Newly elected Overton County Executive Austin Dodson preparing to take office after voters supported his vision for a new direction for the county. Dodson said the election results reflect a desire from the community to move toward a different future.
Dodson said he intends to apply excellence to the daily operations of the executive’s office.
“They recognized a candidate that is out there working hard for Overton County,” Dodson said. “And that’s the same type of effort that we’re going to put into the Overton County executive’s office every day, and you know I’ve very thankful for all the people that work in Overton County, and I look forward to meeting them soon.”
Dodson said his professional background in nursing has prepared him for the responsibilities of the role. Dodson said the reliance on policies, procedures, and documentation found in the medical field will be integrated into his leadership as county executive.
“You know, nursing is the number one most trusted profession across the United States,” Dodson said. “And I want to thank that for all the nurses that came before—you know, the nurses down there in the ICU that have grown me into the person I am today.”
Dodson said he plans to establish connections with local, state, and federal government officials in the near future. Dodson said he is eager to meet the various employees who work throughout the county government.
Dodson said he intends to listen to the residents of the county to determine which projects should be prioritized. Dodson said he views himself as one voice among many and wants to hear from a variety of people to get work done.
“The policies, procedures, and documentation that’s going to be driven into my role as county executive will help push Overton County forward in the future,” Dodson said. “And we’re going to work on a lot more projects in Overton County, and we’re going to listen to the people and see what they want to do in Overton County.”
Dodson said the transition process will involve meeting with both current and incoming county commissioners. Dodson said the current county executive plans to assist with the transfer of leadership by introducing him to the county workforce.
“I’m excited to see them, and I’ve talked with our current county executive and the transfer of leadership; he plans to go around and introduce me to everybody, and I’m excited to do so, excited to meet the hard-working people of Overton County,” Dodson said.
Dodson said he originally planned to take time off after the primary election but chose to continue working through the campaign. Dodson said the voters responded to that consistent work ethic during the general election.
“I made that election promise, well, statement a long time ago in the primary that I was going to take two weeks off,” Dodson said. “Well, I guess, you know, that never happened. You know, I continued to work through, and that’s what the people of Overton County saw, and that’s really the reason we saw the good turnout in the vote tonight.”
