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By Editor Becky Watts
ZEBULON - Ron Alexander is Pike County’s new county manager. His first day of work will be on Monday, January 13, 2020. He is moving from Richmond Hill, Georgia with a population of 13,235, according to the US Census, to Pike County with a population of 18,634. census.gov Richmond Hill is close to Savannah.
Ron wore many hats when he was working in Garden City government prior to his appointment as county manager here in Pike County. Two of his biggest jobs were as Director of Planning and Development and as the State Fire Marshal. Here in Pike County, he will be our County Manager.
Ron told Pike County Times that he has deep roots in the area here. He and his wife have family in the area including sons and grandchildren on her side of the family. He has a son who is soon to be retiring from the Air Force and another who wants to move to this area and be a fire fighter.
They also lived in the Lamar County area for 16 years before the economy tanked and he had to obtain another job that required moving. When asked if he had seen a lot of Pike as they have been moving into and renovating their new home, he said that he had not seen as much of the county as he needs to. Moving from Savannah to Pike County has taken a lot of time so he hasn’t seen the countryside lately. “There’s a lot to catch up on,” he said.
Pike County Times asked Ron about his favorite football team and whether he collected anything special. He said that he is a “die-hard Dawg fan” and that he collects Georgia (Bulldog) memorabilia. He said that three rooms of his house are full of Georgia collectables and that his wife is a big Georgia Bulldog fan too. “She actually thinks she’s a bigger fan than I am, but she’s not,” he laughed and said.
He also said that when they are not working, they love to travel. “We try to see the world about one or two weeks a year.” He added that if they were not working or traveling, he and his wife are doing something with Georgia football or the grandkids. They are also looking forward to growing into the neighborhood here in Pike County.
When asked about how he will operate as a county manager, he said, “I would like everyone to know that I keep an open-door policy. I like to know about things, I want to hear about their concerns, and I am here to help them.” Ron said that a good county manager is going to be who is watching out for the best interests of the community, and you can’t do that if you’re not in touch with the people.
He described himself as a “people person” and said that he is looking forward to working here in Pike County, and that he and his wife are excited to be moving to the community.
How did this article come about? A reader suggested that Pike County Times interview the incoming county manager prior to his first day of work as a way to introduce him to the community. I’d like to say that I thought of this myself, but alas, I did not. It was a great idea though!
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