Kermit "Bo" Dorough is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the Mayor of Albany, Georgia, since 2020.
Early life and career
Dorough was born in Cordele, Georgia. He graduated from Georgia Southern College in 1983 and from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1986. He began practicing law in Albany in 1987.
In 1999, Dorough was elected to the Albany City Commission as a Commissioner for the city's Ward IV. He continued to hold this position until 2008, when he ran for mayor of Albany, losing to incumbent Willie Adams.
Mayor of Albany
Election
In 2019, he ran for mayor again, and he was one of two candidates, along with incumbent Dorothy Hubbard, who advanced from the November 5 election to a December 3 runoff. Dorough narrowly won the runoff in an outcome described by the Albany Herald as a "stunning upset".
Dorough himself stated that he was not surprised by his victory, noting that Hubbard had only won 30% of the vote in the first round of voting and saying, "I didn't really see it as a big upset." He was sworn in as mayor on January 13, 2020.
Tenure
Dorough's first term in office coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which by April 2020 was one of the hardest-hit areas in the country. As Mayor, Dorough pushed through a mask mandate policy that was described as "controversial" among city residents. In the midst of the "Delta surge" in August 2021, Dorough reinstated the mask mandate.
Following a meeting with Senator Jon Ossoff in 2021, Dorough stated that federal funds Albany would receive following the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 would prove a "godsend" for Albany's stormwater and sewage systems.
Personal life
Dorough is married to Bonny Blackshear, with whom he has three sons.
References
Mayors of Albany, Georgia
Living people
People from Cordele, Georgia
21st-century American politicians
Georgia Southern University alumni
University of Georgia School of Law alumni
Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers
Year of birth missing (living people)
