A prankster and a good man
♦ Colleagues share memories of Sheriff Tim Burkhalter on the eve of his retirement.
Lord, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am.”
David Brainerd, Baptist minister
At a retirement party which took on the trappings of a roast, sheriffs and colleagues spanning much of Northwest Georgia took the time to thank Floyd County Sheriff Tim Burkhalter on Friday.
As the sheriff of Floyd County for 16 years, Burkhalter is retiring officially at the end of the year, passing on the reins to sheriff-elect Dave Roberson. Not only is Burkhalter retiring, so is his Chief Deputy Tommy McGuire.
Speakers, like Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge, lauded both men for their professionalism and leadership ... but the laughs began as they talked about pranks through the years.
Gulledge remembered a time when his county had 24 inches of rain in 24 hours. He’d already had a stressful day when he pulled up on a command tent and Burkhalter was there.
“He said I’m Sheriff Burkhalter from Floyd County and I’ve brought 12 men and I’m here to help,” Gulledge said. He hadn’t asked for help, but he needed it.
Burkhalter told him to go grab a nap, because he needed to have his head on straight to deal with the situation as it continued to unfold.
“I knew he was a sheriff and I could trust him,” Gulledge said.
That nap wasn’t forthcoming, because of other circumstances, but knowing people were there to help was a comfort nonetheless.
“If I’m 100 years old and I’m in a wheelchair and you need it, I’ll still come to help,” he told Burkhalter.
Then the roast began, well almost, as Polk County Police Chief Kenny Dodd stepped up to the podium, he stopped to think for a second.
“Tim, you can relax because everything I’ve got bad to say about you would incriminate me,” Dodd said laughing.
Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds said he wouldn’t let Burkhalter off as easily.
“From day one the sheriff was always a prankster,” Pounds said. He talked about one time they were at a hotel during a conference and he said he was going to lay down.
But, 10 minutes later, a fire alarm went off.
“The first face I saw when I came out of my door, was Tim Burkhalter,” Pounds said, as Burkhalter shook his head laughing. “To this day he said he didn’t pull that fire alarm ... but I know he pulled that fire alarm.”
Among the jokes, several of the speakers talked about leadership and as they did, they often referred to memories of working with Chief Deputy McGuire.
After having to discipline a staff member, FCSO Chaplain David Thornton said, McGuire would often take them to lunch to let them know they were still a part of the team.
Even the sheriff had been on the receiving end of one of those after- reprimand lunches, he said. Then Burkhalter motioned toward now Floyd County Commission Chair Scotty Hancock and said he’d even been at one of those post- reprimand lunches with him one time.
“It was because of you!” Hancock said, laughing.
While Burkhalter thanked several people, he especially focused on the job that Mechelle Cliatt, the executive office manager at the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, did as he served in his role as sheriff.
He talked about her virtues with a heavy emphasis in her ability to be patient when organizing his schedule.
“I just wanted to tell you how much I really appreciate you,” he said, giving her a hug.
The sheriff closed the formal part of a gathering with a quote that’s hung on the wall of his office.
“Lord, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am.” — David
Brainerd