2025 Brings New Leadership To MoCo
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This year brought a lot of leadership changes to Montgomery County as a new sheriff, probate judge, tax commissioner, board of education member, development authority director, emergency management agency director, and two new commissioners officially began their roles within the county.
Sheriff Ben Maybin followed in the footsteps of his father, former Sheriff Doug Maybin, as he officially took the oath of office to protect and serve the county. Maybin is a lifelong resident of Montgomery County and has worked to protect the community and county for 24 years, serving both the Mount Vernon Police Department and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
Prior to Maybin assuming the role as sheriff, his father Doug Maybin became the leader of the Sheriff’s Department after being appointed to the position by former Montgomery County Probate Judge Rubie Nell Sanders following the tragic death of former Montgomery County Sheriff Ladson O’Connor. After this appointment to fulfill the final two years of O’Connor’s term, former Sheriff Maybin ran for reelection twice, before deciding that 2025 would be the year he retired from the force. Sheriff Ben Maybin qualified for the position unopposed in March 2024.
“I am deeply honored to take the oath of office as Sheriff of Montgomery County,” he began. “This moment is especially meaningful as I follow in the footsteps of my father, who served as Sheriff for the past ten years. His legacy of fairness, leadership, and service to our community will be a constant source of inspiration as I take on this role. I am profoundly grateful for the trust the community has placed in me, and I promise to serve with honesty, integrity, and dedication.”
Probate Judge
Montgomery County bid farewell to longtime Probate Judge Rubie Nell Sanders, as she retired and current Probate Judge Stacie Sharpe Randolph began her term on January 1.
Sanders served the public for over 40 years, working first in the Probate Court as a clerk for twenty years, then being elected by the people as a judge for an additional 20 years. As probate judge, Rubie Nell has been tasked with administering oaths of office, distributing marriage licenses, filing vital records, policing traffic cases and Department of Natural Resource violation cases, issuing guardianships, and handling issues and actions related to wills. She also oversaw all elections within the county until 2022.
Randolph worked as the chief deputy clerk in the Montgomery County Probate Court for over three years, as she was able to learn and gain experience in the court under the tutelage of Sanders.
“I am so excited to be able to serve the citizens of Montgomery County – I have lived here my entire life, and I am thrilled to be able to give back to a community that has given so much to me,” she emphasized. “I have been very blessed to learn so much about serving in this role with integrity, grace, and justice through watching Mrs. Rubie Nell over the years. I have big shoes to fill, and I hope I can continue the standard of excellence that she has set in the Montgomery County Probate Court.”
Tax Commissioner
After 20 years, Montgomery County now has a new tax commissioner, as Renia Wooten-Perry began serving in the role on January 1.
Before becoming a tax commissioner, Perry earned a master’s degree in Public Safety Administration at Columbus State continued from page
University. She is a former Georgia State Trooper, who retired as a Sergeant First Class after 20 years of service. Notably, during her time of service, Perry was commissioned to protect the first female chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court and former First Lady Mary Perdue.
She lives in Ailey with her husband, U.S. Army Veteran and retired Georgia State Trooper JD Perry; the couple have four children and seven grandchildren.
“I am truly honored and thrilled to be the Montgomery County Tax Commissioner! I am eager to get to work serving our great county and ensuring our tax office operates with transparency, efficiency, and fairness,” Perry commented. “I look forward to working with our community, listening to their concerns, and finding innovative solutions to ensure we get the best use from your hard earned tax dollars. I have retained [Tax/Tag Specialist] Victoria [Strange] in her current position to ensure there is minimal interruption to services. We have both committed to not only getting better acquainted with our community needs but engaging with training for support as well as gaining valuable knowledge through the many workshops they offer. Thank you for this incredible opportunity – I’m excited to make a positive impact!”
Board of Education Member Montgomery County Board of Education District 3 gained a new representative this year, as Allen Williamson joined the Board. Like most of the new leaders, Williamson is a Montgomery County native, having represented the county as the Montgomery County High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) President in 20002001 and the Montgomery County Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Good Citizen Awardee before graduating from Montgomery County High School in 2002. After high school, Williamson earned his Emergency Medical Technician diploma from Southeastern Technical College and certification as an emergency manager through the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and has since logged thousands of hours in the Georgia Fire Academy.
