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LANETT — Sandra Thornton has been named the City of Lanett’s Employee of the Year for 2023. The announcement was recently made by Mayor Jamie Heard, who also recognized nine other city employees who have completed five, ten or fifteen years of service with the city.

Thornton is the manager of the Lanett Senior Center, where she runs a very active program. Approximately 30 active members exercise, play games such as cards and dominoes and enjoy a nutritions meal five days a week. The seniors enjoy taking out-of-town trips to Masters Games competition, May Day at the Talladega SuperSpeedway and trips to restaurants. Several weeks ago they had a great time in an outing to the Monkey Park in Opelika, where many of them rode the Rockybrook Rocket Reindeer Express.

Thornton is a native of Lanett and a graduate of Lanett High School. She now lives in West Point, where she has been a member of the city council for more than 20 years. When she won her first election to the council, she became the first African-American woman to be elected to public office in Troup County. Her son Jason Winston is a member of the city council in Atlanta. He’s a graduate of Troup High and Georgia State University, where he holds undergraduate and graduate degrees.

City employees who had anniversary years in 2023 include Fire & EMS Chief Johnny Allen, Mark McManus and Andy Oliver, each with 15 years; City Clerk/Treasurer Deborah Gilbert and Douglas McElvy, ten years, and James Brown, Alvin McCarley, Tyler Griffin and Luther Brown, each with five years.