THOMASVILLE — When Alan Carson took the City of Thomasville manager reins 28 months ago, things seemed “a little chaotic,” he recalled.

“It was a little bit of chaos, and the (council) meetings were unstructured,” Carson said.

The council’s relationship with residents and staff floundered, he added.

The city did not have a city manager in 2018. New city council members, Carson said, were trying to learn the system in the absence of a city manager.

The city manager said he was extremely pleased with how quickly the council, residents and staff seem to “settle down” after he entered the picture in January 2019.

City council members allowed him to do his job. Things began to happen.

A controversial South Pinetree Boulevard project was the first situation Carson addressed. He and others met with a Georgia Department of Transportation official and solidified funding to nail down the multi-million dollar project.

Carson pointed out conflict among council members, staff and residents during ongoing discussions about the project prior to his arrival.

Sidewalks on Magnolia Street also were an issue, along with Weston Park improvements. Both projects were addressed and solved. Sidewalks were constructed, and Weston Park re-opened last week with long-awaited improvements.

Council member David Hufstetler recalled that Carson established a degree of trust between the council and staff.

“Most, if not all of that issue, was, in my opinion, due to simply a lack of sufficient communication between council and staff,” Hufstetlersaid. “Shortly after Carson’s arrival, he helped facilitate much better working relationships between city and county elected officials and their respective staffs.”

Carson did an outstanding job, including acceptance of guidance from the council, in leading the city through the COVID era with practically no noticeable difference in city service levels provided to residents, the mayor pro tem added.

Council member Todd Mobley also described Carson’s two years and four months in the city manager position as outstanding during trying times.

“He has had to fill a lot of important jobs in our city the last two years,” Mobley said. “He has found outstanding candidates to fill these jobs and keep our city running smoothly.”

Council member Jay Flowers considers the transition of city leadership one of Carson’s most significant accomplishments during his first two years.

“Upon taking the job of city manager, Alan was blessed with significant experience in his senior leadership,” Flowers said. “He has been able to honor the loyalty of long, loyal service while bringing up staff members who had been leading, learning and growing in their departments. Today, the city still has young, strong leadership in key roles, while those who contributed so much are enjoying their retirement.”

Mayor Greg Hobbs and Council member Wanda Warren did not respond to requests for comments.

Carson also outlined his upcoming goals:

• Develop an infrastructure plan for today’s needs

• Update policies and procedures, some of which have not changed since 1958

• Install new financial and billing software within the next 18 months

Carson thinks residents and staff have a new sense of trust in city government

“That’s how I see this thing flying over it at 30,000 feet,” he said.