Monroe County’s newest county commissioner, Albert “Al” Turner, is set to be sworn in at the outset of Commissioners’ final meeting of 2024 at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at the Monroe County Conference Center.
Turner, who has lived in Monroe County for the past 15 years, received the most votes in a special runoff election on Tuesday, Dec. 3 to serve District 4, which includes most of northern Monroe County. Turner will serve the final two years of the term of former county commissioner George Emami, who resigned effective Nov. 4.
Turner, who was the final man standing in a competitive five-man race to fill Emami’s seat, said he’s relieved the election is over but said he learned a lot during the campaign process.
“I enjoyed every moment talking to the voters, getting to know them and them getting to know me,” Turner said. “It was very entertaining.”
Turner said he decided to run for the District 4 seat back in June while attending the state Republican (GOP) convention in Columbus. Turner said some friends encouraged him to run because they believed he could make a positive impact in Monroe County.
“From talking to a lot of the voters out there, they were looking for a change,” Turner said. “And I was told, ‘Al, run because I think you can make a change and make a difference.’ And I decided to go on and do it. Because I’m a public servant anyway. I like working with people.”
Turner was born and raised in Anniston, Ala. After graduating from high school in 1968, he joined the U.S. Army, which he served for two years as a communication line specialist. After leaving the military in 1970, he soon moved to Atlanta in early 1971. He eventually settled in Jonesboro and then Conyers before making his way to Monroe County after a divorce in 2008.
Turner enjoyed a successful career in the transportation business, working for several companies before starting his own logistics business, A. Turner Enterprises, in 1986. Over 20 years, A. Turner Enterprises handled general freight in six Southeast states: Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida. One of A. Turner Enterprises’ top freight clients was spice giant, McCormick & Company. Turner said A. Turner Enterprises was a 15-employee operation that had 12 tractors and 15 trailers. As A. Turner Enterprises Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Turner managed the staff, drivers, maintenance, hiring and firing, etc. After selling his business in 2006, Turner went to work for his friend’s company, Davidson Transportation Marketing, Inc. (DTM), before eventually retiring.
Since coming to Monroe County, Turner has become entrenched in the community, participating as an active member of the Monroe County Republican Party, which he serves as Sergeant at Arms, the Monroe County Kiwanis Club, the Vietnam Veterans of America, and the nearby Butts County Historical Society.
Turner is also a newlywed, having married wife Christy in January 2024. Together, the Turners have six adult children (Al has three of his own) and nine grandchildren (Al has four of his own). Turner has a son and daughter who live in Texas while another daughter lives just down I-75 in Ashburn, Ga.
Turner, who lives in Teagle Farms subdivision off Hwy. 42 North on the extreme north end of Monroe County, said he wants to meet with his District 4 constituents to decide what kind of growth they want to see on their end of the county.
“I would kind of like to get the people together and let them give me some ideas as a commissioner what they want in that area instead of hearing all the time what they don’t want,” Turner said. “Because as I was campaigning, I heard more of what we don’t want and less of what we want. So I would like to get with the voters and the constituents to find out what they really want and what kind of progress they need to come in there.”
Turner said many High Falls-area citizens are seriously concerned about High Falls Lake being contaminated as a result of increased development. Turner said he understands their concerns and wants to keep High Falls Lake pristine as well. However, he noted that District 4 also encompasses other communities like Blount, Cabaniss, and the River Forest and River Walk subdivisions, all of whom have different concerns from those expressed in High Falls.
Turner said he knows growth is coming, but it needs to be managed. He said he’s against re-zoning without a set long-term goal. Turner said in his first 90 days in office, he wants to evaluate the future development plans of both District 4 and Monroe County as a whole and determine ways in which they can be improved.
He said, “I’d like to see where I can innovate it (development plan), invigorate it, and look for it to thrive for both the county and the district.”
Turner said he’s particularly concerned about landowners who sell to companies looking to make a dollar by setting up commercial businesses in residential and agricultural areas.
Once in office, Turner said he wants to take a leadership role on the county’s road improvements as well as evaluate ways to expand the county’s water system to unserved areas.
In the meantime, Turner said he plans to meet with former commissioner Emami soon to identify projects the Board is already working on. But he said his first week in office has been a whirlwind. Turner learned on the evening of Dec. 3 that he won a two-person runoff election by a 53% to 47% margin over challenger Mark D’Agostino. The very next morning he went to Athens for three days for new commissioner training and when he returned home on Dec. 6, he spent much of the next two days picking up his campaign signs that were all over District 4.
Turner said he doesn’t think he’ll be nervous in his commission debut next week because he’s been regularly attending the county meetings in person for the past six months. Instead, Turner said he considers himself excited about the chance to work with and learn from the other commissioners.
“I’m not going to be nervous about it,” Turner said of his first meeting. “Because to me, I’m going to look at it as a job to serve the people. That’s what I want to do is serve the people.”