Williamson lives in Mount Vernon with his wife Beth, and the pair have three children – Bray, Hartley, and Rhett. He has been heavily involved in the school’s activities, and even helped spearhead the revitalization of the Montgomery County Athletic Boosters. Development Authority Director Longtime Montgomery County Development Authority Executive Director Joe Filippone retired after several years of service.
Filippone – a New Jersey native – first came to Montgomery County in 2004 to be closer to family. He previously served in the U.S. Navy as an officer for 14 years, and ultimately, retired as a lieutenant commander in 1974. After retiring, he worked in business, serving as a regional vice president of the ITT Corporation and eventually creating his own business to help guide fellow entrepreneurs.
He joined the Montgomery County Development Authority in 2007, and served as the Authority’s executive director until April 2025. He is responsible for helping to attract and negotiate with several businesses to settle in the area, including Gay Oil Company, East Georgia Healthcare Center, B & T Food Fresh, ACE Hardware, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, La Cabana d’Isabel, Mount Liquor, Automated Storage Solutions, and more.
On June 3, Filippone was surprised with a celebration to thank him for all of his work within the community.
At the event, Montgomery County Development Authority Chairman Arren Moses presented Filippone with a plaque thanking him for his service to the County. After receiving this gift, Fillippone turned to address the attendees.
“In the 17th century, there was a cleric and a poet from England named [John] Donne. He coined a phrase that I’ve known for a number of years and it has stuck with me: ‘No man is an island.’ This is a perfect example of that,” he emphasized. “When I got here 20 years ago, I got to meet Michele Johnson and Debbie Evans initially; then, I got involved with the Development Authority, and I didn’t quite know what to expect. I had always been in business after I got out of the Navy, and I was thinking, “Okay, this can’t be that hard to do.’ I got involved and it was a lot harder than I was thinking it was going to be.”
Filippone continued, “The reason that I use that phrase is because all of you – whether you know it or not – have affected me positively throughout the years. It’s simple: going to Friendly Gus in the morning and having a cup of coffee, and having someone say, ‘Here’s a cup of coffee, nice job bringing in the medical facility,’ or ‘We really needed that Mexican restaurant.’ Those are the kinds of things that prompted me to do more and more and more.”
Michael Stanley succeeded Filippone as the Development Authority Director, and is currently working to help improve business and economy within the area.
When asked his vision for the development authority and the county, Stanley explained, “To be completely blunt, the way that I see it is Montgomery County has missed some opportunities where we could have done some different things and been in a different space than we are, but really and truly, I don’t think that really matters because there’s nothing we can do to change that. I think what we need to focus on at this moment is doing what we can with what we already have because realistically, I don’t believe we are going to be able to walk into some meetings and offer some of the things that surrounding areas can offer yet. We have some ways to build to get to that point. But I think there is definitely opportunity that we can try to entice some of those smaller things that we have missed in the past.”
He continued, “I think that the people of Montgomery County – especially those that have businesses – historically have always had the impression that they had to go somewhere else; and I think that it is our responsibility – meaning, us as the Development Authority, you all as commissioners, and all of the cities – it’s our responsibility to try to do what we can to make that worthwhile to them and try to provide that environment of profitability that they might not realize that’s here. I think that we have to get past the comparison mindset of everywhere else that we’re not at yet, and have to [utilize what resources we do have] and build on that. I think that we will be surprised at in 10-15 years how much we can accomplish.”
EMA Director
Montgomery County EMA Director Donnie Daniels retired in 2025, and new EMA Director Tristan Willis stepped up to fill his shoes.
Daniels has served in various roles within the county, but most recently was the County EMA Director from 2016 until March 2025. He has previously served as the County’s Deputy EMA Director from 2013 until 2016 and as the County Coroner from 2014 until 2016. He also currently serves as the Montgomery County Chaplain – a position which he has held since 2012.
Commissioners honored Daniels for his years of service with a plaque on April 14. The plaque said, “With our greatest appreciation, we hereby honor and thank Donnie Daniels for [his] commitment to the citizens of Montgomery County. As always, whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart as if you are working for the Lord – Colossians 3:22.”
