[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 8, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                    IN RECOGNITION OF HARDIN WATKINS

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                             HON. TED BUDD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 8, 2022

  Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Hardin 
Watkins' recent retirement as City Manager of Burlington, North 
Carolina.
  With his retirement on March 4, 2022, Mr. Watkins ended a 32-year 
career in public service. For the past six of those years, he has 
diligently worked to better the lives of the people of Burlington. 
Residents and city employees alike will miss his wealth of experience 
and institutional knowledge.
  A native of Hendersonville, North Carolina, Mr. Watkins attended the 
University of North Carolina where he earned both his Bachelor of Arts 
in Public Policy Analysis and his Masters of Public Administration. 
After completing his education, he accepted a position as a city 
planner in Bennettsville, South Carolina. He was soon offered a new 
challenge in Decatur, Georgia, where he was hired as an assistant to 
the city manager. Mr. Watkins was rewarded for his hard work and 
dedication to the communities he served, and he was offered the 
position of City Manager of Suwanee, Georgia. However, after nearly a 
decade in that role, he returned to his home state in 2007 to manage 
the Town of Garner, North Carolina. Finally, in 2016, he was hired as 
the City Manager of Burlington.
  The breadth of his work to improve the City of Burlington is 
remarkable. Within his six years at the helm of city government, Mr. 
Watkins was instrumental in creating the city's Economic Development 
Department, establishing the Community Police Advisory Team, and 
launching Link Transit in Burlington. Residents of Burlington will also 
be thankful for his efforts to restore the city's antique Dentzel 
carousel and overhaul the city's publicly owned golf course.
  Although Mr. Watkins has begun a new stage of life, he does not 
intend to idle in his retirement. Instead, he intends to continue his 
long record of improving communities. But perhaps most importantly, he 
will have well-deserved time to spend with his family.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in thanking Mr. Hardin Watkins for his 
three decades of public service and wishing him the best in his future 
endeavors.

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