LaGrange Mayor Jim Thornton will be inducted as Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) President Sunday, August 8th. The ceremony will take place during the GMA’s annual meeting this weekend in Savannah, Georgia.
Thornton was elected to the LaGrange City Council in 2009, and after serving one full term on the council, was elected Mayor in 2013. Within GMA, he has served on the Board of Directors and has previously chaired the Legislative Policy Council, the Federal Policy
Council, the Member Services Advisory Council, and the Municipal Government Policy Committee. Thornton was appointed as a co-chair of the recently established GMA Equity and Inclusion Commission.
LaGrange Mayor Jim Thornton will be the third LaGrange mayor to serve as President of GMA when he takes office Sunday. LaGrange Mayor R. S. O’Neal was elected President of GMA in 1944 and LaGrange Mayor Frank Tigner was elected President of GMA in 1955. Numerous LaGrange mayors and city council members have served on the Board of GMA and on its various committees throughout the history of the organization.
“I am very excited about taking on this leadership role at GMA. Through its member services and its networking, training, and advocacy programs, GMA is a tremendous resource to all 537 of its member cities,” said Mayor Thornton. “LaGrange has benefited from the work of GMA over the years, and I have enjoyed being active with the association. I appreciate the confidence of the GMA members who have given me the opportunity to serve our state and its cities in this position.”
GMA was founded in 1933 by Georgia cities in response to a legislative attempt by the Georgia General Assembly to curtail local autonomy. Dozens of cities met in Macon that year and organized the Georgia Municipal Association under the leadership of its first President, Atlanta Mayor James L. Key. There were 56 “charter members” of GMA in 1933. Today all 537 Georgia cities are members. The City of LaGrange was one of the original charter members.
About GMA: Based in Atlanta, GMA is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy, educational, employee benefit and technical assistance services to its 537 member cities.
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