After 16 years of serving as sheriff of Lowndes County, retirement simply wasn’t an option for Ashley Paulk. Looking for a new challenge, he decided to run for Chairman of the Lowndes County Commission.

Paulk may be the only man in Georgia who has left the sheriff’s job at the stroke of midnight, January 1 and taken over the helm of a county at the same time.

Proud isn’t a strong enough word for how Paulk feels about the legacy he is leaving behind, with the new jail about half way finished, salaries that are among the best in the state, and the manner in which he was able to direct drug-seized funds into creating one of the most technologically advanced sheriff’s departments in Georgia.

“I’m proud of my people. People are what make you. They had some fantastic ideas over the years that we implemented,” Paulk said. “I’ve been blessed to have a bunch of energetic, intelligent people around me.”

The interstate drug interdiction and ICE team have combined to create a nationally known reputation for zero drug tolerance in Lowndes County, but it has also helped fill the jails.

“When I came into office in 1993, we had 123 inmates. Today, we have about 900,” Paulk said. “We got a lot of criticism at first about all the time we were spending on I-75, but it’s still in the county and the businesses along that corridor deserve protection too. In addition to drugs, we’ve helped bring in a number of nationally wanted criminals.”

According to Paulk, even though the county has grown tremendously over the past 16 years, the response times have been reduced to five minutes or less. “You used to have to wait 30 minutes or more before you’d see a deputy.”

As he makes the transition from sheriff to county commissioner, Paulk is proud of the legacy he is leaving behind and the legacy he is beginning.

Even as he looks back to 16 years of success as sheriff, he is looking forward to adding his energy and business acumen to county management.

“My agenda is to make the county better. I intend to be more decisive, move faster, and take more input from the public.”



Paulk said he is especially interested in ensuring that citizens understand the decisions that are made by the commission. “I will listen to their concerns and then explain to them why it’s being done the way it is.”

His long range goals include “getting along better with the City of Valdosta,” as well as getting a handle on the water/sewer infrastructure and county needs, garbage issues, and a good look at “what we’re building and how much we’re spending.”



A businessman and farmer pretty much his whole life, Paulk brings a practical side to issues that is very bottom line oriented. “We need to keep asking ourselves, ‘Is it justified?’ when we begin spending citizens’ money.”

Paulk knows his first year will be even more difficult given the current economic climate, but says, “We will watch our expenses, take care of our people and take care of the county’s business.”



In typical Paulk fashion, during his mandatory state training that all newly elected officials must attend, he freely added his input during the session on “getting along with your constitutional officers” explaining to the new county commissioners that working with their sheriffs is one of the things that can help them in the long run.

With not even a minute in between “Sheriff” and “Chairman”, Paulk is looking forward to the challenges ahead.