Dobbins Heights residents honor mayor for service to town

DOBBINS HEIGHTS — Community members and local leaders decided it was long overdue to honor their mayor, Antonio Blue, for his contributions to the Town of Dobbins Heights over his 14-year tenure in office.

Led by Debra David, the public came out to the Dobbins Heights Community Center on Saturday to surprise Blue with the Community Appreciation Award, given every year to a member of community who has done exceptional service for the town. David said she wanted to do something for him because the town had never come together to recognize him.

“I felt like it was time to do something for him because of what he’s been doing for us,” David said.

She presented him with a financial gift and a framed, completed puzzle with pictures of Blue at significant points of his tenure, along with his family. Councilwoman Angeline David picked the pictures, and her daughter, Angela, turned it into a puzzle with more than 1,000 pieces. The town also held its first Juneteenth again later that night — though it was intentional to have both on the same day. A local band sponsored their own performance at the Center to celebrate the new federal holiday which commemorates the day that the last Black people were freed after being kept as slaves beyond the

Councilwoman David, who was on the Town Council prior to Blue being elected, credited Blue with having a major influence on the improvements the town has seen during that period. Those improvements include renovations to the basketball court, the construction of the Community Center which has since become the hub of all activity in the town, and the recent connection made with the Calhoun Group out of Charlotte which plans to bring many new projects to the town to increase its tax base. One of the first steps in Calhoun’s efforts will be paving the Community Center’s parking lot.

“There were somethings happening [before Blue was elected] but there was a bigger turn around, to me, once he got started,” David said. “I guess he had the mindset that we’re going to be busy, whatever we want to happen is going to happen.”

James Hamilton, a Richmond Senior High School graduate who went on to play in the NFL and who has family from Dobbins Heights, introduced Blue at the award ceremony. Hamilton, who called Blue a “mentor” to him, said he’d been back in the area for about six years now, and over that time he’s learned what it meant to be a mayor of a small town by watching Blue.

Hamilton told the story of when Blue called him at 8 a.m. on a Saturday and asked him to bring him some gas for his lawn mower. Hamilton was shocked to find that Blue was mowing the lawn of the Community Center himself. In another story, Blue called Hamilton to meet him out at the town cemetery, which is privately owned, to help with cutting back the overgrowth of vegetation that had garnered criticism because it had gotten so bad that many graves were littered with trash or brush.

“…These are things you just wouldn’t expect a mayor to do,” Hamilton said. “No definition of mayor have I ever known to include certain things that I’ve seen of this man and experienced with him.”

After telling those gathered the story of Blue cutting grass at the Center, Hamilton exclaimed, “A mayor cutting grass on a lawnmower that wasn’t in his yard? Come on now!”

Asked why he feels it’s important to be so active in doing things for the community, Blue said it’s because it gives the public confidence in their leadership.

“The reality is, people need to be able to put their hands on the pulse and touch a leader, not when you’re standing off of the scene and they can’t touch you,” Blue said. “I think it makes a difference when they see you and it’s personal. Because anybody can lead from behind a desk, anybody can lead from within an office but everybody can’t lead from down on the floor.”

He added that he’s pleased with the progress the town has made over the years.

“The sky’s the limit,” Blue said of the town’s potential. “My theory is you shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you land among the stars.”