Vivian Thomas, a member of the Henry County Board Commissioners in Georgia, credits her parents with giving her the tools to be a pillar in her community. “I often tell them that you all did this to me. You made me this servant,” she said.
Thomas grew up poor in Hawkinsville, Georgia, a city of about 5,000 people 15 miles south of Macon, where her parents were community leaders. Her mother worked as a seamstress, while her father built homes and tended to the family farm. “We became a community out of necessity. If someone needed something from us, Mom and Dad stepped up. That was normal for us,” Thomas recalled, adding that her neighbors worked together to support their communities.
Thomas began her term as a commissioner representing Henry County’s District 4 in January 2019 with a vision to build the county through smart growth and development. She has used social media to further her vision and connect with her constituents during the pandemic by hosting her Facebook “Community Conversations.” She spoke with rolling out about her progress and her future outlook.
What area encompasses District 4?
My district includes a small part south of Stockbridge, Georgia, and stretches east out to Highway 20. It also includes south down to the outer edge of McDonough, Georgia, and west to Jodeco and Flippen roads. I have an estimated 30,000 citizens in my district.
How has your vision for the country grown?
The first thing I did was to brand the district as the “medical and professional hub of Henry County.” I would constantly state that phrase, and now people say, “I live in District 4, which is the medical and professional hub of Henry County.” That gives it a branding identity and interests people who want to live in the area. From there, I’ve determined the medical area developments, including the upcoming Encompass Health Rehabilitation facility in Stockbridge. I worked with my appointee from the Henry County Development Authority on that project. With his help, we are expanding Encompass to Henry County and building a new 88,000-square-foot medical facility on Jodeco Road. I have two other developments now in negotiation. Those will be another 70,000- to 80,000- square-foot revitalization of medical and professional space. I just want to maximize my district’s assets.
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