Councilmember Honored As "Rising Star"

The City of Dalton led the way in the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite not being one of the state's largest municipalities, Dalton was among the first to offer COVID vaccinations as a city and later led the way in offering monoclonal antibody treatments to those suffering from the disease. Those efforts and many others were spearheaded by City Councilmember Annalee Harlan, and she was honored as a "Rising Star" by Junior Achievement Dalton in part for her leadership during the pandemic. The honor was presented Thursday night during the JA Northwest Georgia Business Hall of Fame banquet at the Dalton Convention Center. 

Councilmember Harlan was served on the City Council since 2018. She was elected to a second term last November. She is a former paramedic and owns and operates Community Hospice. Her medical background proved to be valuable to the Dalton Mayor and Council when the COVID-19 virus began to spread in the city in early 2020. She served as a liaison between the council and the local medical community, providing updates about the spread of the virus and best practices to help slow the spread of the virus. When vaccinations became available in early 2021, Harlan worked with public health officials to coordinate drive-through vaccination clinics at the Dalton Convention Center. Later, she led the way to the City of Dalton becoming a vaccine provider on its own. When monoclonal antibody treatments became available on an injection basis, she again led the way to the City of Dalton providing those treatments on a drive-through basis. The vaccination clinics and the antibody treatment clinics were firsts among Georgia municipalities. During the height of the pandemic, many Georgia cities contacted Dalton for advice on how to set up their own clinics. 

Councilmember Harlan's leadership was also reflected in the City's support of Hamilton Medical Center and the doctors, nurses, and staff on the front lines of the pandemic. She helped to organize a series of events to show support for those essential workers, providing meals and entertainment for them to help boost morale. Later, she and other members of the City administration worked to set up a system for City of Dalton workers to be detailed to work shifts at the hospital in support of their staff. Medically trained personnel from the Dalton Fire Department were able to perform some basic medical functions while staff from the Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and other departments were able to assist in roles as varied as food service to facilities maintenance. 

During her acceptance speech Thursday night, Councilmember Harlan focused credit and praise toward her fellow City Councilmembers and to City staff who helped with the response to the crisis. In particular, Harlan praised Fire Chief Todd Pangle and Police Chief Cliff Cason and their staffs for the outstanding logistical support that made the drive-through clinics work. 

Below: City of Dalton staff members join Mayor David Pennington and Councilmember Harlan for a photo before Thursday night's banquet.