Daniel Carson Named Lavonia Assistant City Manager

The City of Lavonia has created the position of Assistant City Manager and has announced the selection of Daniel Carson to fill that role.

“Daniel is an excellent addition to our leadership team,” said Lavonia City Manager Charles Cawthon. “I have full confidence in his ability to drive our innovation efforts and continue improving our service delivery to the community. I look forward to working with Daniel as we continue to move Lavonia forward.”

As Assistant City Manager/Public Safety Director,  Carson will provide direct support to the City Manager in the day-to-day operations of the City, as well as direct staff to ensure adherence to long-term goals and strategies set by the Mayor and Council.

Carson currently serves as the Deputy Police Chief for the Lavonia Police Department.

In his new role as Assistant Manager, he will also serve as the City’s Public Safety Director where he will be responsible for oversight of all Public Safety Departments within the City.

With a career spanning 23 years in Public Safety, he is a retired firefighter, having dedicated 22 years of service to the Carnesville Fire Department.

In 2003, he earned a Technical Certificate for Emergency Medical Technician – Intermediate from North Georgia Technical College and joined the Franklin County E-911 center where he served as the Deputy Emergency Management Agency Director and earned the distinction of becoming a Certified Emergency Manager.

Carson has worked for the Lavonia Police Department since 2012 and has held a number of positions including Patrol Officer, Investigator, State Certification Manager, Property Custodian, Lieutenant, Captain, Deputy Chief, and Interim Chief.

Since obtaining P.O.S.T. certification in 2005, he has accumulated over 2,000 hours of P.O.S.T. recognized training.

In 2022, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Eastern Gateway Community College with an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice and will graduate in 2024 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Carson has been an active member of the Northeast Georgia Technical College Criminal Justice Program Advisory Committee since 2021, where he currently holds the position of Chairman.

And, he has served on the State Certification Committee for the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police since 2021.

Carson is a fifth-generation native of Franklin County. He and his wife Jessica have two children and attend Compassion Baptist Church.

Carson will begin his new job As Assistant City Manager and Public Safety Director on April 1.