Sixty mayors from around the state of Georgia wrapping up a three-day gathering at the Georgia Center in Athens on Friday. They were in town for the 2026 Mayors Leadership Academy. Larry Hanson is CEO and Executive Director of the Georgia Municipal Association, or GMA.
“We realize there’s really not a training program to teach a mayor hoe to be a mayor,” according to Hanson. “So, we built a program where we could bring them in for a three-day period and really do a deep dive, bring in subject matter experts, and let them learn from one another and with one another, but also from experts about what are some of the things that you need to do be prepared on day one, and in the future, to be a mayor.”
He says the program is scheduled for every other year, with mayors coming from a range of Georgia cities. He says while each city has unique needs, there are some universal problems mayor face.
“You walk in one day one and, for instance, a session starting now is about crisis management; there’s really no training for you but on day one if there’s a hurricane in your community or a significant wildfire, or much of your downtown catches on fire,” Hanson said. “You will be the spokesperson to the community and to the media for that event. Well, how do you get prepared to know what to say, how to say it, when to say it.”
Hanson says the organization works for all 536 cities in the state.