After receiving the honor, Daniels turned to address the commissioners and meeting attendees. “It has been a privilege to serve the county for all of these years. Now, I get to do what I call a pleasure – I get to continue to be the chaplain for our sheriff’s office. Ministry has always been my life. I still pastor a church in Wrightsville – I continue to do that,” he remarked. “Just know that I have enjoyed working with Montgomery County. We have a great group of people, and we have some good public servants and first responders. I’d put our public service people up against anyone – they have done an excellent job. It has been a joy to work with them and to help in times of need here in the county.”
He added, “If I am ever needed for any reason – even if it’s nothing but ‘Brother Donnie, I need prayer’ – please give me a call and we’ll certainly do that. I’ll also continue to pray for our county.”
After Daniels’ retirement in March, Tristan Willis was selected as his successor, and officially began serving the County in May.
He has extensive experience in fire and rescue, having served as a firefighter on the Reidsville Fire Department and Tattnall County Fire and Rescue, a training officer for the Tarrytown Volunteer Fire Department, and as the Assistant Chief of the Mount Vernon Volunteer Fire Department for a combined total of 11 years. He previously was the Georgia Department of Corrections Fire Services Station Chief for Smith State Prison, the Georgia Department of Corrections Fire Prevention Specialist 3 for the Southeast Region, and currently serves as the Georgia Department of Corrections Fire Services Fire Prevention Specialist 3 Training Chief.
Willis is a deputized fire marshal for the Georgia Department of Corrections and an adjunct and live fire instructor for the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. He also serves as an evaluator and proctor/monitor for the Georgia Fire Safety Training Center.
He has certification in numerous emergency management courses, such as crash victim extrication, emergency response to railroad events, emergency vehicle decontamination training, risk response to battery emergencies, rescue specialist, structural fire control, and more.
County Manager Heather Scott introduced the new EMA director to the commissioners during the Board of Commissioners work session on May 8, and commented, “[He has] been a huge help already, [he was] a huge help during the hurricane, and [he continued from page
is] a very good resource. We are thankful to have him.”
Commissioners
Two new Montgomery County Commissioners began representing the citizens this year, as District 1 Commissioner Jimmy “Pedro” Sharpe and District 2 Commissioner Amie Alexandria Vassey officially began their terms.
Sharpe is another lifelong resident of Montgomery County, as he is the son of the late Willie Mae and Houston Sharpe and graduated from Montgomery County High School in 1993. He currently lives in Kibbee with his daughter, Mallory Sharpe, and attends Mount Pisgah Baptist Church.
He previously worked with the Georgia Department of Corrections, which he retired from after 32 years of service, and has been a volunteer firefighter within the community for over 30 years. Sharpe has experience working with the Montgomery County Road Department, where he was employed part-time during the COVID-19 pandemic to help with staff shortages and has served as the county’s deputy emergency management agency director.
“I have spent my entire life trying to help make Montgomery County the best place that it could be, and this is just another way that I can do that. I love this county, and I will do my best to help lead it well,” he emphasized. “I’m excited to see what these next four years hold.”
Vassey is a lifelong resident of the county, having graduated from Montgomery County High School as an honor graduate before earning her bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University, where she graduated summa cum laude. Vassey has been in the workforce for 22 years – 14 of which have been at Republic Services in Montgomery County, where she currently works as an Operations Manager.
She is a descendant of Asa Adams, who is a member of one of the original founding families of Montgomery County. She continues to raise her family in the land of her ancestors, as she lives with her husband Travis and children Wyatt and Abigail.
Vassey commented on her new role. “I’m excited to represent the voice of the people and have an opportunity to focus on our budget and spending habits in an effort to make Montgomery County an even better place to live and work,” she emphasized.
CONTINUING THE STANDARD – New Montgomery County Probate Judge Stacie Randolph said she hopes to continue the standard of excellence which retired Montgomery County Probate Judge Rubie Nell Sanders has set throughout her long tenure in the court. L to R: Oconee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Howard Kaufold, Jason Randolph, Montgomery County Probate Judge Stacie Randolph.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
