THOMASVILLE — Gregory Andrew Hobbs Sr. never even considered being Thomasville mayor.

“I never had the thought that I would be the mayor of Thomasville,” he said. “I wanted to be sheriff.”

Hobbs was unanimously elected mayor Monday by fellow members of Thomasville City Council. He will serve two years.

The new mayor wants a controversial subject — a proposed new sign ordinance — addressed immediately. He wants to allow citizens to have input on how signs should look.

Hobbs said he wants to bridge the gap and establish trust between citizens and city government.

The mayor wants people to feel comfortable about approaching the council and asking questions.

“They don’t have to think the city is plotting something without them knowing what is going on,” Hobbs said.

Hobbs, 49, is a 1985 Thomasville High School graduate and attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. He is in involved in ongoing Georgia Municipal Association training.

Owner of a Thomasville construction company, he previously was mayor pro tem.

He and his wife, Kim, have a son, Gregory, 17, a THS senior.

The youngest of 10 children, the mayor is a son of Clarice Hobbs, of Thomasville, and Grover Hobbs, a North Carolina resident.

Hobbs was employed by the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office from 1988 to 1992. He ran for sheriff twice — in 1996 and 2000.

His political aspirations were set aside until he sought a city council seat seven years ago.

In reference to city projects, Hobbs said the events center is in the planning stages, and a hotel and parking garage continue to be discussed.

As mayor, Hobbs wants to see curb and gutter installed on Fletcher Street where ditches now provide drainage. He wants sidewalks for a stretch of Martin Luther King Drive.

“I’d like to see more businesses come here,” Hobbs said. “It spreads the cost. … It’s an opportunity for the people who live here.”

Good jobs, he said, reduce the likelihood of crime.

Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820.