But it doesn’t have to be that way. Former Griffin Mayor Raymond Head Jr. proved that.
Head, 89, who died on Oct. 7, was a soft-spoken leader who was willing to work toward a consensus during his years in local politics.
Head was the first black elected to the Griffin Board of Commissioners and served on the board for 27 years. He was also Griffin’s first black mayor.
Local attorney Michael Kendall remembered Head as one of the legendary political, business and civic figures in Griffin. Griffin native Haskell Ward called Head’s death “a great loss for the city of Griffin and the state of Georgia.”
Ward called Head “a courageous leader” during a time of tense race relations.
We believe that Kendall and Ward are right on target. Not only was Head a leader in the community when civil rights issues were on the front burner, he was a leader during less turbulent times in Griffin-Spalding County.
At city commission meetings, Head did not always say a lot, but when he spoke, people listened. Ward said that even after Head left his city commission post, his advice was sought by a new generation of leaders.
And that’s proof that Head was a true leader in this community.
THE GRIFFIN DAILY NEWS
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