'Best government': Orens highlights three late Cobb leaders | Local news

MARIETTA — In the space of two weeks, Cobb County has lost three great leaders.

Long-time County Commissioner David Hankerson, former Marietta City Councilman Van Paarlberg, and former Cobb Commission Chairman Earl Smith are recognized for their contributions to Cobb, its loved ones, and its youth. He was eulogized by State Attorney General Sam Orens.

At the Marietta Kiwanis Club's weekly meeting, Orens shared personal anecdotes about each man, highlighting not only their service but also their spirit.

“There's a common thread between all three of them,” Orens said. “Family, Ethics, Youth, and Friends.”

Orens worked with each leader in various capacities, employed Perlberg under him in the Attorney General's Office, worked with Hankerson when Orens was chairman of the Cobb Commission, and served in the Cobb and other governments. He crossed paths with Smith.

When Mr. Orens was elected county manager in 2002, Mr. Hankerson had been the first black county manager for nearly a decade.

“When David first came to Cobb County, Cobb County wasn't necessarily looking to see minority leadership,” Orens said. “Despite this, he still had a smile on his face every day and did a great job serving the residents of this county.”

Orens said Hankerson was committed to quality service to Cobb residents, took complaints against county officials seriously and told anecdotes that clearly pleased the crowd.

“If an employee starts to waver from those very strict ethical constraints, that employee is gone,” Orens said. “One of my best stories about her is about a water system employee who decides to take a girlfriend to her club on the Strip in downtown Atlanta by riding in a GPS-equipped water system vehicle. This is about the members.

After the date, the employee tried to drop off his co-worker, who Orens described as “well-kept,” at the Cobb County Fire Department. A firefighter on duty called Hankerson.

“Needless to say, that person immediately ceased to be an employee of the water system,” Orens said.

Mr. Hankerson was so committed to quality service that he would sometimes roll up his sleeves to do the necessary work himself.

One night, when Cobb was at risk of flooding, Hankerson called property owners who had nearby dams that could burst to protect their residents.

“At 2:30 in the morning…they burst the dam so people wouldn't be in danger. And David said, 'Come on, let's figure out together how to manage your property. Not only will it not happen again, but you will be protected,” Orens said. “Frankly, most people don't realize what a great job he did for Cobb County, how important he was to the quality of life in Cobb County…That's the best government It is.”

Mr. Van Paarlberg led the Georgia Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Unit to one of the best in the country, Mr. Orens said.

“When Vann announced he would be heading up the Medicaid fraud unit, I received a lot of backlash,” Orens said. “Within about two months, those same people were saying, 'Van is doing an incredible job.' He raised himself to one.”

Although Perlberg found incredible success in the role, Orens said he doesn't necessarily stick to the rules. Before appointing Perlberg to lead the Medicaid fraud unit, Orens gave him a book on policy.

“The next week I went up to him and said, 'Have you read it?' And he said, 'Yeah, that's actually really interesting,'” Orens said. “Van wasn't very good with the reading policy. He was there for about a week and called my number two and said, 'I settled three cases and changed them from criminal to civil.' Ta. Then (Olens number 2) said: If I had read the policy, I would have known that they would have to send me a note before giving me the authority to do anything…and (Van) said, 'No, I don't want to change that policy. I didn’t actually read it.”

In Marietta, Pearlberg was known for its gardens, which were extensively decorated during the holidays.

“Van spent a lot of money decorating the outside of his house,” Orens said. “The word that comes to mind is 'tacky.'”

One holiday season, Orens said, part of a large inflatable outside the Perlbergs' home went missing. When Marietta police tracked them to the house where the teenage couple lived, Perlberg, who was particularly tough on crime, insisted that no charges had been filed.

“Van said, 'What are you going to do? Ruin their lives? Keep them out of college? Teenagers are stupid,'” Orens said, quoting Perlberg. Said. “At the same time, he was tough on people who broke serious laws, but was as soft as possible when it came to teenagers doing stupid things.”

Mr. Owens said Earl Smith lived the Golden Rule of treating others as he would want to be treated, and his kindness extended to the many minor car accidents he had in his later years. .

“I heard that Earl may have been a good driver when he was younger, but he was pretty bad as an adult,” Orens said. “I heard he used to get into fender benders. But the police weren't called and no tickets were issued, because Earl got out of the car and was very nice to people, so maybe that (exchange) Because by the time it was over, they were buying him a cup and we just bumped into each other. Of coffee.”

Orens said Smith, Cobb County's first Republican chairman, was one of Cobb's public transportation drivers.

“He led the efforts (of Cobb's bus service). Now, some may sit there and say that's a waste of money. But let me tell you, at the time, we was not in compliance with the Clean Air Act,” Orens said. “The easiest way to get to compliance with the Clean Air Act was to have a transportation system in place.”

Mr. Orens said that without the public transportation push, Mr. Cobb would not have been able to legally complete the road improvement project.

“If the air quality isn't improving, we can't even build right turn lanes. So every time you see a right turn lane, every time you see road improvements, please remember (Cobb County Transportation Authority).” Orens said. “There were a lot of people in Cobb County who weren't interested in bus service. But they were certainly excited to see the road improvements.”

Orens added that Marietta still has the Strand Theater because of Smith and his wife, Rachel Smith.

“I don't know if we would have had the Strand Theater without Earl and Rachel,” Mr. Orens said. “The funding that Earl provided to Rachel and the funding that he provided through dialogue with the business community was essential.”

Mr. Orens highlighted in detail how important each leader's wife is to their public life and life in general.

“They didn't make a big deal about not having a spouse,” Orens said.

Mr. Orens said his wives, Janet Hankerson, Patti Perlberg and Rachel Smith, are the true decision-makers in their respective households.

“I didn't see Janet very much, she was in charge of the family. When David made a decision, I knew Janet approved of that decision,” Orens said of David Hankerson. “He never went home and said, 'By the way, I'd like to tell you what we agreed to do today,' because he still wanted to be home. Janet was in charge. .”

Similarly, Rachel Smith was Earl Smith's equal and better half, Orens said.

“The truth is, I should say (Earl) wasn't a successful businessman; he and Rachel were successful businessmen,” Orens said. “At the end of the day, even if Rachel found out that Earl said something she didn't think was appropriate, I think she knew it. Until Rachel spoke, Earl was running the house. And Rachel was put in charge.”

And even after the death of his wife, Patti Paarlberg, in 2018, Van Paarlberg hasn't changed at all, Orens said.

“There was nothing Van did that did not require Patty's consent. But in return, you will no longer find a husband who loves his wife. A man who no longer respects his wife. And who no longer served his wife. Who are the people?'' Orens said. “He never got over Patty's death.”

That everlasting love was one of club member Terry Bunten Guthrie's key lessons.

“I knew all three people and had worked with them in different organizations…but I loved all the little tidbits and things that really told you who these people were. “What they were doing behind the scenes, they weren't doing it because no one would know,” Guthrie said. “How proud they were of[their marriage]because it's a partnership.”