Your Commissioner
William Buckner
William Buckner was born in the Appalachian
coal country of Hazard, KY. He
graduated from the University of Kentucky at Lexington in 1957 with a degree in
Journalism. In 1962, Bill went to
work for local radio and television station, and then moved to the NBC
affiliate, WSB in Atlanta, GA where he worked at the same station with Tom
Brokaw. In 1969, he took a job with the State of Georgia working as
the Executive Assistant for the Lieutenant Governor when Lester Maddox was
Governor. Bill recounted that these
were interesting times in politics, and he was observing the political process
operate from the inside.
Bill moved to Washington, DC in 1970,
working as the Press Secretary for a Georgia Senator.
In 1971, he returned to Atlanta, as the Public Information Officer for
the metropolitan planning body, the Atlanta Regional Commission and in 1972,
became the Executive Assistant for the Cobb County Commissioners.
Canton, GA provided Bill the opportunity to become City Manager, a
position he served from 1983-87. He
then served on the utility oversight Georgia Public Service Commission.
In 1993, Bill was appointed the City Manager of Marietta, Georgia.
His police department became CALEA accredited in 1998.
Bill retired from Marietta in 2000, and
served as interim County Commissioner for Cobb County for seven months.
Considered a deliberate thinker, Bill was
appointed a CALEA Commissioner in 1997, and will finish his second term in 2002.
His easy demeanor, political, and management experience is recognized by
other Commissioners. He is Chairman of the Outreach Committee, sits on the
Strategic Planning and State Accreditation Committees, and is a member of Review
Committee B.
Bill and his wife Shelia have four children,
one stepson, and two grandchildren. For
relaxation, Bill does wood carvings, and he is an avid bass angler, often
discussing fishing when relaxing with a Henry Clay cigar and a beer.
His greatest experience was a fishing trip into the Canadian artic where
the sun did not set for the full two weeks he was there.
Bill
is now building a retirement house in the mountains in north Georgia, near
Jasper. Of his CALEA experience,
Bill said, “I enjoy belonging to CALEA. The
people are intelligent, and successful. It
has been a great experience.”
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