Commission names new county manager

During a special called meeting Saturday, Nov. 3, Pike County commissioners announced the new county manager as Bobby Bickley. They deliberated for more than an hour before announcing the decision and two commissioners were in opposition to the decision to award Bickley with a $72,000 annual salary plus standard Pike County benefits. Tim Daniel made the motion and Tim Guy seconded it and it was passed by a 3-2 vote with commissioners James Jenkins and Tommy Powers in opposition. Bickley will officially start as county manager on Dec. 10. The two finalists for the position were Ron E. Alexander, the community development and planning and zoning director for Garden City and Bickley, formerly of SouthCrest Bank in Thomaston. Ron Alexander currently works as community development/planning and zoning director for the city of Garden City. He listed as a reason for leaving Garden City that he would like to relocate to be close to family. He has also worked for the Bryan County board of commissioners, Government Services IPT, the Henry County board of commissioners, the Center for Disease Control and the I.B.E.W in work history information dating back to 1986. ’I am applying for this position because I feel my skill set and talents are an excellent fit and I would be a valuable asset to Pike County,’ said Alexander. James Robert ‘Bobby’ Bickley most recently worked at SouthCrest Bank in Thomaston. He has also worked at TIC Federal Credit Union and Talbot State Bank. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and an associate’s degree in marketing from Columbus State University in 2003. He is from Thomaston and was one of several who started the Smoke on the Water BBQ and Music Festival in 2008. He also operates RaceWay Convenience Store which he has managed since 2015. ’In combination, my financial and managerial background, my ability to build and maintain personal relationships and my strong work ethic gives me the confidence to know that I can be an asset to the Zebulon-Pike Community,’ said Bickley.