Long-serving elected officials Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, and Rep. Dewayne Hill, R-Ringgold, were honored by the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce -- and the event Wednesday was a glimpse into how state politics work in Georgia.
"Both have decided not to run for re-election," chamber Chairman Wil Stiles said at the event. "And that leads us to today where we thank them for their service and celebrate the accomplishments that each has achieved while serving in the Georgia legislature."
Mullis served the 53rd district in the state senate since 2020 and sat on the powerful Senate Rules Committee. Hill served since 2017 as the state representative for District 3, was on the Catoosa County Board of Commissioners for eight years and also was a small business owner for nearly three decades.
Elected in November's general election to replace Mullis and Hill in the General Assembly were Colton Moore in the state Senate and Mitchell Horner in the state House. Both will be sworn in when the legislative session convenes in early January.
(READ MORE: Colton Moore wins Republican nomination in close District 53 Georgia Senate primary)
After a joke and an apology for his country ways, Bobby Plemmons talked about his experience watching Mullis and Hill navigate the legislative process under the gold dome in Atlanta. He said he was blessed to witness their work and the influence they used to benefit the people of Northwest Georgia.
Plemmons worked for 19 years with the Georgia Department of Corrections, he said, and one of his roles was legislative liaison. Corrections had one of the largest budgets in the state and managed tens of thousands of inmates, he said, but was still subject to the whims of elected officials.
"I learned real quickly that there's a system that you have to deal with," Plemmons said.
One time, Plemmons said, a grudge between elected officials led to $12 million being removed from his department's budget. Several positions, including his own, were facing elimination due to the budget cut. He went to Mullis for help, and he said the senator helped get the funds restored.
Plemmons said he was impressed by Mullis' influence and said the retiring senator and Hill never failed to step up when help was needed for the district.
Some new legislators have grandiose ideas, but Plemmons said Hill was different. When Hill was first elected, he went to House leadership and told them he needed their help to learn about the legislative process.
"So immediately, everybody liked Dwayne," Plemmons said. "So he was able to get a lot of things done because of the way he went about it. And I've always admired him, and he did a wonderful job. Both these fellows were fantastic down there."
Dan Wright, Catoosa County manager and Ringgold city manager for nearly three decades, spoke about the "kindness and personal touch" working with Mullis and Hill through both community and personal tragedies. One of several projects mentioned, Wright credited Hill for extending sewers to Hill's community to spur growth.
"I know that was something dear to you because your community was very rural and you wanted it to grow and prosper somewhat, and that took a lot of effort," Wright said. "But with your leadership, your determination, we were successful in getting that done."
In his 30-year career as a city manager, Wright said he had never seen another representative who had the House speaker's ear like Hill.
"Any time we wanted to get in front of the speaker, that happened," with Hill's help, Wright said.
Wright said he first met Mullis when the senator was a staffer for the city of Fort Oglethorpe when they collaborated on a project. Despite having to deal with government bureaucrats, Mullis' humor kept the project moving forward, Wright said.
Mullis carried that "get 'er done" spirit into the General Assembly, Wright said, and when leaders wanted something accomplished, they went to Mullis.
Former Catoosa County Commissioner Steven Henry began by speaking about the sacrifice elected officials make.
"We had good, courageous leaders for our community," Henry said, speaking about Mullis and Hill. "When we needed things, they stood up, they stepped up."
Hill and Mullis didn't mind being outcasts or talked about -- they did what they thought was right, Henry said. The community needs more leaders stepping up to serve, Henry said, thanking Mullis and Henry for their service.
The duo were a powerhouse team that gave North Georgia representation in both the state House and Senate, Henry said, that did a lot for the region.
"A lot of y'all may not realize, for years, we didn't get anything from (state government in) Atlanta," Henry said. "We were literally cut off."
Now state leaders know about Catoosa County and North Georgia, and Henry said that was done through relationships. Relationships are how bridges are built and sewer lines get built, he said.
When he was serving as chairman of the Catoosa County Commission, Henry said, Hill always called him to see how a bill would affect the community. A lot of elected officials get elected and forget about their community, he said, but Mullis and Hill did not and got things done.
Henry said he hopes Mullis and Hill stay involved in state politics because their influence and relationships remain powerful.
Henry was endorsed by Mullis to replace him after he retired from the state Senate, but was defeated by Moore in May's Republican primary.
In a phone interview, Moore said nothing makes him prouder than to be the one sending Mullis "out to pasture."
Moore said voters could have elected Henry if they wanted to continue Mullis' way of doing things, but Moore was elected instead, even though the Moore campaign was outspent nearly 3-to-1.
When asked about building relationships to get things done, Moore said that through his work, the district is on track to run sewer lines from Chickamauga north to Rossville, which would replace Chattanooga sewer service.
Horner could not be reached for comment.
After receiving plaques from the chamber and posing for photographs, both Mullis and Hill gave brief remarks at the end of the event.
It was a blessing to serve, Hill said, adding that he and Mullis were a good team.
Though politics occasionally becomes a contact sport, Mullis said to the crowd that working as a team with Hill and other area elected officials was a pleasure.
(READ MORE: Candidates step up to vie for seat being vacated by Northwest Georgia Sen. Jeff Mullis)
"We're all partners, we're rowing a boat in the same direction. A lot of communities don't have that, and we have that here. I hope it continues," Mullis said, though he expressed doubt that teamwork would continue.
Mullis said he believes in finding solutions to problems, rather than being a problem. If he could be of service to anyone present, Mullis said, they should let him know.
Contact Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @tweetatwilkins.