million Withlacoochee Water Pollution Control Plan (WPCP) and the $36 million Force Main Project.
Hanson said Valdosta receiving the designation of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in 2005 was a highlight of his career.
“Receiving MSA status was a real game changer for this community,” Hanson said. “Once you receive MSA status you are on the radar and get looks that you wouldn’t have otherwise. It is why we have Home Depot, Lowes, and other national shops and restaurants here in Valdosta. It has also provided us with federal grants.
“Growth doesn’t just happen by itself. You don’t wake up, and there are new businesses and people. There is a lot of work, planning, and preparation to achieve this type of growth.”
Not taking things for granted is a lesson Hanson said he and others in the community learned during the early 1990s when Moody Air Force Base was placed on the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list.
Hanson, who was working as director of parks and recreation during the BRAC hearings, said this was a time when the community came together in a united effort to protect Moody’s future.
“I was with Mayor Rainwater when he got the call that Moody was on the BRAC list,’ Hanson said. “Obviously growing up in a career Air Force house—my father was retired from the Air Force and had been stationed at Moody—I understand the importance of Moody to this community.”
Since becoming city manager, Hanson has worked closely with W. Parker Greene, who along with his wife, Dr. Lucy Greene, leads the Moody Support Committee.
“I have had the honor of working with Parker to make sure Moody is kept off future BRAC lists,” said Hanson, who serves with Greene on the Air Combat Command Commander’s Group. “The relationships that Parker has developed with the Pentagon and Air Force have paid dividends for this community.”
Over the years, Hanson has assisted Greene in various roles, including approximately 20 visits to the Pentagon. He was also appointed to U.S. Senator David Perdue’s Strategic Military Advisory Group and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Military Advisory Committee.
As Hanson settles into his new responsibilities with the GMA, he said that it is the people and experiences in Valdosta that prepared him for his dream job.
“This is truly the only job that would take me from Valdosta,” Hanson said. “When Mayor Gayle was seeking re-election he asked me if I would stay for another four years. After careful consideration, I told him I would stay unless the GMA executive director job came open.”
Hanson said Gayle gave his full support when he decided to apply for the job.
“Serving as the city manager has been the most rewarding experience of my life. The opportunity to be part of the Valdosta team and serve elected officials, employees, and citizens has been a privilege I will always cherish,” Hanson said. “This city will achieve even greater success in the future because of the citizens we serve and the dedicated public servants who provide exceptional service each and every day.”