PEARSON, Ga. (WALB) — The Pearson Senior Citizen Center will transition to volunteer-based operations after its director accepted a position in Willacoochee, despite the mayor’s campaign promise that the center would not be affected by budget cuts, according to residents and the departing director.

Dawn Garcia, who served as director for three and a half years, said she planned to retire in her hometown but left after the city denied her request for 31 paid hours per week and added bus duty responsibilities without compensation.

“It wasn’t about money. It wasn’t about the better opportunity and the money,” Garcia said. “It was that there were some things that hurt me and hurt the center personally that drove me to that decision.”

Garcia said the senior center has been her life, passion and ministry.

“It’s my life. It’s my passion. It’s my ministry to come and to serve, to love these seniors, to take care of them, watch out for them,” Garcia said.

Campaign promise versus budget reality

During his campaign, the mayor said the senior center would not be affected and cuts would be made elsewhere, according to community members who commented on the city’s Facebook announcement.

“He came down here campaigning, telling us this place would not be touching [in] any way,” one senior center member said. “Soon as he got in the office, everything started withdrawing from this place.”

According to residents who commented on Facebook, the mayor promised during his campaign that the senior center would not be affected and the center would keep rolling with progress while budget cuts would be made elsewhere.

The mayor announced on Facebook that the center is seeking volunteers to provide activities three days a week, including churches, musicians, fitness instructors, crafters and community groups. The post said the center is looking for people to lead activities such as devotions, music, exercise, crafts, games, movies, educational programs and special events.

According to the Facebook post, those interested can email [email protected] with their information and volunteer opportunity. The post said the center is not closed.

Pay dispute and added duties

Garcia said she was reduced from 36 hours to 29 hours in January, when the center was cut from four days to three. She said she is legally required to work 31 hours to manage the Legacy Link program, which saves the city hundreds of dollars a week in labor.

Garcia said she went to the mayor with her first paycheck in January and told him the city clerk had her check wrong at 29 hours when she is required to work 31 hours.

“‘I’ll fix that. I’ll get that taken care of,’” Garcia said the mayor told her.

The issue continued until May, according to Garcia. She said she was still getting 29 hours while being required to work 31 hours.

Garcia said she could have been unprofessional toward the mayor by bringing it up in a city council meeting, but instead quietly and privately put it in her senior report to council members. She said she asked why she could not get the 31 hours she is required to work.

“Didn’t ask for a raise. Didn’t ask for anything but just the hours I’m required to be here and are unpaid,” Garcia said.

After requesting the two additional hours she said she was required to work, the city council voted in her favor more than a month ago, according to Garcia. But Garcia said her pay scale has not changed. The mayor told her it would remain at 29 hours, she said.

Garcia said the mayor then added six more hours of bus duty responsibility without additional compensation.

“Not only am I short the two hours that I’m required to be here, he added six more hours of responsibility to me,” Garcia said. “And I hope it wasn’t personal, but it was. So that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been doing bus duty because I am loyal to a fault. I have served him well, served him loyally, honestly, with integrity. And he asked me to do something, and I did it, but I don’t feel it was right.”

Garcia said she had multiple conversations with the mayor to try to correct the situation without any reason to believe it would change.

COUNCILMAN STATEMENT:

I want to address concerns regarding the recent resignation from the Senior Center.

To date, neither I nor the City Council have been formally presented with a request from the Senior Center regarding the matter at hand. Based on the information that was relayed to me, the request appeared to be both reasonable and achievable.

After speaking with Councilmen Williams, Alexander, and Carver, it is clear that we are all saddened to see her leave. She has been a valuable asset to our community and has worked diligently to serve the seniors of our city and county.

We sincerely wish this matter had been brought before the full Council for discussion. Doing so would have allowed us the opportunity to review the request, explore available options, and work together toward a resolution that may have benefited all parties involved.

Our goal has always been to support the Senior Center, its employees, and most importantly, the seniors who rely on its services. While we respect her decision, we remain committed to ensuring the continued success of the Senior Center and to working collaboratively to address challenges as they arise.

We thank her for her service and dedication and wish her nothing but success in her future endeavors.

Four requests to stay

Garcia said she consulted with the mayor on different occasions about the Willacoochee opportunity. As soon as she decided to apply and after she was chosen, she started trying to make contact with him, according to Garcia. She said he made time for her the following week, and they met on a Monday.

Garcia said she told the mayor there were four things that would keep her in Pearson: fix the ice machine that has been broken since February, hire a bus driver, allow members to control their membership money and restore her required hours.

The mayor encouraged her to apply for the Willacoochee position when she first spoke to him about the opening, according to Garcia.

“I had planned on retiring here. That was my goal. It’s my hometown, born and raised,” Garcia said. “It’s not easy on me to have to leave. We’re family here. We are a unit and it was important to me to stay.”

Garcia said the decision to leave was not taken lightly and involved a lot of prayer, consideration and negotiation for her to stay.

Community response

The Facebook announcement drew more than 200 comments from community members opposing the transition to volunteers, according to residents.

“If our city is not invested in it will not ever prosper,” one commenter said. “I knew when the days were cut back it was a step in the wrong direction. The center will not survive on volunteers. History has already shown us that. This is definitely a sad day for our city. Again. Is the city planning on hiring a new senior center director?”

Another commenter on the Facebook post questioned the circumstances of Garcia’s departure.

“I believe the more important concern the seniors have is what would it have taken to keep Mrs.Dawn,” the commenter said. “How many more hours would she have needed to be paid? What is the consensus of the council on the issue? We aren’t talking 5-10 ppl, our center had dozens of seniors attend everyday it was open correct?”

