Liberty County’s public servants shared their professional and personal New Year’s resolutions with the Courier. All say they want to better themselves and work harder to improve the community.
“I want to continue to help the city grow in a smart fashion and help integrate our soldiers into our community,” Hinesville Mayor Jim Thomas said. “I want to continue to govern responsibly.”
Personally, Thomas said he will strive to “do better with my health and try to keep myself in better condition.”
Along with continuing his duties as a state legislator, Rep. Al Williams said he hopes to realize his literary aspirations in 2011.
 “I will try and spend more time with my family and allow myself more personal time; and to speed up my book,” Williams said. “I’m writing a book about politics in Liberty County over the past 50 years. I really need to finish it. It’s been an interesting journey.”
He added he always has “a bunch” of professional goals. He summed them up saying he will “continue to improve my representation of people in Liberty County and the state of Georgia.”
Leah Poole, newly named Liberty County Chamber of Commerce director, has her 2011 goals mapped out.
“My professional New Year’s resolutions would include taking the Chamber to the next level by increasing membership while increasing the services offered; increasing our contributions to the community as a whole with bigger and better events like the Christmas parade and Christmas in the Park; and being a good community partner,” Poole said.
“My personal New Year’s resolutions would be to read more, spend more time with my family and continue making a difference however I can,” she said.
“My New Year’s resolution is to be a better person and to think more positively,” said Deidre Howell, Liberty County Health Department administrator.
 Howell added she will try to keep her cool with rude, difficult people no matter how much they aggravate her.
Midway Mayor Clemontine Washington’s goals involve her pursuit of professional training and continued community service.
“I think I would like to complete the fourth level of certification with the Georgia Municipal Association,” Washington said. “They call it a certificate of distinction. And eventually, I’d like to become active in the National League of Cities.”
GMA was established in 1933. It is the only state organization that represents municipal governments in Georgia, according to the organization’s website. “Based in Atlanta, GMA is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy, educational, employee benefit and technical consulting services to its members,” according to www.gmanet.com.
The National League of Cities advocates for cities on a national scale. Its mission is “to strengthen and promote cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance,” according to www.nlc.org. 
The Midway mayor’s personal resolutions are near to her heart. “Locally, I would like to get involved with an agency that works with children and groups that work with battered women,” she said.
Liberty County Communications Director Tom Wahl would rather talk about his staff than about himself. When prodded, Wahl said his New Year’s resolution is “to continue to help my people do their jobs better. All I do is provide them with the tools and knowledge to do their jobs. I also want to continue to improve the quality of the workplace for my people and the quality of the service they provide the public.”
Wahl said the county’s public safety communications officers deserve credit for a job well done.
“What I do is easy,” he said. “They do all the ‘grunt’ work and deserve all the recognition.”