But for a woman who had spent a good portion of her formative years in the presence of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement — meeting and working with men like Martin Luther and C.B. King, Ralph Abernathy, John Lewis, Maynard Jackson, Julian Bond — and a good bit of her adult career traveling the world and working alongside leaders like Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, the whole rocking chair thing just didn’t take.
So when a man she admired, District 5 Dougherty County Commissioner Art Searles — who had answered her call for help when she needed him — died suddenly on Aug. 19 after winning the July 15 Democratic primary to maintain his seat on the commission, Gaines decided her days of inactivity were over.
“When Art died, I felt the loss,” Gaines said during a conversation at her South Albany home. “We had been talking, and Art was convinced that Albany and Dougherty County could become a great community.
“When he passed, I naturally asked myself who could replace him. And it dawned on me ... ‘Why don’t you do it?’ I have a vast network of relatives and friends here, and they became my motivation to run for the commission. I don’t need the money, so I’m not persuaded by personal gain. I sincerely want to help this community.”
Gaines, who is challenging Harry James and the Rev. Henry Brown in a Nov. 4 special called Democratic primary to fill Searles’ seat, is something of a political novice. She did run for the Atlanta general assembly after a 23-year career with the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, losing, she said, by 21 votes. That brought her home to the family farm purchased by former slaves.
“It’s not in me to relax when there’s work to be done,” Gaines said. “I have not been involved in politics, but I have worked extensively with local governments. Being active in the community I’m in is like a second skin to me; I know a person has to speak up to get answers.
“I’ve been back in Albany long enough to know the problems here, and I feel I’m prepared to help address them.”
The candidate said “diversification of the region’s economic base” will be a priority concern of the commission as the country’s ever-increasing economic woes continue to mount. She also said the community must take advantage of and create stronger ties with one of its greatest assets: the institutions of higher education in Albany.
“If our community invests in the education of its students, it’s going to increase the education level of the community,” Gaines said. “That tie must become stronger.”
Maintaining the “beauty and heritage” of the rich farmland in District 5 and throughout the county is another issue Gaines says she feels strongly about, but she notes that “attracting good, quality jobs” to the region is crucial to its continued growth.
“In spite of what’s happening in this country economically, we cannot look at our situation as hopeless,” she said. “We have to stay at it; we have to use all of our assets to attract jobs here.
“In my life, I’ve had opportunities to be involved in the planning and management of projects all over the world, and I feel the knowledge I’ve gained could benefit the people of this district and this county. I’m going to make an effort to get out and meet the people of the district and let them know I really have the desire and the ability to help make our community better.”