In the Facebook comments, another resident said the mayor promised during his campaign that the senior center would not be affected.

“The campaign said THE SENIOR CENTER WOULD NOT BE EFFECTED they were going keep them rolling with progress and cuts in budget would be elsewhere,” the commenter said.

Community members also questioned why the city took over the seniors’ birthday pool, requiring all money to run through city officials, according to Facebook comments. One commenter said they heard the seniors started a birthday pool for each month that was taken over by city officials because they wanted all money running through them.

Another commenter said Garcia was vital to the current state of the senior center.

“You’ve given a lot of numbers about debt and who we owe and it’s all relevant to the conversation. Everyone knows we are in bad shape, no one is arguing against that,” the commenter said. “I think you can appreciate by the comments that Mrs.Dawn was vital to the current state of our senior center. In an earlier comment I believe you stated she had been a great director. The questions on most people’s mind that I’ve talked to are simple, why did she have to apply for the other job in the first place? What was the amount she requested above what she has been making since January? Has she already been cut any from the previous administration? Was she being asked to perform additional duties that she wasn’t being compensated for? You are painting it as if she just decided to leave and so now we have a vacancy.”

Mayor’s response

Mayor Jason Joyner responded to concerns about the Pearson senior center, saying the facility will remain open with the help of community volunteers while the city works to secure additional funding and resources.

Joyner said a calendar of events will be shared soon and seniors will continue having access to resources. He added that many seniors he has spoken with have been “resilient and understanding” during the transition.

According to the mayor, Willacoochee serves as the state-funded senior center for the county, providing additional options if Pearson changes protocols temporarily while the city seeks grants and other funding opportunities.

Joyner also addressed the city’s finances, saying Pearson is operating under limited funds because of years of financial mismanagement and more than $2 million in back debt. He said budget cuts were necessary as the city works to recover financially.

The mayor said some seniors supported reducing the center’s operating days. He noted that the current director and Legacy Link employees work four days a week, while seniors currently attend programming three days a week.

Joyner emphasized that the volunteer-based model is only temporary and not intended as a long-term solution. He said volunteers are being requested to assist with activities and entertainment—not to replace services.

He also addressed concerns surrounding the senior center’s birthday fund, saying a separate account was created so the money would not be mixed into the city’s general fund. According to Joyner, the account was established for transparency, audit purposes and proper financial tracking. He said the city does not profit from the fund.

The mayor added that a similar account structure was created for the recreation department, which he said is now operating at a surplus and could soon see facility improvements.

Regarding former director Dawn Garcia, Joyner said personnel pay is not public discussion unless shared by the employee herself, but stated he had been transparent with her about salary, duties and expectations since Jan. 1.

He described Garcia as having done “a great job” with the center.

Joyner said he recently learned Garcia officially accepted another position and is currently regrouping to finalize plans moving forward. He added that meal options will still be provided, transportation issues will be addressed and activities are expected to continue, including a planned movie day on Tuesday.

Services at risk

Garcia said seniors have come to rely on her for help with Medicaid renewals, online energy assistance applications and bus transportation to doctor appointments in this new technology age where they are not able to do these things themselves.

“I handle all of that for each one of them,” Garcia said. “And when you get a volunteer coming in just to do a class or an activity, they don’t have that one-on-one connection like we had established.”

Garcia said she worries about the concept of a volunteer-based operation. While she understands the mayor’s main goal is to save money and that would be a money-saving concept, she said she does not see the feasibility and longevity of it.

“The seniors are accustomed to someone in leadership that’s going to see about them. They’re going to get their needs met one way or another,” Garcia said. “And they have come to rely on that and depend on that.”

She said the center served not only members but the community as a whole, with multiple seniors throughout the community coming for assistance, help, groceries and other needs.

Garcia said many seniors want to go to Willacoochee with her, but the harsh reality is not everyone can go because that center is government-based.

“My heart is so broken because I want to continue to serve the senior community,” Garcia said. “For us to relocate and not to be able to take all my seniors with me is a hardship.”

Garcia said she feels the concern of citizens about the transition is going to be talked about by people in power and authority that will make a difference.

Members speak out

Senior center members said Garcia is a loving and caring person who cares about everyone at the center.

“It’s hurtful because Ms. Dawn Garcia is a really loving and caring human being,” one member said. “And she cares about every one of us in this center.”

Another member said the mayor is dead wrong.

“My thoughts on the mayor though, is he’s dead wrong,” the member said.

One member said the mayor should have fought for Garcia.

“He should have at least fought for someone,” the member said. “You know, you have to fight for what’s going on in your city, your county. If you don’t fight for who in your county, then who, what are you supposed to do? What are they supposed to do?”

Another member said the mayor did not fire Garcia but forced her out.

“You might have didn’t fire her, but you forced her out,” the member said.

One member said the center is Garcia.

“The center is Ms. Dawn,” the member said. “Without Ms. Dawn, there’s no center. There’s no center.”

Another member said they definitely disagree with the mayor.

“I definitely disagree with the mayor,” the member said. “I feel like that, it could have been solved, I feel like, you know, but it’s not up to us to make that decision. So we’re just going to leave it the way it is and we wish her the best, but we’re going to be right behind her.”

One member said the center provides more than just activities.

“We don’t just have fun in doing puzzles and coloring,” the member said. “We have spiritual fun.”

Garcia said community members understand what they are talking about because they have been at the center with her for the three and a half years she has served.

The center has only two employees left and will operate with volunteers, according to the city’s announcement.

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